Outgoing Mail Announcement!

Hey everybody,

I braved the powerful summer sun and hit the post office this afternoon.

Trade packages went out to:

Zippy Zappy

GCRL

View From The Skybox

Number 5 Type Collection

Greg from Plashke's Sweatah....I sent a PWE to you a few days ago.  If you didn't get it yet, it's gotta be there today. 

Keep yer eyes open folks!

Crackin Off the Final Waxy Prize - Courtesy of Topps

Hey there, readers and trade partners,

Is it hot enough for you out there?  Summer is holding on tight here in LA, and I love it.

Thanks for following along with me on these prize posts from my winning of the Mystery Prize Package over at Crackin Wax.  If you just stumbled onto this, there are a previous 4 parts, and Part 1 is here.

Allow me to mention an aside about this final piece.  A lot of us out here in blogolandia knock Topps for more than a few legitimate reasons.  For example, my personal gripe is Topps' never ending recycling of photos from old time players.  The rehashing of the same 2 photos is seriously played out.  We love our vintage players, but please use some new and interesting photos.  Are you feeling me here, Topps?

That said, I hope Topps is feeling me on the following point also: Thanks so much for your generous contribition to Crackin Wax's Prize Raffle.  This is generosity from the giant in the industry, and I'm very appreciative.

Before seeing what Topps gifted, I just want to extend a hearty THANKS to all the contributors that built up this prize, and to Topher and the gang over at Crackin Wax for their generosity.

Here's the final outstanding piece from that magnificent package...




It's a single, uncut sheet.....





from Topps 2013 Series1....

Details...

Here's the back side...

One last shot...

Wow!!! That was awesome.

Crackin A Penultimate Waxy Prize Post

Almost finished now with the presentation of the great prizes in my Mystery Prize Package that I won over at Crackin Wax. 

These prizes were contributed by Reader Toby.  As previously mentioned, this batch has a few football cards, and Toby made sure to gift up some autos from some great young NFL players.

David here is a top defensive player for Tampa Bay.  Last season was his first as an NFL linebacker. He led the team with 139 tackles and was Rookie of the Month in November 2012.

Next up is a hated Bronco...

Thomas began his NFL career in 2010.  2012 was his breakout year, so he seems to only be getting better.  Hope he does terrible vs the Raidahs.  And hope I do fantastic in trading him.

Up next, another up and coming, young Tampa Bay Buc...

Williams here also has a breakout season in 2012.  He led ALL rookies with 65 catches and 11 TDs.  He just signed a big money contract which should keep him a Buc until 2018.


Back to baseball...

OOPS !  Better put the brakes on that baseball idea.  Unfortunately, Jordany here was found guilty of juicing up, and was suspended a few days ago for 50 games.  On another note, that signature can certainly use some PEDs help.

The last card here is a beauty.  The player is a current Dodger, but it's a ring card from his former team...

One of the other cool parts of this prize package was donated by a current MLB player. Sweet!

Let's take a look what he gifted....

How sweet is that?  It's a fistful of autos!  Neshek, a side-armer,  pitched for the Twins and the Padres before joining the Athletics. 

Here's the other cool part, Neshek is a part of our collecting community, and he loves collecting autographs.  Speaking of autos, didja notice the cool baseball "stitches" that he adds to his signature?  Nice.

That's almost the end of the prizes.  Don't miss the post of the final part of the prize.  It was donated to Crackin Wax specifically for this prize raffle, and the donator was none other than...TOPPS !

Trade Me (Almost) Anything - Boston Red Sox

 UPDATE: TRADED TO SWING AND A POP-UP  :)

Hey everybody,

We interrupt ATBATT's current parade of prizes to bring some quickie trade bait featuring the team that just rolled into town.  It's a possible World Series preview this weekend at Chavez Ravine - so it should be a fun weekend for baseball here in LA.


Leading off with a legend...

Shiny sparkles...

Haha...

Legend...

Johnny Pesky

O-Pee-Chee...

Legendary trophy...

Boston legend...

Boston legend that should have been an LA legend.  Thanks for nothing, Fred Claire and Lasorda...

'Nother legend...(and a decent knuckleballer)

 Thanks for stopping by!

Crackin Dose Waxy Prizes Part 4

And THAT'S how bad-ass this Mystery Prize Package is.  Yet even more from Tom the Ripper...

Devo here played for a number of teams, including a stop for a cup of coffee with the Dodgers (1999-2000).

