MAIL DAY X2!!!

You guessed it!  Today was a MAIL DAY!!!

Interestingly enough the two trades I pulled off come from opposite ends of the continental US (that's the 48 states that all touch each other for my friends who ignored geography at any level of schooling) and surprisingly they both arrived together today!

Even better is the fact that this was all I had in the mail today...

NO BILLS!!! (However, I know they're lurking out there somewhere... bastards)

First I'll start with what I received from Dodgerbobble.  His trade strictly helped me with the Lineage Project.  I only gave up the two cards (the Tampa auto and Dodger bat) but got a bulk of parallels in return.  Some might feel it to be a little lopsided, but I didn't mind as those cards would have just sat in the catalog completely useless to my collection.  I was very happy with what I got in return and was even given some bonus cards which I appreciated very much!  Again, Thanks Dodgerbobble... always open to trading again in the future!  Check out the swag...

I'll start off with the extras he threw in.  I told Dodgerbobble that I liked HOF players and of course my beloved Orioles.  Here is what he sent me in regards to those.

Naturally I had the Snider from the Lineage Project, but the rest are new to the catalogue.  I really got a kick out of the Mantle.  I love the card design.

Here are the Orioles.  Of course Eddie Murray could have gone in either group but I put him with the Orioles since he's rocking their uniform in this card.  Really love the Tettleton card also... Weird that the two cards from the extras I liked best were both Mickey's. 

Here are the Lineage Cards I received from this trade.

4 Diamond Parallels (Hamels, Damon, Young, and Johnson)

Platinum Zambrano

and lastly (and most favorite)

Ripken and Campanella 75 minis

This trade alone brought the base set and parallels from 32.6% to 33.5% or almost a whole percentage point!  Not too bad at all.

So here is what I got in return from Section 36.  Section 36 hooked me up with not only a great amount of Lineage help but most importantly my first Lost Card has been returned.

That's right folks... the whole reason I started this blog.  To get those sweet cards back and I'm happy to say one of them has come back home to my collection.  Check it out!

1994 Nabisco All Star Legends Frank Robinson.

I can't thank Section 36 enough for getting Frank back to me.  I know for a fact that this guys hasn't been reading my blog since I started, so not only did he keep up with my new stuff, but he went back and read my old stuff.  It means a lot getting these cards back and Section 36 now has a trade partner for life.

Now lets get Jim Palmer back and the Nabisco Boys are complete!

Section 36 also crushed it in the way of helping out with the Lineage Project.  Check out these other cards from the trade!

3 more mini relics to add to the collection brings the total to 8 out of 90.  Obviously a long way to go but nearly doubled what I already had.  These mini relics are the whole reason I decided to go for the whole entire set!

4 1975 mini parallels (Dunn, Morel, Alvarez, and Bazooka Jones!)

4 Diamond parallels (Nichioka, McCann, McCutchen, and Cruz)

Platinum parallel Carlos Santana (the 3 rookie cards I also received in the trade but already have and are available for trade if anyone needs them)

and lastly

Venezuelan Castro and 3D Pence

Section 36s total impact came out as follows

Base and Parallels = 270/800 or 33.75 (+1.15%)

Inserts = 43/164 or 26.2% (+1.2%)

Relics = 8/135 or 5.9% (+2.2%)

I know... this is really gripping stuff.

So let me get to the conclusion of this long ass post.

The two trades have helped me take my total Master Master Set Completion from 27.9% (307/1099 cards) to 29.8% (328/1099 cards)

Almost 2% increase in my total collection.  Not too shabby!

Again, Thanks to Section36 and Dodgerbobble and anyone else who stayed awake long enough to read this entire post.

Good night!

See you next time...



Pre Trade Post = I Hate Math

So as you know from your unwaning attention to this blog that I have recently pulled off two trades that significantly helped me with my Lineage Project.  As I sat down this evening to post about the trades I decided that it would be good for me to break down just how much of the collection is complete.  A couple hours later and I've finally broken it all down and can report pre trade what percentage of the Lineage Project I had complete.  This way I can report the total impact of these two trades and show how they've helped me.  I have yet to tally the cards I've gotten, so even I'm not sure just how much these two trades have helped, but it gives me something to look forward to, as well as something to lament.  Did I mention I hate math?

So here is how the Lineage set breaks down.

