Trade with Jordan of Triple Play Autos

Here comes yet another tradebait clearance trade that I finished up with Jordan of Triple Play Autos.  I'm not even sure I've posted half of my trades stemming from my clearance posts, but I'm going to give everybody their due credit for trading with me.  Onto the cards that Jordan sent:

You don't see many cards of Gus Triandos and this TCMA from 1986 is the only modern card that I own of him. I've started a PC of Triandos though he doesn't get much cardboard love these days.  Most of the cards I have of him (Read:  all but one) are from his playing days in the '50s and '60's.

Here's a Nick Markakis Refractor from 2007 Topps Chrome that I wasn't expecting in the package.  regardless I'm happy to have it.

 Here's the centerpiece of the trade.  A Chris Ray Autograph from 2007 Upper Deck.  I had gotten his autograph TTM back in spring training 2010 so now I have a certified copy.  I always liked Chris when he was with the Orioles and followed him even after he left the team.

An interesting fact about Chris is that he makes him home in nearby Ashland, Virginia.  He went to college in Williamsburg, VA. at William and Mary and then was drafted by the Orioles.  Chris and his brother Phil just recently opened a brewery called Center of the Universe Brewery in Ashland.  It's right off of Interstate I-95 if any of you guys or gals are traveling through Central VA.  Here's a link to their site right here: Center of the Universe Brewery.

I'll close out the trade post with a Miguel Tejada relic card from 2007 Topps.  I wonder if Miggy is finally done in affiliated baseball after being released by the Orioles Triple-A team this past season?

Thanks Jordan for the trade!

Trade with Scott Crawford

I recently completed a large scale trade with Scott Crawford.  I thought that I had a pretty large wantlist but they pale in comparison to his spreadsheet of set needs.  He's a set builder much like myself and I was happy  to be able to fill so many of his needs.  I probably sent him close to 2500 cards and I can honestly say that I had fun searching for each and every card!

I am in the early stages of collecting the "semi-vintage" Topps sets and that was about 95% of the cards that Scott sent me in return.  What do I mean by "semi-vintage" you ask?  Semi-vintage is a term I use to describe the Topps sets from 1974 to 1980. Topps was the only licensed card manufacturer and it was the first time that the entire set was released in one series instead of 6 or 7 during the summer.  Cards from this era aren't terribly tough to track down, but they are still not as plentiful as say '87 Topps or '91 Donruss.

Scott probably sent the most of 1975 Topps cards and they are all in excellent shape.  I don't quite have enough to start a wantlist just yet but hopefully by the end of the year I'll be able to accumulate enough of them to warrant typing one up.

I also got a good chunk of 1978 Topps too.  Again I'm in the beginning stages of building these sets so I don't have a list yet.  I'm just trying to acquire as many as I can at this point in time.

1980 is on of my favorite Topps flagship sets of all time.  I love the "ribbon" as it shows the team name on the bottom right and the player's position on the upper left.  I can't wait to complete this set so that I can see the whole thing in it's entirety!

Not all the cards that Scott sent me were of the semi-vintage variety.  We also exchanged some relic cards.  He had 2 Miguel Tejada relic cards that I liked along with some trade bait cards that I think I'll be able to trade going forward.  The other Tejada is his All Star workout jersey from 2004.  That's the year he went toe to toe with Lance Berkman in Houston's Enron Field Minute Maid Park during the Home Run Derby.  I think that might be the last time I've watched the HRD because I can't stand Chris Berman and his stupid nickname and home run calls. I can't really stand ESPN anymore.  I couldn't tell you the last time I actually watched sportscenter or baseball tonight.

I also got this one lone card from 2010 Bowman Chrome.  Yes, I'm still working on the set and yes I still need just a few cards to finish it up.  I might have exhausted the blogosphere's supply of Chromes from that year and I might be heading to Sportlots soon just so I can put this baby to bed.

Thanks Scott for the trade.  I'm glad I could help you out on so many of your wants and ecstatic that you sent me a bunch of cards for my semi-vintage set building adventure.

Trade with William of Foul Bunt

I went to a card show in Raleigh, North Carolina this past weekend. I was able to meet up with William from Foul Bunt who had a few tables of cards for sale there. After a few emails earlier in the week, we both agreed that we would bring our Orioles trade boxes and hammer out a deal in person. So, with the crowd thinning out later in the day, I was finally able to get a chance to sit down and get some trading done with him. Here's the new additions to my collection:

These two pitching prospects never really turned out for the O's but these are really nice cards and I'm happy to have them in my condition. Both are on-card and I'm really starting to lean towards them and away from the dreaded silver band-aid stickers.

I've been after this card for a while now. It actually was on my top 10 list on my sidebar for a couple of months. I guess the reason I wanted it so bad is because it put the final touches on my 1999 Topps team set. I really liked 1999 Topps because of the design but most people don't care for it. It was plain and simple. I think the only thing it should have had was a Team Logo instead of the script.

Here is a card that William and I had a nice little conversation about. We both raved about how much promise Larry had as an Orioles farmhand and how he really got mixed up in some bad things (steroids) when he was trying to establish himself in the Big Leagues. I was really disappointed to see his name on the infamous Mitchell Report because he was the first real prospect that I followed from the time he was drafted.

Here's a trio of Topps Gold Orioles who sparkled from some time as Orioles and them flamed out pretty quickly. I'm getting pretty close on some of these Gold team sets so if you have any I need, I'd really like to trade for them.There were some pretty obscure Orioles in William's box of traders. Regardless Mark Eichhorn, Mark Lewis, and Andy van Slyke were all needed to fill spots in my binders. Not Pictured: Matt Nokes!

I rounded out the trade with a nice looking A&G Tejada relic card. This card will go nicely with the Brian Roberts relic that I have of the same year. I wonder if Topps has figured out how to get these relics to stop moving around inside the frame. It seems they figured it out and did a good job with Gypsy Queen so we'll see in a few weeks if Ginter will follow suit.
Thanks to William for taking time at the show to work on this trade with me. It was nice to sit down and talk some baseball with a fellow blogger in person.

Trade with Mike from BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet

I was checking out one of BA Benny's great posts not too long ago and stumbled on his wantlists. I especially focused on his 2010 Topps lists and was able to find a lot of great cards for him. He sent me a nice return package so let's check it out:

First and Foremost he sent me a few cards I needed for my 2009 Upper Deck and 2010 Topps Update sets. I am getting really close to finishing these off, so check my wantlists and see if you can help.

I am making a pretty big push to find Topps Gold cards of Orioles lately. I am having mixed results but am having fun chasing them down.

Shiny Markakis! A Blue Refractor from 2009 Topps Finest. I'm really digging this card!

I don't know if I congratulated Aubrey Huff on winning the World Series with the Giants this year but I really liked him as an Oriole. I wonder if the thong he wore during the W.S. is going to Cooperstown?

Here is another card of a former O that ended up in the NL West. He was in San Diego to end the season and has since joined Aubrey in San Fran. If their pitching holds up this year, they will have as good a shot as any to repeat.

Thanks for the Great Trade, Mike! Maybe we can do it again some time!