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The frosting on a card package

 
The older I get the less I like frosting on my desserts.

Chocolate frosting on a cake -- oh, yes, I want that. Frosting on cupcakes, you bet. But not the weird frosting, the purple stuff and the weird trinkets people put in them. I like a cream cheese frosting though, that will put a cake over the top. But frosting on brownies? Stop it.

Anyway, less-is-more with desserts these days, but I won't say the same thing with card packages.

You want to throw in extras on top of what you intended/announced you will send? I'm all for that. Yes, even ebay sellers -- especially ebay sellers -- who want to send a few randoms. Go ahead. Try to keep it out of the 1987-93 era, but, sure, maybe there's a card in there I could use. I won't be mad.

Bloggers are really good at sending extras. I try to do so when I have a few. Why not? They are the frosting on a card package. The sprinkles atop the goodies within. Plop a giant dollop of unexpected cardboard on that card envelope, please!
 
Nick of Dime Boxes is very good at sending out sweet extras. In the latest case, they were even better than what I requested during his blog anniversary giveaway.
 

These are most of the cards that I claimed. There were a few others that are designated for future trades -- maybe as extras! But these stay with me. Oddball sets and retro cards of guys who played when I was a kid, yes, this is me. (Gaylord Perry should have been a Ranger or a Padre though).

I added one card that doesn't fit with the above interests, but only because I've wanted one for a long time.


These '96 Studio "Hit Parade" record cards are inspired. I'm sure I didn't know they existed until seeing them on a blog post, probably around 2008 or 2009. It's been that long going without one. The only Dodger in the set is Mike Piazza and some of his 1990s inserts are a bitch to find. So I'm happy with Mo in the meantime. At least I saw him hit a home run in person. Piazza never did that.
 
So that was all I figured I'd be getting from Nick that would stay in my collection. And I was happy with that. Despite what I implied up top about wanting ebay sellers' random throwaways, I really am trying to trim down cards that don't fit into my set and team collections (yeah, I know, explain the Vaughn card I just showed).

But Nick knows what I will accept gladly, the chocolate frosting of card mailings and swaps.


Dodger needs. SWEET! There were several of them in the envelope. I will now break them up into three pictures gradually progressing to better and better cards. The above are OK, because they're needed, but it's the usual Panini/pointless parallels fare. The Wills I have but it can go to that casual 2021 Chrome Anniversary quest that I'll never finish.


Getting better. I'm a sucker for '90s Sample cards although they don't mean anything really. Also a sucker for Corey Seager cards, even the dumb stamped stuff, as well as cards that show up only with boxed complete sets, which I think the Jansen is.



The best. The Bellinger Fire card is very colorful and that version is not as easy to find as the gold-minted stuff. The Jim Gilliam photo is great and the throwback design vibe is about as simplistic as it gets. The Ron Fairly was maltreated, what did 1966 Bazooka ever do to that collector? The Kershaw relic is my 17th Clayton Kershaw relic, but just my second or third A&G framed relic! And it's from this year's set! Awesome.
 


Nick did not confine the extras to Dodgers, although I sure appreciate the Will Smith. Three of these cards are upgrades in the frankenset binder. Yeah, even A-Rod. Who knew?
 


And finally a couple of extras that were directed right at my interests. These are like coconut cream cheese frosting on a German chocolate cake to me. The Fidrych is an OPC and the Perry is from the '73 Kellogg's set that I want to make my mission to complete very soon. Yum, yum.
 
So that was quite an anniversary giveaway, some great stuff.
 
I apologize if I activated a sweet tooth. This post is really just me complaining that all the Christmas cookies are gone.

Comments

Nice cards and very generous of Nick. Good luck with the '73 Kellogg.
Matt said…
I really like that MO Vaughn!
Brett Alan said…
I will never understand people who are unhappy when eBay sellers add free cards. I'll always take them.

I claimed some cards from Nick, too. Off-condition but very cool 60s cards of Harmon Killebrew and Fergie Jenkins and a serial-numbered Juan Marichal were the highlights, although I think my favorite is a Broder of Tom Seaver with the Red Sox, just because it's so weird and sweet.
bbcardz said…
This is why I love this hobby. There's so much one can collect and you can limit what you acquire however you want. But it's mostly all available most of the time, depending on your budget (and sometimes for free).
Nick said…
I indulged in a couple cupcakes with a friend recently and was somewhat aghast when they scraped the frosting off of theirs. But I admit that after I ate mine, I kinda thought to myself "I could've done without the frosting." So maybe I'm starting to lean that way now.

Anyhoo, glad you liked the cards! I had a feeling you'd like that Gilliam - 2023 Panini Chronicles has a few great cards/designs mixed into a general platter of "meh." That Fairly was a steal at the last card show I attended as well. Most of all, however, thanks for being such a great reader/commenter/supporter during my years here. I really can't send you enough cards thanking you for that.
Old Cards said…
Extra cards are good. You really hit home with your last statement. Just ate the last of the delicious Christmas cookies that my wife makes every year. I'm in withdrawals!!!
Anonymous said…
I was bummed that someone snagged that Mo Vaughn ahead of me, but less bummed when I saw it was you. The vinyl record die cut explains your interest more than the team affiliation, am I right? ;)

Nick sent some fantastic freebies, specifically the Kershaw relic and Perry Kellog's.
Fuji said…
I like sweets... but not a big frosting guy. But you nailed it with the cream cheese variety over the typical fluffy stuff my students will usually bring in. As for the cards... one of my biggest hobby regrets is not picking up the 1973 Kellogg's set at a card show a few years ago. Don't remember the price, but it was cheap. I did buy the guy's other Kellogg's sets though.
Jafronius said…
Great stuff from Dime Boxes!
Grant said…
That Kershaw framed relic is pretty and I think I still need that Vargas Scratch Off for my 2019 Heritage master set. Great stuff.
Bo said…
I find that Gaylord Perry card fascinating. It looks like he is not really there with the lighting being a bit off and that white border around his cap. And is that snow in the background?

I went back and looked at the two '73s I own. Joe Coleman looks like he is really in Yankee Stadium but I have my doubts Ralph Garr is in Shea based on the photo. Again the lighting looks off, and the proportions look wrong if Garr is in fact kneeling on the ground.
Michael D said…
Love that Corey Seager card at the beginning of the post. It didn't take long for Corey to become one of my favorites. As for Gaylord Perry, he will forever always be a Ranger to me. I remember him touching his hat, behind his ear, on his jersey every pitch making hitters wonder every time if it was a spitter headed their way.
AdamE said…
That's great stuff. I am glad you labeled that 66 Bazooka because I had never seen one and would not have been able to place it.