Sniffing Out a Trade

Tim recently offered a bar of gold for trade on his sweet-smelling blog.   The golden Miguel Cabrera was impossible to ignore.  We'd recently completed our first trade which left me running low on Yanks.  Tim and I worked it out though.  My idea of Yankee leftovers was a fresh plate for Tim. I had cards he wanted!   Behold the 2015 Topps Golden Idol and offering highlights from  I Love the Smell of Cardboard in the Morning:

 

A great assortment of Tigers here.  I simply love cards with raised faux seams! 2009 Sweet Spot has a delightful texture; a design hit with me.  I can't stop touching these cards.  The 2013 Opening Day Ballpark Fun duo reflects the feeling of elation I receive from the game of baseball itself... and in collecting these little pictures of grown men.

More Cabrera and a sweet 75 Topps nod to the 68 World Series MVP pitchers.  I appreciate the Martinez 2012 Red Topps.  I'm looking for cards depicting Victor in catcher's gear.  Love the plate shot!

What?  You didn't know Babe was a Tiger?  I do collect a few Yanks, though admittedly most are deceased. A nice assortment of retired stars in this scan. Most unique? Old Virgil Fire Trucks.  His name alone is standout!  This treat is from TCMA; a 1983 Yankee Yearbook insert neatly cut and separated from its page mates.

 

Tim did NOT forget the distracting, shiny things!  A couple of minis snuck their way into the scan too.  Minis - not to be trusted.  I'm always suspicious of these small statured pieces of cardboard trying to prove they are equal to or better than, grown up cards.  Napoleon complex.

Chris and Juan are refracting and Fryman wants an appeal but the jury is undecided.  Nice on-card from The Nook, 2003 Bowman's Best.  Avisail Garcia RC in emerald garnish!  That's a beauty!  I'm collecting Castellanos pretty heavily.  He needs some patience at the plate, striking out too often. Nick is currently a favorite Tiger.  Any Tiger not found  on the DL tends to be a favorite right now.

Tim sent 50 cards for what was originally a one card trade.   Who can complain when this happens?  Looking forward to a third round!  Thanks much Tim!

Holiday Fun in February!

Could it still be Christmas? I have three more holiday trades to share and four that arrived after the new year began.  I have a handful of regular trade partners.  Fortunately they are all patient fellows!  Most everyone knows Nick and his Fabulous Dimeboxes.  He has the natural ability to take any random common and write a superb essay regarding its importance to the hobby.  He's caused me to want many of these cards in my own collection.  This is a fine example:

Gary Pettis  1989 Upper Deck card 117

This is a classic card which I did not yet own.  Gary is holding his own 1989 UD, card 117.  Cleanly photo-shopped or a moment of psychic foresight? The image on the card he holds is the backside of 117.  Eerie.








I like quirky little sets like the KMart Topps, represented by McLain.  A true blue light special set!

I'd forgotten Nomo pitched for the Tigers.  I'm still not over his disastrous time with the Rangers.  Sandberg taking it to the shin on this 2011 Topps Lineage.  I'm liking this set more all the time.  It would've made a nice design for the Flagship Topps. But no-o-o-o-o-o...  Finally we're getting gaudy with the gold foil on 97 Pacific Collection Jose Lima..

Great Tiger representation here!  I was excited to find a Castellanos rookie! I was not excited to lose Scherzer to the Nationals.  I hardly know the team posing as the Tigers in 2015.

Can't have too many Stadium Clubs from any year. This Doherty is from 1995.  Swell Gum from 1990 is everything a gum card should be: colorfully designed with fun-sized font and a star player ready for a home in my binder!  I'm actually working on a want-list for this set.

Donruss Studio of the 90s created some of my favorite designs.  I'm picking up sets from Ebay - 94 Studio is on the list.   I have a set of 93 Fun Pack.  It may have catered to the much younger generations but I love the wildly colored fronts.

A sweet lot of old-timers!  Cochrane looks much like a star of the silent screen on the colorized Baseball Legends from 89 Pacific.  Ty scanned darkly but is quite shiny on the foil card from 2001 Topps. The Gerhig and Ruths I did not have.  Goose Goslin from the Renata Galasso collection is another cool addition.  Renata was a savy business woman, leaving me and many others wanting more of those Galassos!

This little eight page prize is a 1970 Topps Booklets, number 6.  Collect all 24!  In excellent condition, likely read no more than a few times, it's bursting with color on the inside.  

Harvey Kuenn, Hal Newhouser and Charlie Gehringer on 2005 Upper Deck Classics.  I love the old guys!!  Is it wrong to love men twice my age, and possibly deceased?

2003 Fleer Fall Classic.  The scan doesn't reveal how attractive these cards are.  I like the stadium-styled framing along the top border.  Jennings appears almost ghostly in this picture, or is it ghastly? Monster-like. Either/or.  I like the cards.  I'm the decider.

1955 Bowman 

Spoked or perhaps an early wallet card, this gem is welcomed to my collection! I owned none before Nick's package arrived! 

Nick chooses well.  Cards from several decades, all so different!  He also included a very large group of Conlons which I'll share at a later time.  It is hard to pick a favorite.  It may just be this one:

 

1974 Tigers TCMA, tall and slender.  Herman Flea Clifton appears to have had a very short tenure with the Tigers.  Over two years, he compiled a .255 avg in 110 at bats.  I love the name, and the card is certainly an oddball.

Nick as always, you are a superb trading partner, a true Dime Box hero!  Thank you!