2014 trade package #3: Brad nails it

Keeping up with yesterday's theme of my first trade with a particular blogger since late 2012, here's another fantastic package I received, my second from whatever the guy's name is that runs Brad's Blog.  The Ryan Howard aficionado (the MLB player, not the character on The Office) highlighted some trade bait not too long ago and I jumped all over a card that especially interested me.  In return, I'll be sending Brad a few cards I think he'll be pretty excited about--you know, as soon as they make it into my hands first.  In the meantime, he actually asked if it was ok if he threw in some other Tigers?  As if anybody needs my permission!  Here's what the Philly Fanatic sent me this time:

Tigers, part 1.  A good mix of players here, with my favorite being the sparkly Bonderman, but a trio of Miggys is always welcome too!

More Tigers, and a good bunch at that.  I'd call the two Kaline inserts the highlights of this scan, but the CYMTO of Fidrych is great as well.  AND I got another Granderson.

Best scan of the package?  Just three players and they're all outstanding:  Scherzer, Tram, and JV.  Better yet, one of the Verlanders is a Topps Gold parallel, one of my traditional favorites.

You can't really have Trammell without Whitaker, and fortunately Brad got that right, including a sweet double-play card.  I also wanted to show off a few of the inserts he included, such as the Higginson Refractor, which is a beautiful card of a player I don't care for, and will reside with the rest of my Tigers inserts. Much of the rest of this scan has me seeing Red too.

Here's a last of the bonus Tigers, including a few misc. players and prospects.  Three of them--Iggy, Smyly, and Rondon--are rising stars that could be a big part of a successful 2014 Tigers season.  The Deivi Cruz is a nice action shot that got Chrome-ified.  And the Rivera takes me back to the early 00s when he was a catcher with huge offensive potential.  Speaking of offensive, all of the Chrome cards were impossible to keep straight and in line with the rest of the stuff in the scan thanks to their infamous bowing--I think I spent five minutes trying to get them just right and finally gave up!

And now for the card that originated this here trade:

Drew Smyly 2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Blue Refractor auto (#039/199)

BLUE REFRACTOR IS BEST REFRACTOR.  I'm not a prospector by any means, but considering Smyly's potential and flashes of brilliance last year, I jumped at getting this gorgeous auto before the kid hypothetically blows up.  And even if he blows IT instead, it still looks great alongside the "base" version, a card I landed in a previous trade with Sam the Dimwit.  It's a Refractor, a Tiger, an autograph, and it's blue--what more could I ask for?

Thanks again for a fantastic trade, Brad, and I promise I'll have a response out to you just as soon as the COMC package arrives in my mailbox, and I'll load it up with a few surprise bonuses as well.  Readers, show some brotherly love to a great blogger by heading over to Brad's Blog tonight!

2013 trade package #3: the Dimwit restores the roar to my mailbox

Today's trade package comes straight from the dirty South thanks to Sam of the Daily Dimwit.  Sam's blog is one you'll want to read if you ever worry you're acquiring too many cards because the dude shows off simply a MASSIVE quantity of high-quality pickups.  And that's not even easy to do when you're a fan of the Astros!

Sam also happens to be an excellent trader, which is why this is my fifth trade with him on this blog alone.  He held onto a few cards for me while I put together a package for him, then sent them anyway before I'd even be able to respond.  How great is that?  Anyway, here's the sweet quartet of Tigers he sent my way:

Joel Zumaya 2006 Upper Deck Special FX Special Endorsements auto

Joel Zumaya 2007 Artifacts Antiquity Artifacts jersey (#138/199)

Joel Zumaya 2007 Artifacts Awesome Artifacts quad jersey (#44/50)

Before this deal, I had a pair of decent Zumaya relics in my Tigers PC.  Now I have a third single relic, a great quad relic, and best of all, a purdy, shiny autograph.  "Zoom-Zoom" is a Tiger I still like to collect even though he hasn't been with the team for a while (or in the Majors, for that matter) because of arm injuries.  I guess it goes back to good memories of that amazing 2006 season that culminated in the AL pennant.  The kid threw gas and was simply a blast to watch whenever he entered the game.  That's one reason I really like the Antiquity relic--the photo really captures the two sides of Joel, gregarious youngster and fireballing pitcher.  There's definitely many other reasons to be excited about this new trio.

Drew Smyly 2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs auto

I don't know when Smyly will become a permanent part of the Detroit rotation, but I do believe it'll happen, whether it takes an injury, a trade, or someone else with enough of a brain to give him the chance he deserves.  That's why I'm thrilled to pick up an autograph of him NOW.  Topps Chrome autos are maybe second only to Bowman Chrome versions when it comes to players' best rookies, and I wanted to be in on the ground floor.  Fortunately for me, Sam was generous enough to include this beaut in this very trade package.  What Tigers fan wouldn't be excited about an on-card signature of this quality on an up-and-coming player on his team?

I want to extend another very big thanks to Sam for being one of my favorite and most-generous trade partners.  I promise you'll like what I send you way whenever I have it ready, although I'll crush your hopes of another J.J. Watt auto right now.  Everybody should finish reading this post, then check out Sam's fantastic posts about the Astros, his group breaks, and the inspiring amount of cards he adds to his collection daily!