Hollywood42's Rolling 2024 Pickups + Hobby Thoughts and Brain Dumps

[Hollywood42]

This one is a big year for me - it's my 10th year of having a thread to track my baseball additions throughout the year! I can't believe it will soon be a decade since starting this annual tradition. It's always a ton of fun for me to scroll back through previous threads and see my adds, how my habits have changed, and so on. I didn't know this would be the 10th season until starting to type up this post, so I don't have any ideas for some grand Year 10 celebration, but it's cool to say I've been doing this for so long!

Here's the links to previous year's threads:

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Back for a second time this year, I'll also be using this thread to share some hobby thoughts, feelings, and so on as the year goes on. I enjoyed having a space to ramble last year, so I'll bring it back for a second year.

My tradition has been to post my yearly hobby goals at the start of these threads, and I'll keep that going for this year. I found it interesting as I struggled to come up with bigger picture goals this year - a lot of what I went with for this year are smaller or more specific goals, in contrast to last year where I had some larger scale, almost hobby philosophical type goals in mind. I wasn't coming up with much on that front for this year, and I think I'll like having some more quantifiable goals for this go round. With that said, here's my 2024 goals:

1. Finish my Twins checklisting project through 2010

If you've followed my threads over the past few years, you may know a little bit about the website I build (link in my sig) and how that project has morphed over time. While version 1 of the website has been live since 2020, I started working on v2 soon thereafter. The main difference is how I add cards to my collection in my site. In v1, I have a form where I enter card information as I get new cards in the mail. But in v2, I will load all the card information from all sets up front, and basically just check off cards as I get them in hand. v2 has a few behind the scenes database enhancements, and the big difference will be being able to automatically display my want lists in real time. No more maintaining giant text boxes with lists of cards I need, now when I load my want list page, my site will just load in all of the pre-loaded cards, minus anything I've marked that I already have. It'll be super slick when complete and a much better way of handling things.

Of course, this relies on me entering all that pre-loaded information up front. That's been a massive time sink over the years, starting in 1961 at the inception of the Twins and carefully going through set by set and typing up all the information on each Twins card from that set, structuring data how I want, and taking the time to research any unique features about the set, make sure I record each version of the card, and so on. I'm sure you can see how that's a massive undertaking, and it's no surprise that it's been another multi-year work in progress. This whole project is not something I actively work on all the time - if I'm not enjoying the project, I don't work on it. I don't see a reason it should turn into a chore, and it can be easy for it to do so with how tedious it is by nature. I'd rather make sure that the time I spend in the hobby, I'm actively enjoying. Which I feel good about, but it's led to some slow progress on this project as sometime I won't touch it for months before coming back and banging out another year.

I've learned my lesson from the past few years when I've set a goal of entirely finishing this project up. This year, my goal is just to get caught up through 2010. I already have 1961 through 1996 complete, so this year the goal is to knock out 15 more years of inventorying, which should set myself up to fully complete the project in 2025. This gives me an achievable goal to work towards while still being aspirational, and leaving some space to go about it at my own pace, too. Really, I'll be happy if I just make it to 2000-2005ish, but I do want to make sure I make some good progress on it this year, so hopefully refining the goal will help make that happen.

2. Process a small backlog of Twins cards

I am very good about processing new Twins cards I get them and logging them in my website so a backlog doesn't build up. Yet over the years, there's always been a number of cards that I set aside to deal with later, be it because I need to do some more research on what the card actually is, decide if it's something I want in my collection or not, or some other sort of decision or thought process that goes into the given card. I have probably a couple hundred such cards that have been in a stack on my desk for a long time, and this is the year to finally knock them out and get completely caught up for good. This should be a very achievable goal, I just need to sit down and chip away at it.

