The King and I (Directed by Ryan's Memorabilia)

I recently acquired the crown jewel of my King Felix collection, this beautiful 2008 UD Heroes Jersey Autograph #21/25, in a trade with Ryan's Memorabilia Blog.

He busted a great box of Heroes that also contained a Tim Lincecum patch and Roger Clemens YSL, and was generous enough to part with the Hernandez for about 30 Ripkens to add to his amazing Ripken library.

This is my second Felix autograph (he's got an amazing signature doesn't he?) and fifth jersey card, but the first card I have of the Mariners' young ace with both. I have extremely high hopes for Hernandez in 2010 (a Cy Young isn't out of the question).

He's got a ton of great cards to trade, so if you've got some Ripkens that he doesn't have on his Zistle page, let him know.
You could walk away with a gem like this!

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.