Did you know these things about Devo?
3x All Star
3x World Series Champ!
7x Gold Glove

Gaby Sanchez comes in from first base to defend his pitcher!

How about a dark hunk of helmet from a member of the 500 Home Run Club? And it's limited edition numbered 55/99.  I've never even SEEN a helmet card before!  That slipped under my radar and I had to be tipped off.  *oops*

Remember when the Dominican Republic owned the major leagues for imported players? Venezuela has surely but steadily been adding to the mix.

They hit the nail on the head when they printed the word "ICONS" in big letters for this man, as Stargell and his bat certainly were.  This is a great looking bat card with high rarity 24/99.


The final 2 cards from Tom are definitely not for trade.  These go straight to personal binder glory...

 Just how awesome is this sweet old timey swatch of baseball hero Killer Killebrew?

Topher himself remarked he'd like to have this card when it came up on the prize video feed.  This might be my favorite individual card from the whole package. It's numbered 155/199.  The sleek  black gloss of the card plays off perfectly against the darkened and aged grey wool.  'Game Used' next to the window says it all.


Why do I say, 'Might be"?  Because this card is also right up there...

 Mr. October.  Limited run 50/99.  Beautiful, subdued, classic card design.
OK, this one is my favorite!


One might think that's the end of the prizes.  3 words...

No...

crackin....

way.


Next Post: Prizes from Reader Toby.  This time there's some football stuffs! 

Still Crackin Waxy Prizes - They Get Even Better!

Hey everybody.  You know what's happening. I'm still happily showing off the great prizes I got from Crackin Wax's Mystery Prize Raffle.

Time for Part 3.  These goodies were all contributed by Tom The Ripper (Digging that nick).  Tom was so generous, and gave so many cool cards, I'm going to split this into 2 posts.

First up, Mr. Pettitte with a Yankee grey swatch.  

2011 Panini Limited Materials. This baby is numbered 213/499.  The red swatch really pops against the dark card.

This one's a beaut from 2013 Topps.  I don't have the original, but this will certainly do.  Chipper here will stay in my collection for the time being.

How's about a cool relic card with the current Cy Young Award holder?  Great photo, great card.

How about this beauty? Patch and auto AND a low number 7/50.   Doncha dig that starburst auto?
Storen was recently called up by the Nats after posting an impressive 43/13 K/BB in AAA. 

Finally, this, my (believe it or not) first relic of the Duke of Flatbush!  This one is definitely staying in my collection.  It's a great looking card and numbered 78/99.

And that's just the first half of the great stuff from Tom the Ripper.

Next Post: More Stuffs!  

Crackin A Waxy Win Part 2

Hey everybody,

Here's the next installment of showing off the great Mystery Prize Package that I won from Topher and all of the team over at Crackin' Wax.  If you missed it, Part 1 is here.

Part 2 commences with the portions of the package that were donated by a couple of fabulous females in the collecting game. First up, some great cards from Deb, who collects Phillies...

Utley here is a local boy who was raised in Long Beach, and played college ball for UCLA.

If you're a Dodgers fan, you've heard of the Bison.  We even have a new addition to the club who is The Beard.  Now ATBATT brings you the Vanimal.  Can you believe it? Yet another guy who played college ball out of Cal State Long Beach.

 Finally, a guy who needs no introduction, who plays for a team which needs no introduction.
But, hows about a couple of stats:

5-time All-Star
5-time Silver Slugger
2-time Gold Glove
2009 World Series Champ
2011 MLB All-Star Game - Winner, Home Run Derby
2013 World Baseball Classic - MVP, Team Venezuela

*Whew*

Next up is a batch of cards from Julie, the mastermind behind Things Are Funner Here. 

Chris is retired now.  He played for the Astros, Diamondbacks and Padres.  This is a great looking card, and it's numbered to 325.

Next up are a couple of black framed 2012 A&G relics...

Let's hear it for another California native, and veteran of Huntington Beach High.

Here's a very attractive KC blue swatchy of David DeJesus.  Below, yet even more pro-fabriks...

A well-designed relic card. We get patriotic coloring and a nice photo of our hero, really complimenting that grey swatch.  Here's a Mora tidbit - He was the first player to hit a HR off the top of the foul pole at Camden Yards.  THAT'S gotta be worth something, people!

Thanks Deb and Julie for the great contributions. 

Next Post: Yet even more Mystery Prize Package goodies! 

