A PWE That Nearly Made Me Breakdown

Here we are, finally at the end of the line for The Great Trade Post Catch Up and boy was this PWE incredible! It came by way of Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown. It just so happens that he just published his 700th post and is hosting a pretty sweet contest. I encourage everyone to go here to check it out. Even if you don't want to enter the contest, you need to see the incredible custom cards that he created. Anyway, back to the contents of this most recent PWE, it had a little bit of everything:

More new Bernie cards! That's not entirely true...I did just receive a copy of that HoloGrFX AuSOME card from Jeff a short while back and I've had a copy of that 1989 Columbus Clippers issue for just shy of two decades. However, I love the design on that minor league card(always have). It reminds me of 'Take Me Out To the Ballgame' with its Cracker Jack themed border. The others are absolutely new though.

Former Bulls were in the stack too. Kiermaier is probably my favorite non-Yankee player right now and this is my second Chipper that shows him in his Durham uni.

There were set needs to be found as well. The Shoemaker leaves me only needing a Rusney Castillo to finish the Studio inserts from 2015. If anyone has one they're willing to part with, please let me know. The Ruth lets me put that retail exclusive set to bed. The fun didn't stop there though. Not by a long shot.

Next I found some vintage oddball in the form of this 1961 Golden Press of 'Double X' Jimmie Foxx. This is only my second Golden Press card to date. I really like them and I'll have to work on adding a few more before the year is over. That would have been an incredible PWE, but the final card is the one that really made me almost breakdown.

When I saw this, all I could think was WOW! I don't have very many Japanese cards in my collection and I am absolutely floored to have this one. I've placed a few half-hearted bids on a few different BBM Tanaka cards and haven't won any of them. Maybe some day I'll make a push to add one of his Japanese RCs to this gem, but for now, I'm happy to have a card that shows him in his Eagles uniform. Thanks for another great trade package Gavin!

Almost Had a Breakdown Looking Through That PWE

Sorry for the lengthy post title, it's been a long day(yes, this post was supposed to go live last night)...

I had a good day out at the card show yesterday, but I've forbid myself to share anything from the show until later in the week. For the first time, I am severely behind in writing up trade posts(and putting together return packages). So, I've made a deal with myself. As motivation to get caught up, I'm not going to allow myself to share my finds from the show until after a few back to back trade posts are complete.

There has been some really good stuff being delivered to my mailbox over the past few weeks. The contents of a recent PWE from Baseball Card Breakdown was certainly a prime example of that last statement.

I'll begin with some football since the season is still pretty young. I was thrilled to see the Virgil Green pop out of the stack. With the departure of Julius Thomas, I am hoping the Virgil will get a chance to make some plays this season. It's great to see a Von Miller that I didn't already have, and I may be staring at the new starting QB in the case that Peyton doesn't stay healthy.

Speaking of Peyton, this beauty is my first modern day mini football card. Not a bad guy to start with. From here, the package took a vintage turn.

This well loved Claude Osteen Topps Game card trimmed my set completion number down to two. I'm getting so close on this one. It's going to be so satisfying to cross that last name off my list and complete my first vintage set.

My favorite gem in this package was this 1961 Golden Press George Sisler, hands down. I had actually been looking at bidding on a copy of this card on Listia, but the numbers went too high for me so I ended up missing out on that one. I love this design and now that I have one in hand, I need to track down a few others to add to the collection.

Once again, Gavin, awesome package! Thanks so much, I've got a stack started for you and I added a few more to it while at the show on Sunday. I'll send them out soon.

Happy to Take That Off Your Hands

A few days after receiving my last PWE from Wish They Still Came With Bubblegum territory, I saw Jeff post some cards from a blaster of last year's A&G. Among them was an Ian Desmond jersey relic. He seemed pretty anxious to unload it, so I decided to swoop in and claim it. Shortly after that, it arrived in my mailbox along with some filler.

Look at that young Mariano! Inexplicably, I hadn't pulled that Tanaka from any of the Archives that I've busted.

Here it is, the relic that Jeff was looking to dump as soon as possible. I've been passively collecting Desmond for a while now, and this is the first relic of any kind that I've been able to add to my collection. 

