A Much Needed Trade with Reader Dan

I hadn't made a trade in a long time...a really long time (part of that has to do with the fact that I lost every one's addresses when my computer crashed...shoot me an email with your mailing address when you get the time). So it was nice to come home the other day and find that familiar manila envelope of goodness. Dan (of an unknown blog?) contacted me about some of my needs for 2008 UD Masterpieces and sent them my way along with some Griffey and Mariners goodies. Here's the stuff:

2008 UD Masterpieces Cal Ripken Jr. SP: These are gorgeous cards and I am excited to be nearing completion on the set. I still need the following cards ( ) so contact me if you have them and I would love to work out a deal.

2007 Sweetspot Felix Hernandez #570/850: I'm always happy to add a card of one of the best young pitchers in baseball, even if Felix has been a bit inconsistent in the early going of 2010. Thankfully the rest of the team has been picking up the slack with their stellar play.

2008 UD Masterpieces Kenji Johjima Jersey: How bad are the Mariners' catchers this year? Bad enough that I wish we had Kenji Johjima back. On a positive note, I love the design of these cards. Can someone please bring Masterpieces back?

Thanks again for the cards Dan! I'll make sure to send some your way as soon as the Mariners can reel off a two-game winning streak.

The One Card I Wouldn't Trade for the World

Despite being an ardent Ken Griffey Jr. collector the most prized card in my collection is not one of the Kid; rather it's an autographed card of the greatest shortstop of our (and possibly any) generation--Cal Ripken Jr.

Growing up I played shortstop because of my slight build (I'm gigantic now) and thus aspired to be like baseball's Iron Man. I didn't model my swing after his (though judging from my high school stats, perhaps I should have) but Cal was someone I looked up to for his character on and off the field.

As luck would have it my parents got tickets for our family to watch the Mariners play the Orioles in Cal's final trip to Seattle during the 2001 season. I grabbed the best Ripken card I had at the time, a 2001 Topps Gold Label Gold Parallel #606/999, in hopes that I might grab an autograph of the Iron Man, though I certainly wasn't counting on it.

We got to the stadium early and lined up on the third base line for a chance to get face-to-face with greatness. My little brother and I were pretty far down the line and felt a bit bummed because it seemed like Cal would sign autos for the people closest to the dugout and he might not have time to get to us. But someone upstairs was looking out for me, and Cal started signing autographs about 10 feet up the line from us.

Before I knew it I was looking right into the steely blue eyes of Cal Ripken Jr. and he was autographing my baseball card. My mom said that she could see my face light up from across the stadium, and I believe her, because it was one of the greatest moments of my young life.

I don't remember who won the game that day (probably the M's) but I'll never forget my childhood idol taking the time to sign an autograph for me. Memories are what make collecting baseball cards worthwhile, and there are so many attached to this card that I wouldn't trade it for the world. Seriously.

Trade with Ryan's Memorabilia (Griffey's Galore!)

A few weeks ago Mike from Ryan's Memorabilia contacted me about a trade. We both have one player and team that we actively pursue (I collect Griffey and Mariners, he collects Ripken and Orioles), so we figured a swap of Ripkens for Griffeys was perfect for both parties. I browsed through is Zistle Ripken Collection (550+ cards) and sent him some Ripkens he didn't have along with some various Orioles. He responded with a very generous package of Mariners and Juniors, the highlights of which can be seen below:

1996 Leaf Limited Lumberjacks Ken Griffey Jr. #3337/5000: A great mid-90's insert of the greatest player of the decade, this card is made out of what feels like wood and is serially numbered to only 5000 copies (which for the time, was quite scarce). Leaf was really cutting edge in some of the inserts they released and this card is no different; it's awesome.

2001 Fleer Focus Bat Company Ken Griffey Jr: The back of this card accurately describes Griffey's bat as "a lightning bolt, striking fear in every pitcher who takes the mound." Truer words have never been spoken, the Kid was the cat's pajamas. This card has a raised surface that adds some depth to Griffey and the big bat behind him.

1998 Skybox Dugout Access Gronks Ken Griffey Jr: My favorite card from the entire trade, this die-cut Griffey is from an insert set named "Gronks", a name which apparently came from Greg Gagne who described home run hitters as "Gronks". If you say so Greg, if you say so. Mike even included a screwdown holder for this card, which I haven't been able to crack open yet. Got to find a smaller screwdriver.

2007 Ultimate Collection Felix Hernandez Jersey: A classy looking relic card of one of the game's rising stars, this is my first King Felix jersey swatch. I sure hope the M's are able to hold onto him once his contract runs out, he is going to be a historically great player.

1998 Topps Finest Randy Johnson Refractor: This card takes the concept of a refractor to the next level, as both the front and back of the card are as shiny as Lil' John's teeth. Admittely the shininess makes the back of the card difficult to read, but it is so worth it.

2009 Topps Finest Ichiro Refractor: Tough call on which of these refractors I like better, 2009 Topps Finest is certainly a set I wouldn't mind acquiring some more of. I'm not sure how I feel about the back of this card though, it has a trivia question about Dustin Pedroia.

Thanks for all the great cards Mike! I was really blown away by what you sent my way, and I will make sure to find some more Ripkens to add to your collection soon.