A Few Goodies from the Local Card Shop

I didn't realize until recently that there was a card shop around where I lived, although it doesn't carry any wax, just singles and supplies. Still, it was nice to browse through some cards that weren't mine (I've seen them a few thousand times) and I found some nice cards in a 25 cent box. I'll probably head back there sometime again to find cards for trades (haven't done that in a while). Here's what I got yesterday for a quarter a pop:

2008 Topps Heritage Stan Musial Flashbacks: I'm not a Cardinals fan but I've always felt myself drawn to Stan "the Man" Musial. Someday I like to get an autograph of him; you know, when I have money and all.

2006 Upper Deck Special FX Albert Pujols Player Highlights: Not even a Cubs' fan could say no to a shiny Pujols for a quarter. Come to think of it, shiny Pujols sounds kind of dirty--I'll try to avoid that word combination moving forward.

2006 Fleer Josh Johnson RC: Josh Johnson was the anchor of my fantasy team's pitching staff last year and thus gained a special place in my heart. The kid's got a bright future.

2006 Topps Chrome Ben Zobrist RC #173/599: I thought this was just a base chrome rookie of Zorilla but when I flipped it over I saw the serial number and realized that it must have been one of the box topper rookies. I'll never complain about paying a quarter for a nice rookie of my favorite Ray, even though he's not quite playing like himself yet. But hey, it could be worse. He could be playing for the Mariners...

Well, nothing too exciting but I think I picked up some nice cards for the price of a gumball. It's nice to know someone else likes baseball cards where I live; I feel so alone sometimes. Thanks for looking and have a stellar weekend!

Overdue Trades From Around the Blogosphere

Here's a bunch of cards in a row!

This first card is not actually from a trade, but rather a group break sponsored by Thorzul. I picked up the Reds and Dodgers and was happy to walk away with this gem:

2008 UD Heroes Aaron Harang Auto Jersey #1/50: I've always appreciated the Harangatang toiling away in obscurity for the Reds, and he has been an important part of a couple of fantasy teams. A very nice card and a true eBay one-of-one!

The next card comes from Ed at Roll out the Barrel. It was my first trade with him, but certainly not the last:

2008 UD Heroes Ken Griffey Jr. Purple Parallel #12/25: Ooooooh pretty. I love all the different parallels in UD Heroes and I am setting out to complete a Griffey rainbow. This was one of the hardest cards to get from the set with only 25 copies, so I really appreciate that Ed was willing to part with this gorgeous Griffeey.

Next, we have some cards from Mr. Scott. We worked out a trade a while back and the cards he originally had planned to send me got lost in the mail. Being the generous fellow he is, Mr. Scott found some new (and improved!) cards as part of our swap:

2007 Fleer Ultra Ken Griffey Jr. Jersey: I'm always happy to add a Junior relic to my collection, no matter whether it's with the Mariners or Reds. It's a simple card, but nice, and the pinstripe always adds a little something extra.

2010 Topps Peak Performers Josh Johnson Auto: Believe it or not, I own more autographs now of Josh Johnson than any other player. That's fine though, as I am high on the Marlins young ace even after his slow start to the 2010 season.

And last but not least are some cards from one of the baseball blogosphere's elder statesmen and wordsmith extraordinaire, Night Owl. We've worked out quite a few trades and he always send some great cards my way. Here's the latest batch:

2009 O-Pee-Chee Midsummer Memories Ken Griffey Jr: This card probably takes the cake for worst photograph of Junior ever. Not only is he partially obscured by the HR Derby Trophy (yeah, he's the man) but there's also that guy dressed like a late-90's square creeping in the background. This one probably won't back the front page of my Griffey binder, but still a new addition and a welcome one at that.

2010 Topps Opening Day Attax Felix Hernandez: These cards aren't half bad looking as the foil reflects quite nicely in person. That being said, I have little desire to ever buy a pack of Topps Attax.

1991 Ken Griffey Jr. Playing Card: I believe it was GSNHOF that sent me a Griffey playing card that featured the Kid as a "4". I was outraged that Junior was assigned a number that was clearly not indicative of his talent level. I can sleep easier now that Griffey has regained his rightful place as an "ace" of the ballpark.