Thanks Jeff, I've been working on your next return package for a little bit, it should be ready soon.

Attack of the PWE's

I've connected with a bunch of great trading partners over the course of my first six months of writing this blog. Now that I find myself snowballing towards my one year anniversary, the frequency and random timing of deliveries to my mailbox from some of these partners has picked up pace as well. Case in point, the recent barrage of PWE's that found their way to me courtesy of Mr. Shoebox Legends himself, Shane.

A short while ago, an unexpected envelope arrived.

It was filled with a bit of vintage goodness, a former captain, and one of the greatest hitters in MLB while I was growing up.

Don't think that there was a lack of shiny, because that Gosuke Katoh Bowman insert has that covered. No matter what anyone says, I still love 'The Rocket' too! After checking these out I thought I'd get them scanned and a post written fairly quickly, but before I had the chance to do either, another envelope arrived.

I found some more shiny(and in he purple Arcia's case, serial numbered) goodies, two of the many young SS that are bursting from the seams of the Yankees farm system, my first Co-Signers card, and another Donnie Baseball. Thanks for the great additions to my collection Shane! You're quickly becoming my most prolific trading partner.

Vintage Set Collecting Help Courtesy of Brian at HSCA

It's been a little while since Brian and I have exchanged cards. I've been slowly accumulating some cards I hope he'll like since he has been one of my most prolific trading partners in the short history of this blog. That said, it was quite the surprise when I received a PWE out of the blue from HSCA headquarters a short while ago.

These don't qualify as vintage set needs, but there were new cards of four of my favorite contemporary Yankees. I especially like the O'Neill. It's tough to see in the scan, but it's shiny and colorful. Also, how could I not like a Post Donnie Baseball and have I mentioned how much I like Collector's Choice?

Brian included two new 1968 Topps Game inserts to help in my set collecting quest. Until I can make it to a local show, my only sources that allow me to cross more names off this checklist are eBay(which is not preferred due to cost) and fellow bloggers that have the benefit of regular shows in their area. This is already the third card that Brian has helped me cross off this list and it leaves me with only 14 more to track down.

Thanks for the great PWE Brian. I promise that I've got something almost ready to send your way. I hope once it arrives, you'll find the contents were worth the wait!

I Wish This PWE Came With Bubblegum

Jeff from Wish They Still Came With Bubblegum has been working on his PWE packing skills and I am happy to say that I was recently on the receiving end of one. The contents packed quite a punch. There were seven cards in all. I needed six of them. Here they are.

I'll start with one of the highest rated Yankees prospects in the system. This is a great die-cut. The prospects didn't end there.

Jeff has sent me the only two Refsnyder cards that I have. In an earlier package, he sent me the Bowman paper version which I got signed, here we have the Chrome version. The orange wave Mateo is the first orange wave that I have added and the first Mateo to find a home in my collection. Next, Jeff hit my love of season highlights and of Bernie Williams.

Wait, I forgot to include my love of Collector's Choice. I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned that in a previous post or two.

Though the rest of the contents were pretty great, these two were definitely my favorites of the bunch. I think that Topps Gallery is hit or miss. There have been really great designs done well and there have been some really weak designs done poorly. These two are really great! 

Thanks for the PWE Jeff! I've got some more Bravos to ship your way soon.

Another Completely Awesome PWE - Brian Strikes Again!

I LOVE this shot of the old Durham Athletic Park! I only learned of this card's existence a few months ago. It was actually on my Cardboard Wishlist, but it hadn't quite cracked the top ten, so nobody could see it on the list yet. This card perfectly captures the 'famous' Lucky Strike water tower, an iconic part of the Downtown Durham skyline. The back is equally incredible.

This is the original 'Hit Bull, Win Steak' sign, and of course the write up mentions the park's connection to Bull Durham. All in all just a really great piece of my favorite minor league team's history. So, when Brian from HSCA wrote a post about the box of 1995 UD Minor League that he had busted, I quickly sent him an email asking if he had a dupe that he could possibly send my way. Fortunately he did, and now I am the proud owner of a copy of this beauty.

