Trade Bait

Long ago I made a trade with CarlCrawfordCards.  He was short on Red Sox so he sent some Crawfords as filler.  I figured that I could turn them around fairly easily.  But as it turns out the people that I would have sent Carl to don't want his cards anymore now that he is a Red Sox.  So I now need to find someone else that wants them.  Send me some offer to ajpca07 at hotmail dot com.  Or comment.  My Red Sox wantlist can be found here.

Tromps Cards

Old Moosy from GSNHOF suggested that people check out TrompsSportsCards.com last week.   I took his advise and was happy with what I saw.  So happy in fact that I made a purchase about 30 minutes later.  Here was my haul:


First there is a Heroes Papelbon parallel.  I know I have said before that I like parallels but I have to admit that I really love brightly colored parallels.  It was a whopping 89 cents.

These Charcoal parallels are not near as pretty as the red one but at 79 cents a piece they were a steal.

 I'm not sure how I ended up finding a second Red Papelbon parallel but I did.  I'm also not sure how I got it for only 89 cents.

I am now down to only needing one Xponential card from 08 to finish the thing off after paying 49 cents for yet  another Papelbon.  (I still need Manny Ramirez

Finally here is a Press Proof Youkilis from 2005 Donruss.  I actually didn't know that Press Proff parallels existed in 2005 Donruss until looking through Tromps cards.  This one sent me back an additional 89 cents.

If you haven't checked out Tromps cards yet you should.  Not only did I get a great deal on some stuff but 
he also sent me 10% off my next order.  As soon as he stocks back up on Red Sox I will be dealing with him again.
 
I actually picked up a few mini cards for a certain Astros blogger too.  Maybe he'll post them when he gets them.

eBay Messages Are Powerful

The other day I posted a Virdon I got by sending a question asking if the guy would take less.  What I didn't mention is that after he accepted my lower offer I asked him about a second Virdon he had lised.  This one a 1978 Grand Slam #147.  He took this offer also and combined the shipping.  

I didn't feel like measuring the card or getting out the Standard Catalog to describe this cards size so I scanned it ontop of a normal sized card. As you can tell it is a bit smaller than standard.  The scan makes it look like it is on some kind of matted cardstock but it is not.  The cardstock is kind of a slick white card like what you would find on a TCMA issue.  They just used a picture with shitty quality on it for the card. 

The back is nothing more than a bio.  No stats or anything.  I do however like that they listed the set and the year on the card. 

What is this doing on a red Sox blog???

It is not to often I post a yankee card.  It is something I try to avoid.  Sometimes that is hard though. The guy I player collect spent some time as the yankees manager so I end up with a few.  This card however looks like a yankee card but isn't.  It is actually a 1975 Syracuse Chief card.  The Chiefs were a farm team for the yankees and Bill Virdon spent some time there before moving into the dugout in yankee Stadium.  

 

I didn't scan the back because it is blank. 

 This card has been on eBay for 3 months.  It sat at $25 for a long time.  I started watching when it was on it's first 30 day listing.  Each time the 30 days expired I started watching it again.  Finally last week I sent the guy a message that read something like:

This card has been listed for 3 months and no takers.  You probably onticed that someone was watching it each time.  Well that someone was me every time and if you would sell it for $X I will take it off your hands.  I went pretty low figuring that the guy would come back with a different price but instead he said ok.

There is one more Virdon Syracuse Chiefs card that I have to find.  The 74 version.  It however has never been on eBay.  I'm sure that most minor league manager cards don't sell well online so I doubt I ever see it.  Hopefully someone in the New York area will see this post and run across one sometime and acquire it for me.

My Son's Auto revealed

My son got an auto at the White Sox D-Backs game.  UncleMoe of My 2008 Topps Blog correctly guessed who it was.  

Omar Vizuel

I'm not sure how you get Omar Vizquel out of that but that is who it is.  My son didn't even realize who's auto he was getting.  He would have been perfectly happy with a reliever that hardly anyone ever heard of.  Instead, he got a future HOFer and I couldn't have been happier for him.

Guess the Auto Round 2 Still No Correct Guess

Since nobody guessed it yet I'm going to post the picture and see if someone can get it with the help.

