pre-emptive strikes on the nefarious 9

sometimes i see cards that i didn't know existed but feel that i must have.  it's funny how i can go from blissful ignorance to stressful want in the few moments it takes me to read a blog post.  nick at dime boxes showed off a 2003 mlb showdown hoyt wilhelm foil card a long time ago and i was smitten.  

i had to pack my patience, however, because they don't show up too often - especially at a price i am willing to pay.  so i waited.  i thought about adding the card to the nefarious 9, but figured that there probably weren't too many folks with one of these sitting around wondering who to send it to.  if there were, i would guess that they would already have sent it off to any of the other dodger bloggers out there.  finally, somebody listed one on ebay with a low opening price and i was able to bring it home.  it's only the third wilhelm item i have showing him wearing the dodger blue.

jeff at 2x3 heroes took a proactive approach and actually sent me a couple of cards under the guise of making a 'pre-emptive strike on the nefarious 9' which served as the inspiration for this post.  as a reward, jeff gets to see the cards he sent me next

2013 topps gypsy queen josh beckett white framed

and 2013 topps gypsy queen matt kemp

thanks jeff!

i also found a card that i had pondered adding to the list while perusing the wares at one of the twin cities' lcs locations.  it's the 2013 topps gypsy queen adrian gonzalez mini short print photo variation.

i was supposed to have received that card through a group break i participated in, but it was lost or otherwise misplaced so i threw down 4 bits and brought it home.

i've also used ebay to grab some cards that likely would have eventually hit the nefarious 9, like this 1995 upper deck top prospects paul konerko card

sportlots has come in handy too, as i picked up a couple of gas station cards.

on the surface, this looks like an ordinary 1994 fleer mike piazza card, right?

it's a nice dodger stadium play at the plate with the tim crews memorial patch showing.  nice card.

the back tells the full story, however, as we see that this was part of a set apparently available at sunoco stations

same deal, i believe, with this 2004 upper deck chevron shawn green card

except that it doesn't look like a 2004 upper deck card.  more like what a 2010 upper deck card should have looked like.

to end the post on a high note, here's a 1998 pinnacle epix emerald eddie murray card that i got for a steal on ebay recently

i already had the purple and orange versions, and had been looking for the rarer emerald version for a while.  like the wilhelm card, i thought about adding it to the nefarious 9 but didn't for the same reasons.

i will need to add a few cards to that list soon, however, as you might notice it currently sits at less than its full capacity.  stay tuned.