2025 trade package #29: Scribbled Ink

Tonight's trade package, the final one of 2025, came from Paul of the erstwhile blog Scribbled Ink (plus he also ditched Xitter as cool people are wont to do). He and I don't trade all that often anymore as he's been busy with family and other stuff, but fortunately we do get together for the occasional deal. I sent him some cards around Christmas and then of course he sent the above BOX my way, which usually indicates insanely awesome goodies (spoiler alert: it contained some insanely awesome goodies).

Seriously, Paul's basically the Wes of the north when it comes to what he sends me these days from his estate sale purchases. Here's what my former fellow Michigander sent me late in December:

This complete boxed set of 1993 Pinnacle Cooperstown is a great place to start. Not only does it include the box portion, but it comes with an attached panel featuring a good look at the front and back of Cal Ripken Jr.'s card:

Also, box sets with printed checklists on them are awesome. Also also, boxed sets are awesome. This is a great looking set from when the Pinnacle brand really got its design juices flowing. The checklist is excellent and it includes PC guys Ripken, Gwynn, Griffey, Larkin, and Fielder, plus the rest of the lineup isn't exactly chopped liver. For taking a stab at who'd make the Hall back then, they did a pretty good job. Of this bunch, only these guys haven't been selected: Murphy, Mattingly, Bonds, Clark, Clemens, Gooden, Carter, Gonzalez, Fielder, and McGwire. Out of that group, you've got a few "not quites" along with PED-adjacent names. So, yeah, great start!

Here's the rest of the card portion, plus a bonus 2024 schedule for Paul's current home team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, who play Double-A ball in the Blue Jays organization.

Switching over to football for a minute, Paul included a RC of HOF DB Ty Law, plus Michigan uni autos courtesy of Panini Contenders Draft Picks of FB/TE Khalid Hill and S Tyree Kinnel. Hill was an outstanding blocker who could occasionally catch a pass while Kinnel played in Ann Arbor from 2015-18 as a solid contributor in the defensive backfield.

So what other kinds of ridiculousness did Paul get up to this time? Let's start with this:

Go ahead, get all of your plate jokes out of the way. This roughly 8" plate features some great artwork of the Iron Man throughout his career, and of course it was made to celebrate Cal standing alone as the leader in consecutive games played.

The back has four different write-ups on the outer edge while the inside is useful for identifying it--and making it known you should not be eating off of this thing! I'm not sure who else was part of this series distributed by the Bradford Exchange other than Lou Gehrig and Mark McGwire. Regardless, it's a great looking showpiece and Paul did a great job getting it to me in ONE piece.

Next, if this ball looks familiar, that's because you saw one like it in a trade package from Kerry last year. The main difference is that this one has a different photo, and a black & white one at that, on one of the panels. All I can say is that great minds think alike because this one is just as cool as the one Kerry was nice enough to send me (also in a box!).

That's already some very nice stuff, but we haven't gotten to the true ridiculousness yet. I'll give you a hint: the Ripken ball above wasn't the only one in this package:

As soon as I pulled these out, I immediately DMed Paul and asked him if they were what I thought they were: baseballs (ROMLBs, in fact) signed by Griffey and Ripken. While he couldn't offer a COA from either, the previous owner of them (Paul acquired them through an estate sale) was considered a "reputable" collector. Considering I have zero interest in ever giving these up, that's more than good enough for me to consider them to be authentic. So, one more time, autographed official MLB balls of two of my all-time favorite HOF PC guys of all time: Griffey and Ripken. Now do you see why I'm saying Paul's ridiculous?!

In all seriousness this was just another example of Paul's extreme generosity (you know, the same guy that sent me separate shipments including a Mickey Tettleton signed bat and then a Dean Palmer game-used one) which I assure you I completely appreciate and don't take for granted. I have no idea how to get him back for these but I'm currently scheming away so I can return the favor at some point.

