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I was chosen

 
I've been blogging long enough that I know there are certain trade patterns among bloggers.

The trade scene isn't as big as it used to be on the blogs, so a lot of this is what I've observed in the past. Some strike up relationships with certain other bloggers with similar tastes. Others just send out cards periodically whenever the mood strikes or there is inventory (I fall in this category). A few others reserve sends for a certain period of time, say once or twice a year, and send cards out en masse to selected folks.

When the third event happens, there's usually some clue, either the blogger announces it, or you start to see posts on other blogs about the haul they receive from that certain blogger. During that period, I often hope I'm one of the chosen ones. Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not.
 
But most recently, I was selected! Fuji has been shipping out cards to various folks and I finally received some nifty, eclectic cards straight from The Chronicles Of Fuji!


How is that for a quirky opening?! These caught my eye right away. They're from a 50-card tennis set from Player's Cigarettes issued in 1936. Fuji must know I like tennis cards. Topps just announced it is issuing a tennis set of current players this year. I hope it looks nice, I might go after it.



Fuji is always good for an owlie card. This is my second-oldest owl card, it's from the 1933 Church & Dwight Useful Birds Of America set, the 6th series! TCDB tells me it's a back variation, too.


"DO NOT DESTROY THE BIRDS"
 


Or the owl transfer will find you.

I don't know what this is exactly. It's from John Player & Sons, which issued a bunch of sets in the 1920s and '30s, about Shakespeare and fishes and doggies and beauties and aer-o-planes. But I can't find anything about bird transfers.
 


All right, some readers were probably wondering where the baseball cards were and Fuji took care of that, too. Well, they're Panini cards, but they do have guys pretending to be in major league uniforms.

I saw that Panini will still be releasing a Donruss set this year. It's full of prospects (ew) and legends (ok), but I'll probably stay very far away.


More Panini. Yeah, I'm happy I won't be collecting this stuff anymore.



It's been a long time sine I received a card from tragic figure Andrew Toles. This is numbered and I have no idea why.



OK, those same people who were wondering when I would stop featuring animal cards are probably now relieved I'm finally showing some cards with team logos. I just received the international base card parallel of Eric Karros' Bowman card and now here's the Bowman Chrome version.



Maybe my favorite card of everything Fuji sent. I'm not a fan of a lot of late '90s Pacific, but some of it really hits, and 1999 Invincible is kind of neat. Still working on finishing the Dodgers.



I know this is a 2008 card because Ramon Troncoso was asked to sign his name. This is my third or fourth Troncoso auto, all from '08.



Final needed card, a relic version of Brad Penny's 2009 Upper Deck X card, where UD tries to convince us he's a member of the Red Sox, although nothing on the card hints at anything of the sort.

This card made my scanning app go bonkers. Too many slashy lines.

So there. I can stop worrying whether I was chosen or not.

I don't care really whether I'm on the send list of bloggers. I know that sometimes they might not have anything I want, and that's cool.

Now the people who withhold their comments like they're precious prizes only to be granted to those blogs that don't offend their delicate senses? I see them. They're another story.

Comments

Nick said…
I used to send cards to a lot of different people in my early blogging days, but over the years I have to admit that list has whittled down to a precious few. I've kinda been going the route of having a few simultaneous mass mailings throughout the year to that smaller group. Though I did just drop a smaller batch of packages in the mail yesterday (of which you just may have been a part of!).
Chris said…
Fuji sure knows how to send a unique care package. The pre-war owl and tennis cards are very interesting. I had no idea you were interested in tennis cards.

I wouldn't count that Brad Penny card as a Red Sox single in my collection, although if it were a base card I *might* put it in my Boston binder. But that is definitely a Dodger card.

Also, Camo prizms just don't look right to me. Maybe because they don't match any MLB uniform.
dayf said…
birrrrrrdddddssss :D
Billy Kingsley said…
I have a hard time sending stuff out because I so rarely have anything to send out. I actually just dropped off two PIF packages at the post office today.

I think the Chronicles card is a Gold parallel, which is basically just the foil color. Base would be silver.
Nachos Grande said…
Love the old owl! Also, Fuji is the best (both in terms of card packages sent but also in terms of thoughtful comments left on blogs)!
Matt said…
I haven’t been on any bloggers send lists anymore. Guess I am the forgotten blogger guy or the awkward one who quits comes back then quits. But I am still around and comment when I can so I am still in the loop and I still have plenty of small trade bait for the
Bloggers but for me it’s mainly do they have anything in return.

Enough with me. Fuji nailed this awesome mail day. The owl card is great and the tennis cards are unique and appealing. Well done all around!
Nick Vossbrink said…
Fuji's the best. My trade bait is so small now (nothing to rip so nothing to send out) that I'm content surprising people with customs. Though even there it's been a while since I made any new ones.
Mike Matson said…
I get the odd thing, usually from you.. lol
I don't usually think I have things people want.. I'd like to send more stuff out too..
carlsonjok said…
I have a book listing all the pre-war British cigarette cards. It is stored away, but I will dig it out this week and see if I can figure out what that transfer is.
Fuji said…
I was happy to find those tennis and owl cards, because I knew you'd give them a good home. Excited to hear that Topps is going to produce a tennis set. I don't actively follow the sport, but there are at least a handful I'd like to get for my Japanese collection.
Adam Ryan said…
Nice cards from Fuji there!

As far as trading goes, I used to send stuff out here and there when I first started blogging years ago. Then it just became a chore to put stuff together. I also ran out of room to keep my trade bait. I downscaled a bunch when I got out of the blogging scene and don't rip stuff as much now. I might send stuff out here and there, should I have anything after I start reorganizing.
Jon said…
Like many others, I don't send out nearly as much as I used to. I will be bringing back some free stuff posts within the next few weeks though, so hopefully those'll make up for it a bit... at least for this year!
Jafronius said…
Great care package from Fuji!

I read the other day that the Dodgers has been signing Toles to $0 1-year contracts so he has health insurance. Very sad but also very nice of LA to do so.