2015 trade package #35: breaking down, talkin' softball, and rocking out on New Year's Eve

Thanks again to everyone that made 2015 another fantastic year of trading--you're the best part of card blogging and I look forward to even better things next year!

It's the waning hours of the last day of the year, and I'm writing this post just in time to cover my final trade package of 2015, courtesy of Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown.  Earlier this year I expressed interest in some of his amazing customs, and that's a large part of what I enjoyed out of this envelope.

The first bunch were inspired by top-5 Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat," and so I'll do them the justice they deserve by showing them off to the tune of "Talkin' Softball," an excellent parody in and of itself.  So hit the play button on the video below and enjoy!

Well, Mr. Burns had done it

The Power Plant had won it

With Roger Clemens clucking all the while

Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile

While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the bar-room tile

We're talkin' softball, from Maine to San Diego

Talkin' softball

Mattingly and

Canseco

Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw

Steve Sax and his run-in with the law

We're talkin' Homer,

Ozzie and the Straw

I'm astounded at the quality of this brilliantly-conceived magnet set...and I'm STILL waiting for Mattingly to TRIM THOSE SIDEBURNS.  By the way, the set includes a 10th card:

...and why shouldn't it be the guy that went on to the best career of the bunch, soon-to-be HOFer Ken Griffey Jr.?

Gavin also included a few other magnets:

A reprint of Griffey's '89 Fleer RC, a totally custom Cal Ripken Jr. from the same set parodying his brother's card, and the, um, buxom, Christina Hendricks on a MooTown Snackers custom (what's the connection he--oooooh, I get it!).

And one last magnet:

This is a glow-in-the-dark version of the Griffey above, and is hand-numbered 1/3(!) on the back.  Gavin put some cool glow strips along the edges, and I decided to take a couple of snaps with that effect:

One with a bit of light and one in the dark (sans flash).  Pretty nifty!

The customs/reprints didn't end there, though.  His thank you note was written on the back of this printout of Ripken's extremely rare 1980 Charlotte O's Police card:

And finally, as if this package wasn't generous enough, I got two cards in Gavin's nine-card Cardshpere Heroes set,

Barry Larkin and

Ken Griffey Jr.

What a cool idea not only to produce more fun customs, but to use the write-ups on the back to highlight the bloggers that collect those players!

Oh yeah, there were a few officially-licensed cards in the envelope too:

Bill Freehan's '70 Topps Booklet

Griffey's 1998 Pinnacle Mint Bronze Coin/card combo

This badass insert of Alan Trammell (#d 017/250)

And finally a pair of Verlanders.

And that's still not everything--you can see more over at TMM tonight!

Well that was one way to end 2015 with a bang!  Thanks a ton for some amazing customs and lots of PC cards, Gavin, and I hope we can trade again soon in 2016.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!