The package that broke my want list

The reconstructing of my want list is coming along, although it's a slow process. My decision to add names and make it more complete (I'm finding out already how much stuff I was missing) is adding to the length it will take to finish.

So, for incoming packages at the moment, my binders are my want list. Do I have this card? I have to go to the binders to find out.

This is also a lengthy process and can be particularly lengthy when you get a large box of cards, or what John of Johnny's Trading Spot, calls a "card dump".

John dumped a bunch of Dodgers on me once again recently and wondered how many of those 300-or-so cards I actually needed. One? Two? Three? Four? The last card dump from John I calculated how many of the cards I needed and came up with 13 percent, which is actually quite good for a dedicated team collector.

I don't know the percentage of what I needed this time. Like I said, it was a long process and I can't be doing math, too. But it was a decent amount, certainly more than 1, 2, 3 or 4.

In fact, updating my want list with the cards that John sent me was the last thing I did before my want list went kaput. John's cards broke my want list!!!

But it's all good now. With the recovery of the list from Scott Crawford and making some head way on the new list, I'm in a happy card mood.

Let's see some cards John sent!

 Some minor league Dukes to add to this CMC set. Two notable names and a designated hitter I do not know.

 Yeah, I have all these for the Dodger collection already. But it's 1984 Fleer completion time! All of these go to that effort, and also save me from climbing through the giant Dodger dupes box in search of these.

And, look, a non-Dodger (and future Dodger) for the '84 Fleer cause. I used to think that Len and the late NFL wild man John Matuszak were brothers.

John hoped I enjoyed the parallels, refractors and inserts, which is always where the most success lies for this team collector. I enjoy all of the above quite a bit! The Russell Martin is a refractor, the Brian Jordan one of those goofy T206 variations and the Juan Pierre is that weird thing they did when they chromed-up old-time designs. So ugly.

Whoops, there's a few more non-basers that I needed.

And, now, I have for you, my 10 favorite cards to come from this package:

10. Jose Guzman, listed as "Irvin" here, was supposed to be a star. Looks the part, too. But it didn't happen.

9. Yes, please, let's get the current year's Heritage needs out of the way. One of them isn't even a Dodger anymore.

8. Already in the Dodger binders, but let's not forget I'm collecting everything about 2006 Topps. I love these Trading Places inserts.

7. This is my first look at 1988 Fleer minis. I have received plenty of Dodger minis from 1986 and 1987 Fleer, but never any from the barbershop pole set. Kirk Gibson says it's about time.

6. More Kirk Gibson. Can you believe I didn't have this card already? Me neither.

5. I should really become a Kenley super-collector. He doesn't get enough love and I'd have very little competition.

4. It always feels good to get a Fleer Greats card that I didn't have already.

3. I said, it always feels good to get a Fleer Greats card that I didn't have already!

2. OK, this is a card I bought at a card show a couple years ago. But I am not going to argue with a second card of the Babe in a Dodger uniform. Probably in better shape than the one I bought, too.

1. Woooooo! I think is my first 1990s style atomic refractor! I bet this card went for an absolutely irrational sum in 1996.

See, John, we got a few cards to fit into the binders there.

And that's well worth a broken want list.