Catching up on Trades: Quest for 80's ness

I appologize to those of you who I have completed trades with recently. With travel, prepping of a new life and some quick-and-dirty research, I have pushed the blog back just a bit.

This is a three-parter of recent trades, and this solid package came from John at Quest for 80's ness. Very excellent. John sent a small box of cards in exchange for some Goody Champs, which will be in England...eventually.

On to the cards:

The Gruber. Mandatory acknowledgment.
The Big Cat. In tremendously shiny glory.
Skinny, well-shaved Todd in all of his 1996 BB Rookie Card awesomeness.
Big thanks on this one.
Who doesn't love Shawn Green?
Aside from those who've thrown down $80 for a one-hit box and pulled Green relic.
But not me.
Turkey-flavored Dexter Fowler. Super neat.
'09 Upper Deck sans foil Fowler. Is there a point to First Edition?
And no, making the Starquest foil a different color is not a legitimate answer.


Thanks for the Trade, John. Goody Champs and extra BoSox coming your way soon.

Cards from the Friendly Confines

...of On Card Autos! I'll take this opportunity to thank Chris of the aforementioned blog for banging out an epic trade here.I arrived at the post office yesterday to ship out another trade package, and the annoyed clerk handed me three packages, one of which was a box (yes, a box, not a padded envelope) stuffed with 9 team bags of Rockies and Jays from Chris. Awesome trade. Well worth the Aramis Ramirez jersey that left sunny NY. Enough smalltalk, let's get to the cardstock:

The highlights -
I first saw '05 in a pack rip by Beardy, and I wasn't impressed. This card, however, is awesome. The scan doesn't do it justice. The blue is a nicer, lighter shade. The insert name is terrible, however.
Josh Newman auto, via '08 SPx. I've been offered this card a couple times. Josh Newman is, well, hasn't yet been successful, and this card doesn't carry much "resale/book/Beckett" value, but whatever. I like it. I love autos. It's on a sticker, but hardly noticible. Nice card, but UD didn't pop out all the cardboard in the bottom triangle of the "X".
My new favorite Ubaldo. Sometimes the blackout cards work better than others, and for teams like the Rockies and Jays, they work perfect. Might make a run at both team sets. Also got a Barmes throwing a big "Westsiiiide" motion up but forgot to scan. It will make an appearance soon enough.
Antoher Ubaldo. This time, a Rookie. I like the rookie card logos. Especially the new ones. Except the Upper Deck ones. Bad, bad Upper Deck. They got their comeuppance (here, here and here.) (I didn't know that comeuppance was a real word.)
Lifetime gold-glover and HOF snub, Robby.
Stieb, straight outta my birth year set. Neat. Gotta put this set together, really.
Big-game Stieb.
After every Romero win this year, expect a "RICK ROLLED!!" post. You've been warned.
Keeping with the '10 Topps theme, here's Ryan Spilborghs. My favorite from this set so far. Blacked out, this would be epic. I love cards that feature emotion on player's faces. I bet this was from a walk-off, as his pants are getting damn close to being completely undone.
I miss him already. Kick ass in Seattle, man. You deserve to be on a winning team through the arbitration years. League is often called one of the hardest pitchers to hit in the AL. Why? 96 MPH sinking fastball. No, you cannot hit it. Don't even try.
I selected this card for one reason: Robert's arms. Tats!
Bam. Silver Slugger. Once again Chris, thanks for the cards. I got lots of new Rockies and Jays...however, there was one thing...


It seems, and Chris may not have even noticed this when throwing this package together...I have been stealth-bipped by the worst closer in baseball, Brian Fuentes:
Eep. Three 2007 Upper Deck, Four 2007 Topps, four 2008 Topps. Way too many dots and circles. I won't forget this. Bip abides.

Still, awesome trade. Hit Chris up at On Card Autos.

Cards found on the side of the road...

...well not really. Today I got three packages, er..down the road. The one which I will showcase tonight is a solid package from Duane at Democratic Roadkill. I want to thank you, Duane, quickly, before I get to the loot. Duane came to me saying he had a good amount of cards from my '07 Fleer Ultra want list, and some '06 Fleer Traditions. Without giving him a rundown of a return package, he sent these awesome cards my way. Don't worry Duance, I'll cook something good up for you, though it may take a while.

First up, one of the greatest players of all time from one of the greatest sets of all time:
What a great card. He sent a bunch of these, all Jays save for the Junior Griffey, including the flowing golden locks of a one Kelly Gruber:
Awesome. Gruber is letting everyone in Major League Baseball know right then and there, who finished first in 1992. And will again in 1993. And 2014.
Currently the oldest Jays card in my collection. Boomer's 6'5"/218 frame dominates his panel. He might be average by today's standards.

I juxtaposed these on purpose. Why? A couple reasons. One, The pose is very similar. I'm assuming Topps did not do this on purpose, because they hate the Blue Jays, but also because these cards are 200 apart in the set.

