It takes just one card

I'm a simple guy. It doesn't take much to make me happy. Just one card. One, single, solitary card. One, single, solitary card that can help me obtain many more cards.

Fortunately, my wife knows this, and I am the super-pleased owner of a Target gift card received this Valentine's Day. It will go toward some cards of my choosing this week. It's funny how a single card can make everything right.

Here are a couple of other examples:

I received this card in a one-for-one trade with Sooz at A Cardboard Problem:

I'm quite happy to have this very simple Upper Deck Timeline Clayton Kershaw card to add to my modest Kershaw collection. I think I am even more pleased that I was able to find a Derek Jeter card that Sooz needed.

Player collectors kind of intimidate me. Their collections are so specific, and they have so many of that particular player that it's hard to track down something they could use. So I feel like I have accomplished something. And it's always nice to help someone add to their collection.

Here is another solitary card that I received from Dan of Saints of the Cheap Seats. It's an autographed Andy LaRoche 2007 Ultimate Collection. I won it in the group break that Dan was nice enough to hold last week. I didn't make out nearly as good as some other participants (if you are an Orioles or Red Sox fan and you didn't participate in this break, I feel for ya).

But even knowing I didn't get much out of the break doesn't take away from my enjoyment of this lone card. It's very nice. A fancy, high-endish card that is still done right. A large photo and not too much extemporary crap (Even the sticker auto is cleverly disguised against the silver background).

Dan did send a few other cards that I needed, which I'll feature later, but this was the card I was waiting to get.

So, really, even though I love getting blasters or mailers with lots of cards (I have a Dodger doozy coming up soon), I'm just as pleased with one card that I can study, review and admire.

And a single card that leads to lots of other cards is nice, too.