3. Clear out non-PC cards I don't want/need

Stepping outside of the Twins collection for this goal, here's a super common one - simply clear out space of cards I don't need or want. Like most of us, I've amassed a sizeable amount of base cards, inserts, and other random cards from various pack rips and such over the years. Throwing away cards is not in my blood, so it's been easy for me to build up a lot of random base cards that I don't care about. I'll have to tackle this in a few groups - ultra modern base cards are one thing, those will have to be tossed or donated if I can find somewhere that would take and appreciate them. But the trickier one will be that one tier up sort of cards, inserts and such that are common, but feel like they may have enough interest to do something with. Maybe it's time for another quarter sales thread and drop the price per card as time goes on and see if I can make a big dent, and then just scrap everything else that doesn't get enough interest. At the end of the day, this sort of stuff is starting to take up too much of my space that I can put to better use, and I'd like to address that.

4. Start a Minnesota collection and add 15 cards to it

I the idea sometime over the past year that it would be really cool to have a side PC for ways that Minnesota is intertwined with baseball history. Some ways are obvious, most simply people that played for the Twins, Minnesotans that reached the majors, and so on. But there's another whole level that this can be taken that I've had an absolute blast digging into this year. For one quick example, the Minneapolis Millers used to be a minor league affiliate, and some of the best players of all time had once passed through and played for the Millers, such as Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and many more. Even cooler, some of those guys have cards that either picture them with the Millers, or reference the Millers on the write-ups on the backs.

Without spoiling any stories I've been saving up to share more formally (read on for the related goal), I've dug up some really fascinating ways that Minnesota is tied in to the careers of great players, incredible stories, or just helps tell the story of baseball in some way. I've already added one or two cards to this category, but I wanted to set a specific goal to add 15 cards to this collection this year. I've historically found it hard to allocate hobby money towards anything other than my main Twins PC, but this is a project that I've had an absolute blast working on already in the very early stages, so having a specific number of cards to target to add this year will help keep me on track and remind me it's ok to spend some hobby funds in ways that I historically have not.

5. Start a method for telling the stories of my Minnesota collection

Going hand in hand with starting the Minnesota collection in the first place, I really want to share the fascinating stories I dig up with the public. There are so many compelling stories out there that can be told through the perspective of how Minnesota is intertwined with baseball history, and I absolutely love the idea of using cards to help narrate that. I want to keep most of the stories I plan to help tell close to my chest until physically having a copy of the card I want to help do that, but one short introductory one I'll tell here to help give the idea of the sort of thing I'd like to do:

Willie Mays, a consensus top 3 player minimum of all time, made his MLB debut in 1951. But the first place he played that year was actually in Minneapolis. That year, the Millers were the AAA affiliate for the Giants, and a 19-year old Willie Mays reported to Minneapolis to start the 1951 season. He was, of course, called up early in the season and would go on to win rookie of the year in just the first step of his legendary career, but only after playing 35 games in Minneapolis where he put up a bonkers .477/.524/.799 line. Taking things one step further? Mays' iconic 1951 Bowman rookie card actually mentions Minneapolis on the back, as do several of his early year cards. Having a copy of one of those cards and sharing it along with the story of the very early stage of Willie Mays' career would just be so cool. In reality, those cards are so out of my price range that it'll be years and years before I could land a copy of them, so that's why I'll share this story here for now! But that gives you one example of the type of story that's out there that I just find so cool as a born and raised Minnesotan.

So, besides simply starting the Minnesota collection, I really want to find a format where I can share the stories I dig up with the community. If I'm dreaming big, I'd love to write a book someday with short passages, starting by showing a card, then digging into the story underneath it, why it's significant in baseball history, and how Minnesota plays a role. A nearer term option would be a series on a YouTube channel I've considered starting for my hobby endeavors in general. I'd need to think more about what all would go into a video form of it, but it could be a unique project. The most basic form would just be in written form here on the internet in a few places that may find it interesting, and that's where I'll likely start. But I've had a lot of fun digging into all this and have some big aspirations with unique projects that could be done with this, and I really want to get this off the ground in some form this year.

