Posting Issues

Yeah, I've had them.  Catching up isn't easy when you're months behind sharing the goodness of others.  And today, we are doing a little bit of that!  This post features first time trades with a few of our blogger friends.  Months have passed since receiving most of these cards. What better way to say thanks to these Firsters than allowing the scans to yellow with age!

Let me preface this trade with I don't collect hockey.   I was drawn to the Blackhawks Indian logo by chance, just a few months ago and couldn't put it out of my head.  It is quite simply - beautiful art! My Native American heritage at one time called me to collect the old Goudeys.  My stupidity allowed me to sell my collection of these beauties 15 years ago.  So how now, to have a bit of cardboard history in the way of the original Americans?   Baseball Cards Come To Life - Bo Rosny took care of the problem with these:

The color did not come through with my phone as I was between  scanners at the time.  These cards show off the logo!  At some point, I'll likely own a long sleeved-shirt or jersey for the winter months, which in MI is Sept-June.   Thanks Bo!!!

D'back Daniel dropped a mailer on me that included some set needs and a couple of parallels.  Who says no to this??

Highlights of Card Shop Goodness

Oooo, pretty cards include a 2015 Chrome Sepia McCann and 2016 Heritage Chrome Fulmer RC.  He's one of the few Tigers having a good year.  I say we lose this guy!  He's much too good for us. Sell Sell Sell while we Tank Tank Tank.   Daniel, you'll have a return package soon!

GCRL may have forgotten about the fat little envelope he sent me.  If not, he may think that I did. But here's proof of my appreciation:

Jim sent a great batch of Gibbys and attractive parallels! Oh the woes of F-Rod!  He and Miggy look much better on these cards than in their recent performances!  The F'er is gone but Miggy remains, along with  his salary.   Mig has shown signs of coming around only to commit another error, hit into a DP or strike out.  His frustration shows.  Many Tiger fans wonder if his struggles are injury related or perhaps stress caused by fear and uncertainty for the safety of his family in Venezuela.  Jim, there's a return in the works!  Thanks for your patience!

Along with March came a friendly pwe from Oscar - not the grouch - the other Oscar, All Trade Bait All the Time!  He sent an Aloha  with a nice grouping of Tigers:

My first JaCoby Jones RC!   He's a young fellow with some potential, traded from the Pirates for Joakim Soria, and from my home state of Oklahoma, in a little town just outside OKC,  Chickasha - Chik-ah-shay  that's how we Okies pronounce it.  In his first MLB plate appearance, JaCoby hit a three-run homer against the White Sox becoming the first Tiger rookie to hit an Opening Day homer since Kirk Gibson in 1980.   With that began the JaCoby fever of which many Tiger fans and card collectors still suffer .  I tend to steer away from prospecting therefore appreciate having this card sent to me!  Oscar,  Aloha!   You'll be hearing from me!

A more recent package was received as a thank you from Now and Zen's Doe.  I sent her a box of Cubs and White Sox as a welcome to the blogs.  {Fortunately, she collects these teams!}  There were no expectations for a return package but she filled that little box up and sent it back to me.  I found mostly Tigers along with a few hits on my PCs:

CAM and BIGGS

1994 Score with a Gold Rush parallel

2017 Opening Day

Doe had a few fun cards available which I'd mentioned liking.  She put all of them in the box - Posey and Altuve among the mascots! Thanks so much for the trade.  We'll do it again!

It feels good to share - or more specifically- to be organized enough to share these great trades.  This post had its own issues:

I must be held.  No Exceptions!

Cave Woman

Field of soybeans against a Michigan summer sky - on the corner, up the dirt road from my home

I've been out-of-pocket for a couple of weeks, which included a stay-cation.  During that time, I had company for an overnight visit. My guest room is rather small so I gave up my room for the night. When I moved in a couple years ago I felt it was important to have a comfortable place for guests. During all this time, there's been no other overnight company.   So while I was off work, the guest room was dismantled!  I donated the furniture to a good cause and went to work!

Heavy duty shelving took over the spot left vacant by the dresser.  It filled quickly with all the new boxes created during my recent sort-a-thon. Up went two 6ft CARD tables for various stages of sorting work. No more cluttering up the den!  The two shelves under the binders hold the Tiger collection. The next shelf contains PCs, working sets and binder cards. The bottom shelf is full of cards for trading.

