2024 trade package #12: Chronicles of Fuji

He might not be a Matt, but the sender of my final trade package of May was a Mark: Fuji of the Chronicles of Fuji. And just like the others he sent me some very cool stuff back when the (K-12) school year wasn't quite done yet, which is funny since I've since received another package from him, getting here just before the bell rings on another year of hard work for a very dedicated teacher.

Here's what Fuji sent my way this time:

Gladden and Gullickson hail from Leaf's excellent looking Black Gold parallel which, for the millionth time, should have been the base set look that year. Gladden's best know as a two-time World Series winner with the Twins after starting his career with the Giants, but he spent his final two years in Motown. Gullickson played out the last years (four) of his 14-season career in Detroit and somehow won 20 games in '91.

The next cards I'll group together look like 2019 Topps base issues of Miggy, Castellanos, and JV, but they're actually from a set produced to promote the Clear Travel service, billed as a shortcut through airport security. As Mark noted in his post about them, the fronts are the same but the backs of the 100 cards featuring numbering in the format of "CP-#." Score another win for Fuji's beloved flea market purchases!

And the last group in this scan comprises hits. First up is a two-color patch of former Detroit pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, a guy who saw action on some of the best and worst teams in franchise history in the 2000s. It's got some Tigers orange on it and the offering from 2008 SPx is numbered to 50, marking my 6th hit (all relics) of the Washington native. Next up is a 2019 Topps Chrome auto of one-time prospect Dawel Lugo, an infielder who came over in the universally panned trade of J.D. Martinez to the Diamondbacks in 2017. His signature may be mostly his initials but I like the big loopy autograph all the same, plus the card is a reminder I saw him play for Lansing, Toronto's A-ball team at the time, in 2015. And last up is the only Michigan alum in this post in the form of former Yankees prospect Michael O'Neill (the whiny Paul's nephew). The three-year Wolverine appears to have been out of affiliated ball since 2019 but made a nice number of card appearances while he could, like this 2013 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks Prospect Signatures Prizms auto (man, that's a mouthful!). I remain the #1 collector of this particular O'Neill on TCDb.

And getting his own scan, to end today's post we have an oversized card of damn-well-better-be-elected HOFer Lou Whitaker. "Sweet" Lou comes to us from Donruss's 1986 All-Stars set where each card measures in at 3x5. 1985 marked his third of five straight All-Star nods and he went 0-2 in that game as the AL's starting 2B in a 6-1 loss to the elder league.

Fuji, thanks so much for sending these all the way back in May, and for the subsequent package I'll show off as soon as I can! I hope the new school year treats you well, and before long I'll be treating you to a fun response to what you sent here.

And everyone who follows can look forward to a May show recap post coming up next.

2019 trade package #8: Bob Walk the Plank

I'm back for a second day in a row thanks to the small size (but huge impact) of today's envelope.  Semi-retired blogger and ever-awesome trader Matt of Bob Walk the Plank (@walktheplank82 if you're not following him for some reason) let me know to expect a couple low-numbered non-autos in my mailbox before long.

I'll let you all decide if he delivered:

WHOA.

What he said.  That is a nice pair of high-end National Treasures Tigers relics right there representing guys responsible for over 120 bWAR, two MVPs (Cabrera with the Tigers), and three Cy Youngs (one with Detroit).

Miggy's card is from the 2018 product's Greatness Memorabilia Prime set, and let me tell you, does it ever live up to its name.  Numbered to just 10 copies, it comes with an interesting two-color swatch that increases in height as you go from right to left, to the point that the jersey seems to be busting out of the window when you get to the biggest piece.  It's definitely up there with the one I showed off yesterday.

Meanwhile, Scherzer's card is slightly higher numbered--to 15--but is still top notch thanks to a larger swatch that includes a nice chunk of three-colored patch.  Hailing from 2017, this one could be found in the Colossal Stat Relics Prime set, and again I think Panini used a relic that earns the "colossal" and "prime" titles.  Of course this one is highlighting his obscene 21-3 record from 2013, earning a career high in wins en route to the first of his three Cys, not to mention All-Star appearance number one of six (and counting).  I'm still glad to be getting cards of Max as he was great during his time in Motown, so I'm gratified that Panini made a card of him with the Tigers as recently as 2017.

Matt, thanks again for these two amazing new pieces!  I'm happy to continue our annual back-and-forth even if it's decreased a bit in frequency.  There's no way that'll stop me from picking up new Pirates and Mountaineers for you--even NSFW stuff of Pittsburgh heartthrob Bob Walk.

