Greetings Ginter Mafia,
Once again we are faced with the second most exciting time of the year -- the annual release of the single greatest baseball card product to be produced ever. 2014 Topps Allen and Ginter is primed for release early in July, and we're right around six weeks out from release. Exciting.
You may ask what the single most exciting time of the year is. That's a dumb question. I know there are "no dumb questions" but come on, if Ginter Release is the second greatest day of the year, Gint-A-Cuffs is the single most exciting time of the year. And that's more of a season than a single day. So there you have it.
As for this year, you can be dang sure I'll be throwing down and cuffing it up with the rest of the folks to make up for my last-place finish from last year. Yeah. We'll shoot for something better than last place. Hah!
It's a mad scramble around here as I try and put together all of my sets and organize my collection for a move, document needs and try and get a few trades done, as well as pare down the collection to free up space and a small amount of capital for... yep, 2014 Ginter. I'm pulling out most of the stops and tapping my usual funding sources for my Ginter addiction this year, as well as adding a few extra. Can you say metal detecting? So far I'm up $0.09 from the playground I scoured. It would be a full dime, but there was a small child who pestered me endlessly and I let her keep the penny she found. I'm not THAT cold and heartless.
Happy hunting and stay tuned. And as always, keep it in the family.
-GG
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Happy New Years! 2014 Goals
Happy New Years Ginter Mafia!
I figured it was worth making a few goals, and the only real way to do that is to put them down on paper. Er, electronic paper. I'll try and keep updating to see how things are progressing, maybe once every few months.
Goal 1) Win 6 contests.
Those that know me, know that I love free stuff. The one free thing that I love most is free cards. I did pretty well last year, winning several contests from Panini and even one from Beckett. This year, we're shooting for six total contest wins. That's one per two months. Not a lot of control over this, per se, other than entering as many as I can. It'll be fun. Oh, and it helps that I've already got the first one under my belt -- nabbed a #PaniniWildCard win during the Chargers/Bengals game on Twitter this afternoon!
Goal 2) Win Gint-A-Cuffs
Yeah, after last year's embarrassing (albeit 'successful'?) showing, this year we're going to shoot for the best showing ever. Oh, and I have to beat my wife. At Gint-A-Cuffs, you naughty people!
Goal 3) Complete my base, inserts, and mini sets of 2011, 2012, and 2013 Ginter.
Ambitious, so say the least. I have a lot of progress to go, but I think we can get her done, and if not make some serious progress.
Goal 4) Pull my first non-printing plate 1/1
Yeah, this is entirely luck based, but it is inevitable!
Goal 5) Complete 120 trades
That's 10 a month. Easy day.
Goal 6) Pay it forward at least 3 times.
Exactly what it says.
Goal 7) Trade up/buy/whatever to an unripped RIP card via the Ginter Project
I think 7 goals is a good start. I'll probably add to it later, but wanted to get something started.
As always, keep it in the family.
I figured it was worth making a few goals, and the only real way to do that is to put them down on paper. Er, electronic paper. I'll try and keep updating to see how things are progressing, maybe once every few months.
Goal 1) Win 6 contests.
Those that know me, know that I love free stuff. The one free thing that I love most is free cards. I did pretty well last year, winning several contests from Panini and even one from Beckett. This year, we're shooting for six total contest wins. That's one per two months. Not a lot of control over this, per se, other than entering as many as I can. It'll be fun. Oh, and it helps that I've already got the first one under my belt -- nabbed a #PaniniWildCard win during the Chargers/Bengals game on Twitter this afternoon!
Goal 2) Win Gint-A-Cuffs
Yeah, after last year's embarrassing (albeit 'successful'?) showing, this year we're going to shoot for the best showing ever. Oh, and I have to beat my wife. At Gint-A-Cuffs, you naughty people!
Goal 3) Complete my base, inserts, and mini sets of 2011, 2012, and 2013 Ginter.
Ambitious, so say the least. I have a lot of progress to go, but I think we can get her done, and if not make some serious progress.
Goal 4) Pull my first non-printing plate 1/1
Yeah, this is entirely luck based, but it is inevitable!
Goal 5) Complete 120 trades
That's 10 a month. Easy day.
Goal 6) Pay it forward at least 3 times.
Exactly what it says.
Goal 7) Trade up/buy/whatever to an unripped RIP card via the Ginter Project
I think 7 goals is a good start. I'll probably add to it later, but wanted to get something started.
As always, keep it in the family.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wishing you a Pleasant Non-Pigmented Winter Solstice Event!
