A card-filled Holoday

I’ve been painfully slow on trade posts lately. I feel badly about it, especially when a blogger sends their cards to me first, I take forever to return my package to them, and then they post about it before I do. No excuses.

For the first time, I traded with Matt from Doc Holoday. He had a big ol pile of Yanks, so I claimed them in exchange for some Red Sox…a trade that clearly benefits both of us.

Matt wasn’t joking when he said he had a pile of Yanks. The packaged arrive in a large box. When I opened, here is what I saw:

Yep, packages within packages. In the first two team bags, there were nearly complete sets (with dupes!) of 2012 and 2013 Topps. It made me realize how bad I have been at assembling team sets of the Yanks. It is inspiring me to go after all Yankees Topps team sets from 1980 through now, then I’ll focus on the older stuff. I had always wanted to do that, but this gave me a kick in the pants. Want lists to come. I’ll also be doing this for Heritage.

I pulled out a few of my favorites from the package Matt sent, as well as some of the cards from an envelope labeled “The slightly better stuff,” which I’ll show off below.

Here is what the flat rate box looked like…three giant stacks of goodies! 

There is no excuse for me not having all of these UD Masterpieces cards here. This set…is just…beautiful. The cards are magnificent. I’ll have to look at the checklists to see what I still need, but it’s a crime if I am missing some Yanks for this set. 

This Pineda jumped out at me. I really look forward to seeing him pitch this summer. If he could come back healthy, it would be a nice mid-season acquisition. I have an unofficial Pineda collection, so this is a nice score.

 Yankee cards of Ichiro. Can’t get over that. 

I had never seen this Upper Deck release before. I believe it’s from 2006 Future Stars. The cards are a bright teal color. They are certainly different from any I have seen, almost in a refreshing way.

Here is Gehrig on a 1995 Topps. So silly.

And here is some of the “slightly better stuff”:

X-Fractors! I’m starting to like X-Fractors more than Re-fractors.

Ok, I like them equally the same.

And even more when Mason Williams is on one.

Colored parallels! Man, I am really taking to these more and more.

Ichiro…again…on a Yankees card.

Russell…you look better in green than in Pirates gold.

More shiny stuff!

And some of those sweet 2011 Topps that had the wooden/cardboard backs.

I’d take these four on my team any day.

And finally, some manufactured goodness!

Matt, the package was a blast. Looking forward to our next inter-rivalry trade.

HOF cards - Boston edition

Usually, I don't have many kind things to say about the Red Sox on my blog. I don't necessarily bash them constantly, but I don't go out of my way to shower them with kindness. It's the nature of the rivalry. However, today, I have nothing ill-willed to say against the Sox, their fans, or their city, other than "Hang in there. We're with you guys."

I was glad to see that the Yankees will honor Boston this evening by playing Sweet Caroline after the third inning tonight. It's a small gesture, but shows a nice peace offering in a time when we need to stand united. I'll never forget the support for the NYC teams after 9/11. This reminds me of that.

To honor Boston, here are my additions to the HOF binder, featuring Red Sox, or in one instance, someone best known for his time with Boston.

Hey Boo Boo! A '59 Yogi

In my last post, I showed a 1933 Goudey Lyn Lary. However, I mentioned that I picked up a second vintage card last week. I found a well-loved 1959 Topps Yogi Berra that I pretty much had to have at just a few bucks cost.

Overally, the card is in fair condition, minus a set of parallel-ish lines by Yogi's head. I can't tell if it's a man-made mark in pencil or ink, or if something rubbed against it to cause the marking. There is also a crease that run down the front of the card.

But you know what? I don't care either way. The card is awesome, and my first 1950's Yogi.

Vintage on Listia? Yes please.

I'm still getting the hang of Listia. I've run quite a few auctions, and after enough disappointing end results, I think I finally figured out a fairly decent formula to ensure some good-sized bids, as well as the cards/lots that drive these bids.

Anyhow, I've tried to be better about my bidding/spending as well. After missing out on a 1961 Maris because I didn't have enough credits, I've vowed to keep a certain balance. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever come across another card like the Maris.

That didn't stop me from picking up two decent vintage lots. The first are two team cards from 1968 Topps - the Angels and the Dodgers. The Angels card is in decent shape. So is the Dodgers, except it's cut a bit funky. Both are for trade.

The second was a 1966 Topps lot I got for pretty cheap, partly because the cards have holes punched in them. Regardless, how could I pass up a Yankees team card that includes Maris and Mantle? I couldn't. The other card, with the same hole punched in it, features Frank Robinson and Willie Mays.

 

Pretty good scores!

The new oldest card in my collection - a '33 Goudey

I did a nice job staying away from eBay during Lent. I promised myself I wouldn’t go nuts once Easter came and spend wildly, picking up everything I saw to make up for lost time. I did, however, treat myself to two vintage cards.

The first is now the oldest card in my collection, by at least 10 years. It’s my first true Goudey – a 1933 Goudy Lynford Lary. Lyn was a decent player for the Yanks in the early 30’s, manning SS or 3B. In 1931, he actually drove in 107 runs, although much of that can be attributed to always hitting with men on base…Ruth, Gehrig, Dickey, Sewell, Combs, etc. He played for the Yanks for 5+ seasons before stops in Boston, St Louis, Washington, Cleveland, and Brooklyn, playing 12 years total. Interestingly enough, this card also serves as his Wikipedia photo.

The card was actually listed as a 1934 Goudey, but upon research (aka looking it up online), it’s actually a 1933. Not sure if that helped keep the price so low on eBay, as  I only paid a few bucks for it. It also came in this neat little top loader just for Goudey cards.

The card stock is awesome, and despite some creases, the color is really nice. The back is a little stained, but everything is readable. 

It’s a truly awesome addition to my collection.

Tino Tuesdays #58: 2000 Fleer Gamers #57

I don’t know why, but when I flip through my Tino Martinez cards, I always stop on this one. It’s from the 2000 Fleer Gamers set. In 2000, Fleer put out 10 sets. Ten! There may be more, but that’s what I counted quickly on Baseball Card Pedia. It’s a thick, metallic card. I’d call it a cleaner, thicker Fleer Metal…but not on steroids like Topps Stars N Steel.

Anyways, it’s a catchy card. I don’t have any other Yanks from the set, and don’t remember buying any packs of it. From a Google Images search, the trip was team color specific, which is cool.

Without a doubt, it’s a very representative card of what you’d find if you were shopping for cards in 2000.

TTM Success: Two roll in from ST

Last week, I had two spring training successes roll in. I figure it was guys cramming answering their mail before they had north.

The first was a 2013 Topps Hiroki Kuroda. I now have the choice of using him or David Robertson for my Topps Yankees Project. That may be a decision based on who I can get to sign for 2014.

The second success is from Boone Logan. I love TTMs of relievers and guys who don't appear on cards very much, so this is cool.