2019 trade package #7: Brad's Blog

Brad of Brad's Blog is the next generous blogger to have hit my mailbox in what's shaping up to be a surprisingly busy month!  Not that you'd know it given the usual dearth of posts around here.  Well it's about time I took a break from my TCDB-induced ADD, gave Brad (among other traders) his due, and put some cards away!

The goods from this terrific bubble envelope stuffed with Tigers:

Tigers, like these five guys, two of which are still with the team.  I recently entered all of my Miggy cards into TCDB (including these and stuff from the rest of my trades) and he ended up in the top 10 of my baseball collection, which is pretty cool.   I'm most excited for that Castellanos Negative Refractor, though, even if Halloween is six-ish months away.  And the Rajai Gold is a fun reminder of the walk-off slam I saw him hit a few years ago.

In keeping with the theme of the last scan, here's five more players, including at least one HOFer.  I really hope Fulmer heals up and returns to his pre-injury form instead of becoming another flash-in-the-pan, what-if story.  And while I'm at it, I hope Jimenez, seen twice here in shiny form, avoids the fate of former Detroit RP Bruce Rondon.  Then there's three excellent "Killer 'K's" in Kaline and Kell--who were outstanding to listen to when they called games--and recent favorite Ian Kinsler.  Question:  has Topps ever made anything as simple and excellent as Greats of the Game?

He may be starring for another team--what former Tiger isn't these days?--but it's still fun to pile up new cards of J.D. Martinez.  Ditto for the recently retired Victor when they have a nice parallel border.  I'm glad to see McCann doing good things even if it's for the hated White Sox.  Stewart's been a somewhat interesting bat on an absolutely garbage offense in 2019.  Tettleton also played for some awful Tigers teams but was fun to watch.

Brad included what I'll assume is a team set from 2018 Heritage, which has a solid design as usual.  Four of these guys are currently with the team, with Fiers (Oakland) and Gerber being the exceptions.  Niko's been useful around the diamond, at least, and Greene has locked down the games the Tigers can get to him.

Of these guys, unfortunately the one I like the least--Zimmermann--is still with the team, though I hope he recovers well from his injury.  Liriano's one year in Motown was nothing to write home about and Mahtook, to nobody's surprise, didn't work out either.  Happily, Martin recovered from his near-fatal illness after joining the Indians, so there's a bright spot!

And now we get to the really good stuff.  Tram and Whitaker go together again, as is mandatory.  MANDATORY--you hear me, MLB Hall of Fame?  I don't always highlight non-hits like this, but I give Brad a huge thumbs up for sending me the '79 Topps Trammell second-year as I somehow didn't have it.  While the Whitakers are dupes I'm always happy to get any and all "Sweet" Lous in my mailbox.  And three of the five Verlanders are new to me as well, which is something that's not terribly easy to do given the stack I now have.

You've already seen lots of nice base and insert stuff, so maybe you're as surprised to see this sick Miggy patch here as I was when sorting through the envelope's contents.  Numbered a ridiculous 06/10, it's the Red parallel from 2018 Topps Museum Collection's Meaningful Material Relics.  That's my first patch of the future HOFer and I appreciate that Brad was generous enough to flip it my way!

And as if I wasn't wowed enough by that, check out this sweet vintage trio!  As his appearance implies on that '67 Topps leaders card, McLain was indeed among the AL's best in 1966, placing second in wins with an even 20 to Kaat's 25.  His teammate Wilson came over from Boston partway through the season and put up 13 of his third-place 18 victories in a season where he also led the league in bWAR!

McLain's all well and good, but the pair of 60s Kalines really floored me which is why I saved them for last here.  On the left is his '66 base card which includes a bit more than half of his career stats.  At that point he'd piled up 1949 hits and exactly 250 homers, and while he didn't even eclipse the 400-mark for the latter, Mr. Tiger did join the 3000-hit club in 1974, his final season.

His other card hails from the following year's set and pairs him up with another former Tigers star, or "Bengal Belter" if you'd like, "Stormin'" Norman Cash.  1966 saw Kaline match his career high with 29 longballs while Cash was money with a team-high 32 of his own, good enough to join his teammate at the Midsummer Classic.  Of course the year after this card was released the players shared the excitement of a World Series ring.

Brad, thanks again for some amazing new cards I'm excited to add to my collection because of this well-balanced envelope!  As always I'll be on the lookout for new Phillies (and the occasional Frank Thomas) for you.

