A Trek Through the Land of Listia - volume 3

Once again, it is time to share with you all some of the treasures I've unearthed in the Land of Listia. The more I explore it, the more I realize it is quite the odd(ball) place! In recent weeks, I've added several new treasures to the collection.

First up is another vintage Post cereal card, this time from 1962. I'm not in love with it as much as the '61 Whitey Ford I found a while back, but I'm still pretty thrilled to own this one.

Next up is my first card from the 1965 Topps Embossed set. This is the second vintage insert set of which my first card has been Joe Torre. What can I say? I've got a soft spot for the former Yankee manager.

How about some vintage Hostess? I've read so much about these, but had never actually held one until securing this gem. Now I can definitely see what the hype is about. I love these! I'll have to keep my eyes open when there is finally a card show in my area again.

Here's one that satisfies my love of baseball history and of oddball issues all in one. This Mother's Cookies Nolan Ryan celebrates his surpassing 5000 career strikeouts. I really dig this simple posed shot of the Ryan Express.

I found two more Donnie Baseball cards. I didn't realize until lining these scans up next to each other that the photos are very similar.

We'll close out this trek through the Land of Listia with two more awesome Kellogg's Yankees. I really like the Munson. The border reminds me of a neon sign for some reason and it's a great pic of the former Yankee captain.

I must admit that when I took my first adventure through this place, I found to largely be a barren wasteland where junk wax singles and unopened packs ran rampant. However, the more I search, the more I find that with patience and perseverance, there are great treasures to be found. I wish you safe travels should you choose to explore this land and until our next trek...happy collecting!

This One's For the Kids

The Kid's Club that is! My endless quest for new and interesting stuff led me to discover this gem, a small giveaway set from the ChiSox Kid's Club. I'm sure that by now you all know that I don't collect the White Sox, but this set has a few players that I like and it definitely fits in with my affinity for oddball issues.

I like Abreu. I won't collect him because a lot of his cards are outside my budget, but it's nice to add cards like this of the Cuban slugger. I especially like it because it's one of the few cards that I own that doesn't show him in that airbrushed throwback Sox uni! I love Robertson(despite the fact that he's a Yankee no more), but it is strange seeing him in the wrong pinstripes(even if this one is airbrushed)!

Check out the card backs. They pack a ton of info on here! I especially like the 'Fun Facts' and the 'Did You Know?' sections. You can definitely tell these were aimed at younger fans.

These complete the 6 card set. Chris Sale is one of my favorite pitchers playing right now, so it was great to add this one to my stack of his cards. I haven't officially decided to start a PC on him just yet, but it may not be far off.

I love the mascot card too! I didn't even realize that the Sox had a mascot. I suppose I should take that as a hint to focus a bit more on the past few years' worth of Opening Day Mascot inserts. 

All in all, this is a great little set. If only the Yankees had something similar for me to chase after...or maybe they do and I just haven't discovered it yet!

No Rivalries Amongst Trade Partners

I usually try not to go with two trade posts back-to-back, but this one was ready and overdue, so here goes.

Quite some time ago, Shane from Shoebox Legends and I completed our first trade. When he emailed to propose it, he asked of we could complete an AL East Rivals swap. I obliged and I think both of our collections were the better for it. A short while after that, I decided that I was going to try to complete the 1968 Topps Game insert set. Shane told me he had a card he could send and would throw it in a PWE. Instead, I received a small padded mailer with his return address on it. The contents were something special.

As promised, Shane sent over this Tony Gonzalez which I needed for the Game set. I like this set more and more with each card I cross off the checklist.

I found a healthy dose of oddball in this package. I love the Donnie Baseball additions. The super shiny gold Ivan Nova was nice too!

This is where the package took an unexpected turn. I'm not sure if these were meant for someone else because I have never mentioned the NHL in the short history of this blog. However, if Shane simply has a surplus of these and was looking to pack some added punch in a trade package, I will happily rip into these things like there is no tomorrow! In fact, it is beyond me how I have been able to leave these sitting on my desk unopened for as long as I have already. Truth is, these packs come from a time when I did collect hockey. The chance at an early Jagr and RC of Hasek and LeClair are tempting me to rip the Score pack and the fact that I never really saw how the brilliance of Stadium Club translated to the ice makes me want to tear into it.

We'll keep the unexpected rolling right along. I was shocked to see this Solarte RC auto from 2014 Stadium Club staring back at me. It's a beautiful card and will serve to remind me of the early part of the 2014 season when the exploits of 'Never Nervous Yangervis' were about the only thing keeping the team afloat...a time when it was still possible that they would make a playoff run in The Captain's final season.

Last, but certainly not least, was this stunning commemorative relic. This thing is THICK, and HEAVY! It may be a manu-relic, but it is quite an impressive one in my book. 

Not too shabby considering I was only expecting a PWE with the Gonzalez card in it. Thanks for another great package, Shane! I'm truly thankful that the on-field rivalry of our favorite teams doesn't carry over to the collecting world. I'll have more BoSox to send your way shortly!

Trading with an Underdog

A little while back, Zach, from the great blog The Underdog Card Collector posted some 2015 GQ that were up for grabs. There were three cards that struck my interest so I sent him a message. Though we hadn't traded previously, our interaction was welcomed readily. I'm a touch behind on the trade posts so this envelope actually reached my mailbox a few weeks ago and I must say that I was impressed. A small package that was put together quickly sure did pack a good punch. Let's dig into it.

The Jeter Walk-Off Winners insert was one of the ones that started this ball rolling. It features the well known picture of the Captain celebrating after his final Yankee Stadium at bat which resulted in a walk-off single. The other Jeter GQ insert was a pleasant surprise. With the addition of another DiMaggio streak insert, I'm almost at the point where I should probably create a want list to finish that insert set off. It's incredible to me that when I started trading with my fellow bloggers, I didn't have a single one of these and now I am getting close to halfway done! Yankees Rookie Stars from '69 round out the first scan in vintage style!

A little more vintage finds a new home as a well loved Nate Oliver joins the collection. A trip of Yankee legends was also a welcome addition! I hadn't seen these GQ No-Hitters inserts before, but seeing the Jim Abbott fall out of this stack was a pretty darn good way for me to discover a new insert set, and it's always nice to get a new(to me) card of The Warrior.

Next, we have the second card that I had requested. The Souza Glove Stories immortalizes the incredible catch that he made to preserve Jordan Zimmermann's no hitter last season. Zach is one of the few trading partners that has reached beyond my affinity for new Yankees and hit on my love of baseball history. The Nolan Ryan and Joe Carter 'highlight' cards are prime examples of this part of my collection.

In the end, my collection always comes back to the Yankees. We round out the highlights of this package with two Topps '72 minis and the final GQ card that I had wanted. The Rizzuto is the silver parallel mini and it is serial numbered /199.

Overall, this trade package left quite the first impression. Zach had told me to hold off on sending anything back his way until I received this. In the weeks that have passed since opening it, I have been putting together your return package, Zach. I can only hope that when I am done, you dig what I send your way as much as I have enjoyed the cards in this post. Thanks for a great first trade, I look forward to another one soon!

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Team Mascot

Happy Birthday To You!

Happy Birthday To You!

Happy Birthday dear Wool E.

Happy Birthday to you!!!Here is a look at Wool E. Bull through the years. I hate that I can't be at the DBAP celebrating today, it' always a fun, family friendly day at the ballpark. My girls and I will be there in spirit.