Cards for lunch

One thing I'm always interested in with trading through the mail is how people package their cards. There are some standard ways to send them that work pretty well. I try to stick to those. But others have some innovative tactics that really draw my interest when I'm running low on supplies.

Such was the case before the card show. I was nearly on empty as far as penny sleeves and those clear plastic packages that hold about 40 cards (I don't know the name of those things). I was beginning a search of the house for cardboard.

Then I received a package from Kerry of Cards on Cards. In it were cards wrapped in -- ingenious! -- sandwich bags. Of course! I have a kid who eats lunch! There are sandwich bags all over the house! Why didn't I think of that?

I know that a few of you are thinking, "What the hell? I'm reading about sandwich bags here?" Yeah, you are. Because that's how my mind works. Trust me, it was quite the revelation as I ate my lunch and instead of pulling a sandwich out of the zip lock bag, I pulled cards. Cards for lunch!

Kerry paid some careful attention to my want lists, which is always appreciated. Here are some of the cards off those lists:

These are four of the 18 Topps Series I cards that I received. I really hope I complete this before Series II hits. Still need the Andruw Jones card. Still need to buy a binder for these things. My wife is probably sick of looking at the stack of cards in the living room.

Three more 2009 Upper Deck Dodgers needs checked off the list. The Juan Pierre shot reminds me of how common the head-first slide is in baseball and has been for years. But I remember when Pete Rose was the only guy who did it.

Even now, the head-first slide is somewhat controversial. Do a plain old search for "head-first slide" and you come up with these words: "dangerous," "most-efficient," "pointless," "fastest." The debate rages. But can you imagine what the traditional world of baseball thought when they first saw Petey diving into bases? I'm sure he was not well-liked by some.

Ooooh, 2007 chromeys! I always appreciate chrome cards, even though my scanner and chrome cards are not on speaking terms.

Fan Favorite Dodgers! These cards from the 2005 set are probably my favorite out of the package. Fan Favorites bring a smile to my face. Always. Well, maybe not the Bob Sheppard one. That just freaks me out.

And here's another of my favorite sets, 2008 Upper Deck Timeline. I just put the Dodgers cards from the set up on my want list. It is one confusing set, but very cool. I keep waiting for the blasters at Target to get marked down. But they just sit there and sit there.

The rest of the Dodgers aren't cards from my want list -- unless you include the want list in my head (which is about as vast and detailed as the inventory at the Library of Congress). I just haven't finished off my blog want list yet and there are so many cards out there that I don't know about.

This Roberts card is from one of those "what is that?" sets. Cards on Cards did a post on it awhile ago, and it was the first time I had heard of it. Apparently, it's the hobby set of 2004 Topps. Each one has a "first edition" gold foil stamp on the card. There is nothing different about the card other than that. Why was it necessary to do that? I'm not the guy to ask. But I happily received several Dodgers from the set.

I'll finish it with a 2002 Fleer Tradition card of Sheff. No particular reason, except these are my favorite Fleer Tradition cards.

Kerry and I have traded so often that I'm not sure if these cards were in response to cards I sent or if I'm due to send out cards or what. No matter, I've already got a smattering of Cardinals saved that I'll add to more feverishly now before sending it to the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks for the cards and the packaging idea!