Set Builders - Help Me To Help You

So I was making my normal rounds of reading blogs in order to find a Blog Recommendation of the Day for all of you, and hopefully snag some new cards in trade for me, when I once again came across "The Trading Gap".  

What's the Trading Gap, you may ask?  It's that which separates Collector A's collecting (might we say hoarding?) habits from Collector B.  Of course there are as many different types of collectors as there are cards, but for the sake of this post, I'm simply going to address two particular types. 

The first type of collector is, of course, just like little ol' me.  My collection is pretty much focused on only one team, but I also chase a variety of players from a variety of other teams.  I suppose my collecting tastes can be classified as fluid.  Any Johnny Bench card will do, thank you very much.

  On the other hand, we have the set collectors. Their needs are absolute and finite. When card #11 is needed to finish 2013 Gypsy Queen, only #11 will do, thank you very much.   

And that, my friends, is the Trading Gap.

In checking other bloggers' wantlists, I frequently come upon something similar to this...

Blogger A needs: 
 2013 Topps Update
8,13,23,26,90,109,115,131,
146,150,154,161,175,178,192,200,206,
265,274,310,311,321,324,329,330

'71 Minis
25,27

Chasing History
108!!!   

That's fair enough - but when I see lists like this - and some lists are quite long - my brain goes blank, and I presume I can't help you. 

You see, my collecting brain doesn't think about cards or sort them like a group of numbers. When I see a list of 25 cards needed for 1972 Topps, I might very well have 8 or 10 cards to help you out, but I know those cards by the player on the front, not by the tiny number on the back.

My suggestion is when you know what player is on the card, please list his name along with the card number, and you just might get a lot more hits. 

I wouldn't expect Blogger A from above to list all 20 or 30 players needed for the main Topps Update set, but when the chase is down to only one or two needed cards, why not list the player when he's known? 

I might have that last Glove Stories card that you need to complete your chase, but I won't recognize it when I see it listed as #GSJI.

  
 However, if it's listed as #GSJI, Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers (or something like that), chances are, I'll remember I've got that one, and it can soon be on its way to you.  

And wouldn't that be grand? 

Le Gran Trade With Le (Canadian) Dollar Store

Hey everybody,

While awaiting Kershaw's first Opening Day pitch, I'm filling my baseball fix with my blogger brethren reading and posting about cards and trades. 

Here comes a post featuring my newest trade partner,  Douglas, over at the across-the-Canadian-border cardblog, Sportscards From The Dollar Store.


Douglas posted up a Koufax card that I had to have, his insert from The Greats subset in 2013 Topps, and from there, we expanded it into a blind random Dodgers for random Blue Jays and Mets trade.

Doug sent over a nice handful of Dodgers from the 80's thru the 2000's - every one of them a new card for me - and here are a few of the highlights...

 I really enjoyed when Nomar was a Dodger.  His time wearing the home whites seemed so short.

I loved when Nomar came to bat and they would play the opening drum roll/ bass line from War's hit, Low Rider.  It was amazing for me to hear an E.L.A. anthem booming from the speakers at Dodger Stadium.  Goosebumps.

Here's a pitcher who had so much potential lost to arm injury.  Oh well, the Dodgers made him rich anyway, giving him an insane amount of millions to ride the pine.

This is a great card of Rafi in action.  Never mind the reflection from the penny sleeve.  I actually like those lines.

Of course O-Pee-Chee must be involved!  I totally dig this card of Rick Monday, Voltigeur!

  Shown above are a couple of snake-bit Dodger teammates.  Dusty Baker rolled his player days into becoming the biggest-jinxed manager of the modern era.

Saxy limited his troubles to an embarrassing period where he developed a case of the willies and he just couldn't, absolutely couldn't throw a ball in a straight line from second base to first. 

I suspect he made that same face that he's making in the little close-up box whenever he beaned yet another innocent peanut vendor with yet another errant throw.

You want gaudy and gimmicky? You got it!

Finally, the card that started it all. 

Thanks for a great trade Douglas!

Here's an early Happy Easter, everybody!  THANKS for reading.  :)

When A Mistress Replaces The Original

Hey everybody,

I recently completed a bang-bang PWE trade with Spankee over at the great blog, My Cardboard Mistress.  Spankee posted some 2013 Topps, and I spotted a card that I've been coveting ever since I first saw it posted in our many reports and reviews here in the blogo-worlds.

Did I just say "coveted"? Yup, that's what the Cardboard Mistress will do to you.  She tempts you from afar and soon you want a taste.  I've had my eyes on this Roberto Clemente "Cut To The Chase" insert for quite some time, and when Spankee put it up for trade - I jumped on it.

 

 I consider myself a Roberto Clemente collector.  I've only got a few from his actual playing days, and I certainly intend to continue collecting his original Topps releases whenever luck and opportunity rear their beautiful heads simultaneously.  These days most of my additions are not of the original variety, but of the new mistress, the tribute cards. 

Clemente gets a lot of tribute card love, but not so much that I feel it's overplayed.  Collecting tribute cards has its advantages.  Modern tribute inserts give me more options than just one Topps card for 1968, take it or leave it.  Which is a luxury I take advantage of in selecting which modern Clemente cards to chase. 

