Trade Post: Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle

So, a few weeks ago, I showed a Dodger of some interest on this blog.  It was a double of a card I obtained a year or so ago when I was on the great Dodger hunt of 2011.  That same day, Greg from Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle reached out about its availabilty and after some back and forth negotiation, we were able to rehome the Dodger from close to its ancestral home to their current home.  I won't spoil the surprise of what I traded away, but instead will show the package Greg put together for the lonely card which crossed a nation. 



The Von Joshua moves me one card closer to completing my 1973 Topps set, which at the current rate of movement on my part, should be finished just shy of 2073.  One of these days, my focus will return, probably once I've finished with my T206 set and a smaller pre-war set, which eliminates the N173 Old Judge set from contention. Greg was also able to take some of the cards off my 2012 Topps set list as well.



I also gained his very nice Nicklas Lidstrom relic, numbered 260/599.  As another offensive minded defensemen, I am overjoyed to add a relic of his to my collection.  I'm rapidly moving my way through collecting something from all of my favorite defensemen, with Sergei Zubov moving to the top of the list.  Given that blogging was essentially non-existent, it is quite possible that this is the first time a Sergei Zubov relic topped any list in a blog.



I asked for the Neely, not because I am a Cam Neely fan, but instead, because I have a soft spot for Ulf Samuelsson, much like the insides of Cam Neely's knee.  I regret not tipping the card on its side when scanning and saving, to show the card equivalent of Cam Neely going down.  The Samuelsson itself was a very pleasant surprise in the package and a real favorite.  This is also not the last we will see of Cam Neely's relic on this blog, as he will make a return appearance with his old friend. 



Finally, we had these fine cards.  Player's Cigarettes is a British tobacco company, responsible for many of the tobacco cards still in existence today.  They issued cards containing cricketers, footballers, birds, plants, animals and men in uniform.  Before getting them, I did not know much about them, other than any time you can add something Ulster to your card collection, you pull the trigger, given how rare is it that Northern Ireland is represented.

The cards themselves are part of a 25 card set of Ceremonial and Court Dress cards.  Doing a little sleuthing, I discovered they are from 1911, making them just shy of the oldest cards included in the deal.  I've never said no to adding any new tobacco cards to my collection, though of course, I will now need to avoid searching out the last 23 to complete the run. 

Thanks again to Greg for sending these great additions to my collection. 

Trade Post: Nomo's Sushi Platter

I spent about 15 minutes trying to come up with something clever, but everything felt a little too sashimi and I didn't want to end up with any tamago on my face.  Yeah, that doesn't really work either.

I did, however, receive a blind trade package from Nomo's Sushi Platter today.  In my mind, a blind trade package is where you receive a series of cards, agreed upon in principle, but unaware of the exact content.  It allows someone to create that Christmas feeling, as you have no idea what is inside.  In return, I managed to beat the clock at the Post Office Saturday and fulfill the requested wishlist with a few other cards from my trade list.

Inside the package were three kinds of cards, 2012 Topps, 2011 Lineage and this:



Having most of the Cobbs and the Walter Johnson from this set and an affinity for classic, or as the cool kids say, vintage cardboard, I decided to work on this set and am now one card closer. than when the day started.



On some level, it is quite the mountainous challenge to try and complete a set after buying a grand total of one pack of cards from the set, but in retrospect, I realized I very much liked the look of the cards, the checklist of players and size of the set.  Having stopped after pulling a platinum diamond Ty Cobb from my lone pack, I was woefully short on cards to complete the set with.  These cards combined with a post to come later this week, I have made a significant dent in the set.

As to the cards themselves, I am quite partial to the Joe Morgan, as rare is the modern card which features him in Astros garb.  And I am surprised by this, but the above Lou Gehrig is the first of his cards that I own.  And I just liked the Aparicio, since his career stands in such stark contrast to that of Laruppin' Lou.




I also received a sizable stack of Series 1 and 2 Topps 2012.  (For the record, forced alliteration is the best alliteration.)  The horizontal cards are a weakness of mine.  Collecting T206s gives me an additional appreciation for the few cards enjoyed lengthwise instead of heightwise, especially since one of my fondest purchases was a Barney Pelty from the local card shop, back when it was under previous management.



And for some strange reason, I'm drawn in by the Predatoresque mask of Carlos Corporan.  He is not much of a player and he should probably stay clear of Jesse Ventura, but that mask is a simple work of art, reminding you of how many things are scarier than just a series of baseball cards.

Thanks again to Speigel for putting this deal together.

A Trade

Despite being back into collecting for over a year, I've yet to trade any cards. Part of that is I worked to intentionally avoided purchasing cards I already owned, even skipping past lots where I needed most, but not all of the cards. After collecting for quite some time, I realized in some instances it was cheaper to purchase lots and despite keeping an organized list, there were times where I would end up with two of the same card, thank you George Bell Hands Above Head/George Bell Follow Through.

Having accumulated approximately 20 T206 duplicates, I sat down Saturday morning and start scanning, scanning, scanning cards where I had a second copy. In most cases, I would make a choice about which cards belongs in the set and which card would be available for trade, though I was unable to choose between 1912 Triple Crown Winner Heinie Zimmermans. After making the album, I posted my doubles on and received an offer on the Jerry Freeman card at the top of the page. As it allowed me to mark one more card off of my set list, I accepted eagerly. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Now, it is time to pack off Jerry Freeman, wrap him in cardboard, place him in a bubble wrap envelope and take him to the post office to send him to his new owner, who will hopefully enjoy the card as I much as what I will be receiving in return.

If anyone is interested in trading tobacco cards, I've put links to my two trade albums below.