Sup, JediJeff?!

It has been a few years since we had traded, but JediJeff of 2x3 Heroes dropped back into my DMs asking for my address. The last correspondence I had with him (according to gmail) was 2017, so it was awesome to hear from him this past November. 

And, let's just say Jeff brought it. Not sure if he had just been setting some cards aside or what, but what a great package it was. Two team bags full of goodies.

Where to begin? Let's start with Yankees legend Bert Campaneris. Just kidding, but I always enjoy the opportunity to show Campaneris as a Yankee because I know many find it appalling to see him in pinstripes. Hey, he hit a career high .322 with the Yankees. Like I said, legend. I have the 84 Topps, but the 83 Traded is new.

Ok, on to some more of the traditional hits if I didn't offend you too much. My favorite - easily - was an Aaron Judge rookie card. But not just any RC. Topps Chrome Refractor RC! That is so so pretty, new to my collection, and a really generous card for Jeff to send. That card immediately goes in my "good box."

There were a couple card with pieces of jersey or metal in them. The Yogi coin is really cool. I live about 10 minutes from the Yogi Berra museum and I have never been. That's pretty lame. Once this all clears up I am going to go.

Three A&G jerseys of, sadly, former Yankees. Well, I believe Tanaka will be a former Yankee, as it doesn't look like the Yanks are bringing him back. Jacoby Ellsbury is a free agent...dude doesn't even have a minor league deal anywhere. Is he done?

This is a little but of an odd one, but gladly will add it to my Jeter collection. It's a Sage Sportkings jersey. The card is...of a jersey. The limits of no MLB or MLBPA license! But of course I'll count it as another Jeter relic. It's definitely unique.

Here's a few other cards that really jumped out at me. No one pimps a homer like Aaron Hicks.

Thanks, Jeff! Appreciate reconnecting and appreciate the awesome package!

A custom card contest victory

March was not been a great posting month, but hopefully I can get back to my daily posting shortly. I intend to within the next week or two.

Anyhow, I recently received a great contest package from Jeff at 2x3 Heroes last week. The contest was from several months ago, when we had to create a custom of our younger selves. Mine was this bad boy, which happened to receive the most votes.

I actually forgot about the contest, so Jeff would have been off the hook due to my increasingly faulty memory, but he’s a good dude and ended up sending it my way.

Here are the prizes he showed off that headlined the package. While none are guys I collect, there are some sweet cards and I appreciate Jeff's generosity. The Randy Johnson GQ relic is very cool, and numbered to 50. Not a bad card of a HOFer. The Springer is one of those camo SPs which I would have never seen if I hadn’t known from his post. My bro-in-law is a huge Mets fan, and while not a collector, will likely get a kick out of the John Franco auto.

 

There were some very cool Yankee cards included as well.

This Gary Sheffield is pretty cool. The fireworks are an awesome touch. I think UD First Pitch is similar to Topps Opening Day.

A couple of really cool Mantles.

I love Turkey Red. Those cards always look so awesome. I’d love Godzilla to sign this one day.

Refsnyder! I feel a little bad for him. He’s been jerked around a bit by the Yanks and really had to play out of position the last few years to get a few big league ABs. He was the best offensive prospect the Yankees had until some legit prospects made the upper levels. With that being said, he doesn’t have a true position and has little power, so it’s not hard to see why he’s been passed over. It seems like a breakup is inevitable soon, as his 40-man spot is valuable.

I’ll end with a sweet Rivera. I feel like it’s rare to get an action shot like this in an A&G. 

Jeff, thanks for the great contest!

Who's on first?

Why, it's the young Lost Collector during tee ball.

Jedi Jeff over at 2x3 Heroes is holding a contest to make a custom card using a picture of yourself from your childhood, preferably on a baseball field. Well, this cool cat wearing teal Chuck Taylors and a red, white, and blue wristband is yours truly, probably around the age of 5.

This is a legendary picture in my family. As you can probably see, my hand is, uhhh, touching myself. Apparently I did this every time I got on base, so my grandmother decided to snap a picture so that it lives in infamy. I felt like a late '80s Score design was appropriate. Shout out to the Rookies App for making dweebs like me easily make and print customs.

Now whenever my four-year-old has a little bout of touching himself and my wife complains, I show her the picture and say that it runs in the family.

I have very fond memories of tee ball. I was able to play on the same field my older brother played at during little league, so I thought that was cool. At the end of each game, they'd move the tee to a few few from the outfield fence and we'd have a HR derby. The winner would get a pack of Topps. I remember winning a couple of times and opening the cards and chomping on the gum before I got back to my mom and she made me spit it out.

SuperTraders #13: 2x3 Heroes

I'm a few weeks behind on some #SuperTraders posts. I gotta catch up, or it's going to get too overwhelming!

My 13th package came from Jedi Jeff over at 2x3 Heroes. Jeff reps the White Sox in this here trading group, and sent me some sweet Yankees.