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That's what I have for now! I do have a few new cards to share already this year, but still need to get some pictures of them, so I'll save them to share in a post coming soon. But I wanted to sit down and get my goals hammered out and get this thread started today. Thanks to all that follow along at any point this year, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything this thread brings about!

[Hollywood42]

Here are the first two new cards of 2024! I was hunting some Julien rookies as I'm a big fan of his and want to keep filling my stash of him out, but I was getting a little annoyed at prices and then just how much of him there was. I got to realizing that I could pay 30 bucks for an off center gold mini diamond parallel that I didn't actually want - Or I could take those same 30 bucks and get a super nice looking HOF autograph of a team legend. Was an easy decision!

I had a Jim Kaat from the same set incoming too, but the seller failed to ship it, so I'll have to pay a little more for a different copy, which will complete the Twins from this set. But for now, here's the Bert and Tony-O!

[Eckstein197]

Love this thread can’t wait to see where it goes

[UMich92]

Nice pick ups. I really like the look of the HOF autos in Gilded.

[Hollywood42]

Took way longer to complete the trio than it should have thanks to my first attempt to add the Kaat ending in the card never being sent and having to go find a different one, but got it in today to complete the trio Twins HOF autos from 2023 Gilded in the rose gold parallel /50. They're all super sharp and look great together!




It's been a slow start to my collecting year in terms of quantity. There just hasn't been a lot of things lately piquing my interest, especially not in the ultra modern space where I'm just getting burnt out even thinking about trying to build a few player runs. But I have spent a lot of fun time looking up players and card options for my Minnesota project referenced in the OP, and I have a couple of cards inbound that will help get that project up and running. I'll likely start a separate thread for those adds with the full narratives behind them, but will still post up the cards here with links to the full stories, too

[Hollywood42]

I'm pretty sure January was my quietest month in the hobby in terms of total cards added that I've had in the past 5+ years. I only picked up 6 cards on the month, but there were still some good ones. I added a fun pair of cards for my Minnesota project that I'm going to wait to share until I have a thread dedicated for those up, and one Twins card I'm excited to get is moving through the mail very slowly and unfortunately includes a stop at eBay authentication

But here's a fun cards I added that I have in hand - the "O" 1/1 letter patch of Brian Dozier out of 2016 Topps!




Now a third of the way to having the complete last name!

[Hollywood42]

Fun Morneau package waiting for me in the mail this week! 2007 Allen & Ginter Wood Mini 1/1. Wood minis are the bomb and always fun to land them! The earlier years of A&G make it feel even cooler




Still has been a pretty slow year in collecting for me. I think I'm sort of trying to figure out where I can justify spending money - not for lack of available funds, but just where I want the hobby dollars to go right now. I really haven't even tried to add current day rookies to my collection lately even though that's always one of my favorite things to do, just because it still feels like prices are so inflated. And there's some of the annoyance/paralysis from just so many sets out there too. But while I'd love to add some more Julien and Royce rookies, it's hard for me to justify dropping 20 bucks per Julien blue refractor /150 or green refractor /99. And Royce's stuff has remained even hotter with many people predicting a big year out of him. That's how it goes sometimes, but I just don't feel motivated to be a collector at those prices right now

Instead I'm sort of just keeping an eye on anything that catches my eye, but even that has been fairly slow lately. That's not a bad thing, just one of those personal little downturns for now

[oldgoldy97]

Quick question and hopefully a concise answer: which cards are on your bucket list?

[Hollywood42]

Off the top of my head:

2001 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Justin Morneau RC /99
2002 Topps Pristine Gold Refractors Joe Mauer RC /70 (all three)
2003 Topps Black Joe Mauer/Justin Morneau /52
2012 Heritage High Number Autographs Red Ink Brian Dozier RC /63

Originally Posted by oldgoldy97

Quick question and hopefully a concise answer: which cards are on your bucket list?

