My Long Awaited First Trade With JBF

I've been an active reader within this community for a little while longer than I've been writing(which isn't terribly long). However, I can tell you that it never ceases to amaze me when I see some of the packages that folks out there get dropped on them by Wes, AKA JBF. I had been waiting for the right moment to try to initiate a trade, and that moment came a few weeks back. Wes had posted some trade bait so that he could load up on trade packages which could be opened while on vacation. I saw a few cards that piqued my interest and I had some stuff that fit his description of what he was looking for, so I sent a message. His package arrived while I was away, and I am just now getting it scanned and written up.

I wasn't really sure what to expect besides the cards that I asked about(they'll come later in the post), but I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of this first trade package. I won't go crazy with the scans, but there were some great additions to the Yankee collection. I remember seeing pictures of that Fleer All-Star Mattingly, but I hadn't owned it until now. I may or may not have that Bernie tucked away somewhere, but I love it. Even if it's a dupe, how can I not share one of the few cards that shows him with those glasses on? Only in the early nineties! That Vanguard Jeter is definitely new to me. It's kinda designed like a front page headline which is easy to see here. What's not easy to see is that it's printed on really thin stock which lends to the newspaper feel. It's a cool card that I had no clue even existed.

While I'm not a huge fan of the 'Hit the Dirt' Opening Day insert, I'll take this Ellsbury any day. At least the set uses some photos that we're not likely to see in most other Topps sets. Hey, have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy a good Collector's Choice card before? I know, that bit is probably getting old by now. Oh well, I do love this awesome, horizontal Collector's Choice Donnie Baseball though! Getting new(to me) cards of his will never grow old. That was only a fraction of the great Yankee cards that I was able to flip through courtesy of this padded mailer. In the interest of time, we'll move on to the cards I had asked about.

Again, I'm not a huge fan of the Goodwin Champions sets, but they do include some unique relic possibilities. In fact, this Cobi Jones is the third footballer to play for the US National Team that I've acquired in the past few weeks(the other two were courtesy of Shoebox Legends). From one football to another...

NFL week one is but a few weeks away and I have been slowly preparing by adding some new Broncos to my collection. Here's an awesome patch/auto of Cody Latimer. I'm hoping he can provide yet another productive receiving option to go with Thomas and Sanders.

I really don't know too much about this beautiful Joe D. It comes from Topps Sterling, is framed in what feels like white suede, and is numbered 19/50. That's about the extent of my knowledge. It definitely seems to be the predecessor of the Gallery of Greats insert from Series One this year.

That almost puts the wraps on a great trade with JBF. Almost.

Ah, there it is, the icing on the cake. I have grown very fond of the custom cards that some in the blogosphere have created as their 'calling cards'. In fact, one day, I'll have to rustle up the time and creativity to create my own version. Until then, I will marvel over the ones that I receive in trade packages. I had seen copies of this card posted on other blogs and was thrilled to be able to add one to my collection.

Thanks Wes, I hope you enjoy(ed) flipping through the stack I sent your way nearly as much as I loved digging through this. I look forward to swapping cardboard with you again sometime.