Announcing Christmas Cards 2023!

Hello, friends, and happy December! I'm still way behind on posting (and what else is new?) but that doesn't mean I haven't been hard at work.

And I'm thrilled to announce that that work has resulted in

Christmas Cards 2023!

Once again it's time for one of my favorite yearly traditions! It's the season of giving and that sure is one of my favorite things to do.

As is usually the case I put some work into looking at wantlists and identifying some fun stuff for a few of you on COMC, eBay, or some combination of the two. Each envelope should also include stuff I found for you at card shows and maybe items pulled from my collection as well.

While I'd say I didn't hit as many blogging buddies as I sometimes do at this time of year, I still sent out a nice bunch of packages to folks in both that community as well as friends on TCDb. So I'll apologize to anyone who may have had their hopes up for something from me around now as I simply couldn't include everyone, but I hope those of you left out enjoyed what I sent you throughout the year.

For those of you who are due to receive something from me, I'll keep you in suspense and let you be surprised. But I at least wanted to announce that as of tomorrow, all but one of my blogger Christmas packages will be on the move, with the exception waiting on a couple eBay shipments. I look forward to the reactions (and especially blog posts) of those who get a gift under the tree from Santa TMV!

While I'm waiting on those cards to get delivered I'll be doing the same for a few of my TCDb friends, plus my Secret Santa recipient as I joined that tradition on the site this year for the first time. Besides the last blogger envelope I'll soon be sending along a few PIFs to some of the site's members that are on my "good" list this year because, 'tis the season, right?

I hope you all enjoy a relatively stress-free holiday season if possible and if you don't have friends or family nearby, don't forget we're all a really cool community in this hobby. Speaking of which, I'll really try to finish covering all of these trade posts soon-ish!

Happy red & green season from a guy who always goes blue!

Christmas Eve trade envelopes!

Did I have to post this evening on Christmas Eve? Maybe not. But last night after I noticed my total post count for this blog I realized it would be fun to get #1224 up on 12/24. Also, the stuff below became early Christmas presents for me, so why not?

I don't do this very often but you're getting a combined trade package post from me because I thought it made sense given the contents. Here are the last three trade envelopes I received in 2022 (pending any that sneak under the wire next week):

First up is a "real" Christmas card from a person whose generosity earns him the right to be called a cardboard Santa. Wes often went beyond the limits of reason and economy to give joy to collectors all over, and I'm glad he's still around the hobby world in whatever form he chooses. So I was grateful to receive this greeting card from him, which I unfortunately ripped a bit after having difficulty with the envelope. The real treasure was inside, though:

Thank you to Wes and Amy for this very cool custom! I hope both of you have a fantastic holiday as well, and I'll happily be keeping this with the other cool customs I've received over the years, which I really will show off in an album or something at some point.

Speaking of customs, I was thrilled to be included on someone's nice list:

Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown is probably the best producer of customs I know, and he really puts those skills to good use at this time of year (which happens to be his birthday, by the way!). I've been the recipient of some very cool Christmas-themed productions of his and this year was no different. You've probably seen a bunch of these around the blogs and Twitter so far, and I'm happy to present my Ripken card. How cool is this? I included Gavin's note explaining a bit of the process where he took the classic but offensive-to-the-eyes yellow of '91 Fleer cards and solar bleached them to something easier to look at, then added a separate clear overlay with holiday themes and messages:

Thanks again for including me when sharing the fruits of your creative labor, Gavin! I hope you have an amazing birthday/Christmas, and I promise you'll be getting a few little gifts from me as well whenever I can get my Sportlots box shipped!

Finally, a day or two ago I received a surprise PWE from Colbey at Cardboard Collections. The busy breaker was nice enough to send me a pair of cards to celebrate the upcoming holiday:

And they're both Michigan uni autographs! On the left is DL Mike Martin, a guy who didn't care how much you double-teamed him because he was getting to your QB or RB on matter what. That's from 2012 SP Authentic, back when you could enjoy Upper Deck's efforts, which were often good when it came to college-related cards.

