The Mighty Quinn

I'm blessed with great trading pals and don't always feel deserving of the awesomeness that arrives in mailers and boxes.  Does this mean I feel deserving at times??  Why certainly, at least around the holidays.  

Quinn has been sending packages with great regularity, easily identified among other items in the mailbox.  They've been covered in small 'fatheads' and glow star stickers but on this occasion, the mailer was plain. The contents held another package containing a unique box topper, truly one of the highlights of this trade. 

Underneath was yet another box which at first glance I thought might be a happy meal.

No - it's taffy!  Except it wasn't taffy.  {Where do you find these boxes Quinn?} Right on top were a couple of graded 90s Pudge:

Along with a couple of homemade fat packs hitting up my player collections.  Here's a sampling of these paper goods:

Two of my favorite Yankees.

Altuve, Posey and Scherzer.  

Cards with interchangeable player heads!  Finally, something new and refreshing from Topps!  I gave Marichal a little makeover.

I'm among the crowd happy for Ivan's election to the Hall and was fortunate to attend many of his games in Arlington.   I find it somewhat odd that he and my all time favorite catcher Daulton, both won their only rings with the Marlins.  Obviously Pudge had the better career.  He is currently the all time leader in putouts as a catcher. 

Quinn included Topps Tek for Pudge, Miggy and Fulmer.   These are super cards to find within a trade.  I'll never purchase them. Lots on ebay aren't cheap either.  It takes special kind of insanity to assemble this set with its variations from hell-o!   Fess up  - how many of you are that crazy?

Fulmer in high-numbered black attire.

As much as I liked GQ base this year, the green parallels are even sweeter.  Old Ty is numbered/99

Q has taken to finding new Piazzas for my growing hoard.  I do have a couple of these.  The 93 Ultra will move to my catcher collection.  93 Donruss starts my new mini-collection of floating bats.  I can't resist this urge any longer.  There is something magical within a photo that captures a bat suspended mid-air. 

In all, there were 25 different Piazzas.  I mentioned the box-topper only to save it for last.  This card is gorgeous and all mine! 

1997 Score Reserve Collection #501 Mike Piazza GY Artist Proof

I had a good time going through this package.  Every time I see Quinn in the return address, my thoughts always go to the classic Manfred Mann recording of the Bob Dylan song...

 

                                              

Unibiased and Dependable - or No Trades Left Behind, third edition

Yes the game of catch-up continues.  If all goes according to plan, only one more post will be necessary for sharing the colorful cardboard contents of mail received over the past few months.  Then I can write with carefree whimsy from my list of blog post ideas! 

From Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary came this introductory package of Tiger cards.  Brian reached out to say hello:

I'm a fan of 2015 Tier One.  The black and gold combo is stunning.  The olde English D really shows itself off, just not so well in the scan.  Great design but not in my budget.   2015 Buck Farmer Finest refractor auto.  Bucky is approaching 25 years of age.  It's show time - or no time in the Show. 

Above we have 2008 SPX Joel Zumaya auto, 2001 Private Stock Juan Gonzalez bat chip and 2005 Champions Magglio Ordonez. Of these three fellas, I'm most familiar with Juan Gone-zalez.  He was a big part of my collection in the early 90s.  We broke up when he became a Tiger, oddly enough.  He brought nothing to the team.  The fans here were welcoming and excited to have Juan in Detroit.  He was to wrapped in his own reflection to notice - or care.

2013 Chrome auto RC Bruce-Duck-Rondon.  I say duck because when he's on the mound...you're on the ground.  A little wild at times, other times on the DL.  2008 AG Pudge.  Ivan Rodriguez - a favorite player on any team. 

1959 Topps Johnny Groth, a sweet piece of cardboard history!  Look at that centering, will ya? Coloring, corners - it's a thing of beauty!  1949 Bowman RC George Vico isn't looking to shabby either!

1956 Topps Frank House with a play at the plate.  Who among us would find such action boring?  I demand you speak up!   As cool as this card front is...check out the back:

the classic cartoon!  This is one feature that can't be duplicated.  Even Topps today with cartoon backs, wouldn't touch this magic from the 50s. 

