Vrooom Vrooom to the Astrodome!

Get your motor running, head out on the highway. Astrodome our final destination. I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. They tell me it's gone to the rats. The beloved landmark still stands, thanks to the Texas Historical Commission.  The Alamo and Astrodome are now equals. No chance of demolition or renovations without a THC permit. My memories of the Dome are greater than the those of Alamo. I paid a singular visit to each during my time in Texas. Which one sold 24 oz draft beers for two dollars? Yeah.

Let's catch a ride with Vrooomed of TCDB fame. The lack of a blog presence doesn't keep Dan from trading. He used my TCDB wantlist to fill some pockets in a couple of pages back in May. [Reminds me...the PP page will be live again in just a couple of days...wink.] Dan's a Phillie fanatic and Daulton collector. He sent a few for the Dutch binder:

Ultra, Score and Private Stock

He's a man of many stickers though I doubt we'd find any Fleer on his bumper. All of my Fleer sticker needs can be found on my TCDB list.

While I may be scaling back on new Hawk additions, there is always room for vintage. Like these 71/72 Topps beauties!

Pedal to the metal as we arrive at Marc's place, Remember the Astrodome. {Please use this new link to update your reading list if you've had trouble finding him.} Marc has a TCDB presence as well. He's been busy with life so his posts are infrequent but he is still collecting. He needs to pick it up a bit if he's ever going to catch up to my Altuves.

It's a friendly competition, as we continue to trade Altuves. He recently sent six for my PC:

Altuve was a hitter before the scandal and will continue to be. It may take a trade or contract with another team for him to find some redemption. Feel free to send your unwanted Altuves my way. Speaking of redemption - how about this one, also from my wantlist:

The Hurling Nun:

I love this Sister! From the mound!! Yes! That's for the folder of fun [P-Town], a favorite new card in my collection.

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And now, it's time for another election round where you choose your next Cracked Bat Ballot Box Candidate! Before we hear what these hacks have to offer, a review of the rules is required.

CANDIDATE A: 1988 Score Young Superstars Series One and Two

80 cards of the glossy fare, vying hard for your vote today. What politician doesn't show his best face during the debates? Rhetorically speaking, of course. The list is actually long. Checklists for both series are found here and here. Score burst onto the scene in 1988 and wasted little time flooding the hobby with cards.

SERIES ONE

SERIES TWO

CANDIDATE B:  Three years of Topps League Leaders Minis. Complete sets of 1986  1987  1988.  These little cards have been appearing in trade packages for years, trying to influence your vote. 1986 and 1988 differ little on their fronts. 1987 is the same design wrapped in famous faux wood borders with slightly different font. I'm rather fond of the backs. These sets contain a nice assortment of stars and passing fan favorites - fellows who led the league one year and faded away just as quickly. Checklists are  1986  1987  1988.

Review the rules........and away we vote!

The Man With the Golden Age

In 1955, Frank Sinatra starred in the classic drama, The Man with the Golden Arm. Frank portrays a drug addict who gets clean while in prison. Once released, he struggles to stay clean. The actual drug is apparently never identified in the movie but it's believed to be heroin. I'm a fairly straight-laced gal. I've never been interested in drugs of any kind and can't begin to imagine the struggles of the drug addict.

Not you, Cowboy

If it is one, my addiction is that to which many collectors can relate. Cardboard. As some addicts say, I can quit any time.  Yeah, sure I can. Covid-umpteenth has made it much easier to say no to the new stuff but I do miss the smell of Panini Prizm.  So maybe I'm getting my new card high one piece at a time?  I won't say, but eBay is such a pusher. Still, there are other ways to get my fix. Sometimes it takes a blog pal; the man with Golden Age.

Tip Top - Bread For Energy.  Personally, I like to spend mine.

2013 Panini Golden Age. I miss this product! Golden Age managed to tickle that space in my brain dedicated to the 60s and 70s.  Goldy also included those old dead guy ballplayers I've oft mentioned. So who was it out there that sought to fill a void in my collection? Who knew I needed these cards, and quickly?  Jon Pennysleeves. He went right down my list, crossing off card after card, after card, so on and so forth, ad infinitum. Well, maybe not endlessly but as much as the mailer would allow which was 55 cards plus an oversized hero.

DeLong - for the good old days

Playing Cards - care to join me in a game of Solitaire?