Among the goods was this Mark Teixeira relic. It's crazy to think his 8-year Yankee tenure is just about over.

Here are a bunch of black-bordered minis. One day I am going to actually place all my minis in a binder. One day. Probably not soon.

Even though Topps used this Jeter photo in flagship cards, the black and white in this looks really cool.

This is a classly looking Jeter. I love the white parallel.

Gold from the post-Cano spending spree.

I like Starlin Castro so far. He is a bit frustrating on offense, as many Cubs fans can attest to, but when he's playing well he's really good. On the flip side, I'm pretty shocked that Jacob Lindgren isn't a bigger part of the Yankees pen at this point in his career. Injuries.

What on earth? Never seen these in person. They are awesome!

Hard to tell from the scan, but this is a very foily Cano. Where did Bowman Heritage go? I assume they ran out of designs?

Speaking of Heritage, there were a bunch more. I love that Matt Lawton made it into a set.

Lastly, here are a few more new Jeters. This summer I am going to count my Jeters. I really think I might have 500, although it's probably less than that and I'm just over-exaggering. It might make for a fun contest post.

Jeff, this was a great package. I needed a TON of these. Thanks again!

A new Pineda 1/1 has a home

A few weeks ago, I got an email titled "Pineda PC."

It was from Jeff of 2x3 Heroes. He pulled a Big Mike framed printing plate from Allen & Ginter, and immediately set it aside for me.

I know that Jeff could have probably got back half of what he spent on the box if he listed it on eBay. Instead, he instantly set it aside for me and then said "I'm sure you'll send something back that's fair."

What an awesome gesture, and it really put the pressure on me to prove him right. I'm just about finished putting together a White Sox package for Jeff that I really hope he finds to be suitable. I actually had a lot of fun putting it together, so I hope it he enjoys it.

This is my second Pineda 1/1, and man do I appreciate this gesture. After I added one to my collection last year, I figured I was done, but this one just fell onto my lap, and I'm really thankful.

Jeff, thanks for this, and I hope you enjoy the White Sox headed your way.

A Jedi Jersey

A few days ago, I got a PWE in the mail from Jedi Jeff of 2x3 Heroes. I figured it was one of Jeff’s usual PWE mailings, but this one contained just one card:

Sweet, a jersey card of Yankees starting pitcher Adam Warren! The note attached said that at some point long ago, I made a comment about this card on Jeff’s blog. I don’t remember doing it, but Jeff is a Jedi and if he says it happened, it happened. I must’ve inquired but never followed up. Jeff was nice enough to remember and sent it my way, and I’m happy to have it!

It hails from Panini America's Pastime. I like the look of the card, overall. I think Panini did a nice job with the design, given that they can't show logos and all. I like these RC logos more than the official MLB one, actually. The jersey swatch is gray, but it's a nice size. plus, Warren is shown in road gray. I like it when the picture matches the jersey color. The card is numbered to 125 as well.

I wish I scanned the back. It's quite funny. Panini calls the Yankees the "popular team that plays in the Bronx." Just funny to see them work around calling them the "Yankees."

Thanks, Jeff!

Club PWE strikes again

Jeff from 2x3 Heroes runs something I'm very fond of - Club PWE. Every so often, a Yankees-filled PWE shows up in my mailbox simply because I'm a member of Club PWE. It's every bit as awesome as it sounds.

Here are some goods from a recent Club PWE mailing. The envelope itself was tremendous. It looked like Octavio Dotel's luggage.

Jeff, let me know if I need to may my Club PWE dues to stay on the 2015 distribution list.

PWEs are the best

Seriously. There's not much better than coming home, checking the mail, and seeing an unexpected PWE fall out. Jeff from 2x3 Heroes is a consistent PWEer and even runs a club. Pretty cool.

Jeff knows how to maximize the amount of cards that fit without having to added the dreaded postage. It's a science, really.

Here are the cards Jeff sent. Nice mixture of prospect, legends, and current players. I actually just PWEed him back to return his top loader. You know, like when someone gives you a lasagna and you return their dish with cookies inside.

A 2x3 PWE bomb

I got a nice, unexpected PWE bomb from Jeff at 2x3 Heroes. It was the only piece of mail I got, which made it extra special since I had something to open that wasn’t my Verizon bill. I don't think I could love PWE's any more than I do.

Here are a few of the goods:

Jeff, thanks dude! Most appreciated.

Trading with 2x3 Heroes

I am surprised that this is the first trade I've done with Jeff of 2x3 Heroes. Jeff runs a great blog and was a quick, easy trade partner. It started as a PWE trade and evolved to include a large stack of cards that came my way.

These are the personal highlights, including my first to cards of Ichiro as a Yankee!

 This Phil Hughes is the card that started the deal:

 Two new Jeters, including a Heritage SP. I don't know why, but I always liked these Leaf designs, even though they look sort of gloomy.

Two of my favorite firstbasemen!

Jeff, thanks again, and I look forward to our next trade!