Crackin Off A Very Waxy Win

Happy Sunday, dear readers and trade partners,

I'm happy to say the Dodgers aren't the only ones breaking off some great wins these days.  It seems some of that wonderful Blue Magic from the big club has spread to my humble little blog, and I've been scoring some wins myself.

The good - scratch that - the GREAT folks over at  Crackin Wax and Varsity Trading Cards held another one of their awesome events that are great for collectors, while at the same time benefiting charity.  If you haven't been over there yet - join one of their group breaks and support a good cause at the same time. 

Their recent Allen & Ginter box and Mystery Prize raffle caught my eye. The prizes were cool, of course, but what appealed to me was the charity they were backing.  This time it was MLB's RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program.  That one is right in my wheelhouse.  I know what it is to grow up in an inner city (L.A.) area with pretty much no fields or resources for kids who want to play baseball.  I figure I played 90% of my youth baseball on concrete.

You say I get to contribute to a charity I can relate to AND I might win some great prizes?  I jumped in with both feet.  Charitable and all around good guy David from Indian Baseball Cards won the first prize 2013 A & G box. You can read his prize post here.

Turns out my mojo was in high gear as well, and I won the Mystery Prize! A few contributors gave some cool items which were then bundled into one package.  I ended up with some fantastic new additions for my PC, and a fistful of trade bait.   As per the usual here at ATBATT,  if you see anything you want in this or any of the subsequent posts, drop me a line and let's make a deal. 

The first portion of my awesome prize was donated by Alexander O. from Minnesota...

Here's a nice surprise: Good ol' Joey here is a local boy!  He went to Cal State Long Beach and played for the CSLB Dirtbags.  He's recently joined the Braves big club and he's currently batting .279.  Not too shabby.

Here's another young gun.  Travieso here was drafted by the Reds and was fast-tracked up to The Show in June.  He clocks his heater at 94-95, and he's just 19 years old.  Nice auto card of an up and comer. 

Now you know I like me some vintage!  This comes from 2011 Topps Heritage buy backs. Yes, the front is kind of messed up with that dopey 50th Anniversary foil stamp, but it's still a great looking old time card with a certified old timer on the front!  How kindly do you think Nieman here would take to a brush back pitch?

Next post: Mystery Prize Package Part Deux

MLB Could Learn Something From the World...

Hey everybody,

Here's the latest proof that the age-old tradition of tossing out the first pitch will never die...
 

Please Bud, no more juiced-up cheaters - just bring on the international markets!  Let's put fun back in baseball.

Fun...and coming into home with spikes high. 

Hope I Won't Be Waiting Til Next Year For Our Next Trade

Hey there, beloved readers and trade partners,

The Boys in Blue have the day off today, so we can all - friends and foes alike - take a breath and reflect for a moment upon that awesome, unbelievable, magical run the Dodgers have been on.

Whew! It's been grand!  

With no game today - it's time to get up a trade post.  This was my first trade with P-Town Tom over at Waiting Til Next Year, and as the title suggests, I'm looking forward to more without waiting for a year to pass.

This time I focused on acquiring a few 2013 Dodger heroes. 

 First, the Dodgers got Hanley, a great player in a great trade; then I got this, a great Hanley card in a great trade.

There was some question about whether or not Ramirez would be effective at shortstop, but he's been quite steady over there.  Besides that, Hanley's fantastic resurgence as a batting leader has become his most valuable contribution to the team.

As far as the card goes, I totally dig the "zoom" feeling of the photo, drawing my eye into the dynamics of Hanley making a play.  We also get a nice shot of his eyes focused on the ball coming off the bat.  Play Hard, indeed. 

Next up is a new addition to this year's squad, good ol' Zack.  Here we get another look at a determined and focused athlete captured mid-play.  Snap off strike three, Greinke!

This Kemp is a beautiful Blue gem.  It's shiny and sparkly - unlike Kemp's 2013 campaign up til now.  But Dodger fans expect Bison to be healthy just in time for the playoffs, and in no way is that a bad thing.
Get well soon, Matty!

This great Pay- Dro card wasn't part of our original trade talks.  Tom mentioned he won this as part of a Listia lot, and would I be interested?  Heck yes, I would!  Bang! One more card to add to my Pedro World Series M.V.P. collection.  It's great seeing Guerrero catch some love in a 2013 set - but not as great as those old time forearm sweat bands.

Finally, P-Town Tom tossed in a "just because"  extra for me...

 Kid K - how kool is that?

 Thanks a bunch for a great trade, Tom.  Here's hoping I come across some new cards of the Cubbies soon, and we'll do it all again.