I said it was horribly signed, meaning I can't see the guys name in it at all.  Actually I'm not even sure what end is up so I took a picture of it both ways.

Good Luck Guessing...
(once again the prize is bragging rights only)

My boy had a good time and was happy to get the auto so it was a good day.

Guess the auto

I took my oldest son to the White Sox vs D-Backs game tonight.  He is the misguided one that likes the White Sox.  He only gets to stay with me in the summer and luckily the Sox were here for interleague.  The White Sox won and he was ecstatic.  Not only did they win for him, he got his first in person White Sox auto. 

No reward, (unless you want a bunch of Red Sox doubles) but take a guess who it was? 

If nobody gets it I will take a picture and post it to see if anyone gets it with a hint.  (cause it was really, really badly signed)

How do Current Player Collectors do it??

2006 Diamond Signature #42

I am up to 86 unique Bill Virdon Cards.  That means that there are only 44 more for me to get.  (Assuming that there was no 2010 or 2011 Heritage Buyback cards)  It will get REALLY difficult to pick up the last 45.  Right now there are 4 Virdons on ebay that I do not yet have but they are all going for way more than I want to spend.   I don't know how collectors of current players do it?  Those last 44 cards seem so daunting though it is nothing compared to hundreds or even thousands of cards that some player collectors have to chase.  I'm not kidding myself, there are a few that I will never get.  I have seen the Virdon/Torre/Pinniella auto on ebay one time and it went for $175.  That 175 would be better spent on some vintage Sox than on a card of a bunch of yankees.  Plus, I doubt I ever see the Heritage Buyback cards.  Still 86/130 is pretty good. 

2006 Diamond Signature Back

I do continue to find oddballs like this that do not exist on any list I have ever seen.  Not The Standard Catalog or Beckett lists this 1956 Game Card.  It is kind of like an APBA card only the back is blank.  New player collectors probably don't have to deal with this kind of thing.

1956 Game Card

Here is the current need list:

1955 Cardinals Hunter's Wieners #28 Bill Virdon

1956 Pirates Team Issue #23 Bill Virdon
1956 Topps #170A Bill Virdon (White Back)

1957 Pirates Team Issue #10 Bill Virdon

1958 Hires Root Beer with Tabs #45 Bill Virdon
1958 Pirates Team Issue #12 Bill Virdon

1959 Pirates Jay Publishing #12 Bill Virdon
1959 Topps #543 Corsair Trio/ Bob Skinner/ Bill Virdon/ Roberto Clemente

1959 Topps Venezuelan #190 Bill Virdon

1962 Pirates Jay Publishing #12 Bill Virdon
1962 Pittsburgh Exhibits #7D
1962 Swan-Virdon Postcard #1 Bill Virdon
1963 Jello #142 Bill Virdon
1963 Pirates Jay Publishing #12 Bill Virdon

1964 Kahn's #29 Bill Virdon

1964 Pirates Jay Publishing #12 Bill Virdon
1964 Pirates KDKA #28 Bill Virdon
1965 Kahn's #44 Bill Virdon
1965 Pirates Jay Publishing #11 Bill Virdon
1969 Pirates Team Issue #25 Bill Virdon CO
1970 Pirates Team Issue #19 Bill Virdon CO
1973 Pirates Post/ Gazette Inserts #24 Bill Virdon MG
1974 Syracuse Chiefs Team Issue #28 Bill Virdon
1975 O-Pee-Chee #611 Yankees: Team/ MG/ Bill Virdon
1975 Yankees SSPC #9 Bill Virdon MG
1976 Astros Postcards #30 Bill Virdon MG
1977 Astros Photo Album #13 Bill Virdon MG
1977 Pirates 1960 World Champions TCMA #7 Bill Virdon
1978 Astros Postcards #24 Bill Virdon MG
1978 Grand Slam #147 Bill Virdon
1979 Astros Postcards #25 Bill Virdon MG
1979 Astros Team Issue #1 Bill Virdon and Coaches/ (Calendar Variation)
1980 Astros Team Issue #27 Bill Virdon MG
1983 Expos Postcards #33 Bill Virdon MG
1984 Expos Postcards #34 Bill Virdon MG

