Making way

 

When you have incoming card packages constantly arriving as a blogger, clutter isn't something confined to the stacks of cards, envelopes, notes, those cut-up pages of three pockets and top-loaders and penny sleeves galore, clogging up space on desks and tables and floors.

It's also the clutter that you see in your phone gallery and on the desktop of your computer. I often take pictures of arriving cards for future posts and then they sit and stare at me for weeks, I think the little photo icons are actually stamping their unseen feet impatiently, until I finally write about them.

I hate being stared at almost as much as I hate to-do clutter. There is also one whale of a box of incoming cards that has no space to land (it's sitting on the floor trying to avoid being kicked right now).

So I've got to make way. Here is where I'll start:

I received an envelope -- or was it two, don't recall -- from Torren' Up Cards recently. One of the items was an unopened, one-card pack of Sega CardGen from about 10 years ago with accompanying note. (If you read his blog, you know he struck upon a nice lot of the cards on some purchasing site I've never heard of).

 

The note claims that there is some sort of debate over leaving packs sealed or opening them. This is not a discussion in my house. Everything gets opened. If it lasts sealed for more than a day, it's a stunning accomplishment. So, yes, I opened it.

 

That's what came out. Wooo, a Rockie. I have no memory of Giambi being a Colorado Rockie but looking him up on bb reference, he was there for long enough that I should remember. But, you know, Rockies. Maybe I should've left this sealed.

 

 

The other item Zippy Zappy sent was this Andy LaRoche Upper Deck Elements card. I LOVE getting cards from forgotten sets like this when it comes to my Dodgers. LaRoche was all over sets in 2007. Not a soul remembers that, but Kenny does!

 

 

These cards showed up in a TCDB trade with CH34. Two more Dodgers acquired from that Weird 2022 Chrome Anniversary Platinum Set That I Refuse To Give My Money. I wonder if Austin Jackson has more 2022 cards than Chin-Lung Hu had 2008 cards?

The Dick Williams is where we're at with Prizm now. I love that we're getting Dick Williams cards in current sets, but Prizm is about the last place I'd expect to see him.

Oh, and another 2005 card for the down-low set pursuit.

Another TCDB trade and more old-timey dudes. These came from sspeegle in another trade with him. Pacific Legends cards are easy go-tos for people looking to strike up trades with me. But they're disappearing off my wants lists pretty quickly.

 

Still not done with the TCDB trades or the Legends. These are the results of a second trade with nozzlemaster. My favorite Swell set is the 1991 set and they don't show up as often as those, say, from 1990. Love these.

The second Billy Herman was for my Dodgers team set, but now that I look at it, he's nothing but a Cub here. Just because he's mentioned as playing for Brooklyn on the back isn't enough for it to make it into the Dodgers binders.

 

 

One more TCDB deal from walkingshadow, who is also Ben, who I've mentioned several times on the blog. He's a former co-worker and regular blog commenter.

Ben got me a key card in my 1985 Donruss pursuit. The second-year Mattingly was going to be a pain, I'm sure, so a rough-around-the-edges card works for me. Maybe I'll upgrade during the homestretch of chasing this set, but not if the prices are going to be '80s-Card Stupid.

Ben threw in the A&G card but I had already received my own copy of the Now-Odious Urias. Suppose it can go for the A&G set pursuit, which I'm not really pursuing.

Wow, this post just vaulted from the 2nd to 88th floor, right?

This 1954 Bowman Campy came from Jeffrey of Cardboard Catastrophes. My goodness. It arrived with a note, too, explaining that he got a good deal on it, had intended to collect the '54 Bowman set but came across stoopid prices for Mantle, Mays and Williams and thought better of it.

Good move, and, yes, I am saying that because he sent the card to me.

But a little confession here. ... I own a '54 Bowman Campy.

As you can see, the one I own features a devastating crease in perhaps the worst possible spot. So I appreciate the upgrade immensely. Upgrading 1950s cards is wild territory for me, even after blogging for so long.

Second card from Jeff.

This came with a story, too. He knows a collector who collects signed cards. He made a deal with him and got a couple of cards back. This Labine card was for me as he noticed that I needed the card for my 1955 Topps set.

I do ... um, did. The autograph is a nice touch. I have a thing about keeping my autographed cards separate from my team sets, so in a way I still need a 1955 Clem Labine of the unsigned variety.

This could have been an issue -- not a big issue, because I make all kinds of exceptions for all kinds of 1950s cards just to get them in my collection.

But it's not an issue at all.

Remember that box I mentioned earlier? The one on the floor that I can't keep from mistakenly kicking? Guess what's in it?

More on that box this week.