Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 9, 2012, 9:30 pm
I spent too much time on eBay last week looking for cheap Barry Larkin cards that I could add to my collection.  After purchasing this lot in a moment of weakness, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't bid on any more Larkin cards unless they were either a hit (relic or auto) or a serially-num...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 9, 2012, 6:30 pm
There are six packs remaining in the Cracker Jack box - here's half of them: Pack 1: Greinke - Royals Giambi - Yankees Jones - Braves Cruz Jr. - Rays Choy Foo - Indians Burrell - Phillies Rivera - Yankees Mini:  Abreu - Phillies Sticker surpris...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 9, 2012, 1:00 pm
As the title suggests, for a few days I had a bunch of posts all pre-written and queued up.  Then the work week started and I didn't even get on the computer (at home) for more than five minutes.  Now all of the sudden, it's Thursday and I'm out of fresh material.  However, the group break must g...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 9, 2012, 8:30 am
The voting ended for Round 1E yesterday so let's take a look at the results and then move on to Round 1F. As you can see by the above poll numbers, it was a clean sweep for 1991 Upper Deck.  The Silver Slugger card finished first while the regular base card locked up second place.  The oth...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 8, 2012, 9:30 pm
It's getting late - so here's three packs instead of the usual four. Pack 13: Jorge De La Rosa - Red Sox Kevin Millwood - Braves Horacio Ramirez - Braves Mark Grudzielanek - Dodgers Franklin German - Tigers Shawn Green - Dodgers Terrence Long - Athletics
...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 8, 2012, 6:30 pm
While most of you have moved on to the latest and greatest (2012 Topps Series 1 at the moment), I'm still working my way towards completing sets from last year.  My latest swap - with blog reader Stephen - netted me the final Minds that Made the Future card that I needed from Allen & Ginter (even a...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 8, 2012, 1:00 pm
It's time to finish off the second (of three) mini boxes within the 2002 Fleer Genuine hobby box.  Without further ado, here are the next four packs: Pack 9: 6.  Mike Mussina - Yankees 11.  Sean Casey - Reds 32.  Juan Gonzalez - Rangers 60.  Gary Sheffield - Braves ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 8, 2012, 8:30 am
Good morning!  I'm writing this post about an hour before the Super Bowl airs...it's nice to (finally) be a bit ahead on group break packs.  I'm currently listening to Cris Collinsworth talk "blah blah blah."  Let's rip a few more packs instead, that sounds more fun. Pack 11: 10.  Todd Hel...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 7, 2012, 9:30 pm
The pack wrappers for the UD Patch Collection cards say that there are short prints seeded 1:4 packs.  Unfortunately, even with a brief internet search, I couldn't find any type of complete short print checklist for the set.  I guess when the group break participants get their cards they can try t...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 7, 2012, 6:30 pm
I think I've run out clever (and not-so-clever) ways to say "here's four more packs."  But, here are four more packs! Pack 9: 11.  Barry Larkin - Reds 36.  Jorge Posada - Yankees 59.  Jeff Bagwell - Astros 71.  Mike Piazza - Mets 75.  Geoff Jenkins - Brewers ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 7, 2012, 1:00 pm
... from Night Owl Cards) and I recently completed our gabillionth* trade.  This time, I sent Greg 25 base cards from 2011 Lineage (or as ... 13; Greg also sent me a pair of Topps Lineage cards. First, a Hunter Pence stand-up card (which means I'm now ... on the Reds in the three parallel...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 7, 2012, 8:30 am
The second group break of the new year is beginning to wrap up.  At this point, we are on the second half of each of the boxes - and we've already found 13 different hits!  Let's see if we can up that total with another four packs of Cracker Jacks. Pack 11: Pie - Cubs Comiskey - White ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 6, 2012, 9:30 pm
By my count, I have twelve different trade packages sitting on the furniture behind me waiting to be scanned, cataloged, and uploaded onto the blog.  Of course, I also have six boxes full of group break packs that are waiting to be opened, scanned, and sorted.  As you can probably tell from the m...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 6, 2012, 6:30 pm
The Fleer Flair box promises 1 memorabilia card for every packs.  Since there are twenty packs in the box, odds suggest we should end up with four different hits.  So far, we've found exactly one hit (Roy Oswalt).  Will the next batch of four packs provide us with our second (and possibly third) ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 6, 2012, 1:00 pm
It's time to bust open the second mini box (of three total).  Here is the first half of that box. Pack 9: 41.  Ken Griffey Jr. - Reds 77.  Torii Hunter - Twins 79.  Charles Johnson- Marlins 91.  Ryan Dempster - Marlins TC 19 of 25.  Tip of the Cap:  Ken Griffey J...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 6, 2012, 8:30 am
My goal is to finish off all six boxes of the group break by the end of the week.  If I'm lucky, I'll have all the cards packaged up and ready to be mailed out by Saturday.  I don't know if that's possible, but that's the goal.  I know my wife would love for all the stacks of cards to disappear.....