The Tigers' table - predominantly for team set and Tiger organization. Underneath there are two crates of albums.  I'm a vinyl junkie as well.  The window faces east which means no afternoon heating!  I may miss that in few months!

Dragging out the MANY several thousand count boxes and putting them away three or more times a year was getting old.  The inability to dedicate a permanent place for the hobby contributed to the disarray of my collection.  I had no place for scanning when packages arrived. Instead they stacked up on my desk for some other day.   This table is for scanning and trade package prep.

Lifesized Altuve  4/10

A jumbo Finest Altuve propped on the tray behind the laptop keeps me company - and sometimes I have a helper:

Today a comfortable breeze is keeping the room cool. There's a little feeder out front with a weeping cherry just outside the north-facing window, which always holds a little winged friend or two. The house sits back about 125 feet from the road so the yard is deep and gorgeous.  It's a grand view from the table!

I also have baseball and music memorabilia, and 70s pop culture for decor - and a little stereo to hook up. Gotta have tunes while working on cards!  Once it's a bit decorated, I'll show off the whole room. It won't look like the man cave so many of you lucky guys have but it's cozy!  

A new hobby room means the study is reclaimed!  No more piles on the desk with boxes stacked against the wall in what is the smallest room!  At one time, I'd considered an addition to the house. The space needed was already here and available! I'll gladly sleep on the couch if guests need to stay over.

This can only mean the time has come.  With the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, it seems only fitting -

THE TRADE BAN IS LIFTED!

I'll begin putting trade packages together over the next three weeks.  I have a handful that remain to be shared and I'll do that with the next couple of posts. Expect another giveaway of sorts.  I am still purging!

Help Wanted: Spring Cleaning Continues

Yikes!  I am buried in cardboard!  It's not the most terrible way to go but I'm just not ready!  I pulled two more boxes from the closet.  One was mostly for trading and the other contains cards purchased just before moving in June of 2015.

1500 or so cards

Topps, Upper Deck, SP, Chrome, Pinnacle - this box held a bit of everything and needed sorting, of course.  I hired some help about a year ago too but having no thumbs, Jingles is paid to do very little.

Taking a union break

Adding cards to the Salvation Army box.

She is the sweetest kitty.  A year old this month, she and her two siblings were abandoned in a box by the vet's back door at three days of age.  One was adopted, the other sadly did not live.  Jingles was bottle fed by the vet until she was old enough for me to bring home.  She has only known love. Jingles likes kisses and will pull your face to hers when she wants one. Still...what a freeloader!  

With her help, over half of the cards made it to the trade stacks.  Others will be donated and some added to the discard box to be given away later.  The trade cards must be moved into their team spots. There is one small problem...SPACE!  When I began this project a few weeks back, I had one big box for trade cards which has morphed into three.  I have at the very least, another 500 cards to squeeze into these which doesn't take into account those yet undiscovered. 

Original trade box on the left.

In the midst of the sorting, I took some time to edit trade photos.  There is a fellow out there, a non-blogger who puts a great trade package together.  I don't know how many of you have swapped with him but he comments as Xavier Higgins and trades as Rocky Quinn.  He sent two packages months ago and one just recently,  probably 100 cards total.  I can't possibly share all of these but here are some highlights:

1992 Topps with Micros!!  Love these tiny cards!

FOOD ISSUES: 92 Mother's Cookies Pudge and 96 Pizza Hut Piazza

VINTAGE TIGERS AND A BUCKY DENT

PLAYER COLLECTIONS

2017 HERITAGE

ALTUVE AND MIGGY

SWELL!!!!

NICE KINSLER RELIC  AND A GORGEOUS TICKET REFRACTOR

I don't collect hockey at all but do love that Hawks Jersey!  Xavier remembered my player collections too.  I so appreciate this!  Thank you for the diverse selection of cards.  It was great fun!  Sorry it's taken so long to share these.  I want bloggers to know how generous you are!

Spring cleaning continues.  If you've made it this far then my reader friends, you deserve a chance to claim another Cracked Bat disCARD box!  I did mention there'd be another giveaway later.  There are cards to move. To be eligible for  a random chance, you must live in the USA - any one of our 50 great states will do.  The other little detail - you aren't a past recipient of a discard box.  I want to spread good will around the blogs.   We'll keep the opportunity open through Sunday evening.  I'll run the Randomizer around three times.  The box will go to spot number two.  Now all that's left for you to do is comment.