1984 Expos Stuart #38 Coaching Staff/ Bill Virdon MG/ Felipe Alou CO/ Ga
1987 Astros Rainbow Postcards-Series Two #28 Bill Virdon
1987 Astros Rainbow-Series One #31 Coaches Card/ Bob Lillis/ Jesus Alou/ Bill Virdon#
1993 Pirates Nationwide Insurance #34 Bill Virdon CO
1994 Pirates Quintex #25 Bill Virdon CO
2002 Pirates Outback #31 Bill Virdon CO
2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Yankees Forever Autographs #PTV Piniella/ Torre/ Virdon
2008 Topps Heritage 1959 Buybacks #190 Bill Virdon
2008 Topps Heritage 1959 Buybacks #543 Corsair Trio/ Bob Skinner/ Bill Virdon/ Roberto Clemente
2009 Topps Heritage 1960 Buybacks #496 Bill Virdon

Late to the party 2011 Bowman review

I refuse to buy Bowman products.  I will not buy a single pack until they fix the numbering system.  I don't buy into the "MLB makes them do that" excuse.  Yes MLB has rookie card requirements but that doesn't mean that they have to have a crappy numbering system.  The whole Chrome as inserts and a whole Chrome set later in the year is even worse.  

Until the Bowman boycott is over I must rely on others to complete my Bowman team sets.  So this review is courtesy of Play At The Plate who gave this to me for winning a contest.  I'm posting one card of each type he sent.  Even though I am going to be kind of hash in what I say about each card I still appreciate Brain sending them to me.  Without great traders like him I would never have any Bowman Red Sox.  Except that he didn't exactly trade these he gave them to me so even better.  Now the review:

First is the base cards.  Once again Bowman has a black border.  Boo!!!  I hate black borders.  Think how good this card would look if Topps did away with the border, made it full bleed, and moved the color triangle things down to the corners with the team logo and position inside of the color.  I think that would make it way better.  Actually it would look something like a 2009 Goose Joak Original Card.

Taking away the black border would screw up the gold border parallel though.  I guess they could use gold foil and put something on there that said "hey look at me I'm a gold card", it's been done before.

Next up with have a ridiculously numbered subset of the prerookies.  Instead of just expanding the numbers they start over and throw a bunch letters in there.  That gives us BP BDP and later there will end up with BDPP cards.

If all that BPDPPBDDPPP stuff wasn't confusing enough, Topps throws in a bunch of Cs to really fuck with us.
The Topp 100 Prospects is actually a pretty cool set.  Not everything Bowman is bad.    90% of the regular prospects no one ever heard of and nobody ever will but these guys we will all hear of eventually.  And no black border.

Dan, What A Mailday!! Post 13 (Double Ought)

2000 was another year that I didn't collect cards.  Not just baseball cards, I didn't collect anything.  I always find early 00s cards that I have never seen.

I think they had some Stadium Club Chrome before 2000 but I think it was an insert only.  Looks like they put out a whole set of it in 2000.  

Look how young Varitek is in this card.  He looks so much different now.  He also has a big C on his chest now too. 

Ugg, Bowman Chrome.  I hate Bowman stuff and I hate Chrome products so when you put the two together you get horrible.

Carl looks like he lost a tooth on this card.  I don't remember him having a gap in the front.  But maybe?

2000 was probably the most boring year of Metal.  Comparing it to other years it is kind of boring.

I am fast running out of BS to say. I don't know how people like Night Owl and the Troll can  write a 500 word post about a single card.  Ican hardly come up with one sentence.

 This scan sucks.  Why is it the cooler a card is the worse it scans.  I know this one is because of all the shiny but cards with no frills but really great photography rarely scan well either.  

 When I think Private Stock I think mini cards.  I don't think they were one per pack or anything like they are now but they had mini cards.  I was shocked the first time I saw one but it stuck out in my head enough that I only remember the mini ones.  (this is a regular, not a mini)

 I hate that I don't have every single Upper Deck regular card yet.  I just feel like as many Red Sox cards as I have fer every year Upper Deck base should be a set that I have all the Sox out f but there are a surprizing amount that I don't, 2000 being one of them. 

Stick a big tattoo on Troy's neck and he would look just like Carl Crawford on this card.  Carl grimaces just like that when he swings sometimes and they have about the same build.

To Sell A Player Collection???