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 5, 2012, 10:52 pm
A quick formatting note before I begin: I've decided on a slightly better naming convention, this is the fifth vote of the first round - so I'll call it Round 1E.  The previous votes being Rounds 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D respectively (even though I won't go back through the archives to fix my titl...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 5, 2012, 8:00 pm
Here is how this works: Every so often (i.e. whenever I feel like it), I will add a card to a "Trade Stack".  Whenever the stack becomes appealing enough to someone, that person needs to comment on the post saying they'd like to claim the stack AND tell me which card they are sending off of my wa...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 5, 2012, 5:00 pm
I've been extremely busy trying to get group break posts written (and if you missed it, look at the last post for a pair of patches from the UD Patch Collection box) - plus my own course work for both the classes I'm teaching and the one education class that I'm taking.  As such, I haven't done a g...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 5, 2012, 1:30 pm
Given that the Super Bowl is almost here, I figured I'd try to sneak in one more group break post (and one that features a pair of hits no less)!  The 2003 UD Patch Collection box promised one All-Star patch per box, but as you can see from the box topper pack wrapper, we ended up with two! B...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 5, 2012, 9:00 am
It might be a day dedicated to football on most of the blogs...but not here at Nachos Grande.  You get it all here (with extra cheese)! Pack 7: Rodriguez - Marlins Thome - Phillies Santana - Twins Zito - Athletics Duncan - Yankees Mora - Orioles Shotten - C...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 4, 2012, 9:30 pm
Not all that long ago, Darren (aka Potch) and I agreed to a trade.  I think it hinged around one of my trade stacks but I might be making that up. I suppose I could do actual research but...it's the weekend.  Anyhow, I sent Potch something but I'm sure it was nowhere near as cool as what he sent m...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 4, 2012, 6:30 pm
The box of 2002 Fleer Genuine consists of three mini boxes with 8 packs per mini box.  These five packs finish off the first mini box.  One thing that's fun about each pack of Genuine is that there appears to be either an insert or hit in each pack, will that trend continue? Pack 4: 9.  Mar...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 4, 2012, 1:00 pm
We've had a great run of group break posts...will the Donruss Heroes box continue to impress?  From what I can tell, there aren't any other major hits expected from the box.  The pack isn't perfectly clear, but from how I read it we should have gotten one hit and one serially numbered card.  With...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 4, 2012, 9:00 am
Yesterday's pack breaks were quite awesome - we ended up with three hits including a nice serially numbered autograph card.  Will today offer up the same sort of success?  Let's find out starting with the UD Patch Collection box. Pack 4: 16.  Johnny Damon - Red Sox 26.  Frank Thomas ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 3, 2012, 9:30 pm
I know that you were probably hoping for another group break post...especially since each of the first three posts today resulted in a hit a piece!  However, I have to post content that's not just group break stuff all the time too...so here it is! I recently contacted an eBay seller and comp...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 3, 2012, 6:30 pm
If you missed either of the first two group break posts from today, you really ought to go back and check them out...especially the last post! Can our good luck continue?  Let's find out! Pack 3: Ichiro - Mariners Williams - Yankees Millar - Red Sox Mulder - Athletics...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 3, 2012, 1:00 pm
If you missed the morning post, you should make sure you check it out - another hit was discovered!  That's old news now though, so let's rip open another four packs! Pack 6: Matt Clement - Cubs David Eckstein - Angels Steve Smythe - Cubs Matt Lawton - Indians Brandon ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Feb 3, 2012, 8:30 am
Happy Friday!  Here's a great way to start your morning - 4 more packs from the group break, including some cool cards...scroll down! Pack 3: 73.  Raul Mondesi - Blue Jays 75.  Brian Giles - Pirates 93.  Steve Cox - Rays 96.  Sean Casey - Reds 120.  Jeff Weaver -...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 31, 2012, 7:45 pm
Here's a pair of packs to start off the 2004 Cracker Jack box.  I already opened one of these boxes for a previous group break and I found them fun enough to try again for this break.  However, it should be noted that there are a bunch of short prints that I'm not going to bother researching again...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 31, 2012, 1:00 pm
The Fleer Flair box has a box topper card but I think I'll hold off on opening that for the time being...let's instead open up the first regular pack.  With hits seeded 1:5 packs we ought to get some fun stuff in a lot of these packs! 2003 Flair: Pack 01: 24.  Roger Clemens - Yankees 3...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 31, 2012, 8:30 am
Before we get to the packs of cards, we have a little bit of business to attend to.  Here are the people who have elected to claim one of the extra teams... Jaybarkerfan apba66and0 Jon Tunguska Nachos Grande Jason hiflew Daily Dimwit Tim G. Tunguska ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 30, 2012, 8:48 pm
Seriously now, what happened to all the Red Sox fans out there? My latest group break is 3 teams from selling out completely - but of those remaining teams is the Boston Red Sox.  6 boxes, over 15 hits, over 1,000 cards, and only $25.00 per team - but the Red Sox remain unclaimed. Some teams ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 30, 2012, 6:30 pm
