More autographed stuff for me to scan: IP and TTM autos

Quite a lot has happened since I last posted, including Dave Roberts and the Dodgers bullpen politely handing over the World Series to the Red Sox and their four former Tigers (and denying PC guy Rich Hill a much-deserved win in the process).  The MLB season is now done and it's all over except for the awards, but I still have baseball on my mind as I continue to look for stuff to post.

Following up on my last couple that featured some autographed memorabilia I've collected I thought it was high time for me to do an album for my in-person and TTM autographs, so that's exactly what I did.

Like a number of you I got into the TTM thing as a kid and I had a pretty reasonable amount of success in the 90s acquiring a nice range of signatures of players, especially Tigers.  I've also picked up a handful of in-person signatures myself of through others.  And then there's the stuff of unknown origin.

Here's a quick look at the album in its state at the time of this post:

And here's a quick rundown of how I acquired these (as best as I can remember):

• In-person:
• Myself:
• Sager and Lolich
• Others (trade, purchase, etc.):
• Putz
• TTM (myself):
• Nieves, Hunter, Casey, Guillen, Moehler, Cruz, Easley, Clark, Erstad, Beltre, Alomar Jr., Glavine, Blue, Thompson, Powell, Grace, Williams, Molitor, Eckersley, Smoltz, Garner, Lowell, Salmon, Brogna, Gwynn
• Can't remember:
• Whitaker, Anderson, Freehan, Leach, Abbott, Petry, Northrup, Leach, Abbott

I've also sent a decent number of my TTM successes out in trade packages since I don't value them as much as I used to.  And on a related note, I'm happy to make some of these available in trade.  Many are keepers for me, of course, such as any of my PC guys and some of the Tigers, but I'm willing to let a number of them go, so if you're interested, please send me a comment or email!

And please feel free to keep up with this collection (though I likely won't be adding much to it at this point) via this link, or hit the link in the sidebar to your right.

So what do y'all think?  Any favorites here?  What's the best player you've gotten, be it IP or TTM?

2015 trade package #1: Nomo's Sushi Platter rings in the new year

It's a new year and that means it's time to reset the counter on my trade package posts!  Number one from 2015 comes from Spiegel at Nomo's Sushi Platter.  I sent him some Christmas cards last month because he'd sent me a package last March, and then he decided to return the favor.  This is another two-part trade post with the other half of the package viewable at TMM, so don't forget to check those out too.  Here's what Michael sent me this month:

How about some Tigers?  Cabrera, Holaday, and Price are the current Detroiters here while Fielder and Granderson highlight the group of former players.  The Price may be my first of him with the Tigers, though I may have already said that recently!

More Tigers!  Pudge, a pair of (soon-to-be-former Tiger?) Scherzer, and Whitaker are the best of the bunch.  That's definitely one of my favorite Whitaker base cards as it's from later in his career but still shows his enthusiasm for the game.

He also included a pair of other guys I like to collect in Griffey, who should be in next year's Hall of Fame class, and Maddux, who's of course already in.  I may just have to make the trek next year to see Junior's induction, and if I do go I can get a shot of Mad Dog's plaque as well.

There were a couple nice hits as well:

Clete Thomas 2008 SP Authentic auto RC (#600/850)

Clete appeared in parts of three seasons with the Tigers and was most recently in the Majors with the Twins in 2013.  I really like that year's autograph design with the cool window for a signature as it's a definite upgrade over a sticker.

Carlos Guillen 2009 Upper Deck Icons jersey

Would you believe this is my first hit of Guillen in the Tigers collection (or at all)?  I'm not sure how I went this long without one, so I'm grateful to Spiegel for sending this my way.

Thanks again for a great first trade package of the year, Michael!  I promise to find some new stuff to send your way before much longer.

2014 COMC purchases: plaque good

I had a blast picking things up on COMC during their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year, and luckily for me that included a bonus $20 shopping spree plus another $5 free for shipping 100 or more cards in November.  A nice number of those cards went to traders and readers like you, and I've been glad to see people posting and showing them off!

