Tim from I Love the Smell of Cardboard in the Morning - known as toast at my house- began blogging in December. He collects Yankees - and I'm always happy to trade away some of those guys. He emailed in January offering an opportunity to trade. I may be cracked but not crazy! Of course I said no yes. The package arrived stuffed with amazing cards: some numbered, shiny or patched.
2001 Fleer Futures - you can put the shades away
Ugly as heck card design. One time issue for Fleer. I did not own any of these cards, which were released around the time I drifted from the hobby. If cardboard could stink Fleer Futures would be some smelly stuff.
From 2000 Bowman's Best, a couple of shiny, refractory Munsons - base design on the right and a Best Bets insert on the left. Best bet Munson tore it up in A-ball with a .266 average. There was the one game where he doubled three times and belted a three run homer, going 4 for 5 with 5 rbi. But I think this was against a little league team. These are nice-looking cards. I now have two BowBest Tigers!
Tim also sent the regular Chrome refractor. A handsome pairing!
I never cared for the design of 62 Topps but Miggy rocks it here on 2011 Heritage Chrome! Showing off his tattoo and suspiciously eyeing his appearance on a 2011 Topps Diamond Stars insert, Cabrera's Chrome is numbered 1473/1962. What a good-looking piece of chromium cardboard!
Not to be outdone, Verlander makes a grand showing: 2013 Opening Day Stars and 2014 Chrome insert Chrome Connections. The Stars inserts and Mascots are the best thing Opening Day has to offer, in my most humble of opinions.
I like the Connections inserts. These would have been high dollar in the 90s! Nothing like trying to sleeve these without nicking a corner. Good times!
A small oddity from 2003 Cracker Jack - an actual prize! Love it!
Tradition has the front of this card looking a little busy. Normally I wouldn't like this, therefore I don't. The 205 is super nice. The smooth texture of this card is...well...sexy. If the entire set held this design, it would be a must have on my list. Fortunately, this set is all over the place.
1994 SP -early die cut parallel 2005 Pinnacle Zenith
Four fantastic cards: Buck Leonard is shown on 2001 UD Hall of Famers, a set I'd like to complete. Jim Candy Taylor, from 1994 Ted Williams issue - completed set. Stitches in Time is an insert set in 2001 Fleer Tradition. How I've missed this, who knows! 25 cards dedicated to the Negro Leagues. I now have two! 23 more and it's in the binder!
Trading has certainly opened my eyes to a great many cards I don't yet have and now want. This isn't necessarily a good thing. In fact I've become out-of-control, racking up huge numbers in excellent Ebay feedback. Two more must have sets: 1988 Pacific Legends and 2001 SP Legendary Cuts. I'm not a Pacific fan but this is a set done well! 114 cards of want-it-now. I should be able to pick it up fairly priced on eBay through trading - unless of course, I want to complete the set in my lifetime. At $10 per four card pack, SP Legendary Cuts priced me out. A beautiful set with a $15 BIN on ebay. No. I did NOT just look it up. Did too. Did not!
And here we have 2001 Topps American Pie, a baby boomer's delight! An eBay set pickup resulting in excellent FB. I now have cards for the PC with these two Tiger greats!
2000 Upper Deck Hitter's Club
Well Upper Deck? You tell me why? Why such an awful design? You stopped too soon. There was room for more foil lettering in several places. At least this is a new Cobb for the PC.
Tim sent more cards than I could possibly share here. I had to stop somewhere so I finish with these nice relic cards of the Tigers number two man, Verlander. Thank you Tim, for a fun trade! I hope we can do it again.
I highly recommend trading with Tim, an excellent communicator and more than generous!
2008 Upper Deck 2008 Upper Deck X
The Fleer Futures set always smelled like Vick's Vaporub to me. The rookie design (like those two) is not great, but the veteran design is better. Be careful because the silver sparkly part of the border wears off fairly easily.
ReplyDeleteI should check out the vets then! and will keep them sleeved :) thanks for reading and commenting Billy!
DeleteTim is a fantastic trader, he and I have swapped cardboard a few times now. Those Negro League cards are absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteA great first trade with Tim! I've become quite interested in the Negro Leagues. These cards will look great in a binder!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the cards I sent your way. I love those Cracker Jack chips/prizes. I really wish they could do something like those again. As for the Stitches in Time set, I've been working on that one for what seems like forever(no help from eBay...yet). I will definitely finish it someday. Also worth a look, was a 2001 insert in Topps and Topps Chrome called What Coud Have Been, focused on the Negro Leagues and done pretty well.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the Topps insert set, thanks! Seems like a lot of good stuff came along around the time I left the hobby. As for Cracker Jacks, at least I'm old enough to remember prizes that weren't paper jokes and tattoos.
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