Topps Lineage Base Set and Parallels = 800 Total Cards (200 Base, 200 Platinum, 200 Diamond, 200 1975 minis)

Total Base Set Completed = 261/800 32.6% Complete

Diamond = 20/200

Platinum = 21/200

1975 Mini = 20/200

Base = 200/200

Topps Lineage Insert Set = 164 Total Cards (20 Giant Box Toppers, 50 Cloth Stickers, 25 Stand Ups, 25 Venezuelan, 25 3Ds, 19 Rookie All Stars)

Topps Lineage Insert Sets Completed = 41/164 25% Complete

Cloth Stickers = 9/50

Stand Ups = 7/25

3Ds = 5/25

Venezuelan = 7/25

Rookie All Stars = 10/19

Giants = 3/20

Total Master Set = 302/964 Cards 31.3%

But Woog... Didn't you say you were building a Master Master Set? 

Too True buddy...

I also want to try and complete all the relic cards from this set as well.  Here is how they break down.

Topps Lineage Mini Relics = 5/90 Cards

Topps Giant Box Topper Relics = 0/20 Cards

Topps Jumbo Relics = 0/25 Cards

Total Relic Master set = 5/135 Cards 3.7%

Total Master Master Set = 307/1099 Cards or 27.9% Complete

Note: I haven't included autographs in this project.  I will collect them and update the autograph check list as I get them, but just don't feel like reporting on them.  Maybe if I collect all of them I'll call it a "Master Master Master Set"

Stay tuned for the follow up post...

Gone but not forgotten

So I recently teased about the two trades I pulled off.

One trade is going to help me in my cause for the Lineage collection, the other is going to help me acquire back one of my "Lost Cards".  I'm excited to get these cards in the mail and once I do I plan to share what I landed... on the internets that is... of course you can't have my cards!

As excited as I am to get new cards, it required me to give away some of my collection.  Never an easy thing to do for a hoarder like myself... but for the most part I wasn't overly attached to any one of these cards and because of this I will not be adding them to the Lost Cards File.  They just plain didn't make the cut!

I will however pay my respects and show you all what I gave up...

(At this point I would ask you to dust off your old Boyz II Men record Cooleyhighharmony and play track number 5)

But Woog... I don't have Boyz II Men Cooleyhighharmony!

WHAT!?!  Well you at least have Cooleyhighharmony 93' right?? Track 6...

WHAAATTT!?!

Well I know you bought Legacy in 2001 right?? Greatest Hits... Track 2... NO!?!

Ahh for crap sakes... just youtube "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" and keep reading... unbelievable.

Now that the mood is set... without further ado...

Gone but not forgotten... to Section 36

A group of Red Sox Nation from Topps 206

2 parallels as pictured above

Pedroia World Series Pin card from 2012 Topps Series 1

and the possible long term future SS for the Sox. Jose Iglesias Auto

And to fellow blogger Dodgerbobble

Topps 206 Sean Rodriguez American Caramel Auto (pictured bottom... top 2 cards not in trade but available to anyone who is interested)

Donruss Champions Cesar Izturis Bat Card (Pictured Top... Pee Wee Reese SP available for trade as well)

At this point in the blog Boyz II Men should be going strong and I encourage you to listen to the song in its entirety... these cards will be missed, but will be enjoyed more by their new owners I'm sure.

Until next time friends...



Breaking News

I have urgent and breaking news and I need everyone to stop what they are doing and read this blog...

Okay, it's not urgent and no one reads this blog...

I have just finalized not one, but two trades today!

One of them is going to get me my first "Lost Card" back and both of them will assist me in my Lineage Project!

Stay tuned for the full trade details in my next post!

Cracker Jacks and Updates

I was recently going through the collection down in the cave when I came across some neat stuff that I hadn't looked at in a few years.  It started making me appreciate just how diverse my collection has become.

It all started with baseball cards, but eventually cards turned in to pictures and pictures turned in to bats and bats turned in to magazines, and so on and so on...  What I'm saying is that eventually I went from just collecting baseball cards to collecting basically anything that caught my eye. 

When I started my junior year of college Cracker Jack had come out with a line of baseball cards as their prize and I just had to collect the whole set.  It was ten cards in the set but I'm pretty sure I ended up buying at least 20 boxes of Cracker Jacks to get the whole set.  Here is that set below.

At the time I didn't think they'd be something I'd hang on to as a collectible and so I opened them up and removed the top cover pages because they were usually sticky from the carmel corn and had been perforated to be removed so that the cards would stand alone.  However, these little flaps had mini bios of each player and I now regret that.  This set is the Cracker Jack Ballpark Legends II and includes Johnny Bench, Harmon Killbrew, Fergie Jenkins, Rollie Fingers, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith, Gaylord Perry, and Orlando Cepeda.  Note that this is called Ballpark Legends II... Once I collected it I had to find Ballpark Legends I.  It took me a while, but eventually I found a set that popped up on the electronic bay and it had the flaps in tact and I decided to not remove those.  Here they are below...