Speaking of posting and showing off cards I have just four for you to see on this blog, but there'll be a bunch more over on TMM.  Here's what I bought:

This is a quartet of 2002 Fleer Fall Classics HOF Plaques I needed towards the set I'm building.  I originally debuted this set back in April after I picked up a huge chunk of it from quarter and $0.50 boxes at a show.  Before November I still needed eight cards, so now I'm missing just four (as seen on my baseball wantlist):  Ruth, Gehrig, Musial, and Ozzie Smith.  With just a few days left this month I doubt I'll finish it before 2015, but that's ok since it's literally the only set I'm building right now!

I definitely ended up with a pretty nice group here, and I believe I landed each of them for less than $3.00.  As with the rest in the set, these are serial-numbered to the year each player joined the Hall of Fame and have a die-cut HOF plaque-like design with text on the front and back.  As I continue to promise, once I land all of them I'll show off the set in its entirety--fronts and backs!

Well, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and that the good cheer lasts into the new year!  I'd call my own holiday so far good, but is it plaque good?

2014 trade package #37: this post is not a SCAMB

I'm showing off what may be my final trade post of 2014, though if that changes I certainly won't complain.  In this case, Braves fan Scott from Sports Cards Ate My Brain contacted me a couple weeks ago to let me know he had a vintage Tiger card he wanted to send me.  I was able to find a similarly vintage Brave for him, and thus a trade was born, and it's my first with Scott, which makes it even cooler.  Here's what he sent:

Dick Kryhoski 1950 Bowman

This is my vintage Tiger, and it doesn't get much more vintage-y than 1950 Bowman!  I believe this is now the oldest card in my vintage PC, so the fact that it's a Tiger is an even bigger bonus.  I didn't know much about Kryhoski, so of course I headed straight for baseball-reference.  He was a Yankees signee (no draft in those days) that was traded to Detroit in 1949.  The 1B was with the Tigers for two of his seven seasons, then swapped to the St. Louis Browns in a deal that brought fellow vintage collection member Cliff Mapes ('52 Bowman) to the Motor City.  He was then sent back to the Yanks in the 1954 deal that led to Don Larsen being in pinstripes; well, Larsen HAD led the league in losses with 21 (with just three wins) that year.

So now I know more about another former Tiger and can add a great, old card to my collection!

Scott threw in a few other cards including

Ripkens!  Four to be exact.  The UD card notes that "Hector Carrasco becomes answer to trivia question" as he was the pitcher that allowed Cal's 3000th hit on April 15, 2000.  Nice group of cards for sure.

Finally, Scott made this a special trade package by including a pair of legendary Wolverines:  Tom Harmon, who won the 1940 Heisman, and Bo Schembechler, Michigan's ubiquitous coach.  Harmon comes from a set honoring Heisman-winners while Bo, of course, hails from 2013 Panini Golden Age, which included several different sports.

Thanks, Scott, for a fantastic trade, and I'm looking forward to doing more dealing next year!  Readers, enjoy the controlled chaos that is Sports Cards Ate My Brain tonight.

2014 eBay purchases: F$!k yeah Friday! OR A Very Brady Christmas

I already posted this over at TMM tonight since it belongs there, but this is a pickup that's too crazy awesome not to share.  I am a non-zero percentage excited about owning the following trading card:

Tom Brady 2000 Fleer Tradition Autographics auto

That's right--I exchanged money for this card, and now this card is in my possession.  And it's signed by future-HOFer and three-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady.  And it's on card and he's in his Michigan uniform.  And it's autographed.  And it's Tom Brady.  F$!K YEAH!

I don't anticipate topping this pickup for a while, but that doesn't mean I won't try.  I hope everyone else remembers to treat themselves to a most wanted card this holiday season too!

2014 trade package #36: I got Razzed with Tigers!