[Hollywood42]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

2002 Topps Pristine Gold Refractors Joe Mauer RC /70 (all three)

I didn't plan this, but as it turns out...




There's the first of three! These gold refractors are not quite Mauer's "best" rookie cards, but they are really high up on the list for me. I love the combo of scarcity, affordability, and coming from a set that looks nice plus has a little rainbow to work on. I'm always a watcher when these pop up, and I was pleased to get this one at the price it ended at. Huge addition to my Mauer and Twins collection!

[UMich92]

Nice Pristine Gold. Congrats on crossing one off your list, and at a very reasonable price compared to the last few. I like this set a lot and have a few of the golds; a Mauer, David Wright, and Casey Kotchman (doesn't quite fit with the others).

[Hollywood42]

Had a fun mailday recently with a big batch of Twins Allen & Ginter minis! A&G was one of the sets that helped bring me more seriously into the hobby in the 2000s, so it's always a lot of fun to work on the Twins runs. I am starting to get pretty close to knocking off a bunch of them! I didn't get all of them scanned here, but here's the majority of the haul-

2006s




2009s




2010s




2012s




2013s




2016s




2018s




2020s




2021s

[Hollywood42]

I've continued to be pretty bad at posting updates as I get things in. Been a little slower paced year overall, but still having a lot of fun! First to share are some random autographs, nothing very big, but fun adds




Next is some cool pitchers cards - really stoked about the Varland camo in particular. The Jax and Headrick in the bottom row are both golden mirrors, my first 2 copies of those SPs. The Headrick isn't too exciting of an image, but the Jax is a good example of one I really like the photography choice of for the SPs




And last one I'll post for now is my favorite of this batch - after hunting for a long time, finally found and picked up a reasonably priced Buxton sparkle SP RC So nice to cross cards off of lists they've been on for years!




Have a few more cards I'll post soon including some goodies, and a few more on their way - this has been a fun month so far!

[Hollywood42]

Posting with no further comment this time, here's some new rookies I've had a lot of fun picking up recently:

[Hollywood42]

Trying something a little new because I'm fed up with Imgur losing so much image quality when I upload and copy a share link. Don't think attaching images directly here is going to be the way forward since it doesn't appear I can add them directly inline, making it hard to share more than one image per post, but we'll at least give it a trial run here

Latest nice Twins rookie pickup - 2021 Topps Camo Alex Kirilloff /25. Been a lot of fun to see him healthy and playing very well this year!

[Slette]

I always love seeing updates in this thread. You've been busy!

[Hollywood42]

Originally Posted by Slette

I always love seeing updates in this thread. You've been busy!

Thank you sir! Been a fun year of collecting and will only get better 👀


Today let's share a pair of mini RCs, one a little older, one a little newer. The older, a Sweet Caporal back of Joe Mauer from 2002 Topps 206, and the newer, a Brooklyn Back /25 of Royce Lewis from 2022 Allen & Ginter

[Hollywood42]

Gotta shout out a fellow BO member and Twins fan in this post, who sent me a PM a couple weeks back and wanted to send me a package of some stuff for free! Not knowing what to expect, I was blown away when I opened it up to find a huge assortment of Miguel Sano I didn't have yet! While Sano no longer has the hobby spotlight he once did, I still find it fun to pick up his cards here and there, especially ones that were fairly big back in the day and now can be had for a fraction of the price

There was a huge assortment of stuff from his prospect and rookie days here, with nearly half rainbows from a bunch of different Bowman sets. I was especially thrilled with some of the oddball Chrome inserts like the 2015 Prospect Profiles or Farm's Finest, including red refractors in each! Also unassumingly in there was a 2015 Twitter Refractor /10 which is my first of any player, pretty cool card and difficult to find

Will let this friendly collector out himself if he so chooses, but thanks again so much for the package! It was really cool and a lot of fun to go through!

[Hollywood42]

Here's a fun and interesting mailday I had awhile back - the magenta and yellow plates of one of Johan Santana's cards in 2008 Moments and Milestones!




