TCDB 2 for Tuesday #118

I almost forgot it is Tuesday.  Three day weekends can do that to you.  A hectic day at work that made it feel like a Monday did not help matters.  As I starting watching tonight's Cardinals game, it finally sank in it was time for a 2 for Tuesday post.  Jumping right into with a single card from member RParsons17.

I will gladly pay postage for a single card trade of a 21 year old short print card of a Cardinals Hall of Famer.  

The second trade package came from member jc645.

Scott just scored the tying run in the top of the 7th inning.  Maybe he can score the winning run in the 9th.

I got a very nice start to my 2025 Heritage team set.  I like the clean look of the 1976 retro set.  The red and green bars look great with the Cardinals uniform.  

  

4th New Lankford of 2025

It has been a few months since I showed off a new Ray Lankford card.  Thanks to the release of 2024 Panini National Treasures, I have a few new ones to chase after.  It took a while for the first one to be listed on EBAY, so I was sure to add it to my watch list.  I was lucky enough to win the auction, and the card arrived earlier this week.

This is the most common of the five versions of this card.  I am not a big fan of the sticker auto, but beggars cannot be choosers.  At least Panini did not have to airbrush any logos.    
 

Contest Winnings from Kerry

A few weeks ago, I received a nice package from my favorite Cardinals blogger Kerry. This one was not from a trade, but rather my winnings for placing second in his March Madness contest.  Kerry sent a large stack of cards for me to use for autographs and a nice stack of Cardinals for my collection.

Always nice to add oddball cards to the collection.  I still have the complete Cadaco game, along with all the discs that the Pena came from.

Cho finished a team set, while Gorman was the last non-short print I needed from 2023 A&G.

The Cardinals are waiting patiently for these two former first-round picks to start hitting.  The clock is ticking for both of them.

I did not realize how many Gormans the package contained until I scanned them.

Some collectors do not like the colored parallels from Stadium Club.  I am not one of them.  

The final Gorman is one of three different Topps Chrome refractors.  The ray wave Contreras gets the win in my book.

Thanks again to Kerry for the great contest and his generosity.  

  
  
  

    

2025 Bowman Blaster Box Break

It has been a long time since I opened a blaster box of cards.  Looking back on my posts, it looks like Christmas of 2022.  I miss the thrill and playing pack wars with my son, but the monetary value is not there.  I have added many more cards to my personal collection once I stopped opening packs.

I had a moment of weakness recently with the release of 2025 Bowman.  Two of the Cardinals' top five prospects, JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews, have their first licensed cards in the set.  I had a small gift card, some fan cash, and free shipping to use on the MLB website.  This blaster did not cost me $29.99, so I placed an order last week on release day.  The box arrived last night.  My son was at a school function, so my wife and I opened the six packs.

I did not pull a Wetherholt or Mathews card.  These two Cardinals will be crossed off my wantlist, while the Altuve will be headed to my son's collection.

Some of the better non-prospect cards we pulled.

2 of the better paper prospects.

We pulled five 1st Bowman chrome cards.  Cannot say I have heard of any of these guys.

I believe the odds of each insert type are about one per blaster box.

It was nice to see 2 numbered cards.  The reptile border parallel is one per box.  

I was shocked to see this green grass autograph parallel in the second pack I opened. This is another guy I have never heard of. I may have to sit on this one for a year or two to see if he pans out.  

I was not expecting much in my last pack, but I managed to pull another nice card.

Look closely, and you will see that this is a red logo redemption card.  This card is selling well on EBAY right now.  I doubt I will hang on to it for the chance at $100 fan cash if he wins Rookie of the Year.  Too many things can go wrong for rookie pitchers.  

For once, the cards I pulled from a box will actually pay for it.  That does not mean I will rush out to buy more.  Best to stop while I am ahead.

    

      

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #117

As I write today's post, the Cardinals have the longest winning streak in the Major League this year at 9 games.  Not even the most optimistic Cardinals fans could have predicted this.  I doubt the great play will last much longer, but it is fun to watch.  I still believe they will finish around .500 and not make the playoffs.  

Enough rambling, on to the trade recaps.  First up is a package from member jamestagli.

Great photography set on a color matching background is a must have for this collector.  

Some Topps rainbow foil cards scan the same as base cards.  2025 Topps is one of those.  

The second trade package came from fellow Cardinals collector timriess.  This was our 21st trade since he joined TCDB in 2020.  

Ozzie Smith is 4th on my player collection list.  He will most likely pass Mark McGwire this summer.  Seeing Ozzie on a card design from his playing days is cool.

Although Donruss blue parallels are not as nice as Stadium Club red parallels, they are still welcome additions to my collection.

I will always be a Tommy Edman fan.  It is not surprising to see him having success in LA.  

Finally, a nice 1997 Donruss Preferred base card.  This base set was broken down into bronze, silver, gold, and platinum cards.  

    

More Goodness from Ron B

For the past two weeks, a large stack of cards has been sitting on my computer desk waiting to be scanned. Since it rained most of Saturday and Sunday, I made it a point to clean up my card area.  This stack of cards came from frequent trading partner Ron B.  Like all his other packages, it was loaded with great Cardinals and a few Altuve cards for my son.

I have very few Starting Lineup cards in my collection.  It is rare for me to find the card without the figure.  Happy to add this 1992 to the collection.

Along with the SLU card, the Walker is the only base card from the trade.  The Davis is a silver parallel.

I know these are not worth much, but I like the 1989 design from 2024 Topps.  Reminds me of my younger collecting years when you could find packs for $1.00 or less.

The highlight of the Topps parallels was the 2021 Update Justin Williams Memorial Day camo numbered to 25.

My Bowman lot included a nice blue Gorman numbered to 150 and a DeJong refractor numbered to 499.

The Chrome portion had some nice refractors, including a 2023 blue Contreras numbered to 150.

Some big names in the A&G mini lot.

Some random Topps inserts.  The Yadi is a refractor.

Finishing up the Topps brand cards with a trio from Heritage.  The 2017 Grichuk is a blue border parallel with a print run of 50.

Assorted Donruss parallels from the last few years.

Prizm parallels and a Walker insert.

2 parallels from 2023 Select.  The Graceffo is an orange flash prizm.  Very sharp card in hand.

Four other Panini brand inserts.  The Brock 2015 Cooperstown is numbered to 10.  

My son is getting very close to 800 different Altuve cards.  These 9 put him at 798.