Weekend mail pick-up

The Browns once again lost their season opener and are now 1-16 in their season openers since coming back into the league in 1999, winning in 2004.

Last Browns QB to win a season opener - 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot #22





 

I believe that Josh McCown became the 23rd different QB to start a regular season game for the Browns since 1999. He lasted one series before leaving with a concussion.

 

Penalties ruined some good plays, and the defense didn't play to expectations. If the Browns play like this all year, it will be another long one.

 

I attended two card shows this weekend, one on Saturday in Syracuse, and the other a very quick visit to a card show in Ottawa on Sunday before heading out to watch football. I came back from Syracuse with over 100 Browns cards for my collection, but only added one from the Ottawa show. I'll show some of those cards later this week. I also found a few cards for others. I'll have to send some packages out soon.

 

A couple of purchases arrived by mail this week. For 2015 Topps, I've now got my first buyback cards:

 

 

Unlike some baseball card buybacks that I've heard about, these cards were in good shape, and fit in my team collection over 30 years after they first came out.

 

For anyone wanting to trade, I've pulled these:

 

Another card that arrived, that I've wanted since it came out in 1992, is this Action Packed 24Kt. Gold stamped beauty!

 

Touchdown Tommy - sadly not with Cleveland











I pulled other 24Kt Gold stamped cards back then, but never managed to get any of the Browns that I wanted. (I'll show another one sometime soon after it arrives in the mail.)

 

Another auction, a lot of Greg Little RCs that I managed to win on ebay, featured the following Crown Royale Jewel Rookies Autographed Gold card numbered 8/10.

 

It was for eight Greg Little RCs. I needed four of them. Not a bad purchase for $0.99 plus shipping.

 

I'll be scanning most of the new cards that I bought and adding them to the trading card database. It should be a fun week.

 

Hopefully next Sunday will make me a little happier about the football season having started. At least I have the Mets to watch until then.

Rookie autographs

With the focus on rookie cards and autographs, and with sets coming out well before the season begins, you can commit to collecting players before they even play a regular season game.

Here are some of this year's rookie autographs that I've bought before the season's opening kickoff.

Browns first pick in 2015 -  #/99

 

Clear Gold #/10

I also have the regular Bowman Chrome refractor autograph to go with the blue one above. As a DT his cards were not that difficult to get. He is wearing 71 with the Browns so that part of the signature will change in the future.

 

Injured reserve for the year

 I think I picked this one up at the same time as the Orchard one below. I understand all these players have so many autographs to sign but initials are just so boring.

 

Hoping to add to the pass rush

 At least there are some sort of squiggles after the initials.

 

Didn't make the team

This is one of four Mayle autographs that I picked up, including an autographed Leaf Clear printing plate. My roommate is a Washington State fan so I watched Mayle play quite a bit last year. I hope he does well in Dallas, but as a Browns draft pick these cards will stay in my collection. 

 

Inscriptions Gold #/10

 

This was pulled in a local store where the owner rightly suspected that I would want it. I think that Erving will have a good career, and many analysts figure he is insurance at C in case Alex Mack opts out after this year. I hope there is no need for him to start this year as that means there will have been no injuries and the line is playing well.

 

Now it is time to start working on getting some of the rookie autographs from the regular, non-college sets.

 

I'm still debating making the drive to Syracuse tomorrow for a card show. If I do, I'll be sure to post my thoughts and anything that I pick up.

2015 Topps

 

Before beginning on this year's Topps football set I'm going to briefly talk some baseball.

Let's Go Mets!

One of the highlights of my summer was a stop in Binghamton to see the AA Mets play. Specifically, I wanted to see prospect Michael Conforto. On Friday, June 5, Conforto hit a walk-off double to help the B-Mets defeat the Reading Fightin Phils 8-7. (Hopefully the B-Mets can come back to beat Reading in their current playoff series.)

It was great to get that chance to see Conforto play. I'm enjoying his play so far in the majors, and having a lot of fun watching this year's Mets play. What a satisfying sweep of the Nationals!

Now, on to this year's Topps.

I don't yet have all of this year's Browns from the base set, but know that it is just a matter of time. All of the parallels, on the other hand, are another matter. I'll try to pick up what I can. I want them for my collection, but realize that I'm not going to find all of them. With the advent of parallels I know that I will always have cards to look for.

This year's Topps base cards are an interesting mix. I love the photos, and find that the borders frame the cards well. Here are this year's Browns:

The back-up QB who has a way bigger profile than the starter:





 Three RBs:

Just traded to Tennessee 

Expected to be the starter 

The rookie hope

Three WRs:

Great first season with the team last year 

Hmmm, new uniform, and I don't remember playing Arizona 

Unfortunately this rookie didn't make the team

One OL:

All-Pro and future HoF player

 

Two DL:



Rookie pass rush

Rookie, first round pick

 

One DB:

Pro Bowl corner

 

It is unfortunate that other key players do not have cards, the starting QB Josh McCown, the Pro Bowl S Tashaun Gipson, any LB. Oh well, I'll love these cards since that is what they've given me.

 

I'll talk about and post insert cards later but I have one other comment to make regarding this Topps set.

 

I understand how companies Photoshop cards to place people in their new uniforms (see the Bowe card earlier), but sometimes they might want to pay a bit more attention to the background.

 

Jordan Cameron signed with the Miami Dolphins during the off-season. Topps placed Cameron in his new uniform:

Look behind him. There is Brian Hoyer in his white Browns uniform. Both teams can't be wearing their whites in the same game. Couldn't they find a different photo to avoid this?

To close today, I would like to wish a happy birthday to the following former Browns:


Happy 64th Birthday!

The big 50 today!



Here we go, Brownies, here we go! Woof! Woof!











Beginnings

As the new NFL season begins, I felt that it was time to kickoff this blog. It will mostly deal with football cards, primarily Cleveland Browns cards, but I'll also be posting my thoughts on anything else that interests me at any given time.
 

 

 

 

 Last year, I restarted my Cleveland Browns collection, and while looking around the internet discovered the Trading Card Database. A great resource, it became a regular hangout. I've entered my Browns card collection into the database and added many scans to the site since I joined in October.

 

 

I believe that this was my first scan added to the database

 

 

Something that the Trading Card Database introduced me to was card blogs. I have had a great time reading many of the blogs, and following links on their sites to even more blogs. I have even reached out to some of the bloggers and sent a few packages of stuff that I knew that would fit in their collection where they would be appreciated.

 

How do I define my collection? Well, there was a great post at Night Owl Cards that was very similar to my mindset.

 

We can all identify basic Cleveland Browns cards but I also include cards where players are identified as part of another team, but still in their Browns uniform, or vice versa:

 

 

Still a Browns card

 

 

Also a Browns card

 

I also consider college cards of players that were drafted by the Browns whether the cards came out before or after their careers.

 

 

Soon to play first regular season Browns game

 

Browns Hall of Fame career

This did lead to the biggest dilemma of my collecting. Did I really want cards like the following to be part of my collection?

It fits my criteria, but leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. It brings back horrible memories, and brings me back to a time where I really didn't watch the NFL for about a year and a half.

In the end I decided that yes, it was still a Browns card, and I would collect it. It still hurts to look through my 1996 cards but some of those cards are the last cards of favorite players in my favorite uniform.

While this blog is very simple and boring looking with today's inaugural post, expect many changes as I teach myself how to do more on here. I hope to set up a wantlist soon.

I'll leave with a fun card:

Here we go, Brownies, here we go! Woof! Woof!


Angus