Happy Every Holiday from the Ginter Godfather!
I know it's been a little while, things have been hectic at work and the birth of the newest member of the Ginter Family has had the Godfather a little busy. It's alright, we haven't had any spitup, vomit, slobber, or other bodily fluids get on any cards, yet, so we're doing something right!
Just wanted to drop a quick update on the Ginter Project:
MyCoke Rewards Points: 153
Mt. Dew Haul: 1-month XBox Live Gold Membership x2 (estimated value is around $5 each? Not terrible for free...)
Listia Credits: 3215
Unredeemed Bottles: 21
SwagBucks: 450 (Enough for a $5 Amazon Giftcard)
Cash on Hand: $4.10
Cardboard on Hand for Trade:
2004 Topps Cracker Jack 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' #TB-TG Troy Glaus Jersey Card
2004 Topps Cracker Jack 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' #TB-IR Ivan Rodriguez Bat Card
2007 Topps Turkey Red #TRR-CR Chris Ray Jersey Card
So, that's what we've got to deal with. As part of a lot of jersey cards I won off of Listia for 6000 credits, I also nabbed 4 Allen and Ginter relic cards that I've added to the "Ginter Project Success Wall" if you will. They are:
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-PL Paul LoDuca Jersey Card
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-DW Dontrelle Willis Jersey Card
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-CP Corey Patterson Bat Card
2012 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-MPR Martin Prado Jersey Card
Hey, you know, everyone starts somewhere!
In other news, I won my Fantasy Football League that was hosted by my LCS owner. I opted to split the prize money to reduce stress with the guy I was playing with. We pooled the money for 1st and 2nd and bought 4 boxes of cards from the LCS and did a snake draft, with the winner choosing first. We opened 3 boxes of Leaf Sports Heroes and 1 box of Allen and Ginter. The Ginter yielded a Jason Heyward RIP Card #/50, a Tommy Lee Autograph, a Neil Walker relic, and a Krissy Teigan bats back mini #/25. Using my superior draft powers, I took the RIP card first, and the Tommy Lee auto fell to my opponent as his 2nd pick, 3rd overall. I finished up wit hthe Teigan mini and the Walker relic, so it was a good haul. I also was gifted the base cards and minis and the boxloader as part of my champion's edge (the other guy isn't a set collector, so he's happy with the Tommy Lee auto anyways). A good haul, and by far the best box I have opened of Ginter EVER.
Have a great New Years, I've got some good things planned for this blog, including a few contests to try and bolster readership, as well as a few goals/resolutions for collecting. Gotta have those!
As always, keep it in the family!
-GG
I know it's been a little while, things have been hectic at work and the birth of the newest member of the Ginter Family has had the Godfather a little busy. It's alright, we haven't had any spitup, vomit, slobber, or other bodily fluids get on any cards, yet, so we're doing something right!
Just wanted to drop a quick update on the Ginter Project:
MyCoke Rewards Points: 153
Mt. Dew Haul: 1-month XBox Live Gold Membership x2 (estimated value is around $5 each? Not terrible for free...)
Listia Credits: 3215
Unredeemed Bottles: 21
SwagBucks: 450 (Enough for a $5 Amazon Giftcard)
Cash on Hand: $4.10
Cardboard on Hand for Trade:
2004 Topps Cracker Jack 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' #TB-TG Troy Glaus Jersey Card
2004 Topps Cracker Jack 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' #TB-IR Ivan Rodriguez Bat Card
2007 Topps Turkey Red #TRR-CR Chris Ray Jersey Card
So, that's what we've got to deal with. As part of a lot of jersey cards I won off of Listia for 6000 credits, I also nabbed 4 Allen and Ginter relic cards that I've added to the "Ginter Project Success Wall" if you will. They are:
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-PL Paul LoDuca Jersey Card
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-DW Dontrelle Willis Jersey Card
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-CP Corey Patterson Bat Card
2012 Topps Allen & Ginter #AGR-MPR Martin Prado Jersey Card
Hey, you know, everyone starts somewhere!
