Collective Troll Delivers Some Kids (A Plethora of New Ken Griffey Jr's That Is!)

With all the Ken Griffey Jr. cards currently in my collection (450+) it's not always easy for me to find Juniors that I don't already have doubles or triples of (or in the case of his 1990 Topps card...42nds of). Thankfully, the world's most prolific pack buster (I'm fairly confident he has some blisters from all the 1990's wax he has been opening), the Collective Troll, came to my rescue, sending 37 new Ken Griffey Jr. cards my way in a recent trade package. And as if the Griffeys weren't enough (they were), Troll also threw in some sweet M's including Russell Branyan and Felix Hernandez. Here's a gander at some of my favorites:

1993 Upper Deck SP Ken Griffey Jr.: One of the top five Griffey base cards of all-time (I'll release the full list sometime soon), this sweet card from Upper Deck's inagural set of SP shows off the Kid's mad hops. I'm not sure if anyone kept track of how many homeruns he robbed in his career, but I think it's somewhere in the 1,000's.

2000 Fleer Tradition Ken Griffey Jr: At first glance I thought I already had this card, but it turns out I had the "Twizzlers" edition and this was from the regular Fleer Set. This is a really good looking card.

1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFX SAMPLE: I don't even want to know what Troll had to do for Upper Deck to get this rare sample card, but I'm glad he did it.

2009 Topps Heritage Russell Branyan Chrome Refractor #448/560: Though Russell "the Muscle" Branyan is likely out of Seattle, he made the most of his time there with bunches of moonshot homeruns that might still be in the air. Topps Heritage Chrome and Chrome Refractors are one of my favorite inserts of the decade.

2009 Bowman Chrome Felix Hernandez X-Fractor #45/250: The shine off King Felix's crown is so bright I can hardly look at this card. Oh wait, that's Topps' patent pending refractor technolog...my bad!

2008 Sweet Spot Felix Hernandez Sweet Spot Jersey: Pieces of King Felix's jersey have become much more scarce since he slimmed down and much more valuable since he finally became the dominant pitcher we all expected. I'm so happy he's staying in Seattle.

Thanks for the amazing cards Troll!

Baseball Card Bonanza: Trades with Brian (Play at the Plate), Collective Troll and Wicked Ortega

Wow! Just got a bunch of trades in the mail and they couldn't come at a better time; it's wet and miserable here with about two inches of snow on the ground. Nothing better to cheer me up than some well-timed baseball cards from Brian, Troll and Wicked Ortega. Let's go to the cards!

First, the cards from Brian (Play at the Plate). I sent some Rangers Brian's way and he was very generous with what he sent me, including a bunch of new Griffey's:

2000 Fleer Focus Pocus Ken Griffey Jr: I had actually been lusting (in a healthy manner) after this card for a while so I was thrilled to get it in a trade and not have to buy it off the Bay. This is a great insert of Griffey, and the photo doesn't do justice to how shiny it really is. I miss cards like this, you can never go wrong with shiny.

1995 Classic Ken Griffey Jr. Phone Card: No Ken Griffey Jr. collection is complete without a phone card! Now I can finally catch up with Junior and not have to worry about those nasty roaming charges or dropped calls. Thanks Classic!

2001 Upper Deck Vintage Koren Robinson Rookie Jersey: I almost fell off the couch laughing when I saw this card. Koren Robinson had a short and troubled career with the Seahawks after battling alcoholism. I think he came back with the Green Bay Packers a few years ago, but I haven't heard from him lately. While alchoholism is no laughing matter, relics of draft picks busts always are (and always appreciated, thanks Brian).

Next, the cards from my first trade with the Collective Troll. He sent some great M's my way, lots of different players, years and brands. Even though Troll said he was out of Mariners, I think I will still send some more Rays his way, because he is the hardest working man in Blogbusiness. Here are some highlights from the cards:

2009 Topps Don Wakamatsu: This year's Topps set is really growing on me, as is the Mariner's first year manager, Don Wakamatsu. He guided a underwhelming M's squad to an 85-77 record, not bad after going 61-101 the year before. I love the photo, think he's calling for a cup of coffee.

1992 Classic Best Ken Griffey Jr.: This is my first card featuring Ken Griffey Jr. as a minor leaguer, even though it was released three years after his major league debut. Junior looks like he is about to sneeze in this photo.

2007 Topps Trading Places Jeff Weaver: If you look closely at the photo of Weaver in the M's uniform it looks like is giving someone the stink-eye, although almost every Mariners' fan was giving him that look by the end of his time in Seattle. It was not a pretty sight.

Last but not least, some cards from my first trade with Wicked Ortega of My Past Time...I Love It! Alfredo is a great guy to trade with, and I am sure this won't be our last deal. Here's what he sent:

2009 Upper Deck X Ken Griffey Jr. X-Ponential-5: I've got to be honest, I love these inserts in Upper Deck X. It's shiny, it's Griffey...and that's all she wrote.

2009 SP Authentic Ichiro: This is my first encounter with 2009 SP Authentic and I have to say, they are really nice base cards. Crisp photography, a nice cardstock and a metallic sheen that makes the players jump out of the picture all add up to a great set.

2009 Upper Deck X Ken Griffey Jr. X-Potential-3: Another UD X Griffey. Now if anyone has the X-1, X-2, X-4, X-6, and didn't have a home for them, you know where to send 'em.

Thanks again to Brian, Troll and Wicked Ortega for some super cards! I will have some trade packages headed your way soon!