Not 3, but 5

Today I will break with the trend of posting 3 card trades to bring you a larger one.  4 Cardinals for me, and 1 Altuve for my son courtesy of TCDB member Tastybrisket10.

Starting things off with a 2023 Update rainbow foil and a 2023 Topps Chrome Sapphire.  I had to do a double take on the Yepez card.  At first, I thought it was Willson Contreras.  I would love to add a red Chrome sapphire to my collection since the color match looks awesome, but with them being numbered to 5, most are going for more than what I am willing to pay.      

Goldschmidt appears to be in deep thought on this 2023 heritage insert.  Nice shot of him wearing the victory blue uniform.  The 4 player card is from 2013 Topps Archives.  This card shows 4 of the top 16 career stolen base leaders.  I always thought Coleman had a chance to push for Henderson's record if he had stayed in St. Louis.  In his 6 seasons there, he stole 549 bases.  During his 8 seasons with other teams, he totaled 203.  

My son did not get this card in the box of 2023 Holiday we opened last month.  Happy to find plenty of other collectors had it for trade.

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #65

Time to continue reducing the stack of cards on my need to be scanned desk.  After scanning today's 2 trade packages, only 2 more left to go for now.  That should change quickly, as I have 10 trades in progress.  First pwe came from member freddybacon.

My 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary team set is now complete.  Nice to put a 20 card set to bed.

Second trade came from member gorrister.  This one has been sitting on my desk for 2 weeks.  Shame on me for being so slow.

This is the first half of the Cardinals 2023 Bowman Platinum team set.  I am not too crazy about the design.  The background is very busy and dark.  For someone like me who is pushing 50, it is not very easy on the eyes.

I doubt Wainwright will be included in very many 2024 sets.  Pitchers do not get much hobby love unless they are great.  There are still plenty of his cards to track down like this 2022 Stadium Club Chrome.

This is actually my second copy of this Walker insert.  I had hopes of getting it autographed last month, but that did not work out.  Maybe I will get lucky later this year.  

  

3 More

Today I was hoping to do a recap of the card show I attended on Saturday.  I was able to spend about 1.5 hours at the show.  The only problem was it was a major dud.  Overpriced and overproduced were the reoccurring themes I found.  Any well-educated Cardinals collector is not going to pay $10 for a Jordan Walker 2023 Topps base card.  This is the third consecutive show at this location that has been a disappointment.  I will not be wasting the gas money or time to go back.

Instead of card show bargains, I will show off yet another trade consisting of 3 new Cardinals.  TCDB member OraInPA sent a nice pwe my way last week.  

It is rare for me to find early 1990s inserts I do not have.  I get a little excited when I do find them.  I have never seen this 1994 Pinnacle Power Surge insert before this trade.  This card highlights Whiten's 4 home run and 12 RBI game in 1993.

This 2023 Big League insert I have seen plenty of times.  So many that I thought I already had it.  Good thing TCDB keeps my wantlist up to date for me.

Another Big League insert from 2023.  If  Adrian Beltre received 95.1% of the votes in his first year on the HOF ballot, I wonder what Pujols will get.  I am sure there is some idiot reporter out there who will keep him from getting 100%.  

        

One Old, One New

Breaking from my 3 card trade recaps today to show a smaller one involving only 2 cards.  This one came from TCDB member pinfit.  

This Red Schoendienst card is from the 1981 TCMA set.  I am inching closer to 100 Red cards in my collection.  This one is #91.

This is my 55th Jordan Walker card.  Being a top 10 prospect means you will have a ton of cards.   This one is from the Topps boxes sold at Costco.    

Second Lankford of 2024

The new listings for Ray Lankford cards on EBAY have been steady so far this year.  Most days, there are 10-15 new auctions.  Most are cards that I already have, but some new ones have come up.  One 2023 Donruss card was listed a week or so ago that started a little higher than I wanted to spend.  It sat on my watch list for a few days before the seller sent me a lower offer.  I countered with an even lower offer that he accepted very quickly.  It arrived in my mailbox earlier this week.

This is the voltage parallel numbered 12 of 25.  A Christmas card that also happens to be his jersey number on the card.  Lankford wore #12 his final season in St. Louis after wearing #16 the previous years.  I guess when he returned in 2004, he could not convince Reggie Sanders to switch numbers.  

This is my 18th different version of his 2023 Donruss card, and most likely my last.  The final 6 cards of this rainbow include 5 1/1 cards and another numbered to 5.  I do not believe any of them have shown up online yet.    
    

Another 3 Pack

I showed off 2 trades yesterday, each consisting of 3 cards.  Usually, that is the minimum number of cards I like in a trade to make the postage worth it.  There are a few exceptions, but not many.  Last night I scanned another 3 card trade.  This one came from TCDB member ILLRIMESAYA.  He is another trader I have swapped cards with on a couple other sites.  

Mr. Arenado starts things off with a 2023 Update All Star insert.  Nothing really flashy about this one.  