That's very apparent on the other card from Colbey, an autograph of WR Roy Roundtree out of 2013 Upper Deck. Martin's teammate of three years was exciting to watch at the position, especially while Denard Robinson was at QB, such as his game-winning catch in the legendary 2011 night game against Notre Dame. I love the horizontal action shot of Roy about to record another reception, possibly against Air Force in 2012, a game Jeff and I actually attended (a too-close 31-25 win).

Thank you for thinking of me just before Christmas, Colbey, I appreciate it!

May all of you reading this have wonderful holidays no matter what you celebrate and with whom. Thank you to all who've been generous with their time, money, and cards for another year. Merry Christmas!

Announcing Christmas Cards 2022!

I promise I'll work on getting caught up covering everything that still needs a post, but recent positive developments have made this announcement higher priority, namely that my COMC order arrived several days before it was even originally due to ship! So, with a better idea of where things stand, I can happily formally announce

Christmas Cards: 2022 Edition

As I previously teased, I went back to the old COMC well to find some fun stuff to send some of you, generally tailored to your collections and wantlists. Not quite everyone who's getting a Christmas cards package from me is getting something from COMC, but most are.

Other sources of items in these packages include:

• Recent shows
• TCDB trades
• eBay
• Sportlots

The COMC delivery leaves me short items in-hand from eBay for a couple folks, and Sportlots for a few more (waiting on packages to hit my box before shipping). The people getting cards from Sportlots will almost certainly have to wait until after Christmas for me to mail their envelopes because I don't even know when I'll have everything.

That said, a majority of you who have Christmas cards coming from me can expect them to start moving through the USPS this week, very possibly in time to see them before the big holiday.

Over the years I've learned that I really enjoy giving and this is one of my favorite traditions that I've been able to observe for most of the 12-ish years I've been blogging here, so I'm possibly as excited about getting these cards (and more!) under your trees as you are to tearing them open!

As for whether or not you're one of the lucky recipients, well, in addition to three of my TCDB buddies, I'm currently looking at gifting stuff to about 15 current and former bloggers and Twitter friends.

I'm going to keep this post short so I can start gathering, packaging, and labelling stuff so I can get a bunch out on Monday. In the meantime, please enjoy this flat-out awesome duet of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" featuring UM's own Darren Criss (in a sweet Michigan holiday sweater) and the extremely talented Lizzy McAlpine:

Merry Christmas, friends!

Merry Christmas 2019!

No real post today over here, but I didn't want the day to pass without wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and happy new year!  I had a fantastic day with family and friends and got some awesome gifts, and more importantly I had a blast giving some to others.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, I currently have cards from three awesome folks to show off soonish, and possibly more on the way, not to mention my COMC loot, which will probably wait until January.

I hope some of you got card-related presents and that the holiday season has treated everyone well.  Back with actual posts soon!

Merry Christmas from TMV/TMM!

Merry Christmas, y'all!  Here's a few things for you to check out while you celebrate the holiday season.

Christmas Eve Christmas Cards roundup:

I went through and noted everyone I noticed that showed off their Christmas Cards from me so far.  Click on the images to read each post!

$30 a Week Habit:


Baseball Card Breakdown (including cards from Fuji)


Cardboard Collections:


The Chronicles of Fuji:


The Collector (including cards from Fuji):


It's Like Having My Own Card Shop (including cards from Collecting Cutch)


Night Owl Cards:


Thanks to all who put in the time and effort to post these.  It was fun shopping for each of you and I look forward to trading with you again in 2019.  And there's still plenty more where these came from, so stay tuned!

Other things to check out:

I also wanted to mention a couple other cool things going on:

Nachos Grande's trade bait cards:

Chris put up a bunch of individual posts with trade bait cards he's trying to get rid of.  There's plenty of great stuff to choose from, so hit the image above and claim something!

