5 Refractors for 5 Cardinals

My latest TCDB trade involved a pair of 5s.  I sent member Jato218 5 Topps Chrome refractors in exchange for 5 Cardinals.  I am pretty sure I picked up all the refractors from dime or quarter boxes at recent card shows.  Most of the time I have team collectors in mind for them, but every now and then a set collector comes around.  

I ended up with a couple of shiny cards myself, although these are not refractors.  That is fine though, as I need quite a few of the base cards from 2021 Stadium Club Chrome.  

2 more Molina cards included a 2022 Stadium Club red foil and a 2021 Topps Update black gold.  I now have 675 different Yadi cards.  That should reach 700 in no time.  Topps will most likely go overboard producing his cards this year since he retired.  

I have some common 2022 Topps inserts to track down still.  That is one fewer thanks to adding my 102 different Arenado.  I have seen this card a 1,000 times without realizing I did not have it.    

   

Cheap Box Break Pays Off

While I was waiting for 2023 Topps to hit the shelves, I entered a cheap box break on The Bench 2 weeks ago.  This one consisted of 1 mini box of 2022 Topps Finest, 1 blaster box of 2022 Bowman Platinum, and 1 blaster box of 2022 Topps Chrome.  Finest and Platinum were the big draws for me, as I have 0 Cardinals from either set.  Chrome offered the chance to pull some autographs on a Paul Goldschmidt.  Here is what I received for $11 total.

The seller included a bonus fat pack of 2022 Diamond Kings which yielded this Molina insert I did not have.  I also received a Juan Yepez base card that I have already traded.  

I did not do very well with the Finest and Platinum boxes.  Arenado was the only card I received.  That left the Chrome box.

The second pack of the box produced this prism refractor that I did not have.  Always nice to add a rookie cup card to the collection.  The last 2 packs brought another 2 cards.

The base Goldy was in the second to last pack, while the sepia refractor was the very last card of the box.  I already have a copy of the base, so it will be redeemed at a shop for $20 as part of the Topps buyback program.  The refractor can be redeemed for $40.  I have not made up my mind about it yet.  I do not have it, but after the March 31 deadline, I would think a copy will not be too hard to find.  I do not know what  Topps plans to do with these cards.  Maybe they will receive an MVP stamp and be inserted in future packs.    

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #35

Today's post is a true 2 for Tuesday.  2 TCDB trades, both pwe trades consisting of 2 cards.  First was a trade with member CH34.  This was a somewhat different trade as he proposed the trade to me.  I would guess 85-90% of my trades are initiated by me.

It is great to cross off a couple of Heritage short prints from my want list.  These 2 2007 cards feature the names in yellow instead of the common white font.

The second trade features 2 Topps cards from user jdmx1.

This is one of the few 2022 Topps Chrome Goldschmidt cards that does not qualify for the buyback program.  I will have more on that in my next post.  This insert was part of the 2022 Topps Update set.  The Gant is a rainbow foil from 2021 Topps Update.  After being traded by the Cardinals to the Twins in 2021, Gant did not pitch in the Majors last year.  I thought of him after MLB announced the crack down on balks this season.  He had one of those funky wind ups that looked like a balk to me.  

Colorful TCDB Trade

Today's recap features a colorful assortment of Cardinals from TCDB member homerjg007.  I sent him an equally colorful lot of Royals.

Green is not my first choice of color for a refractor, but it is not bad.  When combined with the red border and Cardinals uniform, it makes me think of Christmas cards.  These 2 are from the 2012 Bowman Chrome set.  

Panini gets a little carried away with the many different Prizm parallels.  Molina is a Carolina blue parallel, while the O'Neill is a regular blue mojo.  Not much a difference between the two.

No need for an explanation of Topps gold and rainbow foil parallels.  I believe every collector can pick these out in a stack of cards.   

Pink is one of my favorite colors for a refractor.  They just seem to really stand out.  The Freese card is not colored but is an X-fractor despite what my scanner shows.   

Cards from Cards on Cards

Kerry from Cards on Cards hit me up with a trade offer on TCDB earlier this month.  We have exchanged several packages in the last few years, but this was our first one on TCDB.  He has been very busy since he started trading there.  Before very long, he will have a larger Cardinals collection than I do.  I did gain a few cards on him with this trade, as I sent him 11 duplicates in exchange for 14.

Before the Cardinals moved their Triple A  affiliate to Memphis, they played in Louisville.  Wish that was still the case, as it takes me twice as long to drive to Memphis.  I am half way done with the 28 Redbirds in the 1989 ProCards set.

I am getting very close to completing a large parallel set.  Only 2 more 1996 Collector's Choice Silver Signature cards to track down.

Kerry did finish my 1997 Donruss Elite team set with this Alan Benes card.  This set does not scan very well at all. 

Shelby Miller signed with the Dodgers this winter.  It seems like he has played for almost every National League during his 10-year career.

