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Group breaks: timing is everything


I used to try to get involved in every single group break that any blogger put out there, and then throw a private little stink fit when someone beat me to the Dodgers in one of them.

I don't do that anymore.

Mostly that's because there are a lot more group breaks than there used to be, and it's because I have figured out that I can't afford to get involved in more than one at a time. I'm OK with that. I don't freak out -- too much -- when someone lands a card that I want in a group break that I chose to skip.

That's not to say I don't have my moments.

Colbey at Cardboard Collections held one of his many group breaks a little while ago, and I didn't get involved because I was broke. The break ended up being a complete Dodger fest. This NEVER happens, not even in breaks in which I'm not involved. Yankeefest. Sure. Bravefest. Definitely. Astrofest. Yeah, even the Astros. But never Dodgers.

After seeing the cards speigel landed from that break, Colbey didn't even get out the sentence "For my next group brea ..." before I said "I CALL DODGERS!!!!!!"

I know. Real mature.

His most recent break was from Topps Chrome, between 1998-2000. That was cool with me. I didn't have a lot of Dodgers from those sets.

Until ...

Dodger cards from those sets started arriving in my mailbox, totally unsolicited, immediately before the break.

This wasn't good. Timing is everything in a group break.

I actually ended up doing OK. Sure there were some Chrome dupes now, but that's not too big of a deal. My 1990 Fleer Dodger dupes point and laugh at my late '90s Chrome Dodger dupes.

Here is what I got that I needed:

1998 Chrome:


1999 Chrome:


2000 Stadium Club Chrome:


I also ended up with a cool insert from '98 Chrome:


Great card. I love the image of the Hall of Fame in the background.

And because Colbey does his group breaks right, he threw in a box of 2010 Upper Deck in the break and pulled me this card:


A serial-numbered card of my favorite player.

Colbey also added the Andre Ethier Walmart Diamond card from this year's Topps that you saw at the top of the post.

The break may have not been packed full of Dodgers as it was in his previous break, but what are you going to do? Unless you're a pack-searcher, part of the charm of collecting is being surprised by what you get. And I actually got some pretty nice cards for the best group break prices around.

Colbey's got another break going with Topps Marquee as the headliner. I find that interesting. But because my car decided that it's owner needed to spend a few hundred bucks on it, I'll be skipping this one, too.

But I'll be watching the results with my hands over my eyes.

Comments

Spiegel83 said…
Nice pulls. The Stadium Chrome cards look sweeeeeet!
Anonymous said…
Timing is everything. I can't get in a group break because I'm too slow to grab my Red Sox. One day...one day. Or I'll just hold my own.
BASEBALL DAD said…
There are so many these days it's hard to keep up with them and the new blogs. I used to only have to worry about David. Now I have Axeman Ohio to contend with too! lol It's all in fun !! I have way too many cards anyway,just ask my wife.
BASEBALL DAD said…
Just kidding Axeman !! There's plenty of Tribe cards for all of us ! We need to compare duplicates sometime.