DATA: 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Updates Gold (BDP9)

ACQUIRED: Don’t remember

PING: Joey’s Gold parallel from the 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and updates release. He’s the cover boy for the set, so you know he’s rockin’ all fly the parallels. I like that Bowman went with the thin stock on these gold insert cards. The thick ones – used as dummy cards in packs – were just kinda lame. Plus, they stretch out my 9-pocket plastic sheets. I just can’t get on board with that mess.

DATA: 2009 Topps Heritage Cincy Clouters (317)

ACQUIRED: eBay

PING: Ah, these heritage cards rule! Joey is featured here with fellow Reds mashers Edwin Encarnacion and Jay Bruce. This card mimics the 1960 Cincy Clouters card featuring Gus Bell, Frank Robinson and Jerry Lynch. So sweet.

This card is a perfect candidate for some autographs, isn’t it?

DATA: 2009 Topps Heritage All-Star Rookie (317)

ACQUIRED: eBay

PING: Joey brings it strong with his 2009 Topps Heritage card. He, along with the Reds’ Jay Bruce got the All-Star Rookie treatment with the sweet old school Topps Trophy. The scan of this card makes it looks like it really has been bouncing around in a shoebox for the past 49 years.

DATA: 2008 Topps Redsfest with Autograph

ACQUIRED: Redsfest 2008

PING: I’ve featured this card before, but not with the autograph. I’ve been really lucky with Joey Votto signing my cards. Joey signed this particular card at a Spring Training game in Sarasota, Florida. Joey came out of the dugout right before the game and signed for a ton of fans. He just happened to be signing at the isle I was sitting in. Of course, I had a card ready to go. The luck continued a few days later when I saw the Reds again, this time in Clearwater playing the Phillies. Joey signed before the game once again, and this time he signed my World Baseball Classic ball from my trip to Toronto for the 2009 WBC.

This card is not staying in my collection though, it’s going to my 3-year-old nephew and his fledgling autograph collection. He’ll really dig it in a few years.

DATA: 2008 Bowman Sterling Gold Chrome Refractor (BS-JV)

ACQUIRED: From Cincy Reds Cards

PING: This is a mac-daddy of a card right here. Ol’ Joe, proprietor of the venerable card blog, Cincy Reds Cards hooked me up with this bad boy. This was a major solid, from one Reds fan to another. I can say enough about my man Joe, but I owe him some mad hook-up now.

Let’s talk about the card, shall we?

AWESOME.

That about sums it up. This card, number 45/50, really kicks my Votto Bowman Sterling collection up a notch.