I think I stated before that I used to collect Marino cards.  I stopped long ago.  Somebody contacted me to see if I would trade or sell them.  Since they have been just sitting in a box for over 10 years I am actually contemplating it.  Has anyone ever sold a large PC before?  How did you justify it?  How much do you regret it? 

I also don't know what to charge for them.  I have 358 different Marino's all in top loaders.  Some are inserts some are not.  I know I could never get out of them even close to what I have in them but I don't know what to take for them either.  Anyone have an idea how much it may be worth?

84 Topps 123
84 Topps 124
84 Topps 202
85 topps 4
85 Topps 192
85 topps 314
85 Topps Box bottom
85 topps sticker 69
86 topps 44
86 tops 45
87 topps 6
87 topps 227
87 topps 233
87 topps sticker 143
87 topps sticker 152
87 topps sticker 220
88 topps 189
88 topps 190
89 pro set 220
89 score 13
89 topps 5
89 topps 293
90 action packed 146
90 fleer 244
90 pro set 181
90 score 13
90 score 320
91 fleer 124
91 pacific 269
91 pinnacle 70
91 pro line 159
91 pro set 25
91 pro set 210
91 pro set 693
91 pro set 340
91 pro set 726
91 pro set platinum62
91 score 385
91 score 632
91 ultra 88
91 ultra all star 5
91 upper deck 34
91 upper deck 83
91 upper deck 255
91 upper deck 450
91 upper deck 465
domino's Pizza 49
92 action packed71
92 pro set 559
92 pro line 272
92 topps 682
92 upper deck 598
92 upper deck football heroes 28
92 upper deck football heroes 29
92 upper deck football heroes 30
92 upper deck football heroes 31
92 upper deck football heroes 33
92 upper deck football heroes 34
92 upper deck football heroes 36
92 upper deck g25
92 upper deck g45
93 action packed 72
93 bowman 150
93 fleer 278
93 pacific 218
93 pro line 550
93 pro line 552
93 pro line 557
93 pro line 558
93 pinnacle 302
93 pinnacle men of autum 15
93 playoff 75
93 playoff 291
93 playoff 18
93 pro set 250
93 select 16
93 skybox 343
93 sp 150
93 stadium club 60
93 stadium club 246
93 topps 269
93 topps gold 290
93 upper deck 139
93 wild cards 90
94 action packed 62
94 action packed 178
94 action packed fantasy forecast FF12
94 bowman 140
94 cc crash game C5
94 cc then & now 5
94 collectors edge 1st day 115
94 finest 142
94 flair hot numbers 7
94 classic images 85
94 pinnacle 120
94 pinnacle TROPHY COLLECTION 120
94 playoff 3
94 playoff contenders 42
94 pro line live 80
94 select 127
94 sp 36
94 sp die cut 36
94 sp ALL PRO AP4
94 sportflics 120
94 sportflics 182
94 stadium club 621
94 topps 160
94 topps 276
94 topps 545
94 ultra 179
94 ultra achievemant award 3
94 ud 136
95 action packed 21
95 action packed 24K TEAM 4of 12
95 action packed rookies stars 18
95 action packed MNF 30
95 bowman 40
95 bowman best 47
95 classic 52
95classic game card 7
95 cc 39
95 cc silver 39
95 cc 109
95 cc PLAYERS CLUB 109
95 cc 347
95 cc Dan marino set DM1-DM10
95 cc crash C1 sept 10
95 cc crash C1 oct 8
95 cc crash C1 nov 20
95 cc crash silver set C1
95 collectors edge 20
95 collectors edge die cut 118
95 collectors edge tech 1
95 collectors edge excalibur 41
95 flair preview 18
95 flair 111
95 fleer 222
95 fleer arial attack 2
95 metal 101
95 metal gold blaster10
95 metal silver flasher 24
95 pacific crown royal 13
95 pacific (clear something) Cr-11
95 pinnacle 22
95 pinnacle Trophy Collection 22
95 pinnacle 197
95 pinnacle 244
95 pinnacle trophy collection 244
95 pinnacle club collection 12
95 playoff absolute13
95 playoff prime 13
95 playoff fantasy team FT11
95 pro line 122
95 score 36
95 score GROUND ZERO 27
95 score reflections RF1
95 select certified 30
95 skybox 72
95 skybox 142
95 skybox mirror image 153
95 skybox impact 84
95 sp 170
95 sportflix 15
95 sportflix 153
95 stadium club 240
95 score 182
95 spx 23
95 SPX Gold 23
95 SPX RECORD BREAKERS UDT-13
95 topps 31
95 topps 350
95 topps air raid AR8
95 ultra 178
95 ultra gold 178
