2016 trade package #9: spring game trading with Jeff

A couple Fridays ago Jeff from My Sports Obsession and I met up in-person for the first time since last year's Michigan Football spring game to swap cards and...take in this year's Michigan Football spring game.  Besides saving a bit of cash on shipping costs, in-person trading is always more fun since it gives you that old-school collecting kind of feel.

Anyway, a good time was had by all, and now I have some great cards to show off.  Since this is Jeff we're talking about, I get to treat y'all to a two-part trade post, with the other goodies available over on TMM.

This time, though, the bulk of the cards I received will show up right here.  Enjoy!

Almost all of this post's cards hail from 2016 Topps.  I got a nice trio of base cards of Castellanos, Kinsler, and Martinez, who's designated as a "Future Star" despite, uh, being a star.  I like the action photos the infielders got, though they suffer from Topps' patented XTREME ZOOM issue along with the interesting design decision of incorporating...a fog machine?  I dunno, man.  I'm digging the borderless thing, though.  Pitcher Daniel Norris, who's working through some back issues, gets in on the act with a Topps sticker that also came out this year.

Justin Verlander 2016 Topps and Gold (#1241/2016)

Hooray, a pair of new Verlanders!  Also from 2016 flagship, here's JV's base card and Gold parallel.  I guess one side effect of going borderless is that the parallels can be a bit more subtle, but the card on the right does carry on the legacy of that venerable insert.

Max Scherzer 2015 Topps Career High Relics jersey

Here's what I considered the first surprise of the package:  my fifth hit of former Tigers ace Max Scherzer.  From 2015 flagship, this card notes Max's career high of 21 wins from his 2013 Cy Young campaign that saw him lose just three decisions.  He's yet to top that since, though we'll see if he can do any better for the Nats this year.

Cal Ripken Jr. 1991 SilverStar Holograms

Going away from Tigers players, here's a fun oddball hologram of Cal Ripken Jr.  As with similar cards it was a little tough to scan, and the result here is pretty hilariously creepy.

Greg Maddux 2001 SP Game Bat Milestone Piece of Action Bound for the Hall bat

And here's the other card that really surprised me:  a bat relic of HOF pitcher Greg Maddux!  Mad Dog was known more for his arm and glove over his career, but he did slug five homers to go with two triples.  What a great addition as my 15th hit of my favorite 90s pitcher.

Thanks again for the great stuff, Jeff!  I had a blast hanging out and I hope you liked your box of cards too.