The real reason they are juxtaposed for me is that this way, we can symbolize the passing of the torch. My favorite Blue Jays traded away for some baby birdies, the ringing in of the new ace and my favorite player, as well as my #1 Personal Collection player. Dusty, it's time to be a man.

Now for some more '08 Allen & Ginter's (I need to get a want list up for these) of Mr. Joe Baseball himself:
Love the state cards, pissed that my state is represented by a complete shithead.
'08 Ultimate Collection Joe Baseball. Didn't think much of these from randoms I have seen on eBay, but these are pretty solid for high-end (limited to /350) base cards.
As I mentioned above, got some '07 Ultras in this package. This was the one that stood out most, only because of that hat. I really dislike the Padres, but that hate is awesome. WANT.
Weee. Another Soria, for my paltry Soria collection. I haven't heard of anyone else who collects him, but someone mentioned it on their blog recently. I dig this card. Someone else sent me a Seth Smith of the same variety. I really like how UD did this set.

Well, thanks for the awesome cards, Duane. I will get a package out to you soon. I hope you'll be as pleased with it as I am with my half. Awesome.

Go check out the trader's blog, Democratic Roadkill.

Recent APC Trades

...and by recent, I mean within the past...ohhhh....three weeks or so. Mail has dried up recently but I am expecting about 10 cards from eBay and maybe some trade packages by Friday. Hopefully. Also, I may purchase (packs of) cards again on Friday. May.

First up, loot from the Great White North (Central), or, Carl Crawford Cards, if you prefer. Paul, the Niemann ink is on the way to the big ND. Hopefully you'll get it by this weekend, but you never know (postmarked 2/16).

This Ichiro is downright nuclear.
Hooray for the Soria boost. And chromed!
It's a rough looking swatch, but hey, I wouldn't believe a Pudge swatch was authentic without some wear.

That's some mighty fine cardboard (and fabric) Paul. Mighty fine.

On to a second package, also received weeks ago, from Dan at It's Like Having My Own Card Shop. He also sent some goody Ichiros, and this guy I needed:
Terrible scan, fantastic card.
On to the Honey-Nut Ichiros:
'04 Donruss Diamond Kings Season Stat Line. It looks light blue as that is how the scan refelcted the holofoil, but its' well done, and certainly not overdone. Great looking card, and #'ed to 159.
My first Turkey Red, of any sort. I kinda want more.
Ichiro, horizontal, on a dirty scanner. Nice.

Thanks guys. Dan - you've already got your package, and Paul, yours is on the way.

Yesterday I also sent one package to Collective Troll for the newest group box break, and to Chris over at Nachos Grande.

Gettin Milestoned

It took me about an hour (half of the second period, the 2nd intermission, and the first 5:03 of the third period of Maple Leafs @ Devils game), but I have recorded, collated and scanned the THREE trade packages I received today. The first, and girthy-est of the packages came form Dinged Corners. Now, I don't precisely remember what I did to earn this package, some sort of contest I think, but nonetheless, there it was, and here I am smiling about it.

Inside was a total of (I think) five loaded team bags, and in this case, aptly named team bags. I know when I throw team bags into a trade, it usually involves about forty cards of mixed players and teams with absolutely no pattern, unless there's a relic, and in that case I make sure it's sandwiched warmly between commons and, if necessary, a bip blanket...

On to the cards.

DC sent me loads of Blue Jays and Rockies, included a load of Moments and Milestones. Hence the post title.

Text, from here on, will only involve the cards. No more mindless scientist chatter.
Dave Stieb Diamond Kings. Very cool. I believe I used to own this, but if I did, it is nowhere to be found. This is probably my favorite DK set, aside from that one year that the cards had a canvas/UD Masterpieces feel to them.
Shaun Marcums: Always welcomed here at the Paper Chase. Or A Paper Chase. I don't even know, I don't like the title, and hey, it might even change eventually.
First CarGo card. I'm not an '09 Topps homer like so many others out there. It's a good set, but hey, I loved 2008 and everyone seems to hate them.
DC really kicked my Halladay collection in the ass, and with some good ones, too. This is a Bowman Heritage from 2007. It's shinier than the side of a rainbow trout (I didn't know there would be fish jokes...) and I dig it. Is this a parallel? I don't know anything about 07 Bowman Heritage, and the three she sent me like this, were all rainbow-trout foil board. (That's going to be my new thing. Rainbow Trout cards...)
Rarely do I have trades without Tulos. However, the next two I will post have no Tulos, but that's just fine. This is a nice one. There was a healthy amount of these M&M cards, which 've never purchased, but seem like the biggest pain in the ass to collect. Ever. But I was sent two which were #'ed/25, which are now tied with my Mauer Jersey card for for lowest numbered cards.

That's all I'll post for this package. Much thanks to Dinged Corners. If you've never check them out, please do so. They were one of the first card blogs I discovered, and have been a constant source of cardawesomeness these past two months (really...I've only been here since December...)