Once again, I'm writing a post a few hours before it is schedule to go live - but as of this moment there are still six three available teams in my group break (see the sign-ups here).  I figured that before the break gets going in earnest, I would try once more to tempt you guys (and gals) to pick...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 30, 2012, 1:00 pm
The first two rounds of the Barry Larkin Card Experiment are in the books! Round 1 Results: In round 1, the 1987 Topps Barry Larkin rookie card smoked the competition which basically meant it was a battle between three cards for second place (remember the top two cards from the first set of ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 30, 2012, 8:30 am
It's almost 11:00 PM EST as I am writing this post - but you won't see it until the morning hours.  As such, I don't know whether this post is actually a sneak peek (as I labeled it) or a "first packs" of the new group break type of post. You see, as I am writing this post there are still 12...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 29, 2012, 6:00 pm
I've teased it for a couple of days, but it's finally here:  My second group break of the new year!  For the second break, I'm going to switch up the format once again - gotta keep things fresh! A great big thanks to the group break sponsor:  Baseball Card Exchange Here are the details: For ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 29, 2012, 3:55 pm
This is an early warning that the Group Break sign-ups will be active on my blog at 6:00 PM EST tonight (1/29/2012).  The break consists of 6 different boxes.  $25.00 nets you one team of your choice while $30.00 nets you a team of your choice and a random team.  This break features a bunch of gu...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 29, 2012, 10:00 am
Here is how this works: Every so often (i.e. whenever I feel like it), I will add a card to a "Trade Stack".  Whenever the stack becomes appealing enough to someone, that person needs to comment on the post saying they'd like to claim the stack AND tell me which card they are sending off of my wa...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 28, 2012, 4:00 pm
The mailman (mail woman actually) just delivered a box full of boxes for my next group break.  I plan to have sign-ups this weekend at some point, though right now (when you read this at least), I'll be at the funeral for my wife's grandmother. Cards take a back seat for now - but if we get ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 28, 2012, 9:00 am
A few days ago, I wrote to Topps in an effort to inquire about a possible blog sponsorship - or rather, a way for me to review Topps products for the upcoming baseball year.  As the author of a blog that's been averaging 200+ visitors lately, I don't think it is a stretch to say that my blog is wel...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 27, 2012, 6:00 pm
Here is how this works: Every so often (i.e. whenever I feel like it), I will add a card to a "Trade Stack".  Whenever the stack becomes appealing enough to someone, that person needs to comment on the post saying they'd like to claim the stack AND tell me which card they are sending off of my wa...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 27, 2012, 1:00 pm
Barry Larkin and Derek Jeter Year:  1994 Brand:  Bowman's Best Subset:  Mirror Image Card number:  95 The Mirror Image cards were seeded 1 per pack in Series 1 of the 1994 Bowman's Best set.  Although inserted at a special rate, the cards were numbered as part of the regular base set (wh...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 27, 2012, 8:30 am
I hope PWE week was as much fun for you as it was for me.  Ok, I'm guessing it was a lot more fun for me since I ended up with all the cards - but still, hopefully you enjoyed a slightly new twist on the classic trade post. For today's post, the final envelope is courtesy of Ryan (This Card i...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 26, 2012, 8:30 pm
First, I think Sam over at The Daily Dimwit has one of the most fun blog titles to work into trade posts.  Anytime I get to use the word dimwit, I'm excited (unless I need to use the word to describe my students' efforts on the latest exam or homework assignment of course). Today's envelope w...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 26, 2012, 1:00 pm
Although Round 1 of the BLCE isn't quite completed, it's time to put the poll up for Round 2.  If I don't stagger the polls a bit we'll be here for much too long before we get to the more interesting rounds (winners versus winners)!  Since I rather arbitrarily decided to "seed" the first round in ...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 26, 2012, 8:30 am
Here's a quick trade post (after all, that's fully in the spirit of plain white envelope week)!  This one comes from Jordan: In exchange for that shiny 2008 Upper Deck card, Jordan ended up with one of my trade stacks (#33b if you are really curious).  Why #33b?  Well, it turned out that t...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 25, 2012, 8:00 pm
The other day, I bought a few of the 2011 Topps Heritage short prints that I still needed from an eBay seller.  I also asked that seller if he could throw in an extra base card of #31:  Ozzie Martinez as that was the one common that seemed to elude me all year. If I had been more on top of t...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 20, 2012, 8:30 am
Those are my recent (sort of) redemptions that I've turned into Topps.  The Cliff Pennington is in my possession already.  The Alex Rios will never be in my possession.  The Alexei Ramirez was NEVER sent to me...(nor was any replacement) - I emailed Topps yesterday about that problem...  And the...
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Chris R. posted an article on Nachos Grande - Jan 19, 2012, 9:00 pm
Here is how this works: Every so often (i.e. whenever I feel like it), I will add a card to a "Trade Stack".  Whenever the stack becomes appealing enough to someone, that person needs to comment on the post saying they'd like to claim the stack AND tell me which card they are sending off of my wa...
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