Trade Me Anything XIII: #3

Long-time TMA traders have dominated the early proceedings this year, and the third installment is no different.  Let's give a hearty welcome to gcrl.

Giving: 

Opening Day #67 Max Muncy Blue Foil

Opening Day #5 Corey Seager Red Foil

#150-11 Cody Bellinger Greatest Players

Opening Day #95 Javier Baez Blue Foil

Getting:
Lot of 3 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970s 
Got all the inserts, but still looking for a few more base cards from this set.  There always seem to be a few lurking in dime boxes at shows, but just never the ones I need.  Great set with an awfully clunky name.

Lot of 3 2019 Topps Opening Day Opening Day Inserts
Fields.  Flags.  Fountains.  Good enough.

2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee #AW13 Dustin Pedroia The Award Show
Looooooove this set, still coming up short on the base set and need many of the inserts.  I kind of wish they had made the inserts a little more common, but the chase is still fun a decade later.

2019 Topps Opening Day #M-7 Mariner Moose
For the kids...

Jim also sent a nice stack of Brewers, which are always appreciated because I find myself buying fewer and fewer new cards each year.  Here are my five favorites.
2018 Topps Gallery #5 Christian Yelich
There's so much wrong about this card, and that makes it great.  It's a weird mix of Lon Chaney, Norman Rockwell, and one of those grotesque faces from Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" video.  

2019 Topps Chrome #29 Lorenzo Cain Pink Refractor 
Lo Cain finally got his Gold Glove this year.  Well deserved.

2015 Gypsy Queen #58 Yovani Gallardo White Frame Parallel 
GQ being one of those sets that uses some kind of photo art filter, it would have been nice if they didn't make Yovani look like a burn victim.  That side of his face, yeesh!

2011 Topps Lineage #133 Zack Greinke Diamond Anniversary Parallel
I'm collecting a bunch of the inserts and parallels from this set, knowing full well those '75 minis are going to kill me.  I'm not collecting the Diamond ones, but I'm not NOT collecting them, either.  I actually picked up a few at a card show a couple of weeks ago.

2002 Topps American Pie #AS-CC Cecil Cooper American Sluggers Gold
Just a cool customer on this card.  Cecil Cooper is a good guess if you're ever caught up in a Brewers trivia contest.  You have roughly a 50/50 shot at getting it right.  It's either that or Danny Darwin.  Maybe Randy Ready.

Great stuff, Mr. gcrl! Enjoy your Dodgers and that one weird Cub.

Trade Me Anything XIII: #2

Like clockwork, Shane from Shoebox Legends hopped on the TMA train and sent an overly generous box of stuff.  Let's have a look-see.

Giving:

#US282 Nathan Eovaldi Gold Parallel (0465/2019)

#84-12 Ted Williams 1984 Topps 35th Anniversary

 #84-5 Xander Bogaerts 1984 Topps 35th Anniversary

 #T84U-9 J.D. Martinez 1984 Topps 35th Anniversary Refractor

Getting:
Huge Lot of Comic Books
Guys, this is a great bunch of books.  This summer I got down to the bottom of my "to-read" pile.  Since then, I've grabbed a few issues from series I'm actively collecting, but they've sat there for months, unread.  It sometimes feels like homework when they're issues that are plugging in holes in a collection.  On the other hand, picking up random issues here and there is much more exhilarating.  All kinds of good stuff here, some old Carlton horror, 1980s Marvel... just awesome stuff!

Eight Cello Packs of 1993 Topps Series 2
I need 17 gold parallels to finish the set, most of them from Series 2.  If I can put any kind of dent in that list, it will be super.

Six Rack Packs of 1988 Topps
There are exactly four cards I need to finish this set.  Will I find all four in these packs?  We shall see.

"Subliminal Plastic Motives" CD by Self (1995) 

Not familiar with this band, other than the name.  Hopefully I will enjoy this.

Big Lot of 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup Cards
Because I am still working on the massive insert sets in the 2014 edition, I skipped buying any of this product.  Glad to get my hands on some.

Random Hockey/Baseball Stuff
Bruins Zamboni, Diamondbacks car, Sharks puck, and Ducks pin.  Interesting mix.

Lot of Random Action Figures (with Opened Pack of Helmar Brewing Cards)
This original Rocksteady  is already in our house, so now we can play out elaborate fantasies where he has a twin.  My boys will thank you for these.

Winter's Bone Blu-ray, This Week in Baseball DVD, Mulholland Dr. DVD
Definitely all things I like.

However, I already have the Mulholland disc, but back when I bought it, I picked the Harring cover.  I think I'll keep the Watts one for the sake of completion.  (By the way, digital pubic fogging my ass!)

And yes, this would be a duplicate copy of this movie.  Oh well, I'll throw it on the $2 table at next spring's neighborhood rummage sale.

Despite some of the duplicate items, another outstanding trade of anything from Shane!