All that remains is the faces and the names, of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

What a sweet fix! Every one of these cards was on my wantlist. Jon made a huge dent in this set. Those remaining are:

I've been chasing the inserts but in my heart of hearts, I know the base cards are in my future. I've decided to dedicate a binder to Golden Age. Oh yes. And where does this slippery slope lead - 2012 or 2014, the only other years for G.A.?  Is it possible for one to fall down both sides of said slope?

Even with all these ageless beauties, Jon knew it wasn't enough. So into the mailer went Bazookas.

2017 ARCHIVES  '59 Bazookas, obtained in the Covid 19 era 2020

SIX CARDS TO GO

He topped it off with confetti!!

2011 Topps Kimball Champions minis

Kimballs don't appear to be overly popular but I've loved these since I spied them at a 2015 card show. Yep, that's right. Fours years after release. I didn't return to collecting until 2012. At that time, I was asking - who is Mike Trout?  Holy moly, Jon! You are a crazy man. And for that, I am thankful!

Still a chunk left...

Let's switch gears a moment, for an announcement. It's time to follow-up on our first election battle between candidates 87 Sportflics Team Preview Set and 88 Topps Glossy Send-Ins. Of the 34 total votes, two were foreign interference, one for each candidate. I love this twist! With voting this close, it is possible our northern neighbors could actually sway an election! In this case however, the outcome would have been the same: 18 for Sportflics and 16 for Glossy.  Topps fared well and could be seen again at a later date.  Sportflics goes into the ballot box! Every voter has been recorded, along with their selection. Another opportunity is coming soon.

Sportsflics tells the Real One to stick it.

Jon's generosity is well-known. There were a lot of smiles in that mailer including an Exhibits box topper featuring 60s/70s hero, Evel Knievel. He was a crazy stunt biker who wasn't always successful. Knievel's history of crashes is the stuff of legend.  Evel's image in his red, white and blue suit with cape are burned into my memory. The jump that made him famous and nearly killed him, was over the fountains of Caesar's Palace in 1967. This card was a BIG want; a timeless image. Until I have a Golden Age binder, this will fit perfectly into the pop culture collection. Thank you, Jon!

Angelic Trade and a Collective Hoarding

I don't even want to know what my mail carrier thinks with every delivery. She's seen a lot of pick pocket envelopes in the last three months and twice as much incoming mail for...ME. Perhaps she thinks I'm popular? A shopaholic?  None of these goodies were addressed to 'current resident.'

Angels' man, Texas Tom, sent a fun envelope filled with sticker needs, Phillies' Dutch and Harpo and a glowing group of stars!  All but Harpo were from my wantlist, always appreciated! The Harp was part of a pack bust. I mentioned liking the card and voila!! He's a gracious fellow.

Sharply designed

Love the dirty throwback!

Those crazy 90s! Fun cards! My dilemma - put them in the fun binder, or with the 1993 Fun Pack set build which is coming along, not. Twenty seven years later, I still need a hundred cards. Glow Stars still needed:

Thanks for the help, Tom! Come back next month 'n' pick my pockets!

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If you follow Greg at The Collective Mind, perhaps you've read several of his 'Dispersing the Hoard' posts. Greg bought a collection with an amazing card assortment spanning the late 90s through 2006 or so. These were up for trade, or sale if you were unable to assist with his want list. I couldn't lend a hand there but was happy to free up some space in those boxes! I've done this three times now and am still tempted to return and pick a little more. Many of the available cards were from "current player sets" of the day. I'm drawn to the retired or deceased fellows. Pardon the dark humor but as I've said more than once, 'the only good Yankees are dead Yankees.'  For example:

From 2004 UD Yankee Classics. Upper Deck had it going on!

I received 23 cards from 2004 UD Timeless Teams, a set too large for me to tackle! I pick these cards up when I can.

Also from 2004 and Upper Deck - Sweet Spot Classics! This 60 card batch knocked a lot off my want list. I was crazy excited to see these weren't claimed!

All that remains of my list

The first dead  and old guys set I ever attempted was 2001 Upper Deck Hall of Famer. I finished the base set with one box bust back in the day. The base card design is simple, and I think - stunning! I took every card he had to divide among my player collections. You may see the extras pop up on pick pockets one day.

Subsets are also unique, perhaps a bit busy but colorful. These include Origins of the Game, Hall of Records and National Pastime.