My first trade package of December arrived a bit earlier this month out of the blue courtesy of Chris over at the Raz Card Blog.  I had commented on a couple of his 2014 Topps Mini break posts letting him know I was looking for three of my Michigan guys, and he was nice enough to send over one copy of each player, all of which you can see tonight on TMM.  He then upped the stakes by throwing in a trio of some guy that plays for Detroit too:

Justin Verlander 2014 Topps SP

Not only is this a very cool card for commemorating JV's second no-hitter three and a half years ago, it's also short-printed which makes it a very nice get indeed.  For those of you that need a refresher, Verlander no-hit the Brewers at home in '07, then followed up that gem with another in Toronto four years later.  That means this shot was staged later in Detroit, but it's still a great idea for a card.

Justin Verlander 2014 Topps Stadium Club Triumvirates Luminous

I love the timing of Chris sending me this sweet insert because I showed off Justin's base card in my last trade post.  As much crap as I give Topps, I commend them for finally giving in to reason and bringing back the Stadium Club brand AND resurrecting some of the cooler inserts, especially the Triumvirate concept.  By the way, if you're curious like I was regarding who completes the trio, the other cards are Stephen Strasburg and Adam Wainwright.

Justin Verlander 2014 Topps Mini Relics jersey

If this package was a surprise (and it was), then this was the surprise icing on the surprise cake--a JV jersey!  It's my eighth Verlander relic and 14th overall hit of my favorite Tiger.

I must say I was thrilled to add three great new cards to my Verlander PC, especially from a package I wasn't expecting.  Thanks a ton for a great trade, Chris, and I'm happy to say that you should be receiving a fun envelope of your own very soon.  Readers, go get yourselves Razzed over at the Raz Card Blog right now!

2014 trade package #35: Sports Cards From the Detroit Store

First, just a real quick note that all 25 (I didn't do that on purpose, I promise!) packages are in the mail as of this morning, and I think more are due to arrive in the neighborhood of Monday/Tuesday, so enjoy, and Merry Christmas to all!

Meanwhile, Doug over at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store sent me the usual M-Bomb of Michigan PC guys in late November, and I'm showing off that haul over on TMM tonight, but I did also want to highlight the Detroit stuff he sent my way:

First up is a trio of Wings cards representing one of Doug's favorites in Daniel Alfredsson, who appears to have finished his career in Detroit, and puck-handler extraordinaire Pavel Datsyuk.  The second Datsyuk is a cool sticker from this year's OPC set.

Of course the highlight for me is a pair of cards of this here blog's namesake.  The insert on the left is a Cut Above card from 2012 Topps, and better yet Doug flipped me JV's base card from the excellent looking 2014 Stadium Club set.  It's about damn time Topps brought back TSC, and I'm happy to see that Justin's card came out great thanks to the solid photo and typically excellent design.

Thanks for not forgetting my other collections, Doug!  Readers, we all know the NHL is full swing, so check out the hockey action over at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store now!

2014 trade package #34: GCRL out of nowhere!

The last time cards showed up in my mailbox from Jim over at GCRL, way back in August, I was pretty sure that I wasn't expecting them.  That's relevant because another envelope showed up in my mailbox the other day, and it included cards from Jim...that were definitely unexpected.  The very player-specific blogger was nice enough to set aside a few Tigers for me:

Vintage vintage, modern vintage, and modern modern!  Jim happened to send me two cards of players at each corner infield position (you'll see the other in a minute) from four very different eras in Tigers history.  A 3B you could nickname "A-Rod," Rodriguez was with the Tigers for nine of his 17 MLB seasons and is seen here on a '74 Topps card.  "Hammerin'" Hank needs no introduction and looks like the slugger he was in this sepia-toned 2002 SP Legendary Cuts base offering.  And Fielder, seen on a 2012 GQ Moonshots insert, did indeed hit some longballs during his two-year term with Detroit:  55 over two seasons, to be exact; he was also putrid in the playoffs and I don't miss him!