95 ultra award winner 3
95 ud 103
95 ud silver 103
95 ud special edition SE18
95 ud special edition SE22
95 Zenith Z97
95 zenithSecond Season SS2
96 action packed 2
96 bowman best 10
96 cc 64
96 cc 183
96 cc 375
96 cc MVP M25
96 CC Stickers S1
96 cc Cut AboveCA1
96 cc Cut Above CA3
96 cc Cut Above CA4
96 cc Cut Above CA6
96 cc Cut Above CA9
96 collectors edge time warp 12
96 donruss 161
96 donruss PRESS PROOF 161
96 donruss 239
96 donruss HIT LIST 12
96 fleer 73
96 fleer previews 195
96 finest 40
96 pinnacle laser view 9
96 laser view eye on the prize 6
96 leaf 70
96 leaf die cut 189
96 metal 66
96 crown royal CR1
96 pacific 75
96 pinnacle 4
96 pinnacle silver 4
96 pinnalce foil 4
96 pinnacle 195
96 pinnacle foil 199
96 pinnacle double disguise 6
96 pinnacle double disguise 7
96 pinnacle double disguise 8
96 pinnacle double disguise 10
96 pinnalce back to school
96 pinnacle TEAM PINNACLE 4
96 pinnacle mint 4
96 pinnacle mint COIN
96 playoff illusions 62
96 pro line 5
96 pro line intense 87
96 score 14
96 score 247
96 score 275
96 laser images I-15
96 select 8
96 select 196
96 select certified 55
96 select certified 122
96 select certified red 122
96 skybox 92
96 skybox thunder & Lightning 4
96 spx 4
96 SPX GOLD 4
96 sp 88
96 stadium club 155
96 stadium club 180
96 stadium club 260
96 stadium club DOT MATRIX 260
96 summit GROUND ZERO 7
96 topps 40th anniversary 31
96 topps chrome 135
96 topps chrome 142
96 Topps Laser 10
96 ultra 83
96 ultra mr momentum 8
96 ultra sensations BLUE 56
96 Ultra Sensations GOLD MARBLE 56
96 Ultra sensations PEWTER 56
96 ud 76
96 ud HOT PROPERTIES HT-1
96 ud proview PV13
96 ud 166
96 ud record season RS3
96 zenith Z1
96 zenith ARTIST'S PROOF Z1
96 zenith Noteworthy 95 #1
97 action packed 4
97 bowman best 90
97 bowman best REFRACTOR BBP1
97 bowman best MIRROR IMAGES MI2
97 cc 62
97 cc 367
97 cc 457
97 cc 564
97 EX2000 48
97 Collectors edge force 20
97 donruss 1
97 donruss ELITE SILVER SERIES 2
97 finest 230
97 fleer 250
97 fleer million $ Moment 22
97 Leaf 7
97 Leaf Legacy 183
97 metal 140
97 motion vision
97 pacific 219
97 pacific (something) 95
97 pacific invincable 79
97 pacific invincable RED 79
97 pacific invincable SILVER 79
97 pacific invincable 13
97pacific phildelphia 173
97 pinnacle certified 2
97 Pinnacle Certified BLUE 2
97 pinnacle Instincts TROPHYCOLLECTION P88
97 pinnacle QB Club 4
97 pinnacle mint 26
97 pinnacle xpress 5
97 pinnacle xpress 144
97 pinnacle PEAK PERFORMERS 144
97 Playoff absolute beginnings 153
97 playoff chip shot 153
97 playoff zone 97
97 scoreboard 53
97 score NNO#
97 score 316
97 score 328
97 skybox premium 90
97 skybox impact BOSS 15
97 stadium club die cut T1C
97 stadium club die cut REFRACTOR T1C
97 topps 350
97 topps CAREER BEST 1
97 topps chrome 129
97 topps gallary 90
97 ultra 3
97 ultra main event 1
97 ultra blitzkrieg 5
97 ud 32
97 ud 141
97 ud black diamond 12
97 ud Starcrossed SC1
97 ud team Mates TM31
97 UD MAXIMUM REACTION MA5
97 zenith 4
97 zenith 137
97 zenith 150
97 zenith Z Team ZT2
98 bowman 135
98 bowman international 135
98 cc 239
98 EX2000 8
98 finest 170
98 metal 143
98 motion vision
98 pacific revolution 75
98 score 80
98 stadium club 20
98 sp 82
98 spx 25
98SPX Pure ENERGY 163
98 skybox thunder 203
98 stadium club chrome REFRACTOR SCC8
98 topps 270
98 topps action flats
98 topps season opener 136
98 topps measure of greatness MG13
98 topps chrome 29
98 ultra 114
98 ultra 367
98 ultra SENSATIONAL SIXTY SS35
98 ultra ULTRA SHOTS 18
98 ud 140
98 ud black diamond 43
98 ud black diamond PREMIUM CUT PC13
98 ud3 Sample 13
99 leaf rookies & stars dress for success jersey DFS-8
99playoff momentum 126
2007 donruss threads generations G1
2007 donruss Threads Century Legends CL6
2008 Topps (??) 11of 40
2008ud masterpieces 15
2009 playoff contenders Legenday contenders 20
2009 Topps Magic All American AA11

