Mission Accomplished

     This Wednesday I went back to the local card shop. I grabbed some things for an upcoming event, and then spent some extra time picking out a few cards for myself. Most of these personal acquisitions came from one of the many quarter boxes at the front of the store. 

    These seven 2023 Topps Chrome Anniversary cards came from said quarter boxes. My favorite in the bunch is probably J.T. Realmuto. They didn't show up great on camera, but I think they look really good in-person. I like the color-scheme of the cards. Had I more time, I probaby would have added a lot more of these cards to the mix, but I'll take what I can get, of course.

2024 Bowman #85 Pete Crow-Armstrong

    PCA cost me a quarter too. I really like what the young rookie brings to the table and think that with a few touch-ups he could be a really good player for a young Cubs offense. I think the 2024 Bowman design is great, but I have heard mixed answers when it comes to that. I also just plain like Bowman.

2024 Bowman Prospects #145 Jackson Merrill

    This was the best card of the day for me (the mission accomplished). This is the first Jackson Merrill card I've gotten, which is surprising considering how much I talk about him on the blog. He's become one of my favorite players (probably my second all-tim; Buster Posey will always be #1, and Evan Carter gets the bronze), and I was very happy to find this one in the quarter boxes. I spent a little bit of time looking for more of his cards, but in vain. The individual cards aren't organized by team or player or anything, so I gave up.

    You can't see the picture very well, but it caught my eye immediately with the tongue-sticking mainly. The autograph is of the guy in the middle, Jackie Moore. Moore was a catcher who played 21 games with the Tigers in 1965. He batted 5-for-53 in his only big-league season. He managed the Oakland A's for 2+ years from 1984-1986, accumulating a record of 163-190 in that time. Moore also coached for multiple teams, including parts of twelve seasons with the Rangers. This picture/autograph was only $5, so even though I didn't know who it was at the time, I grabbed it anyway. And hey, I'm not complaining.

    I've saved this card for last.....don't ask why, it just felt right at the time.

2023 Panini Elite Extra Future Threads Relic #FT-CF

    The final card from the trip cost $2, and is a jersey relic (though not from any specific event or game). Cole Foster played at Auburn from 2021-2023, and was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft. The card boasts of his bat-to-ball skills and ability to switch-hit. The middle infielder, now 23 years of age, is playing A-ball in the Giants organization. He has a minor-league batting average of .225 in 109 games in Rookie Ball through A+. As for his contact skills, he's struck out 134 times in those 109 games, but I guess that's part of getting used to a higher level. I wish him the best of luck moving forward.

    

    That'll do it in terms of my acquisitions from the last card store trip. As I said, the Jackson Merrill was the icing on the cake for me. I would consider this trip a win. The cards don't need to be worth money to make me happy.

    Thank y'all for reading, please enjoy this Friday and your weekend, and I'll catch y'all later. Happy collecting, and see you next time.