Silver, Gold, and Black

I was really looking forward to the arrival of a trade envelope from TCDB member AgsWin99. He has been on the site for a little over a year but has only 25 completed trades, including the one we did this week.  That did not discourage me from working out an excellent trade with him.  I checked with a couple of his recent trade partners, and both gave him great ratings.  I sent him about 20 various set needs and a few Topps Gold cards in return for 9 colorful Cardinals and a lone insert.

The highlight of the package was the 2011 Diamond Anniversary Musial card, a photo variation of the main set.  There are 31 Cardinals in this set.  I need five more, four of which are photo variations.  

It is rare for me to get more than one or two gold parallels in a trade.  I was thrilled to get six in this one.  

I was surprised I did not have a want list for the 2011 black border parallel set.  I like to go after any 2011 Topps parallel set since the Cardinals won that year's World Series.  I made sure to add the set after receiving this card.

The only insert from the package was this 2005 Topps Edmonds card.  I have the other 2 Cardinals in the set, Rolen and Pujols.  Nice of Topps to give some recognition to the MV3 guys of 2004.  

  

     

14th New Lankford of 2024

No 2 for Tuesday post today, as I only have 1 trade to scan.  Maybe next week the mail will deliver things on time and I can return to a regular schedule.  I do have an excellent alternative post, as I received a new Ray Lankford in the mail from EBAY.

This is my fifth version of the 2023 Panini Chronicles card. It joins the others numbered 150, 25, 7, and 5.  This might be the last one I add, as all the other versions I need are one of ones.    
  

Friday Feel Good Trade

The weekend is here—well, almost. I will clock out in about three hours. My wife and I will be attending another baseball game tomorrow night.  I hope to have some highlights of that for Monday's post.  In other baseball news, the Cardinals managed to win two of three games against the Brewers.  Nice wins, but they are still ten games back in the division and five in the wild card.  Barring another late season 17-game winning streak,  I do not think there will be a playoff game in St. Louis.

Despite what is happening on the field, I still love getting in the trade package full of Cardinals.  TCDB member sporch10 sent a few of them my way earlier this week along with some cards for my son.

Arenado had a nice moment on Wednesday night with a walk-off grand slam.  The 1989 Topps design looks good with foil.  Winn has been one of the few bright spots this year.  He should finish in the top 3 for Rookie of the Year behind Skenes and Merrill.

I have no idea what the Cardinals are doing with Jordan Walker.  His latest stint in the majors lasted about 2 weeks and 11 at bats.  Why even bring him up if you are not going to play him.  I hope he has not lost his confidence and can come back strong in 2025.  

Matz is scheduled for one more rehab start before returning to St. Louis.  His role is to be determined.  Helsley keeps saving games whenever the Cardinals are fortunate to get a lead.  I wonder what the Cardinals could have received in a trade return this year for him.

It is great to see Carlson having some success in Tampa after his trade.  138 at bats with the Cardinals and no home runs.  55 at bats with the Rays and 3 home runs.  It is amazing what some playing time and positive reinforcement can do for someone.  Even a major leaguer needs a pat on the back sometimes.

Altuve is still a 3 WAR player this year in his age 34 season.  It would not shock me to see the Astros win a series or two in the playoffs.  

  
  
  
          

Better Late Than Never

One of the trades I recapped last Tuesday was from TCDB member bobrogers24.  The first package he sent on May 29 never arrived, so he sent another batch to make up for the post office's mistake.  Very kind gesture even though it was not his fault the post office lost the first one.  At least we both assumed it was lost until yesterday.  Yesterday, the first envelope was waiting for me in my mailbox after I got home from work.  It was a pwe marked non-machineable with 2 forever stamps on it.  The odd thing was the stamps did not have a postmark through them, just a scribble in pen that looked like a NM.  I was thrilled to find all the cards in perfect shape.

One of the cards in the replacement package was a 2014 Topps red hot foil.  Now I have 3 more from the update set.

I completed the 2014 Update Wal-Mart blue set with these 4.  Wish the red hot foil was done also.

The last card was a 2015 Topps gold.  This set is not close, but I am still thrilled to add another Molina numbered card.  
  

          

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #88

I laughed this morning when reading the headlines on the Cardinals' webpage about starting a key series with the Brewers tonight.  Even with a sweep, they will still be 8 games back in the division.  The sweep will not happen, and making the playoffs will not likely occur either.  After 2 years of disappointment, I sure hope changes will be made in management. 

On the bright side,  I have incoming trades with great cards to keep my attention elsewhere.  Today's first trade package came from fellow Cardinals fan StLMike.

These may look like regular 2007 Topps base cards, but a closer look at the back of the Carpenter card number shows they are from the Topps Pepsi set.  3 card packs were inserted into packages that year.  

