Show and Tell, Collectively Speaking.

This post is a two-for-one: a package received and a round of NICKEL cards and vintage from my April 6th visit to the Taylor MI monthly card show. You'll see a couple of these posts since I brought home 1000+ cards for trading/hoarding. My house is quickly becoming a storage facility, filled with cats and cards. What does that make me?

Cards on the left are mine. Those on the right - up for grabs!

I've also updated my want list, hoping to eliminate a few set needs.  The latest additions include 2019 Gypsy Queen and more from 2018 Heritage.  I decided to complete several insert sets which means I need YOU!  Please check out the Send Help tab to see what has me crying, begging and pleading. 

Staying ahead of  my traditional 'one year to share a trade' deadline, here's a wonderful group of cards from Greg's Collective Mind.  His blog theme is based on Star Trek's Borg.  Of all species found in the many Trek  series, Borg were the most frightening to me. Greg is nothing like them. He made me say that.

Greg's been known to take our want-lists along to card shows. Here's a look at a few of  his generosities:

Set needs!

A nice batch of 2007 Heritage Tigers - needed!

2014 Golden Age was a fun box break. I have a greater appreciation for this set with each passing year. Greg included this Sweet Willie Horton auto in the same package with this fine gem:

The highly coveted Covington! I love this card for a couple reasons; the bat rack is an obvious one, the old Braves logo patch another.  We're lucky to have this shot of Wes on his 61 Topps card. In 1961, Wes became one of those rare players to spend time with four teams over the course of one year: Braves, White Sox, A's and Phillies.  This was on my list of 'gotta have it' cards.

Greg, thanks for your thoughtfulness! I apologize for taking so long to share these on the blog.

*****

Of course, 1962 Topps gave us another awesome Covington bat card, this time as a Phillie. We could've had him in any one of the four uniforms.  I picked this one from a dollar bin.

My favorite vintage dealer, Danny, has cards 15 for $10.  He's always adding new ones to the selection. I looked through 70 Topps to find a few bats I needed:

I love that Hiatt's bat crosses another in the shot, making an 'X'.

2019 Heritage may have a few choice dugout shots but the bats are sorely missing. 

My favorite modern dealer had a stack of vintage cards, something you'll rarely find on his table. He bought a collection which included some old Bowman. Now, these aren't for everyone.  Glued into a scrapbook for who knows how many years, then ripped from their pages -  at a quarter per, they were coming home with me.

I'm not a full out condition snob but these don't fit my slowly growing collection of 51 and 52 Bowmans. I have probably a hundred or so, preferring them mid-grade. So what to do with them...?

And how about this old Snuffy Stirnweiss '48 Leaf for a whopping one dollar bill?  He's a keeper!

Many of the nickel cards will begin finding their way to new homes soon via PWE surprises. Some will show up on the Pick Pockets tab.  I have a 'no nickel refractor left behind' policy. I scooped up all I could find.  Rediscover Topps junk wax?  Got it.

P-Town gets first dibs on the Vogelmonster. He loves those Cubbies but thinks Dan's the man, and has for some time!  Topps Chrome is colorful but not refractory. I've never seen these cards.

A nice batch of camo Prizms are hiding in this post somewhere.

Topps Stars. A lot of thought went into this product. The more rare the parallel, the larger the photo crop is on front. Back off, Chipper!

Have a roll of nickels?  If you've learned anything about me from this post, it's that I'm a cheap date!

DUPE, DUMP, OR DWINDLE: Round One - Don Mattingly

When I began collecting in 1993, the hobby was entirely new to me.  I had no memories of childhood collecting that most of you do.  It does make me envious at times.  

Although drawn to the beauties of cardboard men, I didn’t know ‘how’ to collect. Picking up prospects and any players I was “supposed” to collect, my collection began to grow rapidly.  Puckett, McGwire, Griffey, Big Frank, Piazza, Ripken and HOF guys like Cobb, Gehrig quickly filled my 3000 count boxes.   Along the way, I developed an attachment or affection if you will, to some of these men. I also had some crazy notion that if I kept a few cards of a particular player then I should be saving them all.   I’m coming to terms with who I am as a collector. 

Over the past few months, I’ve become reacquainted with my 90s collection. I felt strangely disconnected to many of the players and found no hobby joy while going through their cards.   Why am I keeping them?  Among other players, I found many dupes. Still there are players I enjoyed collecting but now feel no desire to keep all their cards.  I chose my favorites and put the others aside.

Don, it’s seems you’re the first contestant of Dupe, Dump or Dwindle. I wasn't watching the Yankees at the time. Your 'stache and cleft chin caught my eye.  I'm certain a lot of guys found you to be a man's man, Donnie Baseball.  

A lifetime Yankee with respectable career numbers, saddled with a back injury, you hung up your glove in 95 at the age of 34.  Eight gold gloves, six straight all-star games, but no World Series championships and no call to the Hall.

1989 Topps - a favorite Donny

a favorite Stadium Club design -1995

looking antique, another favorite design - 1996 Upper Deck 

THE FINE PRINT

I’ve culled several hundred cards from my collection but what to do with them? Well that’s where you come into play. Literally. It’s game time!

