From Card Cave to a Cardboard Haven, Trade of the Year

I have made some recent transactions that have transcended my basement from cardboard hoarder's rat nest into something that looks almost like a respectable collector's trophy room.

Trade of the Year

No picture has ever represented a moment in my life so accurately!

The forums on The Trading Card Database are pretty entertaining. Other than the monthly idiot who creates a login and tries selling cards or pitching his website 10 minutes later, you can always find something good to read. I saw a post for an old lamp and from there ended up with a legendary swap. BOBSCARDZ on the site is a very active member posting to the forum often. I was able to work out a deal with him to swap a box of cards for his Upper Deck hockey lamp.

Picture the "FRAGILE" crate being dropped off and opened in A Christmas Story. This lamp is totally from the era I began collecting. I love it. Bob even included 6 hockey cards from 90-91 in a team bag in case I wanted to keep the lamp accurate to the time period. He is an awesome guy and I hope he is as happy with the cards I found for him as I am with this sweet beacon of nostalgia! I am still filling a box for him to hopefully send sometime in January as an extra thank you. 

I have followed @GypsyOak on twitter for a long time and admire the pieces of art depicting baseball's history in a modern way. To be honest I don't know if its one guy or a cooperative team that makes this stuff but with a black Friday deal too good to pass up I made my first order. I ordered the Pat Neshek print and the Ty Cobb print above. Everything pictured is what came to me today. The extras they were sending in this sale are unbelievable. Even cooler in hand than online. The post card print, stickers, cards, its all amazing stuff that I am going to have to display in a shadowbox or something. Someday when my wife is done with her residency and we get into our "forever home" I am going to order one of Gypsy Oak's bigger pieces for my hobby room. 

Which One Hates Me: Allen or Ginter?!

I know one of them has it out for me!

Tonight I picked up my 5th, yes 5th Allen and Ginter Blaster Box. I won't count the packs I have bought in this rant and PLEASE nobody tell me how I could have bought a hobby box or two already with the money I've put in. Anyway, I have yet to pull a single hit from any of them but see guys getting them all the time. My brother pulled some unknown comedian's auto card from one. So, shamefully I bought another. At least I finally got a short print; the Vogelbach rookie. Alas, no real hit again. I did receive two minis in one pack which I think is the sets way of saying give up since I don't enjoy minis. Here are the highlights if you want to call them that:

 I don't think I like the look of this years set. My favorites have been the borderless cards. I understand the look they were going for and achieved, its just not for me. When the set has so many unnecessary pop culture and historic cards in it I don't think it can be taken serious for an aesthetically pleasing antiquated looking set. I feel like each card is the player checking himself out in the mirror. As usual, everything is available. I might keep the Upton.

 That is two disney references in posts this week. Sorry, I will try to get out of the house into the grown up world soon.

TTM Return? Thats still a thing?

I got my first TTM return in months. It was as much a sure thing as it gets but still a great return. TTM auto legend Pat Neshek now with the Rockies.