The Way We Were

Where ever did I leave off? Oh yes. Elbow surgery. It's kept us apart and currently, aggravating the heck out of me. This elbow. It refuses to allow the simple pleasantry of extended keyboard time. I returned to work a couple weeks ago and there's no avoiding the keys there! The real job uses up most of the tolerance I have. By the time I'm home, the arm is done.  Card sorting is difficult as well. Keeping the elbow bent creates unhappiness.  One thing I have accomplished - sorting my Altuves  and Cobbs by year and logging these thru 2017!  On a printed checklist.  Don't go running to the TCDB. That would require my time on a keyboard. Many players remain to be sorted but there's always knee surgery...

I owe you an answer to my last 3D post: Jeff Bagwell. I assure you, it's forthcoming. There are more cards looking for homes too. I've overhauled my want list.  I continue to collect Tigers but more carefully. I just can't use cards from 1980-1994, having them many times over.  The list will be updated more often as well. Thanks to all of my many trade pals, whose generosity pushed me to eliminate player collections from the list for now.  I'll add specific player cards in the near future.

This is a good time to share a few more of the packages received in the past year. Each of these jolly good fellows deserves an individual post. I can't wait that long. They have waited months.

NIGHT OWL CARDS
A great mix of old and new here from the great repository of cardboard history, Night Owl. I can say new since these were rec'd less than a year ago and rather new at the time. Ha.  Really tho, 76 Topps, 81 Fleer. Player collections. Tigers. A very nice JD Martinez /99.  Always grateful to you,  N.O.!

PAWS wins here, hands down!

What's a Wockenfuss?  Snuffleupagus comes to mind.

Champ Summers belongs in every collection. Does too.

If flakes are gonna fall, better on the card than in the yard.

JOHNNY'S TRADING SPOT
John Miller is a crazy man. The proof has found its way to my porch twice - in July and this past week. Both packages contained THOUSANDS of catchers. THOUSANDS. This will keep me sorting all winter long. I have never been Zippy Zapped or Bipped but now know what it's like, catchers in the wry. Needless to say, catchers were also removed from my want list. Unless it's 79 or older, I won't need it. He also sent a mailer a while back filled with an assortment of shiny and colorful Tigers.

CROWN ROYALE NEEDS TO MAKE A COMEBACK!

1998 Skybox Thunder. Lightning and the Thunder.

2005 ZENITH

THE SHINING

My Tatas!

THE CARD PAPOY

Kevin - writer, collector, musician and my friend in France! He shops ebay and comc for his trade pals, always choosing a little vintage and snappy relics or autos. He sent a sweetly packaged mailer earlier in the year. Here are some of the surprises it held:

BIGGIO heavy duty 2016 VAULT METAL
02 MUSEUM SANDBERG /199

ATTRACTIVE GINTERS!

PUDGE 01 UD GLOVE RELIC
PIAZZA 02 HOT PROSPECTS

NEWLY RETIRED VMART - 2017 MUSEUM

2017 THREADS #/18 - sweet card!

2017 GOLD LABEL HEAVY DUTY AUTO
paper weight...that's a pun

I want to continue trading so if you don't mind waiting to see your cards posted, I'm the gal for you. What a crazy few months it's been. I can't help but feel good with the progress made regarding my own collection. I've had stacks of cards for trades on my hobby table for sometime. These are hitting the mail, a couple per day, over the next two weeks. Other than PWEs, I won't be shipping again til next year, late spring. Waiting til spring allows me time to work on my collection and get through another busy season at work. If I still have the same job... It also gives me time to find cards for you! It is all about you! Without you, I wouldn't be here today. You have only yourselves to blame.

Birthday Cards - from Kids and Pirates

My birthday is rapidly approaching, just days away.  I've never been one to celebrate biggly but friends got together this past week to bless me with their company - along with Bumpy cake and a few gifts. My favorite quads were there with cards made especially for me.  I have to share my favorite. This little 8 year old boy loves baseball and is into card collecting.  [I like to take a little credit for this!]  But more than that, he loves ME!

This was a good surprise indeed, and very clever.  He included a few picked from his collection and placed in a special pocket made within the card.

My many gifts included two hats - Tigers and Astros:

and a couple of good books:

I'm looking forward to Macho Row in particular.  1993 was the year I fell in love with the game for good, thanks to this team!  It didn't hurt that Darren Daulton was a prominent feature behind the plate. 

Yesterday, the postman delivered another package which nearly blew me away, literally.  During my temporary trade ban, incoming packages have been few.  This has allowed much needed time to organize my cards.  I still can't say how many dupes I have or what cards are needed for sets but all my thousands of cards are officially sorted by either player, set or binder mini-collections.   

In April, Matt found himself at Target, staring down new GQ blaster boxes.  He wasted zero time picking the right box, something I can't pull off.  After reading his post, and hearing elsewhere these retail blasters were loaded, I tried my luck.  Failing miserably, I then purchased two hobby boxes and failed again.  Matt had that old blaster magic.  From the same box, he pulled an auto and a 1/1 - both Tigers.  YNWV???   Why in West Virginia?   Hello Topps - over here!  Michigan!

Matt held onto these cards until this past week.  He did not know my birthday was only days away. He does know that I'll do my very best to put a great package together for him as soon as I am able. So imagine my surprise upon opening a package from this man:

The very cards he pulled in April!  Jaw-dropping!  How he felt I deserved these beauties I will never know.  I am humbled and nearly hysterical!  Numbered out of 35, an auto from the 2016 ROY Michael Fulmer...AND  a 1/1???  J.D. Martinez is becoming one of the hottest players in the game.  I've collected his cards for five years now.  This is beyond wild!  A true beauty!

We all know Matt!  And if you don't, you'd best get yourself acquainted with him!  He is generous and doesn't give a second thought to sending the rare pull to a trade pal. 

What more can I say?  Thank you Matt!