Trade Me Anything XIII: #1

This first trade made its way to Milwaukee earlier this week.  After a hard day's work, it put a smile on my face to see a big-ass box on my front porch, courtesy of Jon.

Giving:

#ASSR-SB Shane Bieber All-Star Stitches

Opening Day #104 Shane Bieber Red Foil

 Opening Day #200 Shin-Soo Choo Blue Foil

Getting:
1980 Topps Lot 
Very happy with these, as they are from my want list.  I have a good portion of this set, but no Rickey yet.  Maybe a goal for next year?

Catcher in the Wry by Bob Uecker
I have never taken the time to read this.  This is as good an excuse as any to get started one of these days.

Slick by Mark Ribowsky
This one looks like a fun read, too.  I look forward to snuggling up with this on a cold night before passing it along to a neighbor via the Little Free Library on the corner.  Just read, baby!

Cal Ripken, Jr. Commemorative Book
I think I'll give this to my next-door neighbor who is from Maryland.  He has a bumper sticker of a Maryland flag in the shape of a crab on his car, and he sometimes wears Orioles shirts.  He'll like this.

Sealed Box of 1990 Pro Set Yellow
Even though I have already completed this set, this is something I'll be keeping in the house for the sake of comfort, kind of like that smoke detector at the bottom of the basement stairs that I'm sure hasn't worked since first term Clinton.

Sealed Box of 1988 Fleer Baseball Star Stickers
Gonna be fun opening this.  Maybe I'll wait until the opening of Spring Training, give me something to do during the worst month of the year, February.

Punch-out Toy Cars and Tracks

Bunch of Mini Wheaties Posters
(plus a sealed card you can tell is Bob Griese)

Lot of CDs
Let me tell you a little story about the Mr. Bungle album here.  Back in high school, I was on a U-19 traveling club soccer team.  Over Easter weekend we had a tournament in St. Louis.  A friend of mine who also went to the same high school as me was a couple years older and had a car he could use to drive us down there.  Milwaukee to St. Louis is kind of a drive, but we were looking forward to it.  We had a bunch of CDs packed and were ready to hit the open road.  The only problem was that the CD player in the car wasn't working.  Fortunately, we had some cassette tapes.  Unfortunately, we only had two of them in the car.  Not wanting to listen to the shitkicker music so common to rural Illinois radio stations, we stuck to those two tapes.  We played them over and over and over and over.  And over.  So, over the nearly 400-mile drive, we got to listen to the Beastie Boys' Ill Communication and Mr. Bungle's eponymous album several times each.  I now know every syllable, every growl, every sample, every cough and fart of these two albums.  And there are worse things in this world than that.

Random Cards
I always wanted that Wadlow card.  Pretty cool.

Baseball Digest (Feb. 2001) and Who's Who in Baseball (1946)

  
America's Dream Team by Chuck Daly

Some More Random Stuff
Love the Baseball Talk Ed Mathews.  I gotta dredge up some batteries and fire up my player.  Fingers crossed Mel Allen does the intro on this card's recording, not Don Drysdale.

Thanks for a bountiful trade, Jon.  I shall experience many hours of pleasure.

Botched Shirts from Pro Wrestling Tees

Trade Me Anything XIII: The Keepers

This year I bought two boxes of 2019 Update: One to keep, the other to sell at some point in the future for profit. I think this might be my m.o. from here on out. Those things can get crazy expensive if even just one rookie hits it big. The box I opened was pretty good. There were a lot of cards that other collectors might want, and there were a few I had to keep for myself. These are the keepers.

#T84U-24 Pete Alonso 1984 Topps 35th Anniversary Refractor
This came out of the bonus pack from the box. Pete was kind of a big deal this year, so this is a good pull.

#US198 Pete Alonso Rainbow Foil
Nice, another Pete. I kind of wish Topps would do away with the Rookie Debut cards. Just leave the regular rookie card as the player's sole base card. Imagine two different Trouts in 2011 Update. Watered down.

#US171 Corbin Martin Memorial Day Camo Parallel (05/25)
There were a couple of Corbins on Major League rosters this year. This guy got sent to Arizona in the Greinke trade soon after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Maybe he comes back and becomes the best pitcher in baseball? I'll hold on to this one in the unlikely event of this happening.

#US52 Keston Hiura
Hiura has been the Brewers' best prospect for the past couple of years, and oh boy, did he deliver his rookie season. We brought him up, then sent him back down prematurely, thinking Travis Shaw would turn it around. He didn't. If we had left him on the roster, Milwaukee might have won the division, and the playoffs could have gone differently. Lotta ifs, but I'm holding on to this double.

#US224 Yasmani Grandal Photo Variation
If you must get one of these in a box, it might as well be a guy from your team. The funny thing is, the regular base card photo is much more interesting than the rare one. Oh well. Looks like Grandal won't be a Brewer next year (after declining his option just yesterday), so let's hope we can snag some other guy to be as productive as Yasmani was.

Trade Me Anything XIII Has Arrived!