I really hope Dylan Carlson can stay healthy this year and get the bulk of the playing time in center field.  I believe he can be a 20-20 guy if he does.

Kerry finished off the paper portion of 2022 Bowman Draft with the Hansen card.  The Chrome set is still coming along.  He also included a nice Mojo refractor of now Pirate Malcom Nunez.  He as part of the Jose Quintana trade last year.

My 2022 Panini Prizm set is now complete also.  I need 2 more cards to finish the 2022 Update Chrome team set.  Looking at these 2 side by side, you can see how logos make a world of difference in appearance.  Both are nice and shiny, but the Yepez looks very dull compared to the Pallante.  

  
  

   
  

Lots of Hits

Last week I completed one of my larger trades in a while.  TCDB member BobbyL and I did a 16 for 16 card swap.  I sent him some 2022 Stadium Club cards in exchange for some Cardinals base cards ranging from 1998-2011.  To a team collector like myself, this trade was wonderful.  So many cards to cross off and even a few completed team sets.

You would think Topps Chrome cards were short prints with as many as I need still.  Most are from the late 1990s and early 2000s.  

I complete the 2002 Gold Label team set with the addition of the Tino Martinez card.  My 1998 SP Authentic set just lacks a card of Cardinal legend Todd Stottlemyre for completion.  I like the looks of the 2001 Donruss Signature Edmonds card, but that is a set that will never be completed thanks to a Pujols rookie and a few other short print autographed rookies.  I do have some hope with the 2003 UD 40 Man set.  Only 6 more to go to finish the 29 card team set. 

I love the retro sets like 2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams.  I found out earlier today that Tim McCarver passed away.  I was never a fan of his as an announcer, but he was a solid catcher during the 1960s.

The top 2 cards finished my 2005 Leaf Century and 2005 Bowman Chrome team sets.  The Morris card leaves me 1 short of the 2004 Leaf 2nd Edition team set.

I finished another team set with these 3 legends from the 2011 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions set.  It is strange to see these guys in something other than a uniform.  

  

A Third Bowman Twitter Lot

For a third consecutive week, I have a Twitter lot to show off.  Just like the first 2, this one features 2022  Bowman Draft Cardinals.  This was the largest and most expensive of the 3, costing me $20 delivered. 

This was the most expensive card of the lot at $5. This green refractor is numbered to 99.

The rest of the cards cost me $3 each.  The seller included shipping for free.  He sent each card in a top loader and individual team bag inside a bubble mailer.  That most likely cost him $4.  The left card is an aqua parallel, while the right card is a sparkle refractor.

The second sparkle refractor is a pretty bad photoshop job.  Pitcher Zack Thompson was the first Cardinal to wear #57 last year since the death of Darryl Kile in 2002.  Baez wore #48 last season while playing for Palm Beach.    

I bought Mejia cards in each of the 3 lots.  Just a coincidence.  I cannot say I know much about him other than he is a switch-hitting shortstop.  

 
    

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #34

Happy Tuesday/Valentine's Day to all my fellow collectors.  My wife and I have not done anything special for quite a few years now.  She has never been the flower/candy type.  Our big plans are to order a pizza and watch the Illini game tonight.  After 24 years together, the spark is still there.  Enough rambling; onto the trade recaps.  First up is a two-pack of Cardinals from member bigblue88.

There are 18 Cardinals in the 2015 Topps Update gold set.  These 2 put me at 11.  That is a lot farther along than I thought.  

The second package contained 4 oddball Cardinals from user twinscollector34.  

I have never seen or heard of any of the 4 cards in this trade.  The Simmons card is from the 1991 MDA All Stars set.  The Cepeda is from the 1992 SmithKline Beecham MVPs for MDA set.  These 2 are the type of unlicensed cards that I love.  

I find it strange the 1992 Mootown Snackers card says Autograph Series, but there is no autograph on the card.  No big deal, as I doubt Felix Jose autographs go for very much.  If I remember correctly, I gave less than $5 delivered for one of his Topps Archives autographs.

This Lee Smith card was an insert in a 1991 Allan Kaye's Sports Cards News Magazine.  I have never heard of that publication before.  I was surprised to see logos on this card.  

  
  

   

Chronicles of a TCDB/Blogger Trade

Over the weekend I had my second blogger/TCDB package arrive of the month.  This one was courtesy of member flywheels, who is the author of Cardboard Collections. I sent him a few set wants in return for 8 different Cardinals.

Half my end consisted of Panini Chronicles base cards.  The top 2 Goldschmidt cards are from 2021, the bottom 2 are from 2022.  There are quite a few different subsets for each year.  So many that I have no idea some of these cards existed.  If TCDB ever got rid of the team search function, I would be in big trouble.  

I also came away with a 2021 Chronicles holo insert.  It is very strange to see a Cardinals card without any red or white on it.  