Thank you Brian, for these cards.  Old and new and in-between, all appreciated!  It seems you've waited quite patiently for a return package.  A lot of that going on of lately.  I'm stuffing a mailer this weekend.

And now we come to the contest portion of our blog reading.  Last week, I announced a cheesy giveaway.   If you didn't read or scroll through the post in its entirety, you missed it. There were only six entries which were Randomized tonight.

Cynical Buddha, you are the cheesiest! or is it most cheesy?  Congrats Mark! Let me know if you've moved in the past few months. Thanks to all who read, and to those who entered.  I'll dig through my box of disposable baseball and cardboard memorabilia to find the next prize, to be given away...next time?? Will it be an indecipherably autographed baseball?  Team sets?  Oversized cards?  Bobble-head?  The Claw knows.

Return of the Jedi

Well... technically it wasn't a return but a first trade.  Blog Master, Jedi Jeff sent a surprise my way just before the holidays.  I didn't know what to expect before opening the fat little package.  It wasn't ticking, so I gained a bit of comfort from that knowledge.  The warm up cards on top of the stack were nice but left no inkling as to what may lay beneath them.

 

These cards hold some great shots! I love the intensity of Benoit's expression, looking nearly mad!  Martinez appears to have a bat in his crack.  Such an odd play. Pudge is one of my fave catchers.  These are great additions to the PC.  Then...there were these:

1992 Stadium Club

I can't  begin to count the cards I gave away years ago but they included a massive number of Stadium Club - all years!  Of course now, it would be nice to have them but some kid, somewhere, is probably enjoying a little collection of his own.  When I stopped collecting in 2002, I gave away hundreds of cards to different little collectors and sold quite a few of the nicer ones.  I needed these subtle beauties!

 

                                     2007 SP Legendary Cuts          2012 UD Baseball Heroes

             2013 Archives                             2005 UD Past Time Pennants

Following Stadium Club is not always easy but The Jedi Master layed it on thick with some Old Guys, all new to their player collections!  I am now in pursuit of the Past Time Pennants.  Gorgeous card!

 

 

I enjoy collecting Negro Leagues players. Known as the black Lou Gehrig, Buck Leonard is one of  35 Negro League players in Cooperstown.  I  want to see Buck O'Neil in the Hall.  He did so much to help his colleagues gain entry and had a more than respectable career in his own right.

 

 

Pretty shiny things are these - 2013 Cut to the Chase inserts from Topps.  Harmon will look great in the binder!

 

 

 1992 Whitehall Collection Ruthie!  I'm surprised this card scanned so nicely.  It's vibrantly colored!

 

 

Something old, something new. Love Nick in those classic threads on a 2014 Stadium Club! Now that's a uniform!  1973 Tigers team card in excellent condition and Cesar looking pretty sweet too, from 1971.

 

Jeff could've stopped right there, having already made a good first impression I was then Conlon-ized:

 

 

Classic photography, classic player names. Black and white simplicity. Bottomley with hat askew, looked like a fun-loving fellow in his day.  Jay Hanna Dean, an all time pitching great - .644 career winning percentage HOFer.  The Iron Horse - card back reads his amazing record of 2130 consecutive games played still stands.

 

 

Pepper, Schoolboy.  Hoblitzel?  What's a Hoblitzel?  He was first baseman for the Red Sox and roomie to the Babe. He was Doc after baseball, becoming a dentist.  Ol' Clarence Mitchell hit into an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series creating three Dodger outs.

Taking a moment to tell me how he really feels...

 Got Milk?  If not, pour yourself a glass and share some of my old and stale cereal...but do NOT spill it on these:

1976

WHOA JEFF!  FAR OUT!  I love the 1970s.  Love everything about them, except war and possibly Nixon.  These cards are phenomenal!

                                       The 80s had its moments...a few are shown here, from 1983.

                                             1977                                                                    1979

 Just look at those colors!  The 79 design is one of my faves from the Kellogg's issues, 1970-1983.  I would love to complete these sets.  Anything is possible, right?  After all, Jedi Jeff did choose to bestow some greatness on me and I couldn't be more grateful!

A thank you package went out yesterday Jeff, though its contents can't compete with what you sent. I will keep saving those Southside boys for ya!