Thanks to everyone who sent me cards! I hope it will never take so long to post them again. Have a great week and I'll smell ya later.

A Wicked Sweet Trade Package

I can be so clever sometimes....

Just the other day I received a package in the mail from one of the most generous people in the blogosphere, Wicked Ortega. It was filled with Mariners, Griffeys and a hand-signed auto. Here's a look at what the man from Florida sent my way:

2008 UD Ballpark Collection Ichiro: This is actually a very nice looking card from a much maligned set. Then again, people weren't exactly looking to buy Ballpark in hopes of putting the base set together. I think this card might have pushed me over 100 total Ichiros--awesome.

1993 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Hologram: I'm glad the hologram showed up in the scan because it's a really cool early Griffey card. He already showed up at Spring Training down in Arizona and I think he wants to go out on a good note in 2010. By the way, I have no idea what this card actually is...any help?

2007 Topps Heritage Josh Johnson Hand-Signed Auto: This is only the second non-certified autograph in my collection (there's quite a story behind the other) and it's a real peach. Josh Johnson is my favorite young pitcher not named Felix Hernandez and Wicked was kind enough to get this card signed at me at a local Fanfest. I'm expecting huge things out of JJ this season (3rd in Cy Young voting) and I am glad that he's staying in Florida.

Thanks for the cards Wicked! They are truly appreciated.

A Bountiful Trade with Field of Cards

I've seen Gary from Field of Cards fame open a number of boxes on his blog and reasoned, ipso facto, that he must have a bunch of sweet cards of my favorites players and the Mariners. Sure enough, he sent me some great M's and Griffeys in return for some Orioles. I was really overwhelmed by wait he sent my way and felt bad I didn't have more cards to trade him, but as karma would have it Gary just won the 2010 Topps Givewaway Contest, so his generosity was rewarded. Here are my favorites from the swap:

2004 Donruss Elite Ichiro Career Best #373/1000: A great looking card of the masterful Ichiro, the serial number for this card is only one off from his .372 average in 2004, making this a true eBay one of two (alongside 374).

2003 Donruss Diamond Kings Ken Griffey Jr: Not all painted cards of Griffey have turned out great but this one certainly captures the essence of Junior. If National Chicle looked a little more like this there might not be such an uproar over the set.

2001 SP Game-Used Bat Edgar Martinez Bound for the Hall: Hopefully this card didn't jinx Edgar as he only received about half of the votes necessary for induction in his first try on the HOF ballot. First Edgar bat card though, so it's more than welcome.

2006 UD Future Stars Josh Johnson RC Auto: A cool looking rookie autograph of one of my favorite players, Josh Johnson was the stud of my fantasy teams staff last season. I was hoping he might wind up with the Mariners, but I was happy he re-signed with the Marlins instead of heading to the Yankees or Sox (for now at least). The portait of Johnson on this card is see-through, using what leading baseball card scientists call "acetate technology".

Thanks for the great cards Gary! I will get your contest winnings in the mail soon.

Pack Attack: 2009 Topps National Chicle Football

I stopped by Target after work in hopes that I might find a blaster or a few packs of 2010 Upper Deck. Alas, it seems these things take a while to make their way to Central Washington and there was no UD in sight. Well obviously I couldn't leave empty handed (I had to spend money!) so I grabbed a 2010 Topps Rak-Pak (pulled a Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro and Josh Johnson--quite happy with that pack) and a single pack of 2009 Topps National Chicle Football from a fresh box. The preview images from the baseball set had caused quite a stir and I wondered if the football set would be met with the same response. Well, here's what I got (not including a Mahamed Massaquoi mini rookie and a Caroline Mikkelson "Era Icons"):

Adrian Peterson base card

Tom Brady base card

Amelia Earhart Era Icons Relics: What! Well, not having any idea what was in this set, I was quite shocked to pull a card of the first lady of flight, especially one embedded with a 1935 stamp. Era Icons relics fall 1 in 177 packs and, oddly enough, packs with those relics are only supposed to contain one card (this one certainly had a few more than that). I don't think I will buy any more packs of this set but I'm certainly happy with the one I got; this card has been selling for around $30 on eBay (new Griffeys ahoy!)