But a player I do miss and am happy to see join my Tigers hits collection is this dude right here:

Dean Palmer 2001 Fleer Game Time Lumber bat

Dean-o!  Palmer was with Detroit for just five of his 14 seasons, and really only played for two full years--1999 and 2000--due to injuries, but those two seasons were very good for him despite terrible Tigers teams.  After eight seasons with Texas and two with the Royals, Dean signed on with Detroit for five years and $36 million, which seemed reasonable after an All-Star 1998 campaign in which he clubbed 34 homers, his second-best total at the time.  The following two seasons with the Tigers, Palmer bashed 67 HR, including a new career-high 38 in '99, while eclipsing 100 RBI, all while mostly playing 3B.

His career quickly went downhill after that, but those two seasons provided me with plenty of good memories during an otherwise bleak era in Motown.  Considering his power, it's definitely appropriate that my first hit of him is a bat relic.

Jim, thanks again for the unexpected but much-appreciated cards!  I can already tell you that I'll soon have something headed back your way (which was already in the works before you sent these!) in thanks for being a great trade partner.  Readers, please point your browsers/feeds to GCRL and help add to the collection of a very focused blogger!

2014 trade package #33: $30 a Wings Habit

(Yes I still exist, I've just been busy with lots of stuff, which is normal this time of year, but one project in particular will benefit many of you, so stay tuned for that!)

Robert of $30 a Week Habit recently told me he was sending me an "envelope" that would hopefully boost my small Red Wings collection a bit.  Robert understated things a bit:

First up is a pair of inserts from 2008-09 OPC, and it just so happens both of these guys are among the greatest to play defense for the Wings.  '07-'08 was Cheli's penultimate season in Detroit, and his last "full" campaign (28 games the following year, then just seven with Atlanta the next to close out his career), which he completed at the ripe old age of 46!  He celebrated by joining the Wings in winning their most recent Cup.  Lidstrom, meanwhile, was indeed an All-Star yet again that year, and won his fourth and final Cup.

Hey, how about some hits?

Kyle Calder 2007-08 Upper Deck Game Jersey jersey

I do remember Calder, who last played in 2010, though I had to look him up to remember when he was actually with Detroit.  As it turns out he was flipped to the Wings in February of 2007 and was reasonably effective for them in 17 games, then he signed with the Kings over the offseason, hence the pair of teams represented on the card!

Chris Chelios 2006-07 Flair Showcase Showcase Stitches jersey

Hey, it's that Chelios guy again!  This is my first hit of the HOF D-man, and appropriately enough it comes in the form of a beautiful red jersey.

Henrik Zetterberg 2005-06 Upper Deck Ice Fresh Ice jersey

Hank is another member of the 2007-08 Cup-winning squad (his only one so far), keeping that connection going for today's post, and better yet he actually scored the winner that year.  He currently appears on two other cards in my Wings PC: this six-way relic and a dual with Johan Franzen.  His first solo entry is this great UD jersey from their Ice product, which was actually still in existence as of last year.

Oh yeah, and to add to the fun, he threw this in as well:

Ivan Rodriguez 2006 Ultra Ultra Fine Fabrics jersey

Keeping up the current-or-future-HOF-Detroit-athletes theme, it's a Tigers jersey relic of Ivan Rodriguez!  It's my third Pudge relic--a base and another jersey--in my Tigers PC, and it was certainly a fun addition to an otherwise hockey-centric package.

Thanks, Robert, for another fantastic package, which, by the way, wasn't an "envelope" but a bubble mailer filled with Detroit goodness!  Readers, head on over to $30 a Week Habit for some excellent blogging (and trading) tonight!

