Card Show Pickup - HUGE George Brett Bat Card

As a lifelong Royal and George Brett fan I am always on the lookout for "new" items to add to the collection.  While I was browsing at a table and sorting through some 1973 Topps at our local card show this past weekend, this card caught my wife's eye AND she thought I ought to get it.  How great is that.  Now in my earlier post I already said she bailed me out with the cash which I forgot so I guess you can see she got it for "our" collection.  The 2003 Fleer Flair Great Sweet Swatch Classic is huge measuring 5" by 7 3/4".  The picture doesn't do its size justice.  To put it in perspective, the swatch is roughly the same size as the recent Topps Kimball Champions mini cards.   They could have almost put the whole bat in there.  It is numbered 295/320.  I am happy to add it to my George Brett collection.  If anyone knows what type of pack or how you acquired these large cards, please leave me a comment.

Trade List Updated and Chicago Trip

My trade list page is updated with Topps Series 2 information including all inserts I am willing to trade (which is pretty much all the inserts I get).  If you want something send me an email.  I have my want list page updated also.

I will be in Chicago for a few days so I will get back in touch with you when I return on the 5th.  A fellow teacher and I are heading up there to attend the National Education Association's Representative Assembly.  Around 9000 teachers from across the country will be gathering to make decisions about what direction our  organization is heading in the upcoming year.  If any of you have paid attention to what has went on in Wisconsin and many other states with teacher's rights, you will know that our jobs are being challenged constantly.  Unfortunately, this attack on teachers has spilled over to other groups including all public employees.  Anyway, to some more upbeat events.

While in Chicago, we will be taking a couple of extra days to do a few baseball related events including a Cubs-Giants game, two White Sox-Royals games, and a Wrigley Field tour.  If anyone knows of a good LCS in the Chicago area that is easy to get to let me know with a comment and address.

Until we return...happy trading!

Local Card Show Pick-Ups - Nice Save from The Wife!

My wife and I met up with some great friends at the local mall this past weekend to have lunch and browse the local card show.  Of course, this was plotted way in advance as a lunch with friends with card show benefits.  My friend, Brian, a loyal Cleveland Indians fan and one helluva basketball official, just picked up the card collecting again after a brief stint with raising two teenage boys.  Anyway, after a great lunch and great conversation, we found our way from the food court to the card show.  I don't know how many tables constitute a "show", but if it is around 5 then I guess it was a show.  Now if you throw out the Grandpa and Grandma Beanie Baby table, plus the non-sports guy selling sports pictures/plaques/team keychains table, and of course the replica car/more plaques/etc table, the "SHOW" was down to 2 tables with any resemblance of sports card knowledge.  This show, which usually happens twice a year use to have around 20-25 tables of just sportscards.  Needless to say I was a bit disappointed. 

So after looking at one table where "Beckett" is proudly displayed on the table AND in the table owner's hand I quickly moved over to the next table and struck up a conversation with Rodney.  I always like the guys who have things spread out nicely, with prices on everything, but have boxes behind the tables with the odds and ends that demand someone asking about.  I also like the tables where before you can ask a question, you get a "hello how can I help you!"  At most tables anymore I think that I need to announce "I have money, I am not a pain in the ass to your business, I want your cards!"  Thanks Rodney for some great customer service.  After asking about my latest two set fascinations, he set out to find what I was looking for.

From one of those boxes come a handful of 1973 Topps singles.  Actually, they probably came from 10 different boxes but he looked through them and started picking the 1973 cards out so I could see what I needed.  I was able to knock off 35 cards from my 1973 Want List.  I picked up a Rico Petrocelli, whose MLB XM Radio show "Remember When" is one of my favorite things to listen to on Saturday mornings.  I also picked up a "Royal" Lou Piniella and an Al Oliver.  While I never pass up a Royal, I do remember growing up watching Oliver hurt the Royals in his brief stint with the Rangers.  Oliver is one of those players that I don't believe gets enough credit.  A lifetime .303 hitter with over 2700 hits, 500 doubles, and 200 home runs, he was as solid as they come.

Some of my other pickups included cards that captured some great action with the Kodak 110 Point and Shoot cameras.  Topps must have been relegated to the upper deck to take some of these photos.  Thank god Topps put names on their cards because other than that, you couldn't really tell who it was.  However, I think Oscar Gamble's 'fro gave him away.  I also picked up some of the manager cards including this one of the legendary Sparky Anderson, and also some great Boyhood Photo cards.  I wonder if Gaylord Perry grew up thinking about how he could hide a bat with too much pine tar from umpires.  

Now to give some props to my wife.  Ready to go to the card show...check...want list...check...card sleeves...check...cash...oops!  Thanks to my wife she saved the day (even though I must repay).  I love the fact that my wife shares my joy of baseball and baseball cards even though she thinks I spend way too much money on them.  She even picked out a George Brett card that caught her eye.  I will share that in another post.

Better Late Than Never To Finish That Hem (err...trade) With Sewing Machine Guy

Sad to say, that a while back I completed a trade with Larry, AKA Sewing Machine Guy, for some 2011 Topps Heritage that each of us needed, but I never got around to posting this until now.  Needless to say, I think I got a great deal.  One of my favorite cards was not even a part of the trade, as Larry included some Royals in the deal.  Besides my current favorite Royal Billy Butler's 2007 UD Masterpiece card, and newly resurgent former prospect Alex Gordon's 2008 UD Masterpiece card, I was surprised with my very first card of one of the Royals top prospects, Mike Moustakas.  "Moose's" 2009 Tristar Obak card was a sweet inclusion into the trade.  Now if you follow the Royals....ok everyone stop laughing right there, there are a few of you...then you know that Moustakas has been called up to take the everyday 3rd base job.  Moustakas has dominated every level of the minors and although he started this season pretty cold he caught fire after fellow Royal prospect and now Royal first baseman Eric Hosmer joined the big club.  Both have done a very good job and all of the Royals fans are hoping to see many more cards of these fine two ballplayers in the Royal blue!

So the purpose of the trade was to swap some 2011 Heritage.  I really don't know why I got involved with this year's Heritage set, but I bought a couple of packs, then a blaster, and another blaster, and the next thing you know........I am in deep.  I was able to cross a few more cards off my want list including a couple of the great "floating heads" cards of the A.L. and N.L. Strikeout leaders as well as Phillie ace Cliff Lee.  I don't know if I will ever get to completing this set as I have a couple of other sets taking priority over this one, but it's not like I have a deadline.

Thanks Larry for the great trade.  I love the Singer playing card!  You have inspired me to come up with a calling card for my blog.