Dan, What A Mailday!! Post 12 (New to me)

I have a story like most others out there.  we collected cards throughout childhood but we stopped collecting for some reason.  My reason was girls.  I couldn't afford chasing women and buying cards at the same time.  Little did I know that actually catching one would become even more expensive.  98 was the last year I bought cards for a long time.  I didn't have much 95-98 because I was collecting football at the time but I at least knew what the looked like because I spent plenty of time in a card shop.  That said, I am always intrigued by what cards look like from the time I spent away from the hobby.

To me the "Fleer Tradition" is producing lesser cards than anyone else.  All Fleer products except Ultra rated lower than Collectors Choice to me.  Why that is I do not know, they have just always seemed inferior to other cards.

 My LCS didn't carry much Fleer (base and Ultra only) but they carried no Pacific.  To me Pacific had this allure of being rare and elusive because I could only see them in Beckett. 

This is one shiny card.  Maybe if I had seen cards like this back then my opinion of Fleer would be higher.

 Fleer beat Topps to the retro marketplace by a few years.  To bad that they had no history other than this one year.   This was a retro set before retro became the normal. 

Looking back SkyBox should have got the low man on the totem pole position.

I had this card.  Somehow it never got marked off my list and I now have two.  With a list as big as mine it happens.

I think Opening Day would be a pretty cool idea for a set  IF TOPPS DID IT RIGHT!!  They should do it AFTER Opening Day and and only print Opening Day players using photos from Opening Day.  The jersey cards in the set should all be from from Opening Day also.  I know that they wouldn't do that though, to much work and money.  They could at least do their manu-patch thing and use a fake patch saying opening day.

Fleer's one bright spot, Ultra.   Not a regular Ultra either, a Gold Medallion Ultra.

This Nomar looks like an insert.  I almost threw it in the insert stack before I realized it was a base card.  That would have resulted in not marking it off my checklist and me getting another one in a month or two.

I like the Omega line.  It was only around for a couple years I see but I like all of them I had.  A complete set of horizontal cards is a great thing.  (that silver blob on the right looks good in person)

Finally the sets from the time I wasn't collecting are starting to pile up.  That is a Victory for me.  (and it doesn't hurt that cards from 1999-2004 are loaded with Pedro cards either)

Paging Justin M...

Justin,

I still have your group break cards.  They were returned to me by the PO for the second time yesterday.  Can you please give me your address again.  I trashed the paper you sent when I shipped them out.  I must have something transposed cause it isn't working.  Sorry for the hassle.

Adam

From The El Cheapo Break

**Ain't it a bitch when you misspell something in your title and don't realize it until 3hours later and everyone has already seen how you you must be an idiot because computers tell you if you misspelled something now-a-days?

Torzul not so recently had an El Cheapo break.  He bought a box of stuff and split it amongst others for a small fee.  Here's my haul.