You also have to look at the numbering on the back of these 2017 cards to see they are from the team set, not the regular base set.  

The second trade envelope card from member cr74.

My first 2024 Topps Chrome cards include a base Baker card and a nice Walker insert.  Poor Luken Baker has back to back 30 home run seasons in Triple A, but little chance of playing time in St. Louis with Paul Goldschmidt still around.  Walker was called back up last week but has not seen much playing time.  It is crazy to me why the Cardinals call up young players only to have them sit on the bench.    

My first 2023 Platinum anniversary inserts include a Gibson refractor and a Hornsby blue prism refractor.  Hats off to any player collector who tries to complete the 20 plus different variations from the set.  The Musial is one of many base cards I still need.  My approach to this team set is slow and steady.

My last two Cardinals are a sweet-looking Winn insert and a metallic snowflake Molina. Many Cardinals fans want Marmol fired and Molina hired as the next manager. That would bring more people to the ballpark, but I am not sure that would work out. Just like Mike Matheny a few years ago, just because a player is a great catcher does not mean he will make a great manager.

My son also added a metallic snowflake to his Altuve collection, along with 2 other 2024 cards.  The Around the Horn card is pretty sharp for a standard Topps insert.  The rainbow background goes well with the Astros uniform.

 

  

Saturday in St. Louis

For the second time this month, my wife and I took a quick trip to see a baseball game.  Earlier this month we went to Peoria.  Yesterday we made the drive to St. Louis.  I was able to get a few things accomplished in one trip, so it was well worth the drive.  

Our first stop was a huge flea market with over 200 vendors.  We walked through, but did not buy anything.  Just the spectacle of so much stuff was fun to see.  We had the most fun looking out toys from our childhood.  There were a few baseball related tables with bobbleheads and cards, but I was not in the buying mood yesterday.

Our second stop was the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.  Once a month, members are invited to a presentation.  This one was focused on Cardinals Authentics.  It was interesting to hear how balls and other equipment is authenticated each game.  I have stopped at the stadium store a few times and searched all the game used balls, but have never purchased one.  I am too cheap to pay $50 for a ball that was thrown in the dirt.  Depending on the player, some balls that were used for base hits are over $100.  

The Museum also has an former player signing autographs on Saturdays when there is a home game.  Former reliever Ray King was the guest yesterday.

King is not a big name in Cardinals history, but he is someone I did not have an autograph from.  Unlike quite a few other retired players, he has lost some weight since his playing days.  We were in and out of his line in 15 minutes.

After the signing, we waited about an hour and a half for the gates to open for the night game.  The give away was a Scott Rolen bobblehead.

Nice to see a fielding pose get used.  The majority of my bobbleheads picture the player hitting.  I also picked up another bobblehead before the game.  I met up with a member from a Facebook group and traded for this one.

I love the announcer bobbleheads because they come with a voice chip.  This one does not highlight a specific event, just Shannon and Rooney getting ready to call the first pitch of a game.  

The game itself went better than I expected.  Despite seeing Ohtani hit 113 mph home run, the Cardinals beat the Dodgers  5-2 behind 3 home runs of their own.  It was fun seeing the different bats and cleats players were using for Players weekend.  I will leave you with a clip of Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley coming in from the bullpen to pitch the 9th inning.

It is a really cool experience to see the lights go out, the stadium go red, and the fans go nuts when they hear Hell's Bells.  

  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #87

Today's mail recap is not as exciting as yesterday's post.  It is hard to top meeting your favorite player, but I do have some nice cards to show off.  The first pwe came from member pdmkam.

Nice to start off with an oddball Ozzie Smith from 1984 Topps Rub Downs.  My Ozzie collection sits at 784 different cards at the moment.  I thought I would be closer to 1,000 by now.   Will have to make it a point to at least reach 800 by year's end.

2019 Bowman Heritage was only available from the Topps website.  I am guessing that is a good reason you do not see these very often at shows.  I am not a fan of the numbering Topps used.  Veterans like Molina had a card number beginning with 53VR.  Prospects like Gorman had a card number beginning with 53P.  Why not just keep it simple and start at number 1?

The second trade came from member bobrogers24.  A big thank you goes to him for sending a second package my way after the first one he mailed on May 29 has yet to arrive.  Has anyone else noticed a decline in service from the post office in the last few months?  I have 2 other trades that I have waited over a month for, while one package I sent at the beginning of June has not arrived.   

I had so much hope for Alex Reyes, but injuries had other plans.  I doubt he will ever return to form if he ever gets a chance to play again.  I am still happy to add his cards to my collection like this 2018 Heritage short print.