2014 trade package #32: 2x3 Heroes in: 'PWE Are the Champions'

A surprise PWE showed up in my mailbox last week, but now that you know it was a PWE you probably won't be surprised by the sender--Jeff of 2x3 Heroes.  I had notified him of my interest in one of his recent pulls so I guess I should have known better that he'd shoot it my way!  Jeff's Blechhawks Blackhawks have won two Cups since the Red Wings last won a championship in 2008, though Detroit does hold an 11-to-5 edge in overall titles.  We probably both at least agree that the Original Six teams are the best, so there's that.  Anyway, here's what was in this PWE:

Here's a Hockeytown quartet, starting with a pair of Wings from 2008-09 OPC:  star forward Pavel Datsyuk and fearless net presence Tomas Holmstrom (who retired after the 2011-12 season).  Those are followed up by Pavel's fellow star Henrik Zetterberg plus a Brett Hull Immortals subset card (#d to 999) out of 2012-13 Certified.  The superlative Hull won a Cup with the 2001-02 Wings.

And now for the card I originally asked for:

Niklas Kronwall 2008-09 Upper Deck Champ's Mini Signatures auto

Mini auto!  Kronwall, a standout defenseman, was Detroit's first-rounder back in 2000, and has been good enough to merit a seven-year contract inked a couple years ago.  Needless to say this is my first hit of him in my tiny Wings collection, so I humbly thank Jeff for it (and for possibly not spitting on it when he pulled it).

Oh yeah, there was one other card in the envelope:

This is a Chris Getz 2010 Topps Peak Performance auto that I've had for a while, and apparently he wasn't able to offload this copy to anyone else who collects White Sox (though why anybody would want to do that is beyond me).  I'm fine keeping a second copy with Getz's PC if nobody else can use it since there's no such thing as too many Wolverines!

Thanks as always for the fun surprise, Jeff.  With some COMC specials to be taken advantage of later this month I promise I'll come up with an interesting return package in just a few weeks.  Readers, please make sure you're following the professor of PWEs at 2x3 Heroes.

11/2 card show report: TTTC #1

Another month, another card show!  Though I hadn't planned on it at the start of the year, I've now I attended five shows this year, with pretty good results.

With Gibraltar Trade Center's imminent demise in Taylor, I went to a different location in the same city to a show promoted by some of the same regulars from Gibraltar (and I'm glad to see they landed on their feet).  The new place is called the Taylor Town Trade Center, a bit north of the old place.  It's more like a smaller indoor flea market in a strip mall, but it's less rednecky and lacks the cigarette stench of Gibraltar, so despite being much smaller, it has its pluses.

I arrived late-ish last Sunday so I didn't have a lot to choose from, and I actually only bought stuff from one seller, a former Gibraltar regular.  I hit his quarter and $0.50 boxes hard then added a couple singles for a grand total of just $20.  The vast majority of that went to low-end stuff for trade packages (I hope y'all like Refractors!) while the next biggest bunch can be seen on TMM tonight.  Meanwhile, here's a quick look at two cards I grabbed for PCs I feature here at last week's show:

I couldn't remember if I already had this 1972 multiplayer RC, and indeed it turns out that Mark Hoyle sent it to me in his second package back in August.  Oh well, it was just a quarter, and I'm happy to have two, or if anyone needs a copy I'll be happy to PWE it their way!

My other Tiger find was this great George Kell from Donruss' 2004 Classics set.  Classics existed from 2001-2005, and really all five designs look fantastic.  I'd say my favorite is the 2002 version, but I don't think you can really go wrong.  Maybe I'll try to grab all of them at some point!  Anyway, despite the sepia tone of the photo and design, the card has a modern feel to it, including serial numbering (#1879/1999) on the back.  It's kind of part of the base set (which has a silver tone to it instead) but is short-printed (obviously, hence the numbering) as part of a group of Legends.  I don't have a ton of Kell stuff since he's not as popular as his former partner Al Kaline, so this was a fun add for a quarter.

Watch for some new trade packages featuring stuff from this show in the future!

2014 COMC purchases: JV and the HOF

It's time to show off some more COMC pickups!  As usual most of what I scored this time will be displayed over at TMM, but I did find a few things I wanted to highlight here.

