Collections Getting a Boost from Trades

A couple of solid trades lately have boosted my player and set collections, so I thought I would share some highlights. Kevin, a.k.a. The Diamond King, and I swung a trade where I sent his some Diamond Kings, a few Bo Jackson oddballs, and a few Scott Rolen rookies. He sent me an awesome package in return. 

The top two from this group were from one of his Diamond Nine giveaways. This is followed by some other general awesomeness, including the Fleer Pro-Visions Sandberg that had eluded me for so long.

It gets even better with this group of Sandberg/Grace/Wood cards. The top middle card is numbered to 500 and the middle Kerry Wood is numbered to 250! I don't have a lot of that in my collection, so it's even more appreciated! And that Mark Grace Finest card is so nice I really am tempted to peel back the protective film to enjoy it more. I mean, the instructions say to peel it off, right?

Kevin was looking for a few more ideas so I told him I enjoy anything from the 1970s, and I thought this would be helpful since I think a lot of people have at least some lying around that they don't mind parting with. I would have been satisfied with a few 76 Topps commons or something, but Kevin stepped up his game here, too. A Richie Ashburn Post card (for the Cubs of course), J.R. Richard and Cesar Cedeno rookie cards, and a run of 2nd through 4th year cards of Bruce Sutter! Oh and that mind-bending Ron Santo with the White Sox card. Awesome stuff. Thanks Kevin!

I also recently completed a small trade with Tom from The Angels, In Order after spotting some things on his want list I knew I could help with. He sent back five new Sandbergs to my Ryno collection (including Sandberg sporting his short-lived mustache), as well as a healthy group of 81 and 85 Topps set helpers. Thanks Tom! 

Thanks to Kevin, Tom, Card Barrel, Baseballcardstore.ca, and others, these are now my stats for a few collections:

Ryne Sandberg: 384 unique cards

Mark Grace: 281 unique cards

1985 Topps: Only 31 cards left to complete the set.

1981 Topps: 83 cards left to complete the set.

A Sitcom Throwback: My Favorite Frankenset Card by Page; Page 4 (Cards 28-36)

Picking a winner for page four was a tough call. Two pairs of glasses, a classic nickname, and a legendary mustache were involved.

Not being one to sport facial hair, I am not privy to the ins and outs of the practice. But I feel like even those who possess a beard or a mustache might have trouble explaining how it is possible to have this amount of volume above the lip. In third place this week:

1982 Topps Sticker #28, Tim Blackwell

Legendary.


The runner up this week is a card that immediately reminded me of a sitcom episode from the 90s. Maybe you've had this happen, where there are certain cards when you see them for the first time, your immediate thought is, "That looks like _____." I find that it's usually someone you know, but not always. (Hmm... that sounds like a future post.) In any event, fans of Seinfeld will remember an episode where Jerry ends up wearing a pair of thick glasses basically to avoid rattling the fragile psyche of a character named Lloyd Braun.

For Seinfeld fans, that will be enough introduction for this card. For others, do a quick Google search and see if you agree with me!

Here it is:

1985 Topps #36, Fred Breining

The pose makes it an even more perfect match to Jerry Seinfeld's borrowed glasses.

Alright, now the moment you have all been waiting for.

Usually when a card checks off two categories in the Frankenset, it is hard to beat. And that was the case with the final card, the Frankenset champion of page four. There's so much to love here: An unequaled pair of sunglasses, and embroidered button up sweater, and of course, perhaps the most memorable nickname of 80s baseball.

1986 Leaf #35, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd

I'm grateful to the makers of Leaf for this gem. They were also very thoughtful to put "Oil Can" in quotations just to make sure we didn't think it was his real first name. The more I look at this card, the more I appreciate its brilliance. And with that, it is the king of page four.