If I had to pick a refractor type to do without, sepia would be it.  The cards are too bland.  I need color in my card collecting life.  Pink, on the other hand, is a nice change of pace.  The border goes well with Cardinal red.

A few more color parallels.  I have said it a few times before, but the 2014 Red Foil parallels are one of the best Topps has produced in recent memory.  I really wish they would bring this one back.  

 

  

  

Meeting the Legends

I have lived in the same area my entire life. For almost 48 years, southern Illinois has been my home. You would think by now I would know just about every baseball team around, whether professional, semi-pro, or school-related.  Back in March, I discovered a new one in southern Indiana. It was about 1.5 hours away.  The DC Bombers is a summer league team made up of college players.  They play at League Stadium, famous for being the home of the movie "A League of Their Own". 

I did not discover the team by visiting the stadium or going to a game.  During an online search of Ray Lankford cards, I came across a Facebook post about Legends Game to be held at League Stadium.  Tickets went on sale a few weeks later.  I made sure to secure three seats for my wife, my son, and me, along with passes to the pre-game autograph session. The game took place this past Saturday night.

Along with Lankford, 6 other former MLB players signed autographs. The autograph session lasted 1.5 hours.  I knew the autograph tickets sold out, so I had no idea how big the crowd would be.  To my surprise, we were able to get everything signed in 45 minutes.  It helps when you have three people, and you are allowed two autographs each time.  I had five cards for other collectors that have already been mailed off, so I will show off the keepers.

This is the only Boone card I have in my collection.  There is not much demand for a 2000 Metal common, so I had it autographed.  If you know of a Boone or Braves fan who would like it, have them send me a message.  

Cischek played for the Bombers before starting his MLB career.  He spent the second half of the 2015 season in St. Louis.  I wish he had a few more Cardinal cards.  

Coco Crisp was traded by the Cardinals for Steve Finley before he ever reached the majors.  He loved seeing the 2003 Grandstand New Jersey Cardinals card.  

This is the first time I have ever met Ankiel in person.  I always seem to miss him at Cardinals Winter Warm Up.  He has a great autograph.  I love that he put his pitching number 66 on the 2002 Topps card.  I was able to chat with him for a few minutes about his book.  I highly recommend reading The Phenomenon if you get a chance.  

My wife was able to get through Ankiel's line a second time.  This ball turned out great.  

Last but not least, are the Lankford autographs.  We hit him up first, then my son and I were able to get through his line a second time.

These complete my run of Topps base cards being signed, minus the 2002 Padres card. Someday, I will get a picture of them together arranged by year.

This ball is from Lankford's induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2018.  I have another one unsigned.  Was not sure how the silver paint pen would show up on the red panel, but I think it looks great.

I bought this 11x14 picture at Winter Warm Up in 2020.  Bernard Gilkey signed it in 2022.  Brian Jordan should not be hard to track down, but Mark Whiten may be a challenge.  

The best part of the evening for me came next. With 30 minutes left in the autograph session, very few people were getting autographs from any of the players. I was able to talk to Lankford one-on-one for a few minutes.  I asked him why he did not sign with the Cubs when they drafted him in the third round of the 1986 draft (the Cardinals drafted him in the 1987 third round).  Loved his answer of not wanting to be a part of a losing culture.  I also asked him about his favorite career moment.  I was guessing it would be the Darren Daulton collision, hitting for the cycle, or hitting a home run in his last at bat.  I was not even close.  His favorite moment was robbing a base hit.  He did not specify from who or when, just that it was from another player he did not care much for.  

As for the game itself, it was a 7-inning affair featuring quite a few guys past their prime.  Scott Podsednik led off the game and pulled a hamstring running to first.  Boone did not have much range at second, nor did he make much contact at the plate.  Ankiel had a nice live drive to center.  Steve Cishek had the best hit.  It was a long home run to left field.  I was amazed to see a former reliever hit a ball that well, until the other manager made it known Cishek used a fungo bat.  It was still a fun game to watch and one that I will look forward to next year if they have it.         

  

2024 Donruss Box Break

I have reduced the number of box breaks I have bought into recently.  During the Covid years and shortly after, it seemed like I was in 1 every month.  Not long after, I started buying more vintage singles, which greatly reduced my hobby budget.  The box breaks are only two or three a year now.  Almost all of them are through a member of The Bench.  He ships quickly and carefully.  I cannot say I ever scored anything big from his breaks, but they are very reasonably priced.  Last month, I paid $12 for a buy 1 team get 1 team hobby box break of 2024 Donruss.

I received 6 of the 8 Cardinals base cards.  Nice to see last year's #1 draft pick Chase Davis included in the set.

My lone non-base Cardinal was this foil Winn.  The photo looks to be from his time in Memphis.  The Cardinals do not have a dark blue uniform type.

My random team was the Phillies.

