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!

Taken to the Woodshed By Crinkly Wrappers

I recently sent Ted from the supreme blog Crinkly Wrappers a single card.  It was a nice eTopps T206 card of Christy Mathewson, and I kind of hated to part with it.  But he had a real T206 card of Mathewson, and wanted to display the cards side by side.  I thought that was a nifty idea, and I was glad to be able to send the eTopps version to someone who would really like it.

It was a nice card, but it was one card.    Ted said he would send me a lot of stuff in return.  He wasn't kidding.

Today I received my part of the trade.  It came in a box.  Holy schnikes, there was a lot of great stuff in that box:

To start, he sent me over 70, yes I said 70, Gypsy Queen base cards. 

Did I mention I sent him ONE card?

He told me he had a "bunch" of GQ cards, and I said I'd take whatever he thought was fair.  My base checklist went from 50% to 73% complete just like that.  That would have been more than enough for what I sent, and would have left me feeling guilty enough on its own.  But there was more in the box:

There were a couple of awesome Nelson Cruz numbered cards.  That Marquee Cruz may be my favorite card of 2011.  My scanner frustrates the hell out of me.  Sorry about the weird scan.

And a Finest Alexi Ogando, and a Marquee Ian Kinsler with Ichiro trying to hog the spotlight.  Again, sorry for the weird scan.  Again, I just sent him one card.

And he sent a bunch of 2011 Topps parallels.  Did I mention I only sent him one card?

And finally, a handful of 2010 finest base sets, a couple of Turkey reds and some Attax Rangers.  Actually, he also sent a couple of A&G code cards and two other Rangers cards that I wanted to scan but when I went to our bedroom to scan them, I saw that the lovely wife (who is sick) was already asleep.  I didn't have the heart to crank up the scanner again and risk waking her up.  But the code cards are very nice, I assure you.  Speaking of the lovely wife, she was being nosy and checking out my box of cards from Ted.  When I assured her I wasn't spending money and that this was a trade, she looked at the amount of stuff I got for one card and said, "What the hell did you send him?" 

Not nearly enough lovely wife, not nearly enough.  Ted, thank you so much for the awesome trade.  I won't be able to get over my guilty conscious for this lopsided trade until I even it out at least a little.  Be on the lookout for another package.  You didn't get confused and think I sent you the original T206 Mathewson did you?

Big Fun Game Wrap Up..

Thanks to all the participants for my 3rd Big Fun Game!  First, just so everyone knows this was on the up and up, here is a screen shot of the prize randomizer:

Here is the final prize list:

1. Dawgbones- T206 Lot
2. Matt - Gypsy Queen Green Lot
3. cardanathema (frzn) - Clemente from Matt, lost collector
4. Dimwit - Clemens
5. cubsfan731 (frzn) - Relic Lot from cardanathema, Dimwit
6. josh - Strasburg from Matt
7. lost collector - Longoria from dawgbones
8. eric - Mauer Patch from cardanathema
9. trey j - Joe Morgan from lost collector
10. diamond king - Bowman Harper Card

It was interesting to see the biggest reaction to any of these was from dawgbones' T206 lot!  I thought for sure it would get traded, but I'm thrilled that it was a great fit for him!

Here were the two prizes that went unclaimed:

2003 Sweet Spot Classics Patch- Fred Lynn

Topps Finest Uncirculated Johnny Damon #d to 199

Thanks again to everyone who played.  If you have not already done so, please send me your address.  I would like to get all prizes out tomorrow.

Gwynn Wynn

Man, eBay and PayPal just make it really difficult for a card addict like me to stay in control.   It's too easy to say "yes" to an auction.   My lovely wife may disagree, but I think most of the time I am relatively disciplined on buying cards.  I don’t typically buy expensive items or boxes, and I usually don’t pull the trigger on something that I know is a steal unless it falls under my collecting solar system.  I also don’t buy general “lots” of cards that don’t list specifically what those cards are.

Last week I made a couple of exceptions to my rules.  I bought one rather expensive jersey card and will post about when it arrives.  I also bought this:

A lot of 200 Tony Gwynn cards.  I stared and stared at this auction as the time to bid ticked away.  I don’t need 200 Tony Gwynn cards.    I want 200 Tony Gwynn cards, but I don’t need them.  The item description didn’t list the cards either, other than listing some of the brands in the lot,  so I knew it was likely a bunch of junk wax.  But no one had bid, and if I could win with the lowest bid, the cost would wind up being pennies per card.  Not a bad way to build the binder of one of my favorite all time players.  I put in my bid and watched the auction come to a close, alternating from hoping I would win to hoping someone would outbid me.  I wound up winning.

The box arrived yesterday and with a slight sense of dread, I dug in to see what I got, mostly expecting a bunch of this:

Some junk wax, but cards of Tony Gwynn are cards of Tony Gwynn, so no problem.  So that was part of the box, but I was pleasantly surprised by the overall contents.  There were a lot of shiny cards:

A few Topps Finest, as well as the Super Cool Plastic EX cards, one which I already had (1999), and one which I didn't (1998).  Maybe I should try to build the 98 set once 99 is done. 



And there were several of hologram/sportflics type cards that I dig:

I love those SPX hologram cards.  And these are my first UC3 cards.  The little pinwheels in the background of the Cyclone Squad card spin around when you move the card.  I'm sure I looked like an imbecile watching them spin 'round and 'round as I drooled over this card last night. 

I’m glad to say that I didn’t already have at least 50% of what was in the box.  My Tony Gwynn collection is now my largest single player collection, surpassing Darryl Strawberry.    

Hey Napkin You're So Fine..

You're so fine you blow my mind.. Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap Clap...

Hey Napkin you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.. Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap

Hey Napkin you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.. Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap...

Hey Napkin you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.. Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap
                                                

Hey Napkin you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.. Hey Napkin! Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Hey Napkin!

.
In other words, I bought a bunch of cheap Topps Finest from Sportlots.com recently and they just arrived in the mail.