Scribbled Ink's Island of Misfit Hits Giveaway/Contest/Challenge:

TCDB maestro Paul is 100% on-brand when it comes to the holiday season, pairing up the fun of giving with a Christmas classic.  He's a 100% TMV-certified awesome dude so hit that image and enter his contest for a chance to win a fun mix of stuff.

And finally, Merry Christmas and happy holidays (any and all you observe and celebrate) to everyone reading this.  I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who read and commented on this here blog, those who traded with me and sent me cards this year, and those I got to meet in-person!  May your stockings and presents be filled with cards and awesome consumer electronics.

TMV presents Too Many Christmas Cards!

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!

I may be slacking big-time on getting other things posted, but I'm happy that I can finally make this announcement today so I'm bumping everything else for now.

What am I announcing?  Nothing major, just free Christmas cards for a whole bunch of you is all.

I know, right?

Back in November I thought about coming up with a contest where the winner would end up getting $20 worth of their wish list cards off of COMC because promotions were right around the corner.  In the end I didn't like how it looked, so instead I decided to do something that would benefit way more of you.  As a matter of fact, I made it my mission to send at least something small to every single person who sent me cards that I showed off on this blog and/or TMM.  I've loved trading with all of you and this seems like a perfect time to give back.  That evolved slightly into a list of lucky recipients that includes all of the above plus a few other favorite bloggers.

Wow.  Such MSPaint.  Very quality.

In the last few weeks I've landed cards from shows, COMC, eBay, Sportlots, and other sources with many of you in mind.  Some of you might just get a PWE with a few things, many of you will get a bubble mailer, and at least one of you has at least a smallish box to look forward to.  The common denominator is that each person will get something(s) tailored to their PC(s), and in most cases that will include at least one hit.  I won't go into details, so if you're getting something you'll just have to wait and see what it is!  I thought about surprising people but I think it'll be more fun for people to get to anticipate something besides coal in their stockings this year, so if your name is on this list, congrats!:

$30 a Week Habit
2x3 Heroes
Angels in Order
Baseball Card Breakdown
Bob Walk the Plank
Brad's Blog
Cardboard Collections
Cards on Cards
Chronicles of Fuji
DocHoloday
Enough Already
Garvey Cey Russell Lopes
Great Sports Name Hall of Fame
Home Run Apple
My Cardboard Mistress
My Sports Obsession
Nachos Grande
Nomo's Sushi Platter
Off Hiatus Baseball Cards
Play at the Plate
Raz Card Blog
Sports Cards Ate My Brain (I need your address, Scott!)
Sports Cards From the Dollar Store
Reader Eric Eckstein
Reader Mark H.

The COMC package was the last piece of the puzzle and since that arrived today I expect to start sending cards out by tomorrow.  Probably not all at once--have you seen that list?!--but I'd like to have them all out by Friday at the latest.  I hope everyone enjoys the free swag from their not-so-secret Santa!

Merry Christmas from TMV!

Merry Christmas! Please help with unknown trade packages!

First of all, I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas like I did.  I had a great time with my family and remembered why that's always my favorite holiday each year, even if it's my least favorite season weather-wise.  I didn't get any cards, but I didn't ask for any because I can get them without asking from good folks like you!

Speaking of which, I received five awesome trade packages over the last week or so.  Unfortunately, things kind of got mixed up on my desk, and I didn't think to do something logical like keep the stacks near the envelopes that they came in.  Therefore, I'm asking if those of you who sent me either of the following packages will please identify yourselves, either in the comments or by emailing me:

• Unknown package 1:  football wantlist cards, almost all 2009 Topps baseball I needed, a few Tigers inserts and two Tigers relics
• Unknown package 2:  all Tigers:  a nice mix of current players and vintage, some inserts, and a surprise auto of a former Tiger great  EDIT:  confirmed that this one was from Spiegel

I apologize to the two of you who sent me those packages, and once I can give proper attribution, I'll make sure to get trade posts up soon.  For what it's worth, I'm an idiot and I learned my lesson.