Do you want these cards?  If so, you must be a regular reader with a USA mailing address, be the Card Papoy or a regular Canadian reader. No contest hounds. The rules are simple: determine why I’m giving away these cards.  You must comment with a correct response to have a chance via Randomizer.   Your only response choices are:

•      DUPE  (duplicates)
•      DUMP   (player booted from my collection)
•    DWINDLE  (player collection thinned, only select cards kept)

The next edition of Dupe, Dump or Dwindle will reveal the reason for the removal of these cards from my collection, and our randomized winner.  Remember, only correct responses will be randomized.

The twist?  You can win only ONCE every three rounds.  Cards that go unclaimed won’t be offered here again. There will be many players listed in the coming weeks but you have no way to know who’s up next.  Is Donnie your guy?  Do you need any of these cards?  Leave one of the only three correct responses for a chance to win Don Mattingly - or pass.  

I'll wait at least a week to close out this edition's commentary with my own response noting the end of this round.

Bo Knows

I fully enjoy blind trades but appreciate a fellow collector who takes the time to go over the want ads. This can be a challenge, especially when the prospective recipient has a long and very detailed list or spreadsheet with several tabs.  I have trouble reading small print anyway.  It's the 'in my face with your highly organized collection'  moments I find difficult.  

Bo Rozny is one of those guys.  A real Mr. Organization.  I hope to be like him some day, minus the Mister parts.  He found some cards missing from my list of completed Tiger team sets then blessed me with many new additions:

2001 UD Vintage

 During Upper Deck's we will use Topps copyrighted designs period, they put out some really great stuff!  The Vintage release made for some good-looking cardboard.

2006 and 2011 Bowman Heritage

2001 Bowman Heritage

We should wonder why there's no current Bowman Heritage product available with so many new years available now for reprinting.  I'll likely regret that comment in days to come.

BO hit my PCs too:

94 Pinnacle, 2001 UD Evolution, 2002 Fleer Maximum, 2015 GQ

After opening what was easily a case of these, I still love the look of 94 Pinnacle.  Their Dufex Museums were a great chase.   A nice grouping of Piazzas!

Included in the box were at least 50 Masterpieces from 2008.  Looks like I'll have to put the set together now.  Bo insists.

There were two more special cards, both from 1994.  This package from Bo arrived just a short time before Darren passed.

Bo knows baseball cards come to life.  Thanks to cardboard, Darren lives on.    Check out BO's blog for a look at where former players are today.

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!

Rediscovering 2017 TOPPS via Donruss

I sit surrounded by stacks of new cardboard, ripped wrappers and a certain emptiness from a bust gone bad.  Two jumbo boxes of crap I wouldn't use to line a litter box.  Behold the glorious contents of 2017 Topps Flagship's TWO Jumbo boxes!  

BUYBACKS
Let's get these out of the way: Twins, Mariners -silver.  Pirates red.  Others bronze.

MLB ANCHORS and THEN AND NOW
Corey Seager?  Has it really been so very long?
I enjoy the MLB Network and once collected Sean Casey but don't have any desire to save these cards.  There are auto versions out there too. Congrats to those who pull a Lowell or Amsinger.

SALUTE

This insert series consists of 100 cards with various special designations on front.  Backs are all numbered beginning with the letter  S - which really just means Stupid.  Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day - nothing in the player photos depicts any relationship to the label slapped on the bottom of the card front.  The blurb on the card reverse attempts to make a relevant connection to the special day or event.  The poorly designed insert series along with its parallels does not create an exciting chase scenario for this collector.

FIRST PITCH
A popular series for other collectors.  Can someone tell us what John Goodman is doing there? Bowling? What's with the fingers on his chin?

FIVE TOOLS
I know who the real tool is...

Now a word from our sponsor:
Out of ideas to market reprints?

GOLD
More irrelevant with each passing release

FOIL
Attractive parallel.  It can happen.

NEGATIVE
Nothing positive to add here.

1987 
I struggle when anything 80s/90s is considered classic or vintage.  One of my least favorite Topps designs is now a golden oldie.

HOW ABOUT THOSE RELICS AND MANU-PATCHES?

Yes, this is where it all pays off.  Eh no.  I'll keep Harper for now.

AUTOS
Criminy!  Seriously Topps?  Who wouldn't be thrilled with a couple of pitcher autos? The smudged signature just made Nola a 1/1.

Topps has a hobby shop loyalty program to encourage a purchase from your LCS.  You'll receive one silver pack per hobby box or two packs per jumbo box purchased. Each pack contains four 87 style refractor cards with parallels and autos at random.  My purchase gave me four packs - 16 chances to pull a card for my PCs.  Ripken and Swanson will hang with me for now.

Two boxes=1000 cards.  I have a few extra Tigers now and these were added to my collection:

There was something new to these boxes - collation.  I managed one complete Series One set and am 27 cards short of a second.  Some sense of humor you have there Topps with your ugly little design.   Another nod to Topps' funnybone - this card was pulled by a gentleman from a FB group I follow.:

photo by John Peterson

This doesn't appear to be photoshopped.  Perhaps someone at Topps thought it would be entertaining to slip this into production.  If this card is real,  I'm not the only Molitor collector who'll want it!  If it's real, I hope there are hundreds - thousands more out there - any player!  There are at least two on Ebay.   Does the Panini/Donruss Company know?  I harbor a secret desire to see this slip bite licensed Topps in the backside.   I'm a terrible person.  No make that bitter.  So are the joys of rediscovering Topps!