Until then, thank you so much, Paul, for another incredible box of greatness! Your mailings remain undefeated and you've more than earned your place on the hobby Mount Rushmore of generosity with Wes. This was a fantastic way to close out my year in blogger trades and I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor from you sending me those two baseballs. Readers, please show Paul some love in the comments!

I'll try to be back a bit sooner for the next few posts which will close out 2025 for me. I would expect those to be: the December show, eBay pickups, and one or two posts recapping TCDb trades from July-December. Then I'll be able to move on to 2026 with this month's show and two blogger trades I've already been fortunate enough to receive!

Recognizing Extreme Generosity: CardBoredom

I'm sure I've started many posts the same way as this one, but it's always worth mentioning how much this hobby attracts some very generous people who enjoy doing nice things for their fellow collectors. That's one of the biggest reasons I've collected as long as I have, especially thanks to following the example of some fellow bloggers whose examples I've followed over the years. How great it is to receive a surprise envelope containing not a trade, but a gift from someone who isn't expecting anything in return? Or to be the one doing the surprising, knowing you're about to make someone's day?

The reason for the sappy (but heartfelt!) intro tonight is such an unexpected gift that I received back in April thanks to David of CardBoredom. It was "unexpected" in the sense that the card he sent floored me, though I should explain that he first emailed me for my address hoping I'd accept what he sent without arguing about getting something for free. You'll notice I didn't use "trade package" in the title because this wasn't a trade, it was one blogger treating another to a very cool item (which I promise I'll get to soon). As a matter of fact, he and I have never traded before, which makes this experience even more generous on his part.

Not that I should be surprised, given what he says in a FAQ section found in his About page:

Yep, that sounds like a stand-up guy to me! Ok, I'm pretty much out of synonyms for "generosity" here, and I'll show off what he sent in just a second, but first, I want to highlight this:

I'm really not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the nicest things anyone in the hobby has ever done for me, and that's really saying something. Recognizing my blog, sending me something unprompted, and then not worrying whether or not I even keep it (oh, but I'll be keeping it).

By now you must have guessed that David sent me something pretty significant, and you'd be right:

"That sure looks like Al Kaline's 1955 Topps base," some of you are saying, because you're way more educated about vintage sets than I am. That is indeed Mr. Tiger's second ever Topps issue, and now the oldest in my collection of him by a mile (next best is 1958 Topps #304, the card he shared with Harvey Kuenn).

I don't think I can stress enough that this is a 1955 Topps base of a HOFer (and Tigers favorite) which also happens to be in very nice condition given it's 70 years old! Guys, this isn't some kid's card that took a few spins on his bike spokes, was pinned to his wall, or was written on. It's a well-loved gem I'd happily own with creases and tearing galore, but I don't have to slum it with something like that because my copy is a bit rounded with minor stains and creases.

Did the person who originally owned this card have any idea that its bonus baby subject, whose stats in his first full MLB campaign of 1954 were somewhat pedestrian, would go on to become a HOFer and franchise icon? Maybe they expected big things the following year when he won the AL batting title as a 20-year-old and lost a close race with Yogi Berra for the league's MVP.

I don't know, but I have the benefit of knowing the outcome to Al's career and his value to my favorite baseball team, playing all 22 years in Detroit, helping them to the '68 World Series, and being a key voice of experience for the franchise until his death five years ago. That alone would make this card a special addition to my collection, but it's even more gratifying to receive it as a gift from someone as generous (see?) as David.

Before I end this post I want to highlight the fact that David treated a few others I follow to some very nice freebies as well. If you missed them at all, please check out the related posts on:

• Baseball Cards Come to Life
• Cards Over Coffee
• Diamond Jesters

(And possibly others that I missed.)

As for me, please consider your mission accomplished, David. I'm humbled to have received a card I'll certainly treasure for a long, long time, from someone who doesn't want anything in return. That's not to say that I won't ever try to hit you back, but for now I'll at least try to pay it forward to someone else who'll hopefully experience the same joy I did thanks to you!