First is the newbies.  At least new to me.

Top Left: This is one of those bastard cards that my checklist says I need but when I get the card to my binder I actually already had it.  It mainly happens with Bowman and their shitty numbering system.
Top Right: 2010 Upper Deck Portraits David Ortiz - I hardly have any of the insert stuff from 2010.  I think it is because nobody actually bought any.
Middle:  2009 Upper Deck X Xponential:  I don't collect inserts but I am trying to get all these because they look so good.  I have most of the ones from 2008 but the 2009 ones have been much more elusive.
Bottom Left: 2002 Fleer Genuine Anastacio Martinez - This card opened up a new can of worms.  It is a card not on my checklist but it is actually a Red Sox card.  Further inspection shows it is an Update card but no team checklist has been found yet.
Bottom Right: Willy Mo Pena Refractor - Not sure what year it is because I scanned it a month ago and put it away and without looking at the back of the card all Bowman look alike.  I think I read somewhere that big Willy is about to be called up by whatever team he landed on.  That should be fun for them.  Willy hit the longest homer I ever saw in person.  It was at a game in KC and he hit it over the restaurant behind left field.  To bad he strikes out 50 times for each one of his titan shots.

Now on to the doubles I received.  Each is for trade. All the Horizontal ones first.

 Lots of 2008 Xponential cards.  More people seemed to buy 2008 than 2009 Upper Deck X.  Probably cause UD made basically the same set 2 years running. and everyone got tired of it the first year.
A Chicken Card.  Two Papi A&G inserts.

 A bunch of Topps junk inserts and a Heritage Chrome.  I hate that Topps puts an insert or three in every single pack.  To me it cheapens the inserts and the set itself.  I know they are trying to attract the mojo collectors but do mojo collectors really want History and Tales of the Game?  I don't think so.

I usually miss out on all the cheaper group breaks because the Sox get taken right away but luckily I beat all the other collectors to the punch and got in on it this time.  Hopefully I get lucky once more when Thorzul does it again.

Dan, What A Mailday!! Post 11 (1998)

The history of cards from a trade package from Dan.  Enjoy the ride.

I remember getting talked into buying a box of these in 98.  They were going to be so expensive in the future.  I hardly knew anyone I pulled.  I was so pissed at him for talking me into buying them that the guy gave me my money back.  He told me that I would regret taking my money back one day.  He was wrong!

 Finally getting into some Pedros.  I think a Pedro collection would be awesome to go through.  He was in every single product and had half a dozen inserts in every single product. 

These look like Circa.  Yuck!

I like parallels but base cards like this is one reason I stayed away from Pacific.  They didn't last long so evidently I wasn't the only one.

I Pity The Fool Who... Wait that was Mr T, not Reggie Jefferson.  Although Reggie Jefferson is kind of a grumpy name.  At least I would consider it grumpy.  Evidently so does Reggie.

I have never bought a pack of Collectors Choice.   Not one ever.   Never bought First Edition or Opening Day either.  If I didn't know better I would have said that was Jacoby on that card.  Looks just like him.

Fleer Tradition is a crappy name for a set.  Seriously the only tradition they have is a tradition of making cheesy cards.  Their best set was in 59 and I don't think it was even the same company.

Leaf is stealing their history also.  Yes there were 48 Leaf cards but it was a different Leaf all together.  I guess since Fleer stole history for their regular cards they might as well do it for their Leaf brand too.

For some reason I think I have more Brian Rose doubles than anyone else in the 90s.  It is refreshing to get a new card of him every now and then.

 I don't remember these coming out but I like them.  It helps that they are all horizontal. 

Year after year Pinnacle put out great cards.  I haven't missed Upper Deck that much for the last year but I have missed Pinnacle ever since it's demise.

This card makes not sense at all.  Pedro in a set called World Series, in 1998.   Evidently Pedro doesn't understand it either, just look at his face.

That throwback uniform looks so much better than the milkman unis they wore against the Cubs this year.  I actually kind of like it.  I like the red hat way more than the alternate hat they use with the hanging Sox logo.  The strings really tie it together.  I know that was bad wasn't it?

The Captain looks like such a kid in this card.  Who know back then that he would become the grizzled veteran.