Caught Up on Wong

Because he's a catcher...get it?

Panini Prizm Power Plaid Prizm.  Serial-numbered to 75.  

Panini Select White.  Serial-numbered to 50.

Topps Chrome Logofractor Future Stars Gold Refractor.  Serial-numbered to 50.

And now, let's get into some more colorful parallels from Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Autographs Orange Refractor.  Autographed parallel numbered to 25.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Platinum Toile Cream/Orange Refractor.  Serial-numbered to 25.  I bought this card off of Twitter, which is not a way I prefer to buy cards since there is no real accountability there, and I have had a bad transaction there.  But, this was a great price for a low-numbered card.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Autographs Blue Prism Refractor.  Autographed card numbered to 99.  Here's another autograph I managed to grab.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Aqua RayWave Refractor.  Parallel card numbered to 299.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Autographs Aqua Refractor.  Autographed card numbered to 150.  This is one of the first autographed cards from this set that I really targeted.  I missed out on it a couple of times.  

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Platinum Toile Cream/Black.  Parallel serial-numbered to ten.  This is the first really rare card I have gotten from this set thus far.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Red Atomic Refractor.  Parallel numbered to 100.

Topps Chrome Sonic Red/Black Pulse Refractor.  Serial-numbered to five.  This card gets me just one card away from having all of the Sonic parallels.  That card is also serial-numbered to just five, so there is a chance.  I swear it was on Ebay some time ago, but I cannot find it now.

Topps Gallery Printing Plate Black.  I bid on this card a couple of weeks ago and lost at the last second.  I was shocked to see it come up again.  Of course as a 1/1, I knew it was obviously the same card, and it was the same seller.  This time, I was not going to be denied, even though it sold for more this time than it did last time.

Panini Mosaic White Sparkle.  I think these were only available in special packs on the Panini website.  I could have that way off I suppose.  But, I jumped on it regardless.

I am caught up for now, but there are more cards coming soon, and most of them are Connor Wong cards.

Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Three Case Wong Break

A few weeks back the checklist for Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary was dropped and I was pleased to see Connor Wong on the checklist.  The only issue is the massive number of parallels.  So, there were 46 new cards added to my wantlist.  I thought a nice, easy way to ease myself in to it would be to buy into some group breaks, particularly if the cost was low.  It would be a risk, but it might be worth it.

The first break to open was a three-case break that cost me about as much as lunch during the weekdays at work.  It proved to be well worth it.

Of course I got the base card.  When I watched the break online, it took a long time to even get this card.  But, I figured in three cases, it would come eventually, so I was not too worried.  I received multiples of it eventually.  Interestingly, the base versions list Wong as a catcher/third-baseman, despite the fact he played very little there.

Platinum Toile White/Blue Refractor.  Some of the parallels are kind of hard to determine what they are.  I am pretty sure I have this one identified correctly.  It is serial-numbered to 199.

This made me pretty happy.  This is the base version of the autographed card.  I actually got two of these.  Considering autos were only one per box, that was pretty good.  But, then came this:

This is the Refractor parallel of the autograph.  This was my best pull from the break.  This is serial-numbered to 199.  

Platinum Cream/Fuchsia Atomic Refractor.  Again, I am pretty sure this is what the parallel is.  This card is numbered to 100, making it the rarest card I got.

That was well worth the money.  Just the base and a parallel would have been worth it honestly, but I received the base, two parallels, the base autograph and a parallel autograph.  None of the cards were particularly rare, but they were all decent pulls.  It kind of emboldened me to try it a couple more times.  Unfortunately, my luck ran out and I only got base cards.

Getting Closer to Catching Up

More Connor Wong cards.  I am sure some people are bored with these updates, but I haven't been acquiring much else lately.  I need to get around to making trades again and buying packs.

Donruss Optic Blue Velocity Prizm.  Parallel numbered to 99.

Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Signatures Teal Velocity.  Autographed card numbered to 49.  I talked about this before, but I thought that I might have acquired this before.  I bought a card that was listed as Blue that looked more like the Teal.  That transaction was cancelled because the seller could not find the card.  I then bought a card listed as Teal that turned out to be the Carolina Blue.  Now I have the Teal as well.

Topps Gallery Rookie Autographs Orange.  Autographed card numbered to 25.  I was getting worried about getting this card.  It took a weirdly long time to get it in.  At one point, it was even returned to the sender for some inexplicable reason.

Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Atomic Refractor.  Autographed card numbered to 100.  I have made several attempts at getting this card.  I finally added it.