First up is a trio of cards from the 2002 Fleer Fall Classics HOF Plaque set:

I was surprised that I was able to land these three greats for a total of just $5.50 considering what some of them go for.  You may recall that I started the set back in April when I found 19 of the 30 in quarter and $0.50 boxes for a total under $10 at a show.  Well, I now have three to add to that pile--and three GREATS, to be more specific, leaving me needing these eight:

1  Ruth
3  Wagner
6  Young
9  Gehrig
12 Musial
20 Bench
26 Brett
30 Ozzie Smith

If any of you has any of these available for trade, please let me know as I'd love to be able to show off the set in its entirety soon!  As a reminder, it's the only set left on my baseball set wantlist, which means it's literally the only set I'm still chasing now that I've completed everything on my football and hockey lists.

While I was at it I dug around for some cool Tigers stuff and came up with this:

Justin Verlander 2014 Topps Commemorative All-Star Rookie Team Cup manupatch

As far as Topps manurelics go, I thought this was kind of a fun one.  I got it for a low enough price that it doesn't matter to me that it's not a "real" relic.  Instead, it highlights Verlander as a member of the 2006 Topps All-Star Rookie team, and of course he earned that distinction after being named the AL Rookie of the Year thanks to his 17-win debut.

This is actually my third Verlander manurelic as I received this All-Star Stiches card and this rookie reprint manupatch in separate deals.  I've still got a ton of his stuff that needs to be scanned (which I'm obligated to mention every time I post his stuff), but that'll be a good winter project.  Here's the link to the album again.

With November just a couple days away I may put more time into getting some nice Tigers (and other baseball) stuff on my watch list for COMC's Black Friday specials, which are usually worth it if only for the usual free shipping deals, not to mention credits based on how much you buy.  Hopefully I'll have more nice stuff to show off to you in a few weeks!

2014 Sportlots purchase: You Complete Me is back once more

As many of you know, from time to time I like to hit up Sportlots when I feel an itch to work on my various set wantlists.  Well, a few weeks ago I again put in some time trying to track down what little was left on my football wants (plus a few Michigan PC cards you can view on today's TMM post) and five sellers later here's what I came up with:

2005 Topps Draft:

This product was one of the very first boxes I busted waaaay back when I started this here blog--the post was dated September 3, 2010!  I grabbed a 24 pack box on eBay for around $25 as my second attempt towards completing the set, but despite not pulling any dupes, I added only 28 to my original haul (from a box I grabbed quite a while ago).

As of the start of this month I still needed 31 cards from the 165-card set, including 18 rookies.  Thanks to Sportlots I grabbed them all, including the nine you see highlighted above.  I decided to show off "new" Raider Moss, a Bill for Doug, a Hokie for Adam, and a pair of Mountaineers for Matt.  I also included a few other guys most people would know in Campbell, Williams, Orton, and White.  It sure is nice to have this set completed nine years after it came out!

2013 SPx:

Bo knows he deserves his own scan

2013 SPx is a box I picked up at a show and busted back in early August.  In my 10 packs I picked up exactly 40 out of the 50-card veteran base set with zero doubles.  I managed to find one Sportlots seller who had the ten I was missing, plus help with both other sets I'm completing today, so that was another case of money saved on shipping.

Because I showed all 40 cards I pulled from the box, I figured it would make sense to post the remaining 10 in lieu of showing the whole set at once.  The real highlight here is Bo Jackson, who earned the right to be the card I highlighted with the remaining nine filling one scan page, mainly because he was awesome.  No disrespect meant to guys like Marino and Moon, though!

2013 Upper Deck:

The gorgeous 2013 UD set is one I started last May with a couple rack packs I picked up with my brother while visiting Milwaukee (and attending a Brewers game).  I followed that up with a hobby box at a show this April, and that allowed me to complete the veteran group, cards #1-50, which I don't always work on since the rookies are usually more obtainable in rack packs by themselves.  I also fell 27 rookies short of the Star Rookies cards, #s 51-150, since I scored just 40 from the box, with others coming from the racks.

