2020 trade package #37: $30 a Week Habit

I've made numerous references to not having spent nearly as much as I usually do on cards this year, largely for pandemic-related reasons. There's still a bit more than a week left, of course, but as things stand I'm a bit over $800. My calculator tells me that I'm averaging $15 per week.

That makes me half as cool as Robert of $30 a Week Habit, who was the second nice person who got into the holiday spirit and sent me Christmas cards--verified this time, see?:

Robert is another PWE veteran so he did a textbook job of getting these to me safely while adding a nice note for the holiday. As for what was inside,

HO HO HO, MERRY VERLANDERMAS! It's not Silver and Gold (halfway there!) but it's definitely two many Verlanders and therefore the perfect Christmas gift for your truly.

On the left is a 2019 Prizm parallel that I definitely needed to look up, but fortunately it's one that's serial numbered (/399) so looking it up on TCDB is way easier. In this case it's called "Blue Mojo", and half of that title makes sense to me, but we live in a world of crazy parallel names so Mojo it is. Somehow this is my first of JV's base/variations from the 2019 product, though I do have a couple other inserts. It's new, it's blue, and it's shiny, so I like it!

Speaking of numbered parallels, one that's a lot easier to identify is the Gold one found in Topps flagship packs for almost two decades now (and by the way, I remember busting a lot of '01 Topps and thinking those golds were sweet!). Topps going mostly border-less makes some of them tougher to discern but the Golds still stand out plenty, plus it helps that they're numbered to the year they were made. On the right here is Justin's only entry in the series 1 set, a league leaders card. The co-ace of the Cheatstros totaled 21 wins, hitting that big pitching milestone for the second time after notching 24 in his Cy Young 2011 campaign (another feat he repeated in 2019, actually). In doing so he proved that Detroit didn't know what they were doing in terms of his health, since all he did after being shipped to Houston in 2017 was go 42-15 in those two-plus seasons (before losing 2020 to injury) with the aforementioned Cy Young, a second place finish the previous year, and a World Series ring just months after the trade. Gold indeed.

Just two cards to scan so here's some backs, which let you clearly see the numbering I mentioned, and other interesting stuff.

At some point I might try to figure out how many cards of Mr. Kate Upton I added to my collection this year, but regardless I'm very happy to enjoy the gift of two more.

Thanks for thinking of me, Robert! I'm looking forward to doing more dealing with you next year, especially if shows become possible again and I can get back to acquiring cards and spending money on them at your usual rate. Until then, I hope you have a Merry Christmas, possibly one that includes the gift of cards of your own!

Next up is what stands for now as the final Christmas cards I have in my possession, though if the USPS ever solves its mail constipation issues that could change. Merry Cardmas to all!