Panini Absolute Rookie Leather Signatures Spectrum Gold.  Autographed card numbered to ten.  This is a really cool card with gold ink signed on a black leather material.

Panini Prizm Rookie Autographs Silver Prizm.  Autographed card.

Panini Mosaic Pink Camo.  Sorry for the really horrible pic.

Panini Select Gold Disco.  Parallel card numbered to ten.

Topps Gypsy Queen Sepia.  Parallel numbered to 99.

Topps Gallery Green Pattern.  Parallel numbered to 99.

Topps Chrome Sonic Prism Refractor.  Hardly noticeable, but this is a Sonic parallel.  It leaves me two cards short of the whole run.  Both cards are numbered to five though, so we will see.

Topps Chrome Ben Baller Chartreuse.  Parallel numbered to 15.  If you had asked me what color "chartreuse" was, I would not have guessed a shade of green.  Some colors I just do not have in my vocabulary.  

Panini Prizm Rookie Autographs Blue Wave Prizm.  Autographed card numbered to 50.

Panini Absolute Tools of the Trade Jumbo Signatures.  Autographed card numbered to 199 with a large jersey relic.

Donruss Signature Series Blue.  Autographed card numbered to 99.

Topps Red Foilboard.  Parallel numbered to 199.

Finest Flashbacks Rose Gold.  Parallel numbered to 15.  I have been in contact with the guy who owns the superfractor.  Maybe one day I can get it away from him.

Panini Chronicles Spectra Rookie Jersey Autographs Gold.  Nice three-color patch, autographed card numbered to ten.

That's it for now.  As I said, I am getting close to being caught up.  Still more Wong cards to come.

Topps Now: June 16, 2023

One of the biggest wins of the season for the Red Sox was their 15-5 drubbing of the Yankees in Fenway Park on June 16.  The game was started by Tanner Houck, but he was injured in the fifth inning when a comebacker struck him in the face.  Enter Joe Jacques, a 28-year-old career minor leaguer, to mop up.  It was just the third appearance for the lefty.  Jacques ended up pitching two innings, giving up three hits and three runs (one earned), and striking out two batters.  He ended up qualifying for the win, his first in the Majors.

On the offensive side of things, the stars were Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner.  Yoshida was in the midst of a hot streak and had four hits in four at-bats, scoring a run and driving in four.  Among his hits were two doubles.  Turner had three hits in five at-bats, including a grand slam, a two-run homer and a double.  He also scored three runs.  

All three players got cards and I had to grab them all.  Yoshida is obviously the big offseason acquisition.  Turner has turned in a great season replacing J.D. Martinez at designated hitter.  Finally, this is very possibly going to be the only card of Joe Jacques with the Red Sox.  He started off reasonably well, but has fallen off considerably and is back in the minors.

A Couple More Wongs and a COMC Order

Very short post this time.  I have a couple of random Wong cards and a short COMC order.

Panini Mosaic White.  Serial-numbered to 25.  I bought this off of Mercari.  Mosaic is a set with a ton of other parallels that I still need to find.

Panini Chronicles Contenders Optic Holo.  This is one of my favorite cards to get variations of.  This is the most common parallel and one I have tried several times to get. 

Now for the COMC order:

I had to grab this Masataka Yoshida insert.  Yoshida has been a lot of fun to watch, though he is starting to struggle again.  He seems to need rest on a regular basis or his hitting tends to suffer.  It has nonetheless been an outstanding debut season in the MLB.

And, of course, I had to add some Wong cards to this order:

This is the Donruss Optic Signature Holo and base versions.  These are examples of cards that took me a weirdly long time to grab.  Although since I did just start this collection a few months ago, that doesn't really mean much.

Topps Now: July 2, 2023

Jarren Duran has been one of the best stories on the Red Sox this season. The former top prospect lost a lot of his shine over the last couple of seasons as he struggled greatly in the Majors on both sides of the ball. He has always hit in the minors and his speed is a dangerous weapon, so Boston gave him another shot. This time, he excelled. He has become a dynamic force in the lineup with both power and speed.

On July 2, in a game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Duran hit four doubles in the game, scoring three runs. Boston won 5-4 with Chris Martin getting the win and Joe Jacques the save. Alex Verdugo homered in the game.

More Wong

This will be a shorter post, but I am nowhere near caught up.

Panini Chronicles Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs Draft Red.  Autographed card numbered to 75.

Panini Immaculate Rookie Patch Autographs Button.  Autographed relic card numbered to eight.  This is my second button card of Wong.  