Next up is a 2023 silver pack card of Ozzie Smith.  Hard to go wrong with a shiny insert of a Cardinals icon.  

My favorite card of the trade was this 2020 Topps Heritage short print.  Not really the greatest player, but it does complete a team set.  One of the few Heritage sets I can say that about.

 

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #64

I return this week with 2 for Tuesday after taking last week off to highlight my trip to Cardinals Winter Warm Up.  I had 8 different trade envelopes to choose from last night for today's post.  I settled on 2 small ones with 6 cards total.  First up is a 3 pack from member robglessner.

I am almost finished with the complete run of Classic sets.  Ozzie finished the 1992 set, while Clark leaves me 1 shy of the 1987 Update set.  

Jose's twin brother played in the Cardinals system for a few seasons.  He even played a handful of games for the Cardinals in 1992 and 1993.  The power was never there, unfortunately.  I was able to complete the 1992 Skybox AAA team set with this card.  

The second 3 card package came from member uncfan505.

I was always a fan of team leader cards featuring multiple players.  It is even better when Hall of Fame players share the card.  Maybe Topps can recreate this card with Arenado and Goldschmidt on it.

Not much in common with the cards other than both players are outfielders.  I got Carlson's autograph when he played in Peoria.  Maybe this year I will be able to add Cho's signature to the collection.

    
  
  

Same Address, Different Trader

Anytime I send out a trade that is not in a pwe, I use Paypal Shipstation.  It helps me save money on postage while also avoiding the line at the post office.  Both major wins in my book.  A couple of weeks ago, I was addressing a label to TCDB member PadresFan when I noticed the address was already saved.  I thought that was strange, considering this was my first trade with this member.  Turns out I have traded with her husband several times across a couple of sites.  The hobby world can be a small one.

I am inching closer to completing another 2023 team set.  4 more to go to finish Prizm.

These 1992 Topps gold cards cut my wantlist in half.  

2 more Cardinals left to find to finish the 2016 Topps Holiday Metallic Snowflake team set.  My area received our first measurable snow last Friday.  It was gone by Saturday afternoon.  I hope that is the last I see of it this winter.    
  

  

Christmas Package from Ron B

I am feeling guilty for not posting a Christmas package until today.  Especially one from trading partner Ron B.  His package arrived just before the holidays.  I waited to open it until Christmas afternoon.  It contained a lot of great Cardinals that remained in a stack on my desk until last night.  With any luck, I will get them filed away this weekend.  

A four-pack of base cards, including a couple of rookies from 2023 Bowman Platinum.  

Some colorful inserts and a Jordan Walker insert that I almost got signed this past weekend.  Maybe next year.  The red wave Tink Hence looks great in person.  

A couple of minis from 2023 Allen & Ginter.  The Contrereas is an A&G back.

A nice lot of refractors.  Love the Yadi X-fractor.

Some numbered cards.  Once again a nice Molina from 2021 Finest.  This one is a aqua refractor numbered to 300.

Some lower numbered inserts.  The 2022 Gallery Green Gibson numbered to 125 is a very sharp card.  

Wrapping things up with 3 Altuve cards for my son.  The 2023 Finest card is a refractor.  

    

First Lankford of 2024

I doubt you will see very many new Ray Lankford cards on the blog this year.  I have acquired most of the low value ones that Panini produced last year.  I do not believe Topps will include him in any products this year, so I will resort to filling in any holes from previous years.  Good thing EBAY sellers continue to list a few of them.  I won an auction over the weekend for a card that arrived today.

This is the purple Zenith parallel from 2023 Chronicles that is numbered to 25.  The purple is just as dark in person as it is in the scan unless you slant the card just right.  Happy to add it to the collection for less than $10.      

   

Cardinals Winter Warm Up Day 2

Day 2 of WWU was a little more laid back.  We arrived at about 9:30 and were able to walk right in.  Glad there was no waiting in line as the temperature outside felt like -15 degrees.  Just like Day 1, we had 2 paid autographs at 10:00.

Jordan Walker was taking his time talking to everyone and taking pictures despite the workers trying to speed him up.  He is very well-spoken for a 21-year-old.  I hope he breaks out big time this year.  

Victor Scott was also well-spoken and taking pictures, though not taking quite as long as Walker.  Getting both of them at the caravan on Friday was a great bonus.

I bought this picture from the Peoria Chiefs booth on Saturday along with a couple of team sets I forgot to scan.  While he was signing this, Scott mentioned he hoped to get a Chiefs bobblehead this season.  I would love to see him get one on superhero night.  It would be awesome to see him as the Flash.  He tied for the minor league lead in stolen bases last year with 94.

After a quick lunch break, we had 2 free autographs to get.

This was the first time Gary Bennett had signed at WWU.  He was wearing his 2006 World Series ring which was about as big as his entire ring finger. 

Bernard Gilkey is a regular at WWU, caravans, and most other local events.  I am working my way to a complete Topps run of signed cards for him.  

Our last paid signer of the day gave us a great signature.