Getting to the Topps portion of the trade, here are a couple of 2021 cards.  I prefer the Gallery insert over the Stadium Club sepia parallel.  

Finishing things up with a 2021 A&G mini.  I was too lazy to scan the A&G ad back on this Hornsby card.  I do love the close-up of the jersey.  Notice the pinstripes.  It has been a long time since the Cardinals had those on their jerseys.  

 

 

Another Similar Twitter Lot

I may have to limit my Twitter surfing.  After buying a rather cheap lot of 2022 Bowman Draft cards the last week of January, a few days later I found a different seller with more 2022 Bowman Cardinals that caught my eye.  The second lot was 4 cards, just like the first one, but it costs me $16.  It was twice as much as the first but did contain a little more quality.

This autograph was the first thing that caught my eye.  Crooks was a 4th round draft pick last year.  With the signing of Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera waiting at Triple-A, it will be a few years before Crooks even has a chance to see St. Louis.  

This Mejia is from 2022 Bowman Chrome.  The proper name for this parallel is black & white mini diamond refractor.  That is a mouthful to remember.  At least Topps used a different photo for Mejia's Bowman Draft cards.  They also made it easy to tell the difference, as he is batting left-handed on the Chrome card and right-handed on the Draft card.   

My first Twitter lot contained 2 of these Raywave refractors.  I added another one with this lot.  Hansen was the Cardinals 3rd round pick in 2022.  

Last but not least is this Bowman Draft Sky Blue refractor of Cardinals #2 prospect Masyn Winn.  Winn should spend most of 2023 in Triple-A.  Depending on injuries and how Paul DeJong performs this year, he may have an outside chance to get called up before the season ends.  Since he is only 21, my guess is the Cardinals will wait until next year to bring him up. 

      

Blogging Trade Coming to Life

 I  lost track of how many times I have read blog posts about joining TCDB, but not trading due to the amount of work required to enter your collection.  If you have a sizeable collection, it can seem like a never-ending process to enter your have list, want list, and trade list.  I believe it took me the better part of 2 months when I started a few years ago, and my collection was less than 30,000 at the time.  

Almost 2 weeks ago, I was doing my daily blog reading when I noticed Bo of Baseball Cards Come to Life! fame finished entering all of his trade list.  I had no idea he was a TCDB member.  I knew from reading his blogs we should be able to work out a nice trade.  Sure enough, he had a nice batch of Cardinals from my want list, while I was able to help him out with some recent set needs.  I guess we can call this a dual-site trade.

Bo has a nice assortment of cards from sets you seldom see for trade.  A great example is SP Top Prospects.  

I finished my 2003 Bowman Draft set with these 2 cards.  Barton was part of the trade to Oakland for Mark Mulder.  He had a few decent seasons as an A, but never really lived up to his first round pick status.  Glad the Cardinals included him in the trade instead of their other young catcher at the time.  That was Yadier Molina.

I finished a second Bowman set with these 2 cards from 2010 Bowman Draft Chrome.  Tuivailala was listed as a shortstop on this card, but later converted to a relief pitcher.  He as always one of the nicest players in the minor leagues.

A third team set Bo finished for me was 2005 Artifacts.  I guess Upper Deck was too lazy to photoshop Mulder into a Cardinals uniform.  

When Chris Duncan was in the minors, he was more famous for being Cardinals' pitching coach Dave Duncan's son than he was for his ability.  He played parts of 5 seasons with the Cardinals and was a key member of the 2006 World Series team.  He went on to have a career in local sports radio before passing away from brain cancer in 2019.  

I will finish things up with a card of the 2006 World Series MVP.  This Eckstein is from the 2005 Upper Deck Pro Sigs set.  Just like Topps, Fleer, and Donruss, UD put out a ton of sets in the early to mid-2000s that were unnecessary.  Thanks again Bo for the great trade!  

  

       

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #33

Today's 2 for Tuesday post only features 7 cards, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.  First up is my 11th trade with member 49ants.  Just like the previous 10, I sent him a handful of Giants for a few Cardinals.

It has been 24 years since Fleer released the Stan Musial Monumental Moments insert set.  I still need 2  more cards after adding this 1.  I am almost embarrassed to call myself a Cardinals fan with this lousy effort.  It is not like the cards are highly valuable or very scarce.  

My quest for a Topps gold team set continues with 2 from 2011 and 1 from the inaugural year the cards were numbered in 2001.  I doubt either of these sets will be the first, as I need more than 10 cards in each one.

Second trade was a 3 pack of Cardinals from member eric51.

I gladly make trades for premium brand base cards like Pristine and Museum Collection.  Every now and then I find some in dime boxes, but very rarely are they Cardinals I need.  I have not seen very many 2022 Select cards at recent shows.  I doubt if too many people opened them with the increased price of blasters.  Those who opened hobby boxes most likely did so for group breaks.