Now, to all five of you who sent me this great stuff, thank you very much!  I promise to give each package all the attention it deserves in upcoming posts, plus it sure looks like I owe each of you some nice stuff in return, which is something I'll be working on next month!

Besides a few more trade posts, I plan on a couple more posts soon which I already described a bit:  a look at my spending for the year and a summary of how I did with my 2012 resolutions.  Considering how much snow got dumped on us the last few days up here, I may have a lot more time for posting than I thought, so stay tuned!

Merry TradePostMas!

Hi everybody!

Work and life have been plenty busy in the last week or so, especially with what's sure to be a kick-ass Christmas quickly arriving next week.  Because of all that, I've been lax in posting over here, but I owe y'all a trade post featuring a couple awesome trade packages I received last week.  You can also see two MORE over at Too Many Manninghams while you're at it.  It doesn't matter what time of year it is--bloggers and readers are always generous.

I do want to point out a quick programming note before I proceed, though:  this will likely be my last post over here until the new year.  If I get up the energy, I'll try to post a year-end look at my spending and resolutions for 2012, but this seems like a good time to focus on family and friends.  I will, however, be keeping up with the blogs in my Google Reader every day.

All right, onto today's trade post fun.  As I mentioned before, many of you jumped all over my fall cleaning lots, which I still really, really appreciate.  What was even cooler is that some of you who did so were also generous enough to shoot me something back.  Here are two examples of that:

Reader Shano (a.k.a. Shannon), who took the city of Cleveland off my hands, mentioned he had some football wantlist help for me, which is always welcome.  He wasn't kidding:

2008 UD First Edition

2010 Score

2008 Topps

As you can see, that may have been a touch of an understatement.  These 19 cards put a nice dent in those three sets, especially the 2008 Topps.  As an added bonus, those featured cards I didn't have of a pair of Wolverines in Tom Brady and Jamar Adams.  Sweet!  Because these weren't sets where I was within a small handful of cards, I'd been neglecting them for a while, but Shannon's got me motivated again to finish these very soon.  Thanks, buddy!  I'll be sending more stuff out your way pretty soon--hopefully this week.

Another fall cleaning lot participant who was nice enough to send something back was the guy who runs Brad's Blog--Steve something.  Oh, no, that's right, his name is Brad.  How the hell are you supposed to remember that?

Brad actually showed off the card he sent me in an overview of some recent show pickups, but you can also now see it here:

Yes, this is how it arrived.  THANKS, USPS!  'Tis the season to continue to be habitual fuckups.  Just to be clear, this is less than 0% the fault of Brad, whose care in packaging the card literally saved it from any damage--that's right, the item in that envelope arrived unscathed due to Brad's TLC ("tender love of cards"). So what did he send me?

An absolutely ridiculous dual auto of a couple Tiger greats! (and I do mean that, especially in Tettleton's case)  I actually already nabbed this one earlier this year, but I know I can find use for it, even if it's trade bait for a fellow Detroit collector.  In any case, it was an extremely generous return for a bunch of Phillies I didn't particularly want.  Thanks again, Brad!  I'm now following his blog, and all of you should too.

Well, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas/awesome holiday season filled with food, football and 'Fractors.  Merry Christmas from TMV!

Merry Christmas from TMG/V!

I've delayed a bit in posting some stuff while waiting on a tardy shipment from Sportlots, so hopefully I'll have something new for you next week.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you hit up some of the excellent recent posting done by other blogs, especially My Cardboard Mistress's 12 Days of Cardmas and Cardmas Riddles, plus Jaybarkerfan's Blog of the Year contest (there's still time!).

I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday.  May your Refractors be bright, your autographs be on-card and your promised hits not be redemptions!

So from all of us here at Too Many Grandersons/Verlanders, e.g. me, Merry Christmas!