Trade with Reader Jon (And, "It Was Bound to Happen")

So the mail came in today, and I saw what every collector loves, the beautiful goldenrod packet which can mean one thing (well, it can mean many things, but these "things" are much better than other "things".) New cards! I noticed right away that the package was from reader Jon, and ripped in. (The only other pieces of mail was a credit card app from Chase and a W-2. Those were quickly ignored.)

Right away, I noticed a note in the bag...and knew exactly what it was going to say. Protecting the inner contents sandwiched between two top loaders were what could only be late-80's brown-edged Topps. You know, h said he had some '88 Jays minis to send...but these cards are standard sized....Hmm.... A Cubs player to boot...I don't have any Cubs on my "Want" lists...uh...uh....oh no.

No.

Say it ain't so, Jon!

I open the note...

"Roy, Hope you enjoy the cards. I also Bipped you..."

This is where the embarrassment sets in. Doug Dascenzo. Bipped. Descenzo'd. Chicago Cubs. I had to look this guy up. It's kind of funny. With all the '89er Topps I have, no Dascenzos. I've never seen this card nor even heard of the player in my life. And I know wayyyy too many players.

So Dascenzo facts (KNOW YOUR BIPPINGS!):

Career AVG of .234
5 HR, 90 RBI and an OBP of .293 (who the hell walked this guy?!)

Kind of sounds like 3 average Gregggggg Zaun seasons rolled into one career.

But here's what makes Dascenzo a gem of a bipping:

5.0 IP, 2 K, 2 BB and a zero ERA. This guy was LIGHTS OUT when it comes to relief pitching. Maybe he'll get a call this year from the lowly Cubbies.

Another fun fact, from Wiki, of course:
Dascenzo began his Major League career by playing in a then-National League record 241 consecutive games without making an error. The streak spanned from his debut in 1988 to the 1991 season when he committed his first error in a game on August 25. Very Nice.

Now, on to the object of the trade... Jon had a Tulo Jersey card to send me in return for an Adam Dunn jersey card. Sounds like a fair deal, my favorite for your's, and it went down smoothly.

Here's the Tulo:

Bonus Tulo! Triple Play Tulo!:

A Joakim Soria Piedmont Mini from '09 T206:

I'll get up to posting my Soria have list eventually, but the past three online trades have pumped my PC so much I'm totally lacking (Yes, I believe she said something like that...)

'88 Tom Henke Mini, but Bigger than the Soria:

And the Griffey '08 UDX:

This is by far the best looking card in this set. Something about the Red/White/Black (err...let's ignore that those are Nazi party colours for now) scheme makes this Griffey particulary eye-catching.

Thanks for the awesome cards, Jon. Your's will probably get into the mail Tomorrow morning (hopefully). You should have a healthy Adam Dunn boost soon enough. Other readers: I also have two more packets that will probably go out. A 500 Clubber caught in a Webb, and some Te-xas Rangers that I don't have a good pun for. Also, payment for Collective Troll's Group Break and Carl Crawfords "TBNLs" are still being put together, so remain patients, Rays fans.

And for those of you sick enough to want to see this:

Mail! [+ Trade Post #1!]

So Daniel from It's Like Having My Own Cardshop mentions about a week ago his love of X-Fractors, and we all know his love of Diamondbacks, so we started talking, and due to the mutual love of all things refracting, a trade was thrown down.

Best of all, it was my first throughout the blargospheroid, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased by what Daniel sent over. Here's my shiny/rainbowy half of the deal:

Mmm. Refracted Blue Jaysssss.....

In case you're wondering, I am trying to collect the ENTIRE 2008 Topps Chrome Refractors set. It's a tough task, but I've already got over 40, so I feel goof about it. Daniel thankfully knocked three off of the list, and added something that makes me very, very happy:

2007 Fleer Ultra Ultra Rookies #215 Mike Rabelo.

What a great looking card. The Orange font on the white/blue contrasting bacground is amazing. These was such a great rookie subset, just wish this is what the Lucky 13's looked like instead.

2007 Fleer Ultra Ultra Rookies #221 Jay Marshall. Who?!

The one thing I don't love about this set was the rookies selection. Jay Marshall? Kory Casto? Gustavo Molina? Seriously? There were no better players in one of the top tier farm systems in the majors? What about:

• Andrew Bailey?
• Carlos Gonzalez?
• Joey Devine?
  

Anyways, sorry about the quick rant. Thanks a million Dan - the X-Fractory Diamondback goodness should be in sunny Arizona before long! It may have taken me a while to send 'em out but I kept checking your want/need lists for Diamondbacks you did not yet have. Take the X-Fractors outside where they can get better light than they would here in overcast, rainy, snowy Central New York.

_______________

Also, got a few cards from eBay, all for my personal collection. They include these young bucks:

2003 Bowman Chrome #BDP110

2007 Bowman Gold #BDPP61

And this established gentleman:

2002 Fleer Premium International Pride
Carlos Delgado #NNO

And they all cost less than $5, shipped. Maddy and Dusty Mc were about $2.50 for the pair and Delgado matched them.