2018 trade package #4: Bob Walk the Plank

As is always the case when I receive a bubble mailer from Matt at Bob Walk the Plank I was excited to bust it open and see what goodies were hidden within.  He and I have hit a pretty nice groove of sending some higher-end stuff back-and-forth, plus we both primarily collect an MLB team and college program.

This time three cards popped out of the envelope plus a note reminding me that I'd been drawn as one of the winners of his anniversary contest (happy four years!).  Considering what those three cards were, you'd be excused for thinking they were my prize, but that's apparently still to come.  Instead, the note ended with a word that summarizes the quality of the items we pass back and forth:

BOOM.

Take a look at the two cards below (plus one more over on TMM this evening) to see if that just about covers it:

This Panini Immaculate Collection patch of three-time Cy Young-winner Max Scherzer brought me back to a post from September of 2015, about two and a half years ago, where I showed off the same card sent to me by Matt (in a package that also included two autographs of Al Kaline!).  That one looked great with a large black swatch with stitching and a corner's worth of orange.  I'm happy to call this one an upgrade as the amount of orange is bumped up (still with plenty of stitching) and even a hint of another color (maybe white) at the very left edge.  What a stunner!

Oh, and if any of you are curious, I do still hold onto Scherzer stuff (including all the great hits I've received over the years) because he was a key piece on some good Detroit teams and blew up into a star while in Motown.  That means I have no motivation to sell anything of him I have even if his stuff is worth more now.  That said, I do now have a double of this patch that I'd be willing to trade if anyone is interested.

That was a great start but what was so great about this package that I was hyping it up so much?  How about

George

Kenneth

Griffey

Jr.?

Um, yeah, so this is a first--I've never received a Griffey autograph in a trade package before.  I mean, the only other Griffey auto I own is in my collection because I pulled it out of a pack in a major stroke of luck.  So, yeah, BOOM indeed!

Fangirling over this aside, it's a very cool card made for Panini's 2016 Black Friday promotion, and Beckett tells me that 25 were made (just not numbered).  It actually arrived this way,

in a one-touch sealed with a Leaf sticker, but there was no way I was going to let such a great card go without a nice scan.  And a great card it is, starring Griffey's trademark excellent signature and a very cool photo of Junior in his earlier days with the Mariners.  Panini has often done a good job in hiding the lack of MLB logos (an overblown issue anyway) and certainly got the job done here.

I'm over the moon at adding a second autograph of one of my all-time favorites, and without spending a dime!  It'll definitely have an honored place in my Griffey collection, which is 600+ cards strong and growing.

Matt, thanks again for this crazy good ("100% awesome" tag in full effect!) trio of cards.  I don't even know how I'm going to hit you back, but be prepared for something awesome in response!

2015 trade package #25: more like Bob "WOW" the Plank!

Both of our teams won today, including his West Virginia Mountaineers, so why not show off another trade package from Matt of Bob Walk the Plank?  This was one of the smaller envelopes Matt sometimes sends my way, and surprisingly it didn't include any Michigan stuff, but it's pennant race time (from which my Tigers will be conspicuously absent this year) so it fits right in.  And don't think there was any kind of shortage of goodies either--as the man himself said, "Not much in the way of quantity, but I don't think you will mind!"  Read on to see if you and I agree!

Prince Fielder 2014 Donruss Jersey Kings Studio Series patch (#05/15)

Fielder is an excellent subject for relic cards since his muumuu-like jerseys must be extremely cost-effective for manufacturers.  He's pictured here as a member of the Rangers (still love that trade!) but that patch--and I do mean patch, and a nice one!--is definitely from a Tigers jersey.  Add in the very low numbering and the fun Donruss design and you've got a great card.

Max Scherzer 2014 Immaculate Collection Immaculate Swatches Prime patch (#02/49)

Here's another former Tiger, albeit one that didn't leave the organization after acting like a jackass, on another 2014 Panini-branded patch card.  I'm not sure how visible it is for everyone, but there's some nice stitching going on in that lower-left corner near the orange portion.  That's a great pitching action photo of one of the better guys at the position right now, so this is another great addition to my collection.

Pretty good so far, right?  Actually, already better than good, but wait until you see what else I got:

Al Kaline 2001 Donruss Classics Significant Signatures auto

Al Kaline 2001 Donruss Signature Award Winning Signatures Masters Series auto

Wow, nothing against the first pair of cards, but there's your quality!  Not one, but two autographs of Mr. Tiger, Al Kaline, from a pair of 2001 Donruss Products.  It's fun to see Al looking so young again on these signature cards.  The first is from Classics and is kind of a signature parallel of his base card in the set, plus the autograph is on-card, a nice bonus.  The other comes from Donruss Signature and it honors Kaline's 10th and final Gold Glove.  I'm sure plenty of Tigers fans remember Kaline tutoring future star Kirk Gibson at his RF position, and this was why.  As usual I love the look of the stickers Donruss used to use.

