Just When I Thought I Was Out… Cynical Buddha Pulls Me Back In

I really like 2010 Topps Finest and 2010 Topps Turkey Red inserts.  I originally had them listed on my Master Checklist and had a modest portion of each set complete (about 25% each I guess).  I went through a “paring down” phase several months ago and started taking another look at my master checklist, which had bloated itself to nearly 100 sets at one point.  I decided to put my pursuit of many sets (including 2010 Turkey Red and Finest) on pause while I focused a little more on others.  I decided that I didn’t have enough headway on the aforementioned sets to continue building them and they dropped off my master checklist cover page, although I kept the actual checklists up for the future.

Mark from Collector's Crack, (and other blogs) stepped up and gave me some new momentum on both sets.  Not only are they back on my checklist radar, I have a new appreciation to just how nice these sets are.  They are a nice contrast in styles- modern, shiny, slick Finest goodness and classic, artistic Turkey Red goodness:

As awesome as these two lots were, they weren’t even the best part of the trade.  He also sent me these sweet Ranger cards:

The Young card is now one of the best cards I have of him.    I didn’t know it until I saw the card, but this Young is numbered #1 of 100.  I like to think that since this was the first one of this card, after it was printed, all of the printers and executives at Leaf stopped the press and held this card up to the lights with rubber gloves, rotated it around, sniffed it a few times and then as a group walked it over to the machine that wraps the cards and said goodbye.  That’s why it’s important to get  #1 of a serial numbered card.  It’s probably treated with the most care.

Like my trade with Crinkly Wrappers, I’m pretty sure Mark outdid on me the trade... maybe.   Mark was the recipient of the lot of stamp stuff I won at Cleve’s the other day.  I’m hoping it’s worth something, or at least there is something in there Mark can use.  It's probably a bunch of garbage, but I hope not.  I had already committed away the 1909 postcards I wrote about before he asked about them, but the rest was packed off to Mark in beautiful Alaska.  I also sent several assorted Brewers cards as well.  

Perhaps the best part of the trade was taking an opportunity to explore Mark’s blog(s) a little more closely.  You should really check out his work on this blog.  What a talent!  I have always been envious of people who can draw.  There is no shortage of them in the card blog world either apparently.  But Mark is extremely talented and has a really entertaining family of blogs.  

Thanks for the great first trade Mark!  I look forward to many more!