As for the insert sets, I'm still trying to finish three:

Greg had a few for me:

I don't know too many baseball collectors who are happy to see UD gone from the hobby. 'Goodwin Champions' makes me a little sick every time I spy one in a dime box. Awfullllllllll.  Looking at the cards I chose from the Hoard, it's obvious UD was a heavy part of my early collecting history.

Not to knock Topps but I wasn't into the white borders and picket fences back then. There are a few sets  I've come across in recent years that had I still been collecting after 2002, I would've forked over the dough for them. 2003 Fan Favorites would be one - and 28 cards from Greg was enough to whet my appetite for more.

I hope Greg is able to find a home for his remaining hoard. I'm elated to add all of these to my collection. I won't share the cost but to say cheap cheap cheap. It was as good as any card show could've been. We've all missed them during the pandemic. I did pick up cards from Cracker Jack and old school Elite to share around the community. I'm not always  thinking of myself.

A Little Florida Sunshine

I'm giving myself a pat on the back today.  By now, I've usually disappeared for a few months. I've been busy outdoors which stretches the time between posts.  Although I'd like to blog daily, every 7 - 10 days is more realistic. Unfortunately, that's not enough time to keep up with shares. These past couple of months have brought some larger trades my way. I try to post in order of receipt. As of now, we are all the way up to APRIL.  And what did April bring? A nice little box from Florida filled with over 200 cards! A nice assortment for player collections and miscellaneous set helps were included.

I've been trying to complete 1997 SP since ...1997.  I still need five cards.  Yeah, I should just buy them but that takes the fun out of begging.

1994 Donruss MVPs are new to my want list. While going through my collection, I discovered all of 94 Donruss completed but for this 28 card insert set. Well why the heck not? I'm starting this set from scratch. Including Grace and Bagwell, I own three. The Azocar is one of the fun cards you see floating around the blogs. I have a couple of these so this one will go to the pick pocket box.  Finding 89ers in a trade package is like a hug from home.  I'll always be an Okie.

I still have room in my heart for Altuve. All six of these cards were on my wantlist:

Caminitis from 1998 Tek and Stadium Club - both new to me:

The scan doesn't reflect the shiny refractive glow of Lou and his neighbor Ty.  Lou is a 2010 wrapper redemption. Cobb may be even more rare. He's from a 25 card set found only in 2019 Topps factory sets - Chrome Greatest Card Reprints Refractors - actually one of the few reprints I was chasing.

I mentioned 200+ cards. Most were for another impulsive set build, one I've toyed with for years. I finally committed to the 396 card hunt, starting from scratch.  There were 200 1995 Topps Cyberstats in that package! I've enjoyed the foil fronts for years. Topps made some excellent photo choices in 1995.

Crazy generous, wouldn't you say? The young man who sent these cards dabbles a bit in Topps cards that never were.  Jeremy included a few of his creations which fit perfectly into my collection.

What does one send in return for his generosity? Well, Jeremy is from Michigan and still collects his Tigers. I always have extra. He lives  in Florida and collects the Rays. We ALL have those on hand!!!

Jeremy also posted nine cards on his blog awhile back; first come, first pick. In my greed, I chose two, both for set builds. 2000 Pacific Gold Crown Die Cuts are some of the best-looking cards I own from that decade. I still need two - Ripken and Piazza.  2018 Topps Independence Day is by far my favorite Topps Independence parallel. I can't afford to chase the whole set but pickup cards when I can. This was a sweet card to chance upon!

I can't say thanks enough to Jeremy. It was our first trade. It took me a month or so to reciprocate but was happy to send him cards from his wantlist as well!

July 4th is creeping up quickly. I still have a few more things I'd like to do outside before my party. Fireworks have been purchased but I cannot find anyone selling rain. It's been unusually hot and dry this month. No rain = no fireworks. I'm always a little bummed during a dry spell anyway. All my little creatures have no water. I saw two wild turkeys with their little chicks tonight, strolling across my backyard, along with several bunnies. I wonder what they'll be drinking. Perhaps next year, I'll put in a fountain or shallow pond of some sort. It would make me feel better. Nature is out of my control. Most things are. 

Don't forget - on July 4th, this blog is presenting something special for the upcoming election season.  What electoral college? Your vote actually counts! Making politics great again!