Summer Lingers On

Hey Everybody!  Where you been???  Me?  Oh, just clinging to summer.  Until I share trade packages received in August and September, summer lingers on.  Yes. I have the power to stop winter, should I choose!   Packages are scanned, ready for public viewing but what's more important - to share your generosity? or  to enjoy eighty degree days during a Michigan January?   I can show off these cards this Spring!  [Note, I did NOT say it was 80 degrees IN Michigan.]

Some fun things happened over the summer.  For instance, I now have a personalized car tag:

Isn't that a sweet plate?  Unfortunately, it's not mine.  No, someone beat me to it.  Perhaps the owner's a crazy cat lady? Hard to guess by the riff-raff that unloaded from this van.  With my first tag choice taken, I had to go with the second:

I'm a gal who loves her cars!  The Baja is the only foreign model I've ever owned.  As a rule, I'm a Mopar woman with an affection for Mustangs.  Go figure.

Goodbye Tall Man

This summer, I said goodbye to the Gibraltar Trade Center.  No sooner had I discovered the monthly card show, the doors were locked one last time.  During this final visit, I picked up  a few hundred cards, mostly for trading.  $14 for these fun items:

A friend and I made the hour trip over to the Taylor Town Center in September to see Tiger great Willie Horton.   He is slowing down these days but Willie's smile is vibrant and voice strong.  He still has a nice handshake too:

Willie's sweet signature!

I also put together another contest box for an October giveaway but never found the time to tease you with it.  Thanksgiving came and went.  Before I knew it, Christmas was here.  Now it's 2018.  Is this box still relevant?  These cards are all dupes from my collection or cards previously traded; sad and neglected.   Wanna peek?

Who feels sorry for these cards? The old deckles have some wear and tear.  (So do I at nearly the same age!)   

I have another 4000 count box ready for the Salvation Army.  I donate cards regularly, packing the boxes with rookies, stars and minimal dupes, with this odd fantasy that someone is just waiting for my cards to show up on the shelves.  At the Army's $6 - $10 pricing, these boxes are a steal.   Yes, I do have card fantasies.  

You'll be seeing a few posts on the changing direction of my collection.  I have begun player elimination rounds: dupes, deletes or scaling back of certain player collections.  Most cards will be base or low-end inserts.  Perhaps you'll want some of these??  

In Michigan, summers will always be too short.  I've lived in OK and TX, where summer stretched on for weeks.  I'm learning to embrace every moment here, each time that glorious ball of orange rises into the sky.  

A recent morning commute

From One Crack to Another

In November, I sent one little ole card to Mark of Collector's Crack.  He is a Brewers fan and Robin Yount collector.  I had an oddball card from his want list:

I would've sent more but he was stocked up on all I had to offer. I was happy to drop a PWE his way and expected nothing in return.  Mark was more than grateful to receive a card which had been on his list for over two years. He sent a nice stack of Tigers and a player favorite my way.

The Musial is gorgeous, from the 2008 UD Masterpieces issue. 2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom is a cool design.  I may look for more of my player favorites from this set.

Four more great additions to my collection. I don't stock up on rookies as I did in my collector beginnings of the 90s. No more prospecting for me. Nick is the only rookie I really added this year.  I've picked up several of his more unique cards.  As for sabermetrics, I doubt it will catch on with me. I'm too "old school".  I can figure BA and ERA and am happy with this knowledge.  I have learned enough regarding Wins Above Replacement to know a bigger number is better.

 

 

A nice grouping of 2014 Topps parallels. The gold Iglesias and blue foil Nathan are numbered.  Nathan's card is just plain pretty!  The holographic foil is gorgeous.

 

 

Not all collector's keep these cards.  I do - and did not have this Cabrera.  I wouldn't call it an oddball but an advertisement with redemption code for MLB 14 The Show in-game currency.  The last and only gaming console I ever purchased was the original Nintendo, 1990-ish.  I did however receive the Atari Flashback 5 for Christmas this year!  Now that is fun gaming! 92 built-in games that defined a generation.  Pong being one of these.

 

Mark, thanks for these nice additions to my collection!