Happily, I was able to find all 27 cards on Sportlots, and without breaking the bank too.  I scanned a few highlights, including another Hokie (Davis) and Mountaineer (Geno "Interception McGee" Smith), some great photos (Rhodes, Webb, Swearinger, Hopkins, and Mauti), and a hilarious name:  "Trevardo."

All of those purchases put the kibosh on my football set wantlists entirely, which is a great feeling.  I'm really not used to being in a position where I'm building some sets, and right now the only one I'm working on at all is the 2002 Fall Classics HOF Plaques on my baseball wants page.  I'm sure this won't be the end of my football set collecting, though, especially as I find some fun UD products to pursue.

I hope you guys enjoyed some cool scans and seeing me get something done.  As for me, I'm off to file these away with their respective sets and put triumphant check marks on the boxes!

2014 trade package #31: Bob Walks the Plank...to Tigertown

I think by now we all know that Matt of Bob Walk the Plank is awesome to trade with, so don't be too shocked at how great this latest trade package is.  While Matt has been an amazing source of Michigan PC cards for me, he often comes through with some nice Tigers stuff as well.  Peep these:

I scanned these two together because I'm actually making them available for trade.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Magglio, but I already have one.  It's definitely one of my faves of his because it's a great callback to the original UD baseball game jersey cards.  On the other hand, I couldn't stand Gonzalez's stupid whiny ass while he was briefly with Detroit, so he can take his PED-inflated stats and fade into obscurity for all I care.  Also, Fleer confusingly labels it as an Indians card when Juan is clearly pictured with the Tigers.  Anyway, if anybody would like to trade for either of these, please let me know!

Austin Jackson 2010 Topps Chrome auto

Aw yeah, here's where it gets good!  AJax may be gone from Motown for good after the deadline deal that brought David Price to the Detroit sent the young star to the Mariners.  Still, I remain of fan of him and his Tigers cards.  How can you NOT like a Chrome, on-card signature of a significant Tigers player of the last few seasons?  This is just my second autograph of Jackson overall (here's the Triple Threads version I already had) and I must say I was surprised to have something this nice pop out of the package!

Mickey Lolich 2004 Sweet Spot Classic Game Used Memorabilia jersey (#222/275)

Speaking of nice additions, here's another one I know I didn't have before--my first relic of Lolich, the hero (and MVP) of the '68 Series.  Mickey won all three of his starts in that series, including games 2, 5, and #7, in which he outdueled Bob Gibson.  He even chipped in a homer in game 2!  And did I mention all three of his wins were complete games?  That's about as good as it gets for a pitcher in the Fall Classic!  This sweet Sweet Spot Classic jersey will go nicely with my Lolich autograph, and maybe I can see if I have his RC to put together the trifecta.

Matt, thanks a ton as usual for some fun new cards that have (or will have) found a new home.  Better yet, I can even promise that I have an interesting return package I'll be sending your way soon!  Readers, head on over to Bob Walk the Plank once you're done reading this post.

2014 trade package #30: SCFtDS TPTP: Tigers

That's a Sports Cards From the Dollar Store two-part trade package for those of you who couldn't read my mine.  Doug, my favorite Canadian blogger/trader sent another great package my way that I'm able to divide among both my blogs (catch the rest over at TMM).

Have a gander at the Tigers Mr. Corti sent my way:

Here's some Motowners new and old (and maybe soon to be old).  Blog namesakes Granderson and Verlander highlight the group, as do Tettleton, one of my favorites, and Cabrera.  Possible free agent departures V-Mart and Scherzer join the action with closer (minus the "C") Joe Nathan.  Doug also included an EEE base of IF prospect Devon Travis, #2 on Detroit's BA top 10 before this season.  His future depends on what Detroit does with Ian Kinsler, but his bat should earn him some looks in the Bigs before much longer.

Hey, I've been out by those statues!  Doug also threw in a few "vintage" cards too.  I think I'd like to pick up some of those old Donruss Rookies sets as they usually include a few good players among the guys that never made it.

