Mini Madness

Not too long ago, I often wrote about my disdain for irregular-sized cards, both big and small.  They are more difficult to ship safely, and storing them has always been a problem for me.  My oversized cards are in a shoe box, while the minis are put into a penny sleeve and filed in the proper monster box.  That does not sound like much of a pain, but the neat freak in me likes to see all my cards stored one way.  

My stance on these cards has softened. Over time, I have grown to tolerate the mini cards to the point that I actively seek them. I have even added quite a few minis to my team set wants on TCDB.  That led to one of my largest trades a couple of weeks ago with member mlsalin.  I traded him 35 numbered cards from my EBAY lot for 58 Cardinals, many of the mini variety.  

The lot included 10 different Gypsy Queen minis.  Highlights include two Gypsy Queen backs from 2012 and a 2014 Shelby Miller short print.

I added 27 new Allen & Ginter minis to my collection from 2007 to 2023.  Quite a few of them were the A&G backs.  The 2023 Rolen is a short print.

These are not quite as small as the other minis.  The top row is from 2011 Topps Lineage, while the Renteria is a 2003 Bazooka card.  

The regular-sized portion of the trade features 3 gold parallels.  

There were three numbered blue parallels from 2014 Topps Opening Day. 

Two nice color match Stadium Club red parallels.

Two horizontal inserts and another red parallel.

I am always a sucker for Hall of Fame players.  The Dean photo is a great one.

Speaking of great ones, here is the second-greatest Cardinal ever.  I doubt if anyone will ever top Stan Musial.  

My son added two Altuve inserts to his collection.  Nolan Ryan is on the other side of the Evolution card.  

 

  
          

16th New Lankford of 2024

It has been over two months since I added a new Ray Lankford card to my collection. Thanks to Panini's inclusion of him in the recently released Impeccable brand, I now have four new cards to chase.  I crossed one of them off the list last week.

This is the Holo Gold version of the Indelible Ink autograph card.  The other versions are numbered to 49, 25, and a one of one.  This card came up on EBAY at a good time for me, as I had $20 in gift cards to use.    
     

Almost Like Yesterday

I had several different stacks of cards to choose from to scan for today's post. After grabbing a random stack and scanning it, I realized the cards were very similar to the ones I posted on Tuesday. TCDB member b14rebel also included a couple of other cards.

Yesterday, I showed three 2024 Stadium Club cards; today, I have seven more. The Pujols card is the photo winner in this group. Topps did a great job of including the iconic arch design of the Busch Stadium upper deck.

Just like Tuesday, here is another McGwire insert. This one appears to show Mac taking a current call after hitting a home run, which he did quite a few times in St. Louis.

I have been slow to add any 2024 Allen & Ginter cards to my collection.  This Ozzie Smith is one of the two Cardinal short prints in the set.  I attended the game where Metro Boomin threw out the first pitch and had a bobblehead giveaway.  I cannot say I had heard of him before that night.  Guess that is showing my age.  

  

  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #99

It is Winter Meetings week in MLB, which should lead to plenty of news.  The Cardinals GM stated the obvious yesterday that he will attempt to trade Nolan Arenado.  Although he stated the team prefers to keep Ryan Helsley, it would not shock me to see him traded.  The Rule 5 draft also takes place this week.  Last year the Cardinals picked up Ryan Fernandez, who became a reliable bullpen arm.  I am guessing there will be some new players with cards to show off in future TCDB 2 for Tuesday posts.  Today, you will see more of the same players.  First up is a 4 pack of Cardinals from member PIANELLI.

As always, I love the photography.  Topps did a great job with the Ozzie Smith card.  

This is my first red parallel.  These look great for a Cardinals collector like myself.

Second trade package came from member GoldenEagle555.

Two recently traded Cardinal outfielders.  O'Neill is now an Oriole, while Carlson remains a free agent.  Some team will surely sign him, hoping he will start to live up to his potential.  I will root for him as long as he is not a Cub.

I should make it a point to reach 1,000 McGwire cards next year.  This one puts me at 811.  His cards are plentiful and relatively cheap.  

  

  
        

Lucky Trade

I usually do not complain about a trade as long as the cards arrive safely.  Plenty of packaging and mailing options exist; collectors should decide which works best for a particular trade.  My rule of thumb is to ship cards the way I would want to receive them.  The bare minimum is a penny sleeve inside a top loader or nine-pocket page that is surrounded by thin cardboard.  I also put painter's tape over the top edge of the sleeve or top loader.  

Lately, I have been getting more packages with very little effort put into keeping the cards safe.  A prime example is a pwe I received last week from a TCDB member.  8 cards were put into 4 sleeves and stuck into a greeting card.  No tape was even used to keep the cards inside the sleeves.  3 of them were half out of the sleeve.  Despite the other trader's carelessness, all the cards were fine.  This will be the one and only trade with this member.  

I finished my 2024 Update and Pro Debut team sets with these two cards.

Metallic snowflake parallels should help get you in the holiday mood.  

I hope Victor Scott gets plenty of playing time in 2025.  I think he has better long term potential than Michael Siani.  I also think Masyn Winn could be an All Star in 2025.  

I received two numbered cards, one from 2023 Topps and the other from 2000 Fleer Focus.  The Kennedy is the photo variation.  

  

          

Color for Color

I am still receiving trade packages due to the EBAY colored lot I won at the beginning of November.  I have a few left to trade, but it has been an outstanding buy.  I have yet to show all the spoils, but I have added over 200 new Cardinals to my collection from trading those cards.  5 of them came from TCDB member Philpott.

Flaherty should have quite a few suitors this winter.  He will not get Black Snell money, but still should not have to worry about getting a job during the winter.  I am a fan of the Stadium Club red foil cards due to the color match with the Cardinals uniform.

I was surprised to read Gray prefers to stay with the Cardinals during the upcoming rebuild.  His decision is based on being close to home.  Nice to see some players value family over a few million dollars they will never be able to spend.  This is my second 2024 Topps gold parallel.  I think it looks more bronze than gold, but it is an improvement from recent years.

I like the colorful scans of Topps rainbow foil cards.  They almost look like a poor man's refractor.  

The only base card in the bunch was this 2024 Topps Pro Debut of 2023 1st round pick Chase Davis.  He made it to Double-A Springfield for the final month of the 2024 season.  He is a lefthanded-hitting outfielder with some power but sometimes struggles to make contact.  Depending on how bad the Cardinals are in 2025, he may make his debut by the end of the season.    

  

  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #98

I was not certain I would have time for a Tuesday post today.  I worked late and had a meeting shortly after getting off.  Thankfully, it only lasted 30 minutes.  After a quick dinner, I have some spare time to highlight a couple of trade packages.  First one came from member Ronzo.

The end is in site for my 26 card team set from 2023 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary.  Only 5 more to go, one of which should be arriving before the end of the month.  

The second trade package came from member bdhrbob.

2024 Allen & Ginter has been a slow team set build for me.  I get several trade matches daily, but I have few cards the other member needs.  Sooner or later that will change.  It was nice to get the Altuve my son did not have.

I am doing better with 2024 Stadium Club.  I wish Topps picked out a better photo to use for Scott.  He had a couple of nice catches up against the wall, or numerous times he would slide hands first into a base.  This one just look awkward.  

JD Drew card #374 in my collection finished the 18 card 2005 Donruss Champions team set.  I knew Drew had a lot of cards, but did not realize I had that many.