In other news, I won my Fantasy Football League that was hosted by my LCS owner. I opted to split the prize money to reduce stress with the guy I was playing with. We pooled the money for 1st and 2nd and bought 4 boxes of cards from the LCS and did a snake draft, with the winner choosing first. We opened 3 boxes of Leaf Sports Heroes and 1 box of Allen and Ginter. The Ginter yielded a Jason Heyward RIP Card #/50, a Tommy Lee Autograph, a Neil Walker relic, and a Krissy Teigan bats back mini #/25. Using my superior draft powers, I took the RIP card first, and the Tommy Lee auto fell to my opponent as his 2nd pick, 3rd overall. I finished up wit hthe Teigan mini and the Walker relic, so it was a good haul. I also was gifted the base cards and minis and the boxloader as part of my champion's edge (the other guy isn't a set collector, so he's happy with the Tommy Lee auto anyways). A good haul, and by far the best box I have opened of Ginter EVER.
Have a great New Years, I've got some good things planned for this blog, including a few contests to try and bolster readership, as well as a few goals/resolutions for collecting. Gotta have those!
As always, keep it in the family!
-GG
Friday, November 15, 2013
Ginter Project - Mid-November Update
Greetings Mafia,
I do apologize for my absence. It is sometimes required of me to travel, which I had to do earlier this week. I'm back and have resumed the Ginter Project. I lost Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for collecting, so I feel as though I am a little behind. It happens. To help make up for it, we did visit the bottle redemption room. Lets take a look at what we have:
MyCoke Rewards Points: 117 (Almost at that 3rd 20 oz beverage coupon!)
Mt. Dew Codes: 61
Flavor Codes: 1 (holding off on auctioning it on Listia for now)
Listia Credits: 9114 (should be enough to nab a free card or two to start the cardboard part of the stash)
Unredeemed Bottles: 0
SwagBucks: 450 (Enough for a $5 Amazon Giftcard)
Cash on Hand: $2.75
I'm really very pleased so far with our progress. Again, we started with nothing and have roughly $10 in the kitty. I'll need to start focusing a little more on consolidation and advancing the actual goal.
In other news, I barely missed out on a 2013 Allen & Ginter Bill Buckner autograph from Listia this weekend. Just more motivation to amass more credits so other opportunities don't slip through our fingers again.
Until next time. Oh, and keep it in the family.
I do apologize for my absence. It is sometimes required of me to travel, which I had to do earlier this week. I'm back and have resumed the Ginter Project. I lost Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for collecting, so I feel as though I am a little behind. It happens. To help make up for it, we did visit the bottle redemption room. Lets take a look at what we have:
MyCoke Rewards Points: 117 (Almost at that 3rd 20 oz beverage coupon!)
Mt. Dew Codes: 61
Flavor Codes: 1 (holding off on auctioning it on Listia for now)
Listia Credits: 9114 (should be enough to nab a free card or two to start the cardboard part of the stash)
Unredeemed Bottles: 0
SwagBucks: 450 (Enough for a $5 Amazon Giftcard)
Cash on Hand: $2.75
I'm really very pleased so far with our progress. Again, we started with nothing and have roughly $10 in the kitty. I'll need to start focusing a little more on consolidation and advancing the actual goal.
In other news, I barely missed out on a 2013 Allen & Ginter Bill Buckner autograph from Listia this weekend. Just more motivation to amass more credits so other opportunities don't slip through our fingers again.
Until next time. Oh, and keep it in the family.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Happy Veteran's Day + Ginter Project Update
Greetings Mafia!
Happy Veterans Day to you all and thank you to all of our nation's veterans for their service!
I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting a Ginter Project Update, so I'll get down to it:
MyCokeRewards Points: 92
Mt. Dew Codes: 45
Flavor Codes: 2 (1 up for auction on Listia with a bid of 100 credits)
Listia Credits: 2236
Unredeemed Bottles: 18
Cash on Hand: $1.40
Weekends appear to be pretty slow for bottle caps and bottles. Unfortunately I go into my off days now, so it's a double hit to production. Oh well. Will have to overcome and adapt.
Again, thank you veterans!
As always, keep it in the family.
-GG
Happy Veterans Day to you all and thank you to all of our nation's veterans for their service!
I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting a Ginter Project Update, so I'll get down to it:
MyCokeRewards Points: 92
Mt. Dew Codes: 45
Flavor Codes: 2 (1 up for auction on Listia with a bid of 100 credits)
Listia Credits: 2236
Unredeemed Bottles: 18
Cash on Hand: $1.40
Weekends appear to be pretty slow for bottle caps and bottles. Unfortunately I go into my off days now, so it's a double hit to production. Oh well. Will have to overcome and adapt.
Again, thank you veterans!
As always, keep it in the family.
