Thanks for the trades!

Some trade news - didn't take long, did it?!!?!!

Thanks to dayf from Cardboard Junkie for sending a whole stack of Indians along, including these two:

 

I always love getting autos, and the Cliff Lee is superb, since this is from a set I collect! Awesome, Dave!

The Night Owl, a.k.a. Greg, who is from up in this neck of the woods, sent over some set-building stuff, including some '73 and '75 Topps, some '08 Allen & Ginter, '07 Goudey, '08 Heritage and '08 Topps inserts. One of the '73s that I'm in awe of is the Jim "Catfish" Hunter #235. He was a 21 game winner two years in a row! He had 16 complete games in 1972, and he was only tied for the team lead! Can you imagine any pitcher these days (except maybe for C.C. Sabathia) polishing off anything near that many? Not me.

Finally, from Thorzul, a nice package of Goudey. I'm gonna finish that set if it kills me! He also sent along this beauty:

I love anything from the '07 or '08 UD Masterpieces, like I said.

Keep those trades coming!

Favorite Cards

I'm a big fan of really funny, laugh-out-loud, Why'd-they-actually-print-that-image cards. For example,

Now, I'm sure Mr. Van Slyke would love to see this photo of him getting plunked in the elbow much more than him hustling into second after legging out a double, or just after that sweet swing hitting a tater. No, this is much better!

I'm particularly fond of Indians cards (couldn't you tell?), and this one has always stuck out in my mind ever since I saw it when I first pulled it from a pack I bought at Fitch Drug in Lyndhurst, Ohio when I was 8 or 9, I think.

After looking pretty hard at this, I believe that the stripes on the trim of his jersey are airbrushed in, and the team name air-brushed out. This is Ellis' 1973 card, and he was on the Yankees in 1972, so I think this is definitely touched up. But the look on his face is one of the great all-time action shots!

I think Carlos is doing a bad job of the Limbo, or Clemens just tried to take his head off with a high-and-inside fastball. Just a guess. Maybe he's cheering on Lofton as he slides into home. Who knows. But this is one awful picture.

Now this is just creepy. Doesn't it remind you of Jason in all those Friday the 13th movies? 

Some box breaks will be coming up, and also some trade reviews. I'm holding my own over at Thorzul's blog.

First trade with the Big Boys

I just sent out two packages to Thorzul, one for the Brewers contest, the other a trade of 08 Heritage. (Sorry it's late. It should be there today or tomorrow.)

I don't think that I can beat out Cliff from Capewood's Collections, but I might do pretty well. I hope Thorzul has some Indians left.

I got back 6 more Heritage for my collection, and they are helping to fill out the Heritage set nicely. Lots of full pages in the binder now.

I've got another trade on the burner with Russ at The House of Cardboard. This should be a good one. I'm sending him (as soon as he sends me his address - this is a shameless attempt to embarass you into sending it!) around 50 cards for his 08 Heritage collection, and he's got a bunch to send back to me. I can't wait.

Now if only the damn Beckett site would work, I could put them into my catalog!

What would you pay?

So, you walk into Target, and they have opened a new box of the $1.59 packs. You could care less about the Pokemon, Bella Sara, Webkinz, anime, and wrestling cards. Only a passing interest in the Football, Basketball and Hockey cards.

Bingo!

There is a whole column of 05 Leaf, 06 Upper Deck, 07 Upper Deck, 08 Upper Deck (Series 1!), 07 Upper Deck Masterpieces, 04 Fleer Platinum, 05 Fleer Platinum, 06 Fleer. 54 packs in all, about $90.

What do you do?

a) Say, "No thanks, I've already got too many cards," and walk out.

b) Pick a few of each and hope that you find the relic/auto/super-rare parallel/fantastic insert in each pack?

c) Take the whole friggin' lot?

Well?

(tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...)

Yeah, me too. "c" all the way.

I did get a few nice collectibles out of all of them, such as a Jeter Rare Starquest, one relic, and a Fleer Platinum fold-out of Piazza. Not great, but OK.

I guess that is why I should be buying Hobby Boxes of this stuff if I want to finish sets. I've been sucked into

The Swirling Vortex of Desparation in Trying to Find the Autogamers!

(cue the dark music: DUH-DUH-DUH-DUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!)

I've gotten away from the reason I got back into the hobby: set collecting, specifically Topps sets. I have finished the base 08 set, and I'm close to finishing the 08 Heritage. But what have I gotten myself into!??!!? I now have complete common sets of Ultra and UD in many flavors!

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

(cue the Charlie Brown-kicking-the-football-while-Lucy-pulls-it-away clip)

So, how do I save myself? Do I altruistically give away all my Brewers to Thorzul and all my Braves to dayf? All my Phillies to Chris Harris? All my (pre-2007) Devil Rays to my son?

Do I sell it all on eBay for the low, low starting price of $9.99?

Do I roll them all into cardboard logs and use it to start fires in my fireplace this winter so I don't have to heat my house? (I guess that would depend on how far a cardboard log would go, and whether the cost of the natural gas to heat the house would be more than the equivalent thermodynamic blah-blah-blah....)

I think I'll keep things around for a while. I'm kinda having fun with it again, tearing open pack upon pack, hoping for that elusive Derek Jeter auto.

In the meantime, I'll see if I can make a few trades....