I was on vacation for several days and when I came back the customary large number of packages were waiting for me. So I have been a bit behind. Well let's get into it.
Up first was a trade from the forums. I gave up some Bryce Harper cards that I had no use for and some other stuff for a couple of nice 90's inserts.
1. 1997 Sports Illustrated Extra Edition Roger Clemens. This is from the cover subset and is serial-numbered to 500 because it is the parallel set. I had one of these once a few years ago that was also Roger Clemens, but since it had a Blue Jays logo on the back it did not find its way into my Red Sox collection. I actually have the issue of the magazine that this card is a reprint of. I used to collect the occasonal magazine with Red Sox on the cover. Clemens was one of the biggest Red Sox stars when I first started collecting.
2. 1996 Ultra Diamond Producers Mo Vaughn. This is a nice insert of The Hit Dog. Mo Vaughn was a favorite player of mine for several years. He was the rare power hitter who struck out a lot, yet still hit over .300 pretty much every year. I was heartbroken when he left, even moreso than Wade Boggs or Roger Clemens. Much of the reason for this is probably due to the fact that I got to watch him develop into a star. Boggs and Clemens were already stars when I started collecting.
Up next is an Ebay win:
Another forum trade:
And another forum trade:
And for the last forum trade of the day, I gave up a bunch of A's cards for this nice group:
7. 2005 Absolute Memorabilia Marks of Fame Luis Aparicio. Yes Louie played for Boston for the last three years of his career. He made the All Star team a couple of times for them too, but he was clearly past his prime. Around 2004 to 2005 though Donruss/Leaf/Playoff made a ton of cards of him for the Red Sox for some bizarre reason. But I won't argue, it's fun getting Hall of Famer cards.
8. 2009 UD A Piece of History Franchise History Turquoise Jason Varitek. The rare Varitek that I did not already have. I have the non-parallel version, but I go for as many Variteks as I can possibly get. It seems unlikely but possible that I could get to 1,000 different cards of him. Currently I am at 874.
10. 1993 Select Chase Rookies Bob Zupcic. These cards were highly valued at the time they came out. I had forgotten this existed. Zupcic did not have a long career, but he had a couple of nice seasons in 1992 and 1993 for Boston. I saw him play once when he was with the White Sox. I did not see my first Red Sox game in person until 1997.
While I was on vacation I had a box of 2013 Bowman Platinum in my hand at Wal Mart in Wyoming. I decided against buying cards on vacation, but it was a difficult decision. Sometimes I like to try my luck at places away from home to see if I am any luckier. When I got home I did buy a blaster. It was a smart move:
11. 2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Xander Bogaerts. He was called up today. Bogaerts is the most highly-anticipated Red Sox prospect since Hanley Ramirez. Hopefully Boston will hang on to him.
12. 2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autograph Keury De La Cruz. Wow. I actually pulled a Red Sox autograph out of this blaster. I did not expect that. This is only the third Red Sox autograph I have pulled out of a pack. De La Cruz is developing into a decent prospect. Time will tell if he makes it. I loved this blaster break.
13. 2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Matt Barnes. And another top prospect for Boston. Barnes is Boston's top pitching prospect.
Next was a trade with Patrick from Hot Corner Cards. I noticed he had a particular autograph that I wanted and I have built up a surplus of Tigers cards.
14. 2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autograph Ellis Burks. I now only need the Lynn auto. Next to the Dennis Boyd, this was the autograph I wanted the most. Burks was one of my early favorite players. And this is the first Red Sox auto of him. He did not even have a game-used card before.
15. 2013 Topps Opening Day Jarrod Saltalamacchia. I was very happy to see this card. I have been looking for it for awhile. Salty has so few cards. I try to get them when I can.
16. 2013 Topps Heritage John Lackey. Lackey has been pitching well this season. This was the last non-SP I needed from this set.
17. Vintage Sports Cards Game-Used Manny Ramirez. I have no idea what this thing is. I am happy to add it to my collection though.
Thanks Pat! Hope to trade again.
And finally another Ebay win:
18. 2001 Aramark Jimmy Collins. These cards were available one per game in Spring Training 2001 and are kind of hard to find. There are 16 in the set covering some of the biggest stars in franchise history, and I previously had a few. Collins was one of the first Boston stars and was their first manager. He is also in the Hall of Fame.
19. 2001 Aramark Johnny Pesky. This was the card that lead to me buying these three cards. I was reading a biography on Pesky while on vacation. He was a fascinating player, a singles hitter who lead the AL in hits his first three seasons.
20. 2001 Aramark Dom DiMaggio. Joe's younger brother was a standout himself for Boston in center field. He could have been a Hall of Famer had he not missed three seasons in WWII service.
The last mail package is a non Red Sox card. I won this Trevor Bauer autograph on Topps's Chase promotion. I am not sure when. I wish it had been a Red Sox, but no big deal. I would love to trade it for a nice Red Sox auto, particularly if anyone has the Shane Victorino or other harder-to-find Red Sox cards.
Nice "Oil Can" card! I wish Topps would put him in a few checklists these days.
ReplyDeleteThose Aramacks are sweet as well, never seen those before. I think I own exactly one Jimmy Collins card.