Trade with Adam of Thoughts and Sox

The fruits of my labor are beginning to trickle in.  This was a quick 1 for 1 trade with Adam from Thoughts and Sox.

This Brian Roberts Black Bordered mini from 2009 Goodwin Champions arrived at my house yesterday, which is the same day the Orioles traded Robert Andino (last years starting 2nd baseman) to the Mariners.  More importantly, there was also an entry on Steve Melewski's blog about the health of Brian.  He came all the way back from a herniated disk in his back and concussion issues only to tear the labrum in his hip this season.  He's been working out at his home in Sarasota and hopes to be 100% come the beginning of Spring Training.  Let's hope so O's fans, as we're all pulling for him!

Trade with Ted of Crinkly Wrappers

Everybody that has traded with Ted from Crinkly Wrappers knows that he is one of the most generous bloggers around.  We just completed our umpteenth trade and he sent over some fantastic new cards for my collection.  Lets have a look:

It's not everyday you get a 1953 Topps card in the mail.  This card of Clint Courtney is going into my "One Card of Every Oriole" book.  I know this isn't an Orioles card.  Here's one of my rules for my binder: If the player played for both the Browns and Orioles, and had a card for both teams, I went with the Browns card.  I did this in an effort to collect some of the awesome pre-1954 cards like early '50s Bowmans.  This card is a great step in that direction!

I'm also collecting rookie cards of Orioles players even if they aren't wearing the Black and Orange jersey.  When Tony Muser was the manager of the Royals, I had no idea that he had once played for the Orioles back in the 70's.  My, how my baseball knowledge has increased.

This JJ Hardy card was a pleasant surprise.  I'm getting close to finishing the entire gold parallels team set from last year.  I only need a few more from Update Series.

I'm kind of torn between last year's wrapper redemption cards and this years.  Even though the '52 design has been overused, it still looks classy.  I might give the edge to this year's Gold Rush since it is a fresh design versus one that's been around for 60 years.

I'll close this trade post out with a Kimball mini of Luis Aparicio.  The Kimball Minis really grew on me last year.  I only need a few more Orioles to complete the team set of these too.

A big thanks to Ted for sending another awesome trade package.  You never disappoint, my friend!

Trade with Mark of Stats on the Back

I'm going to start back with a nice and easy trade.  Mark from the "mostly defunct"  Stats on the Back blog sent me an email a while back wanting my address so he could send me some cards.  I obliged and here is what ended up in my mailbox:

This Cal Ripken is actually a mini card from the 80s. It's functionally equivalent to the regular 87 Fleer release but only smaller and with a different picture on the front.  Another great addition to my quickly growing oddball Cal collection!

With these 2 '89 Upper Deck cards, I have successfully completed the Orioles team set from "the set that changed modern baseball cards."  It took me longer than I thought but perseverance pays!

Here is a card of new HOFer Roberto Alomar.  I'm just now realizing that the card has the Puerto Rican flag on it.  Puerto Rico is where my wife and I just visited on our honeymoon cruise.  I didn't see Robby anywhere but I did get to tour Old San Juan and the fort that guarded the city in colonial times.  I wish I had gotten to see Hiram Bithorn Stadium but we were only on the island for about 8 hours.

Thanks Mark for the cards!

Trade with John of The Pursuit of 80's(ness)

This is my first international trade that I have completed. I had the pleasure of dealing with John from The Pursuit of 80s(ness). He had some feelers out for a bunch of different team collectors and I bit on the Orioles. I think he is still looking for a couple of other team traders so you might want to check him out. Anyways, here's my take:

Here's a sweet looking Jim Palmer Mini from 2008 Goudey. It's undeniably 2008 because of Derek Jeter's mug taking up most of the bottom of the card.
Another version of Orioles Obscure Cards of Obscure Players. Omar Daal, wow, he was terrible while donning the black and orange.
Damian Moss wasn't much better as an Oriole. Both had ERA's in the 6's. Geez!

Aubrey Huff was a decent player for the O's for a couple of years. As I continue to obtain more cards for the base set, the Black Bordered Orioles continue to trickle in! Maybe one day soon I'll have the entire set.

And I'll close out this trade post with a neat card from 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack. This card folds out (obviously!) to show an action shot on the inside. Pretty ground breaking stuff for the mid 90's!

Thanks for the trade John, your return package is in the mail. I hope you like what I found for you!

Group Break Recap: Cardboard Collections

I ponied up the cash for Colbey's November Group Break and got some great cards! I really like Colbey's Breaks because they don't break the bank and he always adds in some extra cards of the team you pick! It's a nice touch on his part. Here are the goods:

These are the 3 Cal Ripkens he pulled and they are all new to my collection. I can't say I've ever seen a Stars and Steel card in person and they are made of real steel! The Starstruck Ripken is nice because it has a rainbow sheen to it. I like the Embossed card to. I ended up with the golden version in one of my recent eBay wins.

Here are some of the extras he threw in. I'm digging the 1991 Topps Cracker Jack cards. I know I said I need more mini Orioles but these seem to be about half the size of A&G minis. Also a nice Brian Roberts insert I didn't have and the Melvin Mora Goudey card completes my base team set!

Thanks to Colbey for holding the group break. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Trade with Sam from The Daily Dimwit pt. 1

I solicited this trade with Sam because he was asking for 2009 Upper Deck 25th Anniversary cards. I was happy to oblige because personally I had no use for them. If you have any to trade I would send them to Sam because what I got in return was awesome.

This Jake Arrieta card features on of Baltimore's finer prospects. He pitched in the Olympics 2 years ago and worked his way up to the majors this season. I hope we see more of the Jake that shut the Stankees down in his major league debut than the Jake that got torched in a 2 inning outing in San Diego.

MINIS. I really like the Orioles in mini form. I guess they just remind me of opening Cracker Jacks as a kid and getting baseball cards out of them, not the educational crap they put in them now. MMM Cracker Jacks.....

3 Cals I need for my Ultra Iron Man set. I have over half of them now. If you have any you would like to trade me, please contact me.

2 Nice Nick Markakis cards that I need. The Piece of History Card is one of my Top 10 Most Wanted Orioles list that will now need to be replaced.

I look forward to trading again with you soon Sam!

Cal Ripken Cardboard Appreciation #7

2010 Topps Blue Backs #17.

This card is a recent eBay win for me. I was the only bidder so I got the card for next to nothing. Topps did a good job reprinting these because they are true to the originals right down to the size. The only thing they could have done better would have been to print them on cardboard stock and not the modern glossy cardboard.

I now own both the Red Back and Blue Back and both are "Hit by Pitcher" cards. Cal was hit by pitches 66 times in his career. That's a lot of bumps and bruises but pales in comparison to Hughie Jennings with 287 career beanings. Craig Biggio was nailed 285 times during his career. Also, the active leader in being plunked is Jason Kendall with 254.