Panini Prizm Tiger Stripe.  This is a card I was really excited about.  There is no serial-number, but these animal print Prizm parallels seem to be exceptionally rare.  It was quite the bidding war for this one.

Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Signatures Purple Mojo.  Autographed card numbered to 88.  

Panini Prizm Blue Velocity.  

Panini Absolute Tools of the Trade Jumbo Signatures Spectrum Gold.  Huge three-color patch with an autograph, numbered to just ten.

That's it for today.  More coming, but there are a few non-Connor Wong cards to show off mixed in.

Free Cards: An Intermission

Breaking up the Connor Wong posts for a but is this group of cards that I got for free with one of my Wong cards.  This year's Panini Prizm had a pretty decent player selection for the Red Sox and I will eventually grab some packs.  But one seller sent a pile of about 20 base cards for free, including the following three Red Sox.

1.  Nomar Garciaparra.  I'm not sure I have anything new to say about Nomar.  I'm hoping he has a decent showing in the Eras Committee for the Hall of Fame.  I still think his peak was high enough to get him in.  And if Don Mattingly ever makes it in, that strengthens Nomar's candidacy.

2.  Jim Rice.  An underrated Hall of Famer, it took Rice 15 years to get into the Hall of Fame.  Given some of the players getting in these days, it is safe to say his place his secure.

3.  Johnny Pesky.  Pesky is absolutely one of my favorite players to add cards to my collection.  He was such a monumental figure in Red Sox history, filling a variety of roles for 60+ years.  

Epic Wong Post: The Re-Return

I continue to be kind of busy right now.  I have a lot to catch up on, mostly Wong cards of course.  Wong has been struggling a bit lately on both sides of the ball.  Most likely that's due to a two-month period in which he played almost every single game.  He probably needs a rest for a bit.

Anyway, let's get going.  This will be scan-heavy.

Panini National Treasures Rookie Silhouettes Gold.  Nice two-colored patch and an autograph and numbered to 49.

Panini Chronicles Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs Building Blocks.  Autograph numbered to ten.

Panini Prizm Blue Mojo Prizm.  Not cut well, but serial-numbered to 199.

Panini Chronicles Rookies and Stars Purple.  Serial-numbered to 25, and one of my favorite cards.

Finest Rookie Autographs Gold Refractor.  Serial-numbered to 50 and autographed.  This gets me one step closer to completing the rainbow.  I need the Red Wave and the Super, two of the rarest.

Bowman Sterling Fuchsia Refractor.  Serial-numbered to 75.

Bowman Gold.  Serial-numbered to 50.

Panini Chronicles Studio Black Signatures.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 99.  This is my first card from this subset.

Panini Chronicle America's Pastime Swatches Blue.  Game-worn jersey and numbered to 99.  I am not sure where this swatch comes from.

Panini Prizm Rookie Autographs Red Shimmer Prizm.  Autographed and serial-numbered to just seven.  Why seven?  Who knows?

Panini Diamond Kings DK Signatures Holo Silver.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 75.

Topps Heritage Black.  Serial-numbered to 50.

Topps Chrome Logofractor Future Stars Autographs.  Autographed, obviously, and serial-numbered to 99.

Topps Gypsy Queen Turquoise.  Serial-numbered to 199.

Panini Prizm Lime Green Prizm.  Serial-numbered to 125.

Panini Chronicles Studio Black B&W Signatures.  This is my first variation of this card too.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 99.

Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Signatures Cracked Ice Red.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 25.  I continue to add parallels of this card.

Topps Finest Flashbacks Refractor.  This took a couple tries to get in.  This is one of my favorite cards as well.

Stadium Club Rainbow Foil.  Serial-numbered to 25.

Stadium Club Autographs Red Foil.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 50.

Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Signatures Purple Stars Prizm.  Autographed and serial-numbered to 49.  Yet another variation of this card.

Panini Absolute Rookie Baseball Material Booklet Signatures Pink.  Autographed, game-used and serial-numbered to 35.  The Sweet Spot autographs from Upper Deck were always some of my favorite autographs, so it is nice to add something similar.  I am not wild about booklet cards, but I was going to have to get one soon for this collection.

Bowman Yellow.  Serial-numbered to 75.

Topps Gallery Orange.  Serial-numbered to 25.

Topps Chrome Sapphire Orange.  Serial-numbered to 25.  I was considering a top ten most wanted list for awhile and one of the items was any of the Sapphire parallels.  I accomplished that with this card.

That's it for now.  Many more coming.