These are the first Kaline autographs in my Tigers collection and I couldn't be happier with them!

Thanks for an amazing, quality package, Matt!  I don't know if I can match up to these on my next package that heads your way, but I'll sure try.  Wow!

2014 trade package #13: Stanley Cup Cards From the Dollar Store

While I don't have cards to show off from Doug at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store here as often as I do on the other blog, the fact that we each collect some hockey means I do get a chance to showcase things over here as well.  As a matter of fact, our seventh trade on this blog was all about hockey, which coincides nicely with the exciting Stanley Cup Final (while I studiously ignore the uninteresting NBA version).  I even have a non-Wings team to root for in the Rangers thanks to former Wolverine sniper Carl Hagelin!

Speaking of the Wings, probably the best card in the whole package was a recent addition to the Hockeytown roster:

Danny DeKeyser 2013-14 Totally Certified Rookie Roll Call Jerseys Prime Blue patch (#13/50)

DeKeyser, an excellent defenseman, grew up in Michigan and attended Western Michigan University, where he starred for the Broncos while meeting the Wolverines pretty often in the former CCHA.  After he went undrafted, he chose to sign with his hometown Red Wings after his junior season, which ended up being a great choice since he got to play with the big club almost immediately, tallying an assist in his first 11 pro contests.  This year he was an even bigger presence, scoring his first NHL goal, and four overall in 65 games, while also appearing in five playoff contests.

This Totally Certified patch is totally rad and easily justifies the "Prime" tag Panini gave it.  One of you will probably have a better guess where on the jersey the patch came from, but I'm happy admiring it regardless.  Thanks for a great piece to add to my fledgling Wings collection, Doug!

As I mentioned over on the other blog, I wanted to note that he threw in another hit in the form of an autograph I already have,

...this 2005-06 Be a Player auto of former Mr. Hilary Duff (and Wolverine, and Coyote) Mike Comrie.  I'm not looking to give it away, but if it interests any of you, please make me a trade offer!

Thanks again for proving that hockey is always automatically better than the NBA...and, you know, the great cards, Mr. C!  I promise to round some things up to send your way very soon!  Readers, please head on over to Sports Cards From the Dollar Store to go to hockey (and repack) heaven.

Welcome to another edition of "Oh yeah, I bought that, didn't I?"

So I opened up my mailbox today and found a small package that immediately stumped me because, as we've established, my memory sucks for someone who hasn't hit his 30s.  It was from one of my favorite Blowout sellers, Underwood4.  I've bought cards from (as far as I can tell due to the first name) her three times now and she's always given me more than a fair deal on price.  Shipping usually takes a little longer than I'd expect considering they're coming from Illinois (hence my always impersonating Forgetful Jones </old school Sesame Street reference!>) when I buy from her.

Anyway, this time I got another deal I liked.  For $25 dlvd I picked up these three beauties:

Braylon Edwards 2005 Leaf Limited Phenoms patch/auto/RC (#083/100): You'll have to take my word for it that this one's a "beauty" because cards with a foil mirror finish don't really scan well, now, do they?  The seller noted the minor damage to the patch window (upper left corner) but I can't say I really cared--I'm not exactly going to get this graded by BGS (it would only garner, what, a 9.5 by their rigorous standards?).  I can't believe a couple months ago I had zero Braylon sigs and now I have four. 

Jake Long 2008 Leaf Limited Spotlight patch/auto/RC (#18/49):  I'd seen this in the hands of plenty of sellers but never had a chance at a deal as good as this.  The patch is an excellent mix of colors; I just don't understand why Leaf felt they had to cover up the player with the sticker when half the card is taken up by a patch that needs not even 1/3 of the space.

Mario Manningham 2008 Leaf Limited patch/auto/RC (#63/99):  Same complaints as above in terms of design, but overall I like having this upper-tier patch/auto/RC in my collection.  It's not as good of a patch as the long, but I got a little color and some stitching, and as usual I'm more interested in the autograph anyway.  Any Super Mario is a good Super Mario.

If you happen to see more threads from this seller in your occasional Blowout forums perusal activities, keep in mind she has my endorsement on reliability and price!