2014 trade package #19: Sports Cards From the Dollar Store sends me some J-eh V

Canadian blogger and generous trader extraordinaire Doug of Sports Cards From the Dollar Store sent me another action-packed trade package recently, and I'm finally getting around to showing off the goods!

As always, (and I mean always, which is great for me!) the best loot can be seen over at TMM, but that's not to say that the couple cards I have to show off over here are chopped liver:

Justin Verlander 2014 Panini Prizm Chasing the Hall

Continue to count me in as a fan of Panini's Prizm.  Maybe not an avid fan, but they've produced some fun sets and clearly deserve an MLB license.  This chromy-type insert does a reasonable job of hiding the lack of logos, as is sometimes the case, and it brings to mind the question of what JV's ultimate legacy will be in the game.  He's obviously fallen off his elite pace in the last couple years, but that might just be a bump in the road for a future HOFer.  As of this post he sits at an impressive 145 wins in his 10th season (eight and a half full seasons), with a Rookie of the Year award, the 2011 AL Cy Young AND MVP awards, two no-hitters, and six All-Star nods to his name.

Justin Verlander 2014 Topps Gold (#1938/2014)

Trades like these are great for me because I really don't like buying new Topps products anymore, but that doesn't mean there aren't cards I want to pick up, like the ubiquitous Gold parallels of my favorite players including Verlander.  This is a classic insert that should never, never go away no matter how many stupid colored parallels Topps comes up with.

Thanks again, Doug, for our eighth trade I've had to show off on this here blog!  This Tiger fan appreciates all the packages you've sent across the bridge (or through the tunnel if you prefer), and I'm happy to say that I've already started picking things up for a return.  Readers, dig out your O-Pee-Chee cards and remember them fondly, then head over to Sports Cards From the Dollar Store tonight!

Happy birthd-EH, Doug C.!

I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to one of my favorite bloggers/traders, Doug of Sports Cards From the Dollar Store!  His happens to be very easy to remember since he so publicly collects cards of guys that share his February 14 birthday.  His posts from yesterday and today provide a few glimpses into that collection, if you're interested.  Athletes that fall into that category include (click the sport for all players):

Baseball:
Derek Norris
Takashi Saito
Dave Dravecky

Basketball:
Rip Hamilton
Gheorghe Muresan
Byron Mullens

Football:
Drew Bledsoe
Steve McNair
Jim Kelly
Harry Colon
Patrick Ramsey
David Garrard

Hockey:
Calle Johansson
Petr Svoboda
Viktor Kozlov
Marian Gaborik
Petr Mrazek

So in honor of this hoser's birthday, send him a bunch of 2/14 stuff!  I'm currently in the process of doing just that, and hopefully you'll see the results on his blog in just a few weeks.  Also, so this post isn't card-less, here's one of a player we both collect, another guy celebrating today:

And just for fun, who are the best athletes or other celebrities that share YOUR birthday?  Leave me some fun comments!  Mine include Bartolo Colon (ugh), Jason Babin, Joe Dumars and future MLB star Tracy McGrady, and Pat Verbeek and Kris Draper, plus actors John C. Reilly, Alfred Molina, Jim Broadbent, and music legend Bob Dylan.

2013 trade package #4: Buckstorecards sends cards from America's Hat

Welcome to the trade post I put off for way too long as I worked to get a ton of trade packages out.  This is the second half of a package I received from Douglas of Sports Cards From the Dollar Store.  Please feel free to check out part one over on TMM, especially if you like hockey, eh?

So besides that glorious bounty, he included nice stacks of baseball (Tigers) and hockey (Red Wings):

Junk wax Tigers!  Many of these players bring back great memories, though--Evans, Tram, Whitaker, GIbby, Tanana, Petry, Morris--it's pretty much the '84 champs all over again!

The hockey turnout was just as great, with some junk wax trumped by some excellent modern stuff.  I love the Zetterberg celebrating the Winter Classic at the Big House that was ultimately cancelled, but will supposedly be back on next year.  The image of a European holding a helmet from the REAL sport of football is hilarious!  The Topps Puck Attax cards are also very cool, in extremely stark contrast to the crap they've put out in the other sports.  The idea of making them puck-shaped was totally natural, so why not do the same with baseball?  Anyway, there's tons of other players to enjoy here, including Lidstrom, Mr. Hockey, and goon extraordinaire Darren McCarty, but the real junk gems for me are the players I remember like I was playing NHL '94 yesterday:  Ysebaert, Probert, Cheveldae, Burr--what a group!

Not that I should be surprised to receive such a great hockey haul from a guy who hails from America, Jr.  Thanks again for a fantastic trade, Douglas, and I hope you enjoy your return package whenever it gets to you!