Not a bad group of cards, although I wish the Rolen was in a Cardinals uniform.  Nice to get a Schmidt Optic insert in the group.  

My buy works out to $1 per card.  In a month or so, I could find these a lot cheaper at a show, but every now and then, I get the urge to gamble on a break.    
  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #86

It's hard to believe it's already the first Tuesday in August. This year has flown by very quickly. It seemed like school just let out for the summer a few weeks ago, but it starts back up next week.  It will be an interesting time in my household.  My son turned 16 last month, so this is his first year driving on his own.  My daughter is set to move into her college apartment next week.  She is only a little over an hour away, but my wife has already been dreading the day. 

I, on the other hand, will continue with my daily routine of going to work and playing with cards in my spare time.  That is until my son's soccer season starts.  For now, I have plenty of time to scan and file away cards from TCDB trades.  Today's first set of cards came from member abide.  

The Gant finally finished my 1998 Topps Opening Day set.  I wish Topps would bring back the Gold Sparkle parallels from 2012.  These are great-looking cards.  The Lankford goes toward my 1998 Pacific Invincible team set.  I already have a copy for my player collection.  

The second package came from member sportzking.

I have very few inserts from 2024 Topps.  Nice to get 3 in 1 trade.  Carlson returns to St. Louis today for a 3 game series with Tampa.  Is it bad to hope he hits .750 with a home run every game?

This is my 95th Schoendienst card.  I need to push that over 100 before the end of the year.

My son added the 2024 Topps base Altuve to his collection.  Topps chose a nice action shot that I have not seen used on a card before.  

  

      

Card Show on Trading Card Day

I took off work Friday afternoon a few hours early.  My wife and I had a quick baseball getaway weekend before school starts on the 14th.  She will be starting her 26th year of teaching elementary PE.  I would not have the nerves or patience for that job.  We drove to Peoria on Friday to catch a Chiefs game.  They lost 6 to 1, but we enjoyed the post-game fireworks and also received 2 Ivan Herrera bobbleheads.  

After the game, we drove to our hotel in Champaign.  There was a card show I wanted to attend on Saturday, and also a card shop I wanted to visit that was participating in National Trading Card Day.  I was not expecting much from the card show, as it was a small 60 table show in an old car dealership.  Lots of slabs and unpriced cards.  2 of my least favorite things.  I did manage to find a few cards to buy from 2 different dealers.

This dealer had a few quarter and 50-cent boxes.  Most of the cards were Donruss parallels, but I did manage to find these 4 cards for $1 total.  The 2 2022 Chrome Sky Blue refractors are well worth that.

The next dealer had a couple of vintage showcases and a 1600-count box.  I found three Cardinals from the 1960s for $57.

The 1960 Gibson is off-center, but not as bad as my scanner made it out to be. Otherwise, it is very sharp. The 1960 Flood is almost perfect. Only one corner is a little soft. The 1965 World Series Highlights card has a small crease, but otherwise, it is in decent shape. The Gibson was the big draw for me. His second-year card for less than $50 is a win in my book.  

We ate a quick lunch and headed to the card shop.  I have driven by this store several times, but I thought it was an antique shop.  Inside the store, there was a small corner with 2 showcases of cards and boxes.  I also found a few monster boxes of various sports.  One of the workers made sure we saw the free packs as soon as we entered.  

These were the best cards we pulled.  She also said we could have the Elly De La Cruz and Ohtani cards without making a purchase.  

I only grabbed the Cruz.  I am not sure the worker fully understood the program.  The store had a 1600-count box full of packs and promo cards.  I am betting most are still sitting there today.  I did pull a couple of cards from the dollar box.

The Molina is an A&G back mini.  Not the greatest bargains, but I felt guilty getting the other cards for free.  I know another shop in town was playing it by the book and not handing out the Cruz or Ohtani unless you bought $10 worth of Topps packs.  

    
      

Topps Trading Card Day

If you have not heard, tomorrow is Topps Trading Card Day. All the details and the participating card shops can be found here. I plan on stopping by a shop to grab a free pack, but I'm not sure if I will spend $10 to get the Elly De La Cruz card.  

Topps has also been giving away cards at MLB ballparks.  Last Saturday 5 card packs were handed out before the Cardinals game.  That was a day before I went, but luckily, I knew someone who was nice enough to get me one.    

It was not a surprise to find these three included in the pack.  

I was guessing Topps would include Masyn Winn instead of Walker.  I wonder when the checklist was finalized.  Walker has not been in the Majors since late April.  Winn has been having a good rookie season.

Tommy Edman's inclusion is even more puzzling, even before he was traded.  He has not played a game all year due to off-season wrist surgery.  I would have chosen more popular players like Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, or Willson Contreras.