Masyn Winn is known for having a great arm.  During the 2022 Futures game, he threw a ball to first clocked at 100.5 mph.  My son and I were debating whether to have him inscribe the ball.  Winn asked us before we could ask him.  I think it turned out perfectly.  If you have noticed in this post and the last one, I like to get special balls like Futures Game, All-Star Game, and Gold Glove signed at WWU.  Makes it a little more memorable than a regular ball.  

Once finished with autographs, we sat through a presentation about the Cardinals Museum's upcoming events for 2024.  We needed to kill some time while waiting to see if we won something at a silent auction.  Turns out we did.

Tommy Edman is my son's favorite Cardinal.  He was signing autographs on Monday.  We usually do not stay all 3 days, so I opted for this ball instead of the extra hotel night.  I paid a little less for it than what his autograph ticket was.  We had to wait about 15 minutes to pick up the ball, so my son hit up the restroom before we made our way home.  He came back with this.

The restroom was down by the Cardinals clubhouse area where a worker was guiding people for tours.  He was asking younger people 3 trivia questions about Cardinals history.  If they answered them correct, they received a bobblehead.  My son said he nailed the questions and even used Ray Lankford as an answer.  I already have this bobblehead, so it will be sold or traded.  Most likely for something Tommy Edman related.  Nice little way to finish up the weekend.        

Overall we had a great time despite the cold weather.  It was a blessing that the snow Saturday night stayed to the west of town.  I was surprised to see how many people attended.  The bad weather, the bad 2023 season, and Nolan Arenado and Paull Goldschmidt not attending did not keep fans from coming out.  

  

Cardinals Winter Warm Up Day 1

After attending a fun Cardinals Caravan on Friday, my son and I set out early Saturday morning for Cardinals Winter Warm Up (WWU) in St. Louis.  Just like last year, it was held at Busch Stadium and across the street at Ballpark Village.  Unlike last year, the weather was not very good.  High temperatures for the weekend were in the single digits with wind chills below zero.  We made sure to wear plenty of layers and made great use of Hot Hands hand warmers both days we attended.    

The gates opened at 9:00 Saturday morning.   We arrived about 15 minutes early and were amazed to find about 150 people in line.  At the time it felt like -2 degrees.  Once inside, we made our way to the Cardinals Care store where you could find anything from game used jerseys, pants, caps, bats, helmets, to autographed baseballs.  Most of these items are from former players.  Plenty of Jack Flaherty and Paul DeJong items this year.  I make it a point to hit up the autographed player banners from previous years.  If you there within the first 30 minutes, most of the good ones are gone.  I picked out 2 from the 2023 WWU.

There are 2 of each banner.  These 1'x4' corrugated banners hang in front of the player's autograph station.  This is my 3rd Lankford banner and my first Carlson.  Last year I paid $45 each for Adam Wainwright and Tommy Edman.  This year Carlson was $35 and Lankford was $75.  The Lankford was a bit steep, but a crazy player collector like me could not say no.  I still have high hopes for Carlson despite his projection as the 4th outfielder.

We had 2 paid autographs signers at 10:00.  

     

Tink Hence is the Cardinals #3 prospect.  He has not thrown a lot of innings, but has been electric when he does pitch.  His autographs was $10 each.  Next year it will most likely be double that.  The picture also shows the Victor Scott autographs from Cardinals Caravan on Friday.  

The next paid autograph was $75 and the main reason I attended WWU this year.

I have been wanting to get David Freese on my 2011 World Series team bat since 2012.  This was his first time at WWU since 2014.  Hard to tell from the glare, but he inscribed 2011 WS MVP without me asking (I was going to request it anyway).  This bat may never get done thanks to the crazy price I will have to pay for Albert Pujols, but it as been a fun project.

After a quick lunch break, we had 4 different free autograph lines to get through from 12:00-2:00.  

  

  

All 4 of these former players have signed at previous WWUs, but it is hard to pass up a free autograph.  I guess they are not really free because the weekend pass cost $50 for me and $25 for my son since he is under 16 years old.  We receive our passes as Christmas gifts from my in-laws every year, so I consider these autographs free.

After finishing up the autographs, we walked through the vendor area.  I bought a couple of Peoria Chiefs team sets and a Victor Scott picture.  You will see that in the next post.  Our last stop of the day was the Cardinals Museum to renew my membership.  They always offer some type of incentive to new members or renewals during WWU weekend.  First I will show what anyone who buys a group membership receives.

 

The museum puts out 2 exclusive high quality bobbles heads every year.  These are not available at the stadium.  Each bobblehead is features a member of the team's hall of fame.  Some are well known like Rolen, while other like Javier are not recognized by many non Cardinal fans.  This year's incentive included a third bobblehead.

I have this bobblehead already, but will either sell it or trade for another I need.  We left a little about 3:30.  For the majority of time we were inside, but the short walk in between the 2 locations was very cold.  We drove about 15 miles to our hotel, attended church, grabbed some Little Ceasars pizza for dinner, and spent the evening watching Little Big League in our room.