This set included some of the greatest old time players including Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Satchel Paige, George Sisler, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Roy Campanella, Lou Brock, and lastly Thurman Munson.

Cracker Jack didn't do a follow up set the next year so I happen to have a complete set of both Legends I and II.  Eventually I'll figure out a nice way to display them or who knows... maybe in 75 years they'll be worth a little something and some crazy person will offer me a boat load of money for them!

(I'll never sell... but maybe trade)

On a final note I also stopped by one of my old card shops and was able to pick up some of my missing short prints for the Lineage project for only a couple dollars.  I've already updated the list, but here is a pic of them below...

Well that's all for now

Until next time...

The Lineage Project

So it's officially under way and I've got two potential trades that will help me along the way... I just sent off two emails with pics of stuff I'm willing to deal and hopefully I can pull in some nice cards.

If or When i complete this project I plan to write Topps and Beckett of my accomplishment.  If anyone feels like they would like to donate any of the cards needed to complete the master set I'll be sure to give credit/praise for helping make it happen and like i've said already... reimburse any shipping fees.  I'd like to be able to trade my way to a complete set, but eventually i'll just run out of things to give up.

If you have any stuff (relics or autos) and you want to sell, then i'll also strongly consider, but I'd like to accomplish as much by trade as possible.  Just buying the complete set seems like a cheap way to do it after all.  Let me know!

Draft Results and Futures Update

So my draft took a lot longer then I expected.  It's been over 8 years since I last played Fantasy Baseball.  How did I do?

Introducing The Reisterstown Woogies

C	Buster Posey, SF C						46/162	17	4	21	3	.284		--	100.0	+0
1B	Eric Hosmer, KC 1B						153/523	66	19	78	11	.293		--	100.0	+0
2B	Robinson Cano, NYY 2B						188/623	104	28	118	8	.302		--	100.0	+0
3B	Pablo Sandoval, SF 3B						134/426	55	23	70	2	.315		--	100.0	+0
SS	Starlin Castro, ChC SS						207/674	91	10	66	22	.307		--	100.0	+0
OF	Jayson Werth, Wsh OF						130/561	69	20	58	19	.232		--	100.0	+0
OF	Jason Heyward, Atl OF						90/396	50	14	42	9	.227		--	100.0	+0
OF	Melky Cabrera, SF OF						201/658	102	18	87	20	.305		--	100.0	+0
UTIL	Derek Jeter, NYY SS						162/546	84	6	61	16	.297		--	100.0	+0
UTIL	Kelly Johnson, Tor 2B						121/545	75	21	58	16	.222		--	100.0	+0
Bench	Chris Davis, Bal 3B, 1B						53/199	25	5	19	1	.266		--	6.6	-0.6
Bench	J.P. Arencibia, Tor C						97/443	47	23	78	1	.219		--	52.4	+2.4
Bench	Brandon Belt, SF 1B, OF						42/187	21	9	18	3	.225		--	59.9	+7.9
Bench	Yoenis Cespedes, Oak OF DTD			Sea	6:10 AM (Hernandez)		--/--	--	--	--	--	--		--	88.7	+2.9
Bench	J.D. Martinez, Hou OF

Pitching Staff

P	Yu Darvish, Tex SP						--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--	100.0	+0
P	Hiroki Kuroda, NYY SP						202.0	196	69	49	161	13	0	3.07	1.21		--	100.0	+0
P	Colby Lewis, Tex SP						200.1	187	98	56	169	14	0	4.40	1.21		--	100.0	+0
SP	Cliff Lee, Phi SP						232.2	197	62	42	238	17	0	2.40	1.03		--	100.0	+0
SP	James Shields, TB SP						249.1	195	78	65	225	16	0	2.82	1.04		--	100.0	+0
RP	Cory Luebke, SD SP, RP						139.2	105	51	44	154	6	0	3.29	1.07		--	100.0	+0
RP	Daniel Bard, Bos RP						73.0	46	27	24	74	2	1	3.33	0.96		--	80.8	+10.7
Bench	Aroldis Chapman, Cin RP

I feel like I did pretty well.  It's a 12 team league and there is no money involved... just bragging rights.  I figured I should spend a season getting re acclimated instead of throwing my money away.  I mean if I'm going to throw money away on anything it's going to baseball cards.

Lastly, I updated my Lineage Project Page.  This has my complete check list of what I have and what I need.  Please Please Please take a look at what you have and let me know what you may be able to help me out with.

Next time I'll update my trade bait page.

Until next time...