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The golden giveaway still sucks

I've come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to redeem a card from the Topps Golden Giveaway site. If I'm going to get one of those fancy things, I'll have to order it up on some other site.

I haven't invested a lot of effort for me to realize this. About a dozen codes, that's all. And a bunch of stupid coins in return.

In fact, I had forgotten all about the site until one of those redemption cards fell out of a Series 2 pack. That would make two Topps Giveaway sites in a row that had slipped my memory. Remember the Diamond Giveaway? Is that thing still going?

Well, a post at Play At The Plate reminded me that, yes, that thing is still going (don't ask me if all its parts are working). And that reminded me that, golly, I still have cards waiting for me on that thing. And, gee golly, I still have cards that I WANT waiting for me on that thing.

I decided to order a few of them. Why not? Bring a couple home. Where they'll be safe. Lord knows, they're not safe sitting in my Diamond Giveaway queue.

Why do I say that?


This is one of the cards that was sitting for like a year in my queue. Seemingly safe and sound. Secure from the elements. Not a care in the world. Except ...

Andy Replogle DIED while his card was sitting unordered.

(*gulp*)

Now, I'm not the kind of person who tries to make everything my fault, but you've got to admit, that's a tiny bit creepy. What would have happened had I ordered the card a year ago? What would have happened if it was sitting in my 1979 Topps binder instead of languishing, apparently DYING, in the Giveaway queue?

Silliness, I agree. But that's what I'm going to think about now that I have this card in my collection and can view it non-virtually. Guilt can follow you to the craziest places.

The Replogle card is probably in the worst shape of the three that I ordered. There is a small crease in the bottom right part of the card, and the bottom edge is rough with a dinged corner. But nothing that is out-of-character with the rest of my '79s.


Here is one for the '72 collecting cause.

I am sorry to say that Curt Motton is no longer with us either. But he died two years ago, so my guilt-ridden conscience can just pipe down and relax.

Motton is airbrushed horribly into a Brewers cap. He actually played only six games for the Brewers, and was dealt to the Angels two months into the 1972 season.

Prior to that, he was an Orioles platoon player/pinch-hitter. You can see the Orioles coach-like figure standing behind Motton. His uniform number has been wiped out. In fact, get that guy off the field! How'd he get out there anyway, wearing that generic uniform he probably bought at the Salvation Army?


Final card. It's a great one.

I'm happy to say that Jim Breazeale is still hanging around on planet Earth. Probably has a different pair of glasses though.

This card goes directly into contention for the Best Damn Glasses on Baseball Cards extravaganza that I swear will take place on this blog. But you can measure the distance to the starting point in months now. Possibly in years.

Breazeale's card has a notch in the corner of his neck, on the right. That's a bit unfortunate. Looks like a Baseball Annie liked his catwoman frames and gave him a love bite (do people do that anymore? ... Wait a minute, I don't want to know).

So there you are, three cards from the '70s -- something that you can't get from the Golden Giveaway.

These cards cost me a little more to ship than the other three-card packages that I've ordered through the Diamond Giveaway. I don't know why.

And now I'm probably officially, officially, certainly, certifiably done with all of the Giveaways -- Million Dollar, Diamond, Golden, all of it.

It's been an interesting ride.

Even if I never won gold, diamonds or a million dollars.

Or killed off a former ballplayer with my procrastination.

Comments

FISHLEGBOOTS said…
You sir are a murderer!
Kbrewster/90 said…
Send me those golden codes. I'll send you cards that you want in return. I'm 2/3 of the way to a Willie Mays autograph and kinda in no mans land now. I don't want to buy a bunch of crap flagship for code cards but would like that Mays.
Commishbob said…
I just got an email from Topps stating that my Diamond thingie cards are mailed now. Can't wait. I turned them all into Orioles otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

LOL at the Curt Motton airbrush job.
Scott Crawford said…
I have something like 400 cards in my Diamond Giveaway account, most of them from the '70s. Any constructive ideas on what I should do with the damn things?
AdamE said…
I put the few I got on Listia and received a few hundred credits for each of them.
Two Packs A Day said…
at least you got your cards. I'm still waiting for Topps to deliver a backordered 1971 card from the diamond giveaway promotion.

I called after one month after the rest of my order was delivered and they were telling me they are acquiring the card from the secondary market to send to me. 3 months later and still nothing. I think they aren't serious about acquiring the backordered cards from the secondary market (there is a dealer in wisconsin that has a bazillion Topps cards that Topps could acquire to fill the backorders). I definitely know they lie when their site says the cards are stored in a warehouse because I wouldn't have a backordered card if they had the card in inventory waiting for someone to request its delivery or "donate to charity" whatever cards weren't requested.