Picking up 2 colors from the same plate rainbow is always a fun little mailday, but in this case, it was especially interesting - because I already had 1 of each of the colored plates from a mailday last year!

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

And lastly, I'll mark this one as most exciting, because I had the chance to snag 4 plate of the same card! This is my first 4/4 plate completion, and it's really fun to have. With the Rosario above in hand, I now have two different runs of 3/4 plates, and a bunch of 2/4, but this is my first completed printing plate set for a player. I think it's always so cool to see 4 plate of the same card side by side, and now I can participate in that! It feels maybe just a little less fulfilling since I got these 4 all in the same shot, but that doesn't bug me. And maybe someday I'll get the 4th Rosario or the 4th 2009 Ginter Liriano to complete 4/4 the long way. Or maybe even on a different plate run entirely! At any rate, these are the 4 plates from one of Johan Santana's cards in 2008 Moments & Milestones

Needless to say, Topps appears to have produced more than 1 printing plate per color per card in the 2008 Moments & Milestones release. It appears even today that there is still no known answer to how many plates exist. Some speculate that there may have been a set of 4 plates for each base card parallel in the set (base, black, blue, and red, making a total of 16 plates per card). But this is one of those unknowns in the hobby that have persisted still today! Since I became aware of this, I have been on the lookout for additional plates from this card to see how many I can track down - for now, we'll be at 6! Here they are side by side, where I think an unedited picture does more justice-

[Hollywood42]

Today's share is a couple of fun minis - Dozier and Morneau Ginter Silks /10, and a Morneau mini printing plate from 2009 Goodwin Champions. Goodwin, along with the early years of Ginter, was one of the main sets that helped bring me into the hobby in the 2000s and I always love adding new Twins cards from the set that I'm missing! There's something about unframed mini printing plates that up the cool factor even further for me

[Hollywood42]

Latest pickup for the Jose Miranda RC run

[Hollywood42]

Been holding off on sharing these here while a few packages came in, but I dropped a big reveal in a different thread a few weeks ago with some massive pickups I've been working on lately - 8 different superfractors of Brian Dozier, including one of his rookie cards! I'll save much more commentary on these and just leave the linked thread instead, but these were all so much fun to get in the mail and add to the collection!








Besides that, two other things I'll share while working on getting caught up - first is the Twins auto set from 2023 Topps Chrome Platinum. Quick one, but really like these autos and knew I wanted to grab the Twins




And secondly, a really fun lot of Mauer Co-Signers cards! Co-Signers is a wacky set with a bunch of different parallels and variations with different player combinations, but I absolutely love it

[Slette]

Man.. just... wow. Those Doziers all look great together. Nice work.

[Hollywood42]

I've been feeling a renewed drive to work on my Twins Allen & Ginter mini runs this year. A&G is one of the sets that helped suck me into the hobby pretty good, so it'll always be a special product to me. My master goal with Twins A&G is to complete all Twins mini sets up through the /25 (Bazooka, Brooklyn, or whatever they decide to go with each year). Some years I'm getting pretty close on, others I still have a long ways to go. But it's been a lot of fun to chip away at this year!

Here's just a smattering of random minis from the past few months that I haven't posted yet




And then this batch fresh from this week, I've gotten 16 Bazooka/Brooklyn/etc minis /25 in recently! This was a really fun package to open and put a solid dent in the scarcest batch of minis that I'm hunting, including a bunch of great names!




If you think you might be able to help me fill in some gaps in my Twins Ginter mini runs, I have all of my needs posted in this BST thread, I'd love to keep bringing in new hits! https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1585002

[Hollywood42]

I have a ton of fun picking up cards that I would have killed to have when the product they're in first released, but had no shot at affording back then. Even if the card is worth a fraction of what it was back then, I think it's an absolute blast and very fulfilling for me personally. This one definitely fits the mold and I love having a copy in my collection!