I Won a Prize from the 11th Annual the Easiest World Series Contest on the Web hosted by Collector's Crack!

 

As you all know by now, the Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series championship...but so did I...well, sort of. Cynical Buddha over at Collector's Crack hosted again his Almost the Easiest World Series Contest on the Web this year and I corrected picked the Braves over the Astros! As promised, the winner would get a little care package in the mail that was carefully curated based on the winner's favorite team...so in my case that would be the Braves.

I figured it would be fun to record the opening of the package and my reaction to what was inside, so instead of a traditional blog post, let's do the video thing! 

Thanks again to Mark for the great cards and the easy contest. Let's do it again next year!!

Trade with the Collector's Crack

Mark from the Collector's Crack had a stack of Braves and Carolina Panthers building for me for some time and recently sent over some good stuff. I had shipped him earlier some Brewers and Packers stuff I had been sitting on for him as well.

I received four team set bags full of cards plus a few others. The bulk of the cards of course were Atlanta Braves, many that I'm pretty sure I didn't have already.

A few of the highlights include some HOF players like Dale Murphy, John Smoltz (which by the way this TSC card features a great picture!) and this numbered Chipper.

Always nice getting cards of players that wore the Braves jersey for only a brief time, or just don't have cards made very often. I think this makes maybe the 2nd or 3rd card I have of Robert Fick in a Braves uni and the first of Shane Reynolds and Horacio Ramirez.

I don't have a lot of Braves minor league cards in my collection, but this shiny foil Pro Debut card of Jason Heyward is a welcome addition.

Last of the Braves highlights is this 2018 National Baseball Card Day of Ozzie Albies. The only LCS close to me didn't participate in the program, but thankfully Mark's awesome local shop did and he tossed this Albies card in my stack.

I don't feature too much football on my blog, but Mark is one of the few baseball card collectors that I know also dabbles in football. Here we have a look at the original rookie Panthers QB and the current Panthers QB. Love those older Pacific football cards.

Rounding out the Panthers were two jersey card, one of draft pick bust Joe Adams (though still a beautiful card) and fan favorite RB DeAngelo Williams.

The perfect ending to the trade is a healthy addition of new Ben Sheets cards for my PC of his. Shy of hitting up COMC or SportsLots I don't often get too many new cards of Ben so I'm very grateful to this Brewers fan to these. I'm hoping the Brewers can stave off elimination in tonight's NLCS game against the Dodgers. Thanks again for the trade Mark!

New goodies from the Collector's Crack (just in time for MNF)

When the colder weather starts to set in it usually brings with it some illness and that illness found me last week. For the most part Friday was pretty good, but shortly after I went to bed it hit me. Let's just say that for most of the weekend I spent hovering the porcelain throne...two ways. It was not the best weekend I've had.

Right before I fell ill, I did receive a little package in the mail all the way from Alaska. In it was filled with new Braves goodies from my good friend Mark who runs the Collector's Crack. I had inquired about a Freddie Freeman card he posted several months back so I knew he had sent that, but I had no idea what else he had included.

I don't really have a good card shop locally anymore so I missed out on the National Baseball Card Day promotion, luckily Mark set aside this Freddie Freeman for me. I also got a shiney Freshman Flash RC of Dansby Swanson from this year's Topps Chrome set. The Saber Stars card of Andrelton Simmons I'm not familiar with, but I'll take it!

I don't buy much of any Bowman product these days so I didn't have any of these Bowman Platinum cards. Of course its always good to pick up a new Freeman I don't have, but I was glad to see the Dansby RC. Max Fried was pick up in a deal w/ San Diego a few seasons ago and while he hasn't made a huge impact on the Braves pitching staff yet, I do hear that there are good things to come from him.

There were many other Braves cards in the bubble mailer, but here are 3 of them that I grabbed to scan. I haven't had much luck pulling those Rediscover Topps cards, but now I've got one. Brandon Beachy was a guy I really enjoyed watching, then he messed up his elbow, was shipped off to the Dodgers and then just disappeared sadly. None the less, this is one of those Power Players redemption cards and not an easy card to come across. Speaking of fun players to watch, Furcal was amazing in the infield w/ the leather. I've got a few nice cards of his and I'll always take a new relic.

Mark is also one of the few baseball card bloggers that I know that buys/collects football cards too so I can't say I was completely surprised to find a few Carolina Panthers cards in the stack. Couple of Cam Newtons, jersey card of the now free agent DeAngelo Williams and a few others that I didn't have time to scan.

