Home of the Toddfather Groupbreak - Dbacktastic

Sometimes you don't get around to scanning your cards.  Perhaps you scanned cards the day before and another package arrives in the mail in the mail the next day.  Or you take your new cards, flip through them and gently place them on the bookcase facing the window in an oh-so-neat stack, so you can look through them again.  Usually, you just forget you didn't scan something and when you go to write up your group break results, you realize you have no images to share.  Sure, I could get up off the couch, walk all the way over to the scanner, turn it on, turn the scanner's computer on, wait for the computer to load, scan the pictures, rename and save the scanned pictures and upload them to Photobucket, but I got tired typing that, so I would clearly be exhausted from actually performing such actions.

So, way back in November, The Toddfather had a group break.  There was 2012 Topps Chrome, 2012 Topps Update (long before I bought that fabled, overpriced box) and 2012 Topps Pro Debut.  With the breaking filling up rapidly, a search of the checklists indicated that I just might like a Trevor Bauer or Slidin' Billy Hamilton card for my collection.  I did realize that the Billy Hamilton stealing all the bases in the minor leagues was not the zombie of the Phillies' greatest base thief from the 1890s, but still remained interested in his cards.

Topps Chrome brought some base cards to my collection and a reminder that I do not like the very shiny Topps Chrome cards, as the "chrome" obscures the color.  As to Pro Debut, there was no Slidin' Billy Hamilton, but I did get a Trevor Bauer.  I was awfully close to scanning the Trevor Bauer, even going so far as to put it in the scanning pile, but I couldn't bring myself to make more than two scans of cards, so an editorial decision was made to take it out of the pile.



The black bordered Topps John McDonald is numbered to 61.  Surprisingly, I also pulled a black border Henry Blanco when I opened my box of Topps Update, giving me two of the Diamonbacks limited to 61. If I was a Diamondbacks fan, I would be stoked and trying to put together the whole set in black borders, but I'm not, so I'll stick to the surprise of Henry Blanco being a major league catcher at 40, as he was not much of a catcher at 30.



I also ended up with a gold bordered Trevor Cahill, showing I have the touch for getting numbered Diamondback cards from Topps flagship group breaks.  I would show you some Reds, but there was nothing noteworthy enough to scan.  Despite getting teams which are well outside my wheelhouse, it was still quite the enjoyable group break and I would like to extend my thanks to the Toddfather for running such a fine break.

Daily Dimwit Group Break - 1 in 4,200 Hit

Group breaks tend to be difficult for me.  My allegiances are not to a specific franchise, but instead to players, mostly players long retired.  I like the camaraderie and the stack of organized cards, eliminating many of the cards I have no desire to add to my collection.  Given these choices, I gravitate toward group breaks with retired players in the product and scan checklist after checklist before committing.  The Daily Dimwit had a group break with 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces, 2008 Upper Deck Goudey and 2012 Gypsy Queen.  As the majority of the product was Gypsy Queen and this year's set did not have Christy Mathewson, but did have Ty Cobb, I signed up for the open Detroit Tigers, figuring I might pick up a few more Ty Cobbs for my collection.  In a surprise, I only ended up with one Ty Cobb card.  I did however pick up a few "hits" from the Group Break.

The Goudeys were not a success for the Tigers or the Twins, who were my randomized team.  There were some base cards and I believe a mini Delmon Young...but there is no such thing as success with Delmon Young.



Upper Deck Masterpieces were a success with the above black bordered Gary Sheffield.  The Sheffield is quite nice with some raised framing on the card.  Definitely a keeper for my box of modern day cards.  The real winner for me and perhaps the entire group break came from Gypsy Queen.



Yes, that is a piece of a seat from old Tiger Stadium on a framed relic numbered 82/100.  The chances of pulling one of these cards from a pack were 1 in 4,200.  On some level, I think that perhaps someone saw Sam Crawford or Ty Cobb from that seat, though it is more likely that someone saw Guillermo Hernandez or Bill Gullickson, but the illusion makes the card even grander.  I must admit, seeing it in the video was cool, but in person it is even better, as you can just touch the wood grain on the card.  I reckon the thrill of a hit like this is why we participate in group breaks, but also to get a card you might not think about or consider purchasing on your own.  I never would have searched for one of these cards, but I am quite thrilled to add this piece to my collection. 

So, thanks to Samuel for running a great group break and an even better blog.