It's my turn

 

A number of bloggers have been showing off their wares from the Dime Box 10th Anniversary giveaway extravaganza over the past several weeks.

 

Now it's my turn.

 

I did pretty well, I admit. I didn't feel like I was doing well in the midst of the giveaway. Giveaway days were Friday evenings -- come and get 'em! -- and I am always, always, always away on Friday evenings. Many a time I flipped on the computer, scrolled through the blogs and saw Nick's latest giveaway, from 15 hours prior, and -- quick, quick is there anything left!

 

Surprisingly, after weeding through all the claiming comments and seeing Bo took another one of my cards, there was some stuff remaining. That's how much goodness Nick had in supply (so you know he's just buried in cards). And there actually was a time or two in which I was ready and waiting for the giveaway to start. Go me.

 

The stuff I picked focused mostly on players from my youth -- those guys who played in the '70s and '80s -- as well as cards of legends. Nick had oddballs galore, so that fit right into my collecting wheelhouse. In fact oddballs are filling the entire damn boat lately with the way vintage prices have been.

Here is the perfect example that sums up everything that I just said:

 

Everything I love about collecting right there. Food-issue card. Classic beverage logo. A player straight from the first years of discovering cards. And all of it on a familiar Topps design. That is pretty much perfection.

 

My selections were heavy on Swell cards. I've grown to love these ever since Julie (remember Julie?) started displaying them on her blog. I especially love the 1991 Swell set with the overwhelming and memorable yellow-red border design.

That's some big-time progress right there. I remember all of them playing, except Herbie. And I am all about a set that includes both Bobby Bonds and Billy Sample.

The 1990 Swell look is probably the least swell as far as I'm concerned, but I can't dispute the checklist. Ed Charles? Come on. Topps doesn't have the slightest idea who Ed Charles is.

I owned the fewest number of 1989 Swell cards so I jumped at all of these. You just know Nick has to have a few extra Hoyts around. Richie Ashburn's card has been waiting for a Hall of Fame logo update since 1995. Heck, all of these guys are in the Hall of Fame now.

 

 

Not done with the retro oddballs! Moving on to Pacific Legends. Not the most visually appealing cards but check out the subject matter! I will take these guys over a Tatis Jr. or Ohtani card any day that I still have brain cells.

 

Nick threw in a bunch of cards along with the ones that I chose, many also in my collecting interest. I've become confused over which is which but I think this Baylor Pacific card was one he added.

Box up those '80s boxed sets for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know why I grabbed the Carter, I have that whole set already. I think I just see those great '70s/'80s guys and I lose my faculties.

These were fairly new to me although I was aware of them before Nick offered them up. It's rather nice for a newspaper set, issued in 2000. Nick had a bunch of these but I stopped at two. They're my two favorite Brewers from this time period anyway.

I just love Renata Galasso sets. This one is from 1982 and recalls the 1961 New York Yankees. Not really interested in that topic, except when one member eventually became a Dodger.

 

Going from the 1972 Topps rookie card that has Fisk sharing cardboard with two other guys to a lone card of him all shiny and curly is one far stretch. But that's what Archives Reserve was. Paved the way for chroming up Heritage, which is still weird to me.

 

OK, moving from retro cards of guys from the '70s and '80s to guys from the '70s and '80s on cards that were actually made in the '70s and '80s!

1985 Donruss is a "someday set" for me. I have so few. There's the whole thing about chipping borders, but, psssssh, I completed the 1971 Topps set. This is nothing.

 

Oh dear, did Nick rip up a Ron Cey card or something awful??

 

Naw! He was just apologizing because Cey's been unfairly presented in a Cubs uniform! No apologies needed for these as they're two Canadian-themed Ceys that I didn't own yet.

More OPC goodies. I just love how Joe Morgan is speaking his retirement announcement on his card.

I really like the ragged edges on the Spencer. OPC does have its charm outside of mixing two teams on the same card and the choppy borders is one of them.

The Hostess cards are probably the ones I was most concerned losing out on during the giveaway. And I did lose some. But not these four! Pretty good condition, too. I lower my standards for Hostess cards a bit. Interesting how this would never be acceptable on a Topps card.

Nick added this one, too. It might have a few too many issues to be saved. We'll see.

Here is Hostess' chief '70s food-issue counterpart. The great Kellogg's 3-D cards with lots of loving. That Morgan in particular has practically no back because somebody glued it into a book or something. Come on kid, what are you doing?

The Cookie and Catfish look like winners though and I can't argue with a Marichal even with a bite taken out of it.

I think all of those were throw-ins from Nick, which is great. There aren't a lot of bloggers with Kellogg's cards sitting around.

The Giveaway provided some vintage from time to time. I had most of it, but not these two! Both go to their respective set binders. I'm kind of collecting '69 on the sly. We can't alarm my brain and tell it I need a Reggie Jackson rookie.

Here is a much more affordable rookie. I snagged this because I like 1989 Score and I've interviewed Biggio! Two big reasons!

I forgot to include this with the other Kellogg's sends. This is a legitimate '83 need of the Goose, who has kind of gone off the rails lately.

These were all throw-ins from Nick. He knows me so well. It's interesting to me that he collects and respects so many cards of players from this area in which I grew up. It would be like me feverishly collecting cards from the 1940s and ... my goodness I'm way too old.

All right, you saw no Dodgers in that assortment.

That starts now. These are almost all extra sends from Nick. I'll go quickly.

Some modern stuffs. All needs. Well, the Bowman stuff I never know what the heck it is, so I wouldn't really call it a need but, yay, sort-of Dodgers! Maybe.

 

These were much appreciated as they were two of the final three 2022 league leaders cards I need for featuring Dodgers. Check out that OPC border action on the bottom card. Come on now Topps.

 

A Rafael Furcal Goudey green-back variation. Needed!

 

The only place I've seen these cards are on Johnny's Trading Spot. I thought immediately "they're sharp."

I did not know you could do this with them:

That's a thick card!

Oooh. A Sandy Koufax variation. I have several Topps variation Koufaxes but every new one gives me a thrill. 

 

This is the only Dodger card that I claimed in the giveaway. I absolutely had to have it. Even though the card says (actually, whispers) "Angels," that's a Dodger card through and through.

Just one more thing and I'll get out of here. Nick has always been generous with his A&G mins as I try to finish off my A&G frankenset binder. Let's see which ones qualify.

 

Three! That's very good at this late stage. The Michael Brantley even fills an empty slot at #241. There are only like seven of those empty slots left. You know when they're filled, the project is done!

And, finally, this post is done.

Sorry it went on so long. But I feel when someone is this generous, everything needs to be shown, and I STILL didn't show it all (at least one card is for a future post).

Plus, I needed to take my turn.