A Trade with 'A Cardboard Problem'!

I sent Sooz (A Cardboard Problem) some Yankees cards/jerseys she needed and she sent me back some Orioles cards and cool jerseys I needed (want is need).

 

Warren Spahn game used!  Look at that gray jersey.  Is that wool?  Looks warm.  This is my first Spahn jersey.  You don't see many different Spahn jersey cards around.  Hard to get and I love it.

Ah, Hanley.  One of my favorite current players.  A pinstripe and numbered to 50.  Very cool looking card.  

It is nice that Hanley is able to produce in the heart of the order.  I was worried he was going to be like Soriano who whined and failed whenever he didn't lead off.

In 2009, Hanley finished second in the MVP voting and won his first batting title.  He is going to have a difficult time winning an MVP award until Pujols hits age 35 or so.

The 2005 trade that sent Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez from the Red Sox to the Marlins in exchange for Beckett, Lowell, and Mota is one of the biggest trades of the decade, in retrospect.

I have always liked these Bazooka game used cards.  I have a Canseco and Teixeira of these too, I think.

Miggy is back on the Orioles!  I am happy.  Incidentally, Miggy spells his nickname Miggi.  Here's a pic of his batting gloves (no I don't own them):

But the vast majority of Orioles' fans spell it Miggy.  Some have even complained spelling it Miggi looks too feminine.  So we have the strange case of fans spelling a nickname differently than the player spells it.  I wonder if that has ever happened before.  There is even a three page debate on this over at the Orioles Hangout.

Sooz also sent along a nice batch of Markakis cards I needed.  My Markakis collection is embarrassingly light.  These certainly help.

Adam Jones is another favorite player I have woefully underrepresented in my collection.  That Topps 206 card is in fact the first 206 card I've ever seen in person.  I gotta get out more, or sit by my mailbox.

Thanks, Sooz.  A wonderful trade!

2008 Topps Series 2 Hobby Box Break (A Surprise Hit!)

2008 Topps Series Two Hobby Box

36 packs, 10 cards per pack

One Relic or Autograph per box

Cost: $21.00

Just about everyone has seen thousands of these 2008 Topps cards by now, so I'll keep it simple.

Great card of Prince Fielder doing what he always does:  Full barrel hustle.

This is the first 2008 Topps Series Two box I've opened.  I opened a lot of Series One.

Markakis Gold!  Me likey! (All gold s/n to 2008.)

Okay Andrew.  It's now or never.  Start dominating already.

Gold rush of commons.

This card is a bit bizarre.  It's ultra thin like a throw away contest card (because that's what it is), yet it's serial numbered to 999.  This is one of those cards you are supposed to fill out and mail off to enter the Home Run Derby contest.  I wonder if people actually did that.

I never tire of Mantle inserts.

I received numerous cards from this great subset but these are the two coolest.  Taveras because he is doing an old school pose while wearing an old school glove, and Pedroia because he loves dirt.

I know these Trading Card History cards are all over the place, but the retro look wins me over.  The only one of these I previously had is the Peavy card.

Topps Stars inserts.

Alex Gordon game used jersey.  Hm, where does black come from?  Aren't Royals jerseys powder blue, navy blue, and white?

But look!  A hit!  I was so unprepared for this type of hit that I nearly threw it out.  I mindlessly treated it like another expired contest or pointless code card.

This is supposed to be Evan Longoria.  Is this really going to be a Longoria auto?  By looking at Ebay it seems to be.  If and when I get this card I will pass out.

Obviously I am thrilled with this box.  You get heap plenty base stars (not shown) and a bunch of inserts and a game used card.  I lucked out on the Red Hot card but even without it this box gives a lot of bang for the buck.