Catching Up on Some Old Trades

I have mentioned a couple of times that I have a few trades that have taken place several months back around the time of my move that I never posted.  I wouldn't blame the senders for thinking I didn't appreciate the trades since I didn't post but that couldn't be further from the truth.  Life was chaos around the time of the moving and there was nothing that made things feel more normal than getting some card packages in the mail.

Time to show off some of these goods!

First up is a trade package from Douglas over at Sportscards From the Dollar Store.  He reached out to help me on my 2013 Archives set and the trade expanded a bit.  Here are the goods he sent my way:

 The Archives set needs were heavily Mets focused with 2 Mets SPs and 2 Darryl inserts.  However my favorite part of this group is the inclusion of Dave Parker on the quad sticker.  I also think it is cool to see Don Baylor get some hobby love.  I have this set finished as much as it ever will be but I still have a want list from 3 very to find insert sets.  If I end up finding a lot on the cheap maybe they will get finished but I suspect they will be on there forever.

Douglas also included a couple Gypsy Queen inserts, a set I am still chasing and a Chrome Refractor Mini of Joe Panik, formerly a top prospect for the G-men, lately he has been slipping down their top prospect list but I still hope for a rebound.

The final inclusion was the nice Archives auto of Giants alum Dan Gladden.  Mr. Gladden's regular Topps issue in 1987 listed him as Danny and showed him as a member of the Giants. However he did have a traded card on the Twins.  I sure wish he was shown on the Giants but I like Gladden and was happy to add this to my collection.  Ironically I won a bid board auction of the same card the same week but I was happy to send it mrhavercamp's way - he is a Gladden super collector.

Thanks for the trade and sorry for the delay Douglas!

Next up is a trade with the Lost Collector,  and as I remember I sent some Yankees his way. In return I received these Giants - a great exchange in my opinion.  Here are the cards I received:

 First up are a couple of Giants prospects from Elite Extra Edition.  Agosta and Stratton both are pitchers with bright futures for the Giants (I hope).  The Giants farm system is stocked with pitching prospects but not so many position players.  May need to do some trading in the future to balance things out and hopefully they go better than the Zach Wheeler give away.  I really appreciate getting these cards as they are from a set I don't come across too often.

Next up are a trio of Will Clark needs.  Clark is showcasing his sweet lefty swing in each of these photos.  The Thrill was one of my favorite players of the 80s and 90s and his cards seem to be the toughest to get from that era. I have several team sets that came down to needing a Will card to finish it off.  Three very cool pick ups here.

This is another SP Archives need for my now completed set. Evans is pictured as a Brave here but I remember him best from his years on the Giants.  He had a very solid career and I believe I remember reading something about his career numbers and how they are some of the best for someone not ever considered for the HOF.

The final card is the awesome Buster Posey card. It looks like some sort of ad or promo for Toyota and until getting this card I had never seen one.  Definitely my favorite get in this trade, I love finding cards for my collection that I didn't know existed.  A belated thanks to the Lost Collector for this trade!

The last trade to show was actually just a package sent to me from a reader of the blog, Peter.  Peter shot me a nice note and indicated he would PWE me a couple cards for my Opening Day set. What he sent surprised me and exceeded my expectations:

The Dbacks mascot is the card that started the trade and I picked up a few Buster's as well. The Play Hard inserts are sweet and you have to love the picture captured in Posey's card.  I was pretty happy to see his 2013 Topps photo but I am ready for a new card of his from 2014 flagship, I hope it does him justice and he gets a "00"card number ending.

The highlight of the package wasn't the cards but the cut outs from old magazines and newspapers Peter sent my way:

 The first item was a newspaper article from Willie Mays' farewell to the game of baseball.  I very cool read. It makes me want to go back and see how hard it might be to track down old sports pages or Sporting News editions on line.  It takes you right back to the moment.

This items is a small disc of Mays, I am not sure what it is cut out from but it is pretty thick cardboard.  Neat picture of Mays with Orlando Cepeda in the background along with some tall light towers or flag posts.

 This isn't the most flattering picture of the Say Hey Kid but from what I have read it is somewhat reminicent of his last year or two in baseball. I have heard the story of him falling down in the outfield and being much slower to get out of the way of pitches at the plate.

I very cool cut out of Vida blue in his nice, colorful Oakland A's uniform.  With the picture being cut out like it is, I have to wonder what was around him but boy do I live this picture!

The last page puzzled me a bit, a full page picture of Harmon Killebrew.  Don't get me wrong, I like Harmon and greatly appreciate his contributions to the game but when you read my blog and look at my collecting, this Minnesota great really doesn't come to mind. Luckily I flipped it over...

 Now I get it!  My favorite player of all time Willie "Stretch" McCovey.  What a cool picture.  It looks like he is staring back at the umpire with a "are you kidding me?" look after a pitch.  My guess is he hit the next one into the upper deck.  Another belated thanks to Peter, I really appreciate the cards and the pictures!