-GG
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Ginter Project Update - 11/08/2013
Greetings Mafia,
Figured I'd offer up a little pre-weekend update on the project. Been making some progress this week and I'm feeling pretty good about the overall progress. No actual physical cards yet, but we have our first actual contribution that is... dare I say it, real!? Yes. We have successfully taken off from nothing to actually having *something*.
Here's the haul --
86 MyCoke Rewards Points (Could redeem for 2 free 20 oz bottles of soda/Powerade/whatever)
41 Mt. Dew Codes (I estimate I'll need between 300 and 500 to actually get anything out of these, but they're fairly plentiful and the bounty is... bountiful. XBox One, anyone?)
2 Facebook Flavor Codes (I had 3, auctioned 1 off on Listia for 100 credits)
2141 Listia Credits (Will be looking to snag some free cards off of this site, and use various codes and whatnot to fuel it)
9 cans/bottles (Should be more, but I've been tossing several in the recycling so I could maintain my dignity... have to abide by the rules!)
Ginter Project Funds: $1.40
Yep. A buck forty. Redeemed a box of cans and bottles at a nickel apiece. Twenty eight of the suckers later and I've almost got a dollar and a half. Not enough to even mail a bubble mailer, but a Master Ginter Set was never built in a day. Unless you're Brentandbecca.
I'll conclude by pointing out that if you're interested in anything in the Ginter Project at any point and want to barter/trade/swap, drop me an e-mail or a comment and I'll get in touch. I expect this to be a bit more legitimate when I get cards, but if you're sitting there with a parched throat going, "Man, I could really use an ice cold Coca-Cola three weeks from now, but all I have is this Yasiel Puig Rookie Card." I'm you're man.
As always, keep it in the family.
-GG
Figured I'd offer up a little pre-weekend update on the project. Been making some progress this week and I'm feeling pretty good about the overall progress. No actual physical cards yet, but we have our first actual contribution that is... dare I say it, real!? Yes. We have successfully taken off from nothing to actually having *something*.
Here's the haul --
86 MyCoke Rewards Points (Could redeem for 2 free 20 oz bottles of soda/Powerade/whatever)
41 Mt. Dew Codes (I estimate I'll need between 300 and 500 to actually get anything out of these, but they're fairly plentiful and the bounty is... bountiful. XBox One, anyone?)
2 Facebook Flavor Codes (I had 3, auctioned 1 off on Listia for 100 credits)
2141 Listia Credits (Will be looking to snag some free cards off of this site, and use various codes and whatnot to fuel it)
9 cans/bottles (Should be more, but I've been tossing several in the recycling so I could maintain my dignity... have to abide by the rules!)
Ginter Project Funds: $1.40
Yep. A buck forty. Redeemed a box of cans and bottles at a nickel apiece. Twenty eight of the suckers later and I've almost got a dollar and a half. Not enough to even mail a bubble mailer, but a Master Ginter Set was never built in a day. Unless you're Brentandbecca.
I'll conclude by pointing out that if you're interested in anything in the Ginter Project at any point and want to barter/trade/swap, drop me an e-mail or a comment and I'll get in touch. I expect this to be a bit more legitimate when I get cards, but if you're sitting there with a parched throat going, "Man, I could really use an ice cold Coca-Cola three weeks from now, but all I have is this Yasiel Puig Rookie Card." I'm you're man.
As always, keep it in the family.
-GG
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Ginter Project: 11/06 Update
Greetings Mafia,
As promised I have an update for you. Keep in mind that I technically started this on the 1st of November, so these numbers are not indicative of a single evening of effortless collecting.
Current Project Assets:
74 MyCokeRewards points (40 points are redeemable for a free 20 oz Coke beverage...)
2 Facebook Flavor Codes (Redeemable for Facebook Credits? Don't know much about these.)
24 Mt. Dew Codes (Unlikely anything will come of these, but it's worth a shot)
16 cans/bottles ($.05 apiece. $0.80 once redeemed)
Not bad. Will keep this place posted of any updates as I get them.
Oh, and keep it in the family.
As promised I have an update for you. Keep in mind that I technically started this on the 1st of November, so these numbers are not indicative of a single evening of effortless collecting.
Current Project Assets:
74 MyCokeRewards points (40 points are redeemable for a free 20 oz Coke beverage...)
2 Facebook Flavor Codes (Redeemable for Facebook Credits? Don't know much about these.)
24 Mt. Dew Codes (Unlikely anything will come of these, but it's worth a shot)
16 cans/bottles ($.05 apiece. $0.80 once redeemed)
Not bad. Will keep this place posted of any updates as I get them.
Oh, and keep it in the family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)