So the majority of the weekend's Halloween festivities have wound down.  It rained hard throughout the entire two-hour trick-or-treating period.  I stayed home passing out candy while Mrs. Thorzul walked around with the kids.  I got bonked in the head with more umbrellas than I could count, but I got to stay dry, for the most part, on my covered porch.  The middle schoolers hanging on to the last vestiges of childhood had an annoying tendency to say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Birthday!" instead of the usual greeting.  So clever!
I also figured out that if you set up a display with spaces for heads cut out, people will take pictures no matter what.  I could put out a plain white sheet of drywall, and people would still stick their heads through the holes and pose for a photo.  It was a chilly, but fun night, and I'm glad we only have to do it once every nine years.

With that craziness out of the way, it's time to trade me absolutely anything.  If you're new to this, just do a Google search for "Thorzul Trade Me Anything."  All the old posts are still up on the defunct blog.  I've had people send me DVDs, books, toys, music, comics, you name it.  Of course, cards are the standard, but the variety is what makes this time of year special.  If you see something you like and want to join in, here are the directions.

1. Check out the list of available cards below. Select one (or a few) you want. Just remember, the more you claim, the better your trade material should be.

2. Send me an email with your choice of card(s) at bill13boehm@yahoo.com or DM me on Twitter @THORZUL
Please don't leave a request comment on the blog. This just confuses people, so don't do it, it will just be deleted and will not count.

3. I will reply to you as to the card's availability. First come, first serve. I will include my mailing address.

4. When I confirm the card of your choice, pick out one or more of your own cards or anything else you want to send me. A few guidelines about what you can't send: Nothing that should really be in the garbage, nothing perishable, and nothing illegal. (Notice I didn't say nothing immoral.) I've got a want list you could check out, too!

5. Send me whatever is was you picked out. Don't tell me what it is before you send it, I'd like to have it be a surprise! Include a SASE or you won't be getting your card.

6. When I receive your item, I will take a picture of the trade materials and post the happy couple on my blog, and then I will send you the card. Here are the cards you may choose from. Cards that have officially been claimed are in BOLD.  

All-Star Stitches
Shane Bieber - Indians (Jon)

The Family Business
2 Cal Ripken, Jr. - Orioles

 Est. 1869
12 Barry Larkin - Reds

 Iconic Card Reprints
48 Frank Thomas - White Sox

 Greatest (150 Years)
11 Cody Bellinger - Dodgers (gcrl)
74 Randy Johnson - Diamondbacks
85 Orlando Cepeda - Giants  

1984 Topps Anniversary
5 Xander Bogaerts - Red Sox (Shane)
12 Ted Williams - Red Sox (Shane)
19 Mariano Rivera - Yankees
23 Lane Thomas - Cardinals (David)

38 Bryce Harper - Phillies (Mint Condition)
47 Victor Robles - Nationals
 Black Parallel (x/299)
9 Eloy Jimenez - White Sox
Refractors 
4 Randy Johnson - Diamondbacks
9 J.D. Martinez - Red Sox (Shane)
27 Giancarlo Stanton - Yankees  (Mint Condition)

Rainbow Foil Parallel
222 Martin Perez - Twins  

150 Years Stamp Parallel
65 Brad Hand - Indians
163 Miguel Castro - Orioles
236 Adam Ottavino - Yankees
248 Ryan Helsley - Cardinals (David)

Gold Parallel (x/2019)
282 Nathan Eovaldi - Red Sox (Shane)
294 Josh Fuentes - Rockies

Base Cards
20 Mike Soroka - Braves
21 Melky Cabrera - Pirates
53 Parker Markel / David McKay - Mariners
85 Robbie Grossman - A's
95 Nick Senzel - Reds (David)

126 Luis Castillo - Reds
232 Michael Brantley - Astros
279 Freddie Freeman - Braves
293 Francisco Lindor - Indians

And because this year's boxes of Update produced fewer inserts and parallels than in years past, I'm including some parallels from 2019 Opening Day.  

Blue Foil
3 Justin Verlander - Astros
67 Max Muncy - Dodgers (gcrl)
83 Kole Calhoun - Angels
95 Javier Baez - Cubs (gcrl)
105 Buster Posey - Giants
125 Franmil Reyes - Padres
137 Odubel Herrera - Phillies
200 Shin-soo Choo - Rangers (Jon)
Red Foil
5 Corey Seager - Dodgers (gcrl)
45 Kris Bryant - Cubs
94 Paul Goldschmidt - Cardinals (David)

104 Shane Bieber - Indians (Jon)
133 Jeff McNeil - Mets
184 Maikel Franco - Phillies
185 Khris Davis- A's

Mystery Box

 A few weeks ago I got a message from the site sportscards.com asking if I was interested in a free Mystery Box of cards from their company.  They came earlier this week.
It was an interesting package, though I'm not sure what part of their product line it was supposed to be, or what the retail price would be.  Enjoy the video, and if it interests you, go check out sportscards.com.