I really appreciate the kind gesture Mark and I plan to return the favor soon. Now I need to get off this computer and finish packing as I'm headed up to Charlotte today for a 2 day self storage sonference (sounds riviting, doesn't it?!). At least I get to go to the Monday Night Football game tonight with the Panthers vs. the Dolphins.

Tim Hudson - Straight from the Collector's Crack

Even though I've been out of the regular blogging/trading loop, some people haven't forgotten about me.  Just last week I got a plain white envelope in the mail.  I looked at the return address and immediately knew who set it...none other than my good buddy cynical buddha from Collector's Crack.

I never know what he'll be sending me.  Could be Braves, Panthers or something entirely different.  This time around was a nice hand written letter asking how I have been doing along with one lone Tim Hudson 2000 Topps Finest card.

While I have indeed scaled back my activity both on the blog and collecting, I still am focused on Tim Hudson as one of my primary collections.  When I went back to my own database I was surprised to see that I didn't already own this card of Huddy.  The gesture was already nice, not already having the card just made it that much nicer.  Thanks buddha!

Catching up with some Trades

I'll admit it, I'm a horrible trader.  Well at least when it comes to sharing the trades on the blog here.  I know there are several people that I've neglected to spotlight here and I apologize.  I've got so many stacks of cards sitting around that I can't even remember what they are doing there sitting there!  So I'll try to do my best and share a few recent trades that have been completed.

When I first ran across Panini's Cooperstown cards at my local Walmart I liked what I saw.  More specifically the inserts.  I saw a few cards on Mark's Ephemera blog that stood out, specifically a wooden insert called Induction Year.  I shot off an e-mail and a little later I got an envelope from Mark with these inside.

 

Mark also included a Cooperstown High Praise insert of Brooks Robinson and a nifty Griffey Jr. card from what I believe was a Upper Deck NASCAR set.  Now I just need to find something off of Mark's want list to send him in return for these awesome cards.

After I shared my two packs of Topps Silver Slate redemption cards I was hoping to get them into the hands of other collectors while grabbing some Braves cards.  Reader Brian Jarvis e-mailed me and proposed a one for one trade and just happened to have a Heath Bell.  

 

While I may be actively collecting other players more than I am Heath Bell, I was happy to make the one for one swap.

Cynicalbuddha of the Collector's Crack has been a great trader for many many years.  Sometime ago I received a large bubble mailer full of various cards that fit my collecting habits.  Here are just a few:

He went out to San Francisco and literally disappeared

Nobody stands on the sidelines in street clothes holding a clipboard better than Jimmy!

Xfractor goodness!

The year on the back says 2010, but the back is a reproduction as well so I'm guessing it's one of those Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Backs.

Have I told everyone how much I love 3D cards?!

I love me some wrasslin' cards!

Last, but certainly not least is a trade I completed with the internet famous dayf of Cardboard Junkie.  I was lucky enough to receive a 1/1 genuine Pony card!  I actually opened this card in the car w/ my family and my 3 year old daughter Olivia saw the card from her seat.  She smiled really big and asked if I would show her the card.

If that wasn't cool enough, he also sent me a nice little stack of Chippas!  Man it's weird not seeing him patrolling 3rd base this season.

A trade that nearly fell into the Collector's Crack

Sorry...it's the best title I could come up with!  A few weeks ago I initiated a trade w/ the Collector's Crack and I apologize that I'm just now getting around to posting the cards I received.

I sent him a gold numbered Brett Favre from 2010 Topps Unrivaled along w/ some random Brewers I had in my trade box in exchange for a few Braves and Panthers cards.

I love these mini cards and Mark came through and sent me several that I didn't have.  Now that I finally was able to track down the pages that fit these cards they'll look great filling up the sheet.

I also got this neat 3 card panel.  I'm not sure what year it is or where it came from (magazine insert perhaps?), but I love getting oddball type items like this.

While none of the Panthers rookies knocked off my socks with plays made on the field I still enjoy adding cards of them to my team collection.  The black bordered mini from Topps Magic of Jimmy Clausen looks great!  The Tony Pike Unrivaled RC is numbered 356/999.

And speaking of Tony Pike he also sent me this nice Epix autographed RC numbered 408/499.  With the QB struggles Carolina had this season I still don't understand why Pike didn't get more of an opportunity.

I love it when a good trade comes together!  If you want to pull off a trade just e-mail me and we'll work something out.