A few weeks ago I received the latest package in an ongoing trade with TMV kindred collector Matt over at Bob Walk the Plank, and not that I want to detract from all of the other great stuff he's sent me, but boy was this envelope loaded! I'm talking 100% hits, and some really good ones at that.
Matt noted that this time he was going in a bit of a different direction (kind of like I did with the last package I sent him), and he did so in two ways: sending me mostly Tigers (and just one Wolverine card, on display tonight on TMM), and finding many of those from newer sets I hadn't touched yet. The result was pretty mind-blowing:
Nick Castellanos 2014 Topps Supreme Autographs Green auto (#SANC) (#31/45)
Nick Castellanos 2015 Diamond Kings DK Signature Materials Silver dual jersey auto (#34/99)
Not terribly interesting fact: I now have three hits of Castellanos, all of which include autographs, in my Tigers PC. Very cool fact: all three of them came from Matt in the form of these two plus another he sent my way back in January. Verdict: team trading gets a big thumbs up from me! The Supreme card is numbered pretty low and is great to have now before his prices blow up should he become a bit more consistent at the plate. And the Diamond Kings card gives me all the nostalgia feels of the classic Donruss subset/brand, plus it's a sweet auto/dual jersey card! What's got two thumbs and doesn't care about the lack of MLB logos? THIS guy.
Derek Hill 2014 Leaf Trinity auto
And now for something completely different.... Trinity is a very cool set that included some fun cards like this one which comes with an interesting inscription. Don't get me wrong--autographs that are "just" autographs are great, but that's what makes cards like this a fun treat. Leaf let the players have a bunch of space to sign their names and make a personal mark as well. An outfielder, Hill was indeed Detroit's first-rounder last year (#23 overall), and while his stats so far aren't terribly exciting, he's young and filled with potential, good enough to be ranked #3 in Baseball America's pre-season organizational top 10. Not only am I thrilled to have a card of his, I'm geeked that it's one as fun as this one is!
Brandon Inge 2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Swatches jersey (#015/199)
BInge! My nickname for the former Tigers C/3B/wherever the hell he was useful is also a good description of my activities this weekend vis a vis Orange is the New Black. Unlike that show, which is celebrating its third season, this card marks my first of Brandon in the Tigers collection, an oversight I somehow allowed until Matt rectified it!
Magglio Ordonez 2006 Upper Deck Star Attractions Swatches jersey
Magglio Ordonez 2008 SPx Winning Materials Team Initials 99 jersey (#52/99)
Magglio Ordonez 2009 Topps Allen and Ginter Relics jersey
Magglio? More like Mag-THREE-o, amirite? I now own 12 hits of Maggs, and they often seem to come in bunches like these for whatever reason. Fine by me since I loved the guy during his Detroit tenure (2005-2011) which included the 2006 World Series appearance that resulted from his game 4, 2-out, walkoff three-run homer against the A's in the ALCS.
Ivan Rodriguez 2008 SPx Winning Materials Limited Patch SPx patch (#88/99)
Speaking of Magglio and his teammates, here's another guy that played on that 2006 pennant-winning squad, and in patch form no less! For once the "patch" label actually applies with a lovely two-colored white/blue swatch with stitching in the middle. This is my fourth Pudge hit, and though I haven't necessarily done this on purpose, all of them come from his time with the Tigers, which is pretty cool.
Max Scherzer 2014 Topps Supreme Supreme Styling Autographs Green auto (#26/45)
If you didn't think this was a high-end trade before, well hold onto your hats, bros. Prof. Charles Xavier's favorite pitcher Max Scherzer is certainly styling here on a card that got a successful trim from a shark with a frickin' laser beam on its head. The green and gold make for a nice combination, but the signature and crazy low numbering make this a winner, not to mention a card I wouldn't have expected to get in a trade in a million years. Expect the unexpected when you trade with the proprietor of Bob Walk the Plank!
Alan Trammell 2003 Sweet Spot Classics Autographs Black Ink auto (#096/173)
You'd think he'd stop there, unless of course you've traded with him in which case at this point you're like "Yeah, there's probably still something great you haven't shown us yet." Right you are--peep this gorgeous Sweet Spot auto of classic Tigers SS Trammell. I've been fortunate to pick up some nice stuff of the '84 Series MVP, but all of that has some stiff competition in the form of this signature stunner. My fourth auto (out of eight hits) has me hungry for more. What a great way to close out an incredible bunch of cards!
Thanks again for raising the bar in our ongoing trade once again, Matt. I'm already hard at work assembling items worthy of a response while I look forward to the next envelope of awesomeness you send my way!
Love trading with you my friend! You and I pretty much have the exact same tastes. Glad you liked the Trammell. I was most excited about that card.
ReplyDeleteThis was simply one of the most ridiculous packages you sent me, just high-end after high-end hit! Thanks again, and I look forward to your post on what I sent you most recently.
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