That said, this is hands down, one of the most awesome Clemente cards from the past few years.  Its got the classic Clemente batting stance, great colors, beautiful shine, and a well-designed, dramatic die cut.  Thanks very much for the trade, Spankee!

Card companies -and me, as well - have a love/hate relationship with diecuts.  Sometimes the results are boring as hell, and the cut edges are more trouble in handling than they are worth...

...and sometimes they're insane, but somehow they actually enhance the cardboard experience...

In my new Clemente card, Topps got it all right! 

G-reat C-ards R-each L-A. I'm a L-ucky C-ollector

Hey Everybody,

Whew, that was a tough title to construct!  As you can see, I worked in the initials from the two bloggers who most recently sent some great cards my way. 

Super-blogger - not just Super Dodger Blogger, but Super Overall blogger, Jim, from the Super Dodger blog, Garvey, Cey, Russell, Lopes (GCRL) recently sent a package to me full of Dodgers goodness.  Just out of the Dodger Blue, he sent a set of the 2013 Topps Dodgers to me.  WOW ! How cool is that?  Well, if you're a Dodger fan, or just a fan o' the cardboard, you certainly know how cool that is.

 Just to make an already generous action even MORE AWESOME, Jim added some cardboard cherries on top. Check it out....

Man, I can't have me enough Dodgers vintage.  Awesome!

I'm really glad to see other bloggers starting to talk about chasing vintage because vintage cards really are what I love the most.  New or re-newed interest in older cardboard is great news for me because I'll enjoy checking it out on everyone's blogs and I anticipate we'll increase it in our trades across the board.

My first card of ol' 3-Dog.  Thanks, Jim.  :)

Only the best pinch hitter there ever was.  Or ever will be. 

Perranoski went on to become a member of Tommy Lasorda's Dodger Coach Mafia.

'Rube' Walker was a Brooklyn Dodger who transferred over to L.A.  N.Y. fans might remember him as a pitching coach for the Mets. 

Great cards.  I also jumped on a vintage trade offer from A.J., The Lost Collector , who is quickly becoming someone I trade often with.  A.J. posted up some vintage for trade, and I took this bait...

 I remember Campy from my first days of watching baseball.  He was a steady player for the A's, and I considered him to be one of their star players.  Catching this card was one of those examples of a hunka cardboard that reminds me of being very young and watching baseball on TV, without a worry in the world.

Keeping the streak of receiving 2013 Topps Dodgers alive, A.J. added this cool Matt Kemp insert.
Once again, a card I didn't have, brought to me by the generosity of my fellow bloggers.

THANKS, Jim and A.J., for all the great new cards.

Next post: Loot from the Great Baseball Card Giveaway of 2012. 

Topps 2013 Hits My Walmart, And I Hit A Hit!

Hey everybody,

So I heard Topps 2013 was hitting the stores, and I decided to stop by my local walmart and grab a quick pack.  I probably won't chase the set, but I was excited for some new product hitting the shelves - which also, by the way, usually means discounts for remaining 2012 stuff.

I bought a jumbo 2013 pack  (and a discounted 2012 pack) - got to ripping as soon as I got home, and was pleasantly surprised!  I don't know how the collating is gonna play out over the long haul, but I was pretty happy with what I pulled today.

I know lots of bloggers are gonna pack rip and write proper reviews of the product.  That's not my intent here, as you other guys do a much better job than me of breaking down the details o' the cardboard.  I have no idea of whether or not Topps used the same shade of blue in the actual cards as they showed in previews. As Clint once said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

However, since I'm dropping quotes, I'll drop one more; as Lux Interior once sang, "I don't know about art, but I know what I like." - and there was lots to like in the cards I pulled...

Here's the first of the inserts I pulled.  These Chasing History cards have a very nice bluish mirror (refractor?) finish. These are seeded 1:4

Walmart jumbo packs each have 3 blue border cards.  My cardboard luck was running hot today, so I managed to pull a Dodger!  Not a bad photo.

I almost never pull Dodger cards, but besides the blue card, I also pulled a base version of a Dodger. 

Since the Card Gods were with me today, I pulled a second Chasing History card, and it's a guy I collect!

Speaking of pulling cards from guys I collect, here's a nice one - a '72 miiiiiiiinnnnnnniiiiii Kershaw! Awesome! These are also seeded 1:4
 

 

You want inserts? We got inserts! Here comes another -Calling Cards - Seeded 1:8

I'm presuming this is one of the emerald foils.  These are very nice looking.  Shiny and sparkly beauty.  Seeded 1:6


We're not done yet...I also hit an auto :)

Here we have one of the Chasing The Dream Autos.  Apparently this insert set is made up of the young guns in the game today.  There are 20 players on the checklist (Dee Gordon is the Dodger's representative in the set), and Cardpedia has no info on the seeding for these.  It's a secret?
 

Finally, I pulled this baby.  An invitation to play in Topps' Million Dollar Chase game.  I'm unsure exactly how this works, but apparently I get to pick a (different?) player every day during the season.  As long as the players I pick keep getting hits, I keep building a hitting streak.  This eventually leads to prizes.  Sounds like fun.

None of these cards alone would take our cynical, jaded breaths away, but taken as a whole, I'm pretty darn stoked about my first pack of 2013 Topps.

THANKS for reading!