As has become usual in our interactions, I wondered what 'filler' he might include when the PWE arrived. In all fairness, I did ask him for a few other cards from the minor league set(which he also had and sent along). 

Brian sent two Durham Bulls players in addition to the Andy Pettitte on the right here. The addition of two other 'Core Four' guys was a pleasant surprise. I'm particularly fond of the National Baseball Card Day Derek Jeter. I wasn't collecting during the years they ran this promotion. I think they need to bring it back!

Next up, a pair of prospect cards and an Opening Day blue parallel of Jacoby Ellsbury. Also included, but not shown was an 'El Duque' A&G mini from 2014.

This was great! Brian included a fairly significant upgrade of the Orlando Cepeda for my 1968 Topps Game set. However, that was not all he sent.

This one was bittersweet. I really liked Robbie when he was in NY. This is my first relic of his. Though it's a plain gray swatch, it reminds me of better days when the Yankees had one of the best 2nd basemen in the league, not Stephen Drew or Gregorio Petit. Granted, I do like some of the cards showing Robbie in Seattle's throwback threads, but I wish he was still playing in The Big Apple!

Once again, Brian, thanks for the great cards. I hope you enjoy what I've sent your way in return as much as I'm enjoying these!

Another PWE from HSCA

Brian from Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary has done it again. After one of his posts a few weeks back that offered up some Allen & Ginter singles, I sent a message staking claim to a copy of the fairly well known Pele missing text card.

He quickly sent it along. As happy as I am to finally have the Pele in my collection, it has become pretty exciting to open Brian's PWEs to see what 'filler' cards he's added.

Aceves was one of my favorite Yankee role players while he was with the team. Even though I kinda wrote him off once he ended up with the rival Red Sox, this RC reminded me of his years in pinstripes. I absolutely loved the Guidry, it was my first Leaf Yankee from that set.

I'm quickly becoming a safe haven for the blogosphere's unwanted Drew Henson cards and I'm totally fine with that. Though I have a bunch of the modern day Mantle cards from the Flagships sets, I did need this one from 2012. Gotta love the Mick!

By the time this Johnny Damon was found in packs, I had long since given up on Ultra. This is one of the first few that I have from the 2006 set and it turns out that I really like this set. This was the first of these Mantle inserts from Heritage to find its way to my doorstep. I think they were done really well since the back has the specifics for his 22nd home run of 1958. Though 'Godzilla' was another of my favorite Yankees of the 2000's, my collection is woefully lacking his cardboard. Even though the design is quite a bit more modern, the RBI Kings insert set takes me back to Ultra's mid to late '90's heyday. What better way to end a PWE recap post than with some Yankees vintage? Mr. Duren was obviously hung over on the morning of the photo shoot for the 1960 Topps set. Nice shades sir.

Thanks for another great PWE Brian!

Cards From Nachos Grande

I know I've written about how much fun I had taking part in my first group break a few weeks ago courtesy of Chris over at Nachos Grande. I appreciate that Chris takes on the challenge of hosting breaks so that guys like me can potentially score some really great stuff at a price inside my budget. I'm almost as excited to join this new break which will include a case of 2015 Topps Heritage and a bonus box of 2004 Topps Clubhouse Collection(which is full of hits). There are still some really great slots available and Chris has started making deals to make some of the slots a bit more equal in terms of potential hits that can be pulled. If you've never joined a break or have had fun with them in he past, do yourself a favor and check out the details over at Nachos Grande.

Chris' generosity doesn't end with hosting breaks. He recently opened some Topps series one for himself and I inquired about the availability of some cards to help with my set needs. A few days later, a PWE with these arrived in my mailbox:

I know some don't care for this design, but it is OK in my book(except that there are black, silver, and gold variations, really Topps?). For me, the real draw of this set is the write-ups on the back that describe each player's first home run.

It sure isn't going to be the easiest insert from series one to piece together since it has a 40 card checklist AND is retail-only. I'll get them all someday. Cross three more of my list(which I recently posted, BTW). Thanks again Chris!