Corey Knebel 2013 Bowman Sterling Prospect auto

And here's the Tigers hit of the package, a nice on-card auto of pitching prospect Corey Knebel.  He was included in this year's midseason deal with Texas in which the Tigers tried to bolster their tire fire of a bullpen with Joakim Soria.  Knebel was Detroit's #7 prospect on the pre-season BA list, though I'm unclear on whether or not he'll end up a starter or in the bullpen.

Thanks for another fun two-parter, Doug!  I may very well have a return package on your way this week that's bursting at the seams with hits.  Readers, here's my usual reminder to head over to Sports Cards From the Dollar Store regularly.

2014 trade package #29: Rats! Hoyled again!

I'm betting enough of you have received cards from reader Mark Hoyle that you mainly associate one word with the guy:  vintage.  For the third time so far (June, August), Mr. Hoyle lived up to that reputation with another quality PWE:

Mark started things off with a pair of 73s; the Hendrick card kicked off the package because he realized blog favorite Bill Freehan also featured on the play at the plate card.

In the deciding game 5 of the 1972 ALCS, Reggie Jackson led off the top of the second with a walk and eventually knotted up the score (Freehan had grounded in a run earlier) by stealing home.  Hendrick replaced him in center in the second, reached on an error in the 4th and came around to score on a Gene Tenace single for the winning run, slipping past Bill's tag.  Oakland went on to beat the Reds in 7 games.

Coleman is a nice addition too as he joins some of the other 73s Mark sent me a few months ago.  If I wasn't getting them from him I might not be getting them at all!

Mark also found a few other things to throw in to make it worth the postage:  a pair of '90 Classics (Tony Phillips!), an '89 Fleer Tanana, last year's Gypsy Queen base of clubhouse leader Torii Hunter, and a 2014 Topps sticker of Jose Iglesias, a guy the team surely missed this year.

Thanks again for a great PWE, Mark!  I promise to get a nice response chock full of recent Red Sox headed your way soon!

9-19-14 card show report: Tigers that are vintage, retired, and fan favorites

Before my Saturday trip to Milwaukee to meet my brand new niece I headed to the monthly show at Gibraltar in Taylor to spend a little bit of my monthly budget.  Although I was taking into account that the place will be closing up shop soon, I found out that many of the sellers will be moving on to a nearby location to keep the monthly show alive.

A large part of what I found can be seen over at TMM tonight, but I did nab a few things to show off here as well:

Steve Boros 1963 Topps

Boros is one of my Michigan Baseball PC guys who also fits into my Tigers PC.  This vintage score was a nice deal for me as I hadn't acquired this '63 from elsewhere yet.  I happily paid $4 for it and will enjoy it as my oldest Boros until I get the rest posted.

Lance Parrish 2003 Topps Retired Signature auto

Parrish was an excellent offensive catcher for some of the better Tigers teams of the 80s including, of course, the '84 champs, and I'd been after a signature of him for a while.  As part of the $30 I gave to the first seller I worked with I landed this excellent '03 Retire Signature auto, the one of his I wanted the most but couldn't find cheaply enough online.  As is typical of this set I love the period-specific photograph plus the on-card auto, which is even better in this case since Lance's 'graph looks so good.

Mickey Tettleton 2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs Silver auto (#18/25)

Along with the Boros and a few trade bait pickups I landed this Tettleton from the other seller I worked with.  It was $4 by itself which I was more than happy to pay since I haven't seen it for less than double that on COMC or elsewhere.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I got home and flipped it over only to see the serial-numbering indicating it's actually the Silver parallel!  Jackpot for me, apparently.  I don't mind that Mick's featured here with the Orioles instead of the Tigers since he got such a card with Detroit last year.  I'm still including him with the rest of my Tigers hits as he'll always be a Motown fan favorite for me.

Don't forget to take a gander over at TMM this evening, then some of you can expect some fun trade packages before long!