Delivery Time! Trade with blog reader Noah!

I've been crazy busy with the group break posts and writing (and now grading) finals for the last week of college for my students!  However, that doesn't exactly excuse my lateness in posting this particular package since it was sent on March 16.

Blog reader Noah contacted me offering "some Reds" for "some Mets."  Sweet deal I thought, get rid of a team I don't like and a get cards from a team I do like.  Well, I sent Noah a few Mets and he sent me about 10 times more Reds!  In fact, he sent so many they arrived in two different small boxes!

Let's dig into the first box:

I'm always excited to get new cards - even more so when I get cards from a set that I've never seen before!  The first few cards are from such a set:

2005 Topps Rookie Cup
#66.  Chris Sabo  (#ed 296/399)

I'm not sure what the set is exactly (I guessed based on the logo in the background) but it appears to be a set devoted to players who had the Topps Rookie Cup on their baseball cards at one point. 

2005 Topps Rookie Cup
#66.  Chris Sabo (Reprint)

The second card #66 from the set, this one is a reprint of Sabo's 1989 Topps "rookie cup" card.  From the small sample size, it seems like the reprints are more common than the rookie cup cards since the reprints are serially-numbered! 

1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated
#62.  Sam McDowell

McDowell may be an Indian and not a Red (the logo on his hat is confusing) but this is still one of my favorite cards from the box because I love the Sports Illustrated set from '99.  In fact, if I ever found a box of this stuff online, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat! 

2005 Upper Deck Reflections
#98.  Austin Kearns

I have no idea what this set is - UD Reflections is my best guess.   That said, it sure is a shiny set!  I guess it's proof that if you make a photo shiny enough even a boring shot can become an interesting card.  I don't know that I'll ever buy a box of the stuff but I'll gladly accept any Reds from the set.

2004 Donruss Studio
#57.  Austin Kearns

Another Kearns card, this time a Donruss.  After the early 90s, I basically avoided Donruss like they were some sort of "lesser" card brand.  I'd much rather have a box of Pacific or Fleer over Donruss...and while I still feel that way, I have to admit that I like this card.  Sure it's busy...and the background looks more like Pittsburgh than Cincinnati, but I don't care - it's still a cool card.

2007 Topps Turkey Red
#16.  Ken Griffey Jr - Checklist

Checklists aren't overly exciting but I like the Turkey Red version with an "action photo" on the front.  The whole thing simply looks good - which is all you can really ask for in a baseball card!

2005 UD Classics
Post Season Performers
PP-ED.  Eric Davis

Wow, I just busted an entire box of 2005 UD Classics and I don't recall any cards that looked quite like this one!  It's numbered 282/299 (which is probably arbitrary since the serially-numbered cards in the box I busted all appeared to be arbitrary).  It's a pretty cool card though - and a reminder of the last time the Reds were actually any good (1990...*sigh*).

And finally:

2005 Topps Fan Favorites
111.  Rob Dibble

I LOVE the Topps Fan Favorite line - and I wish they would bring it back (somehow tweaking the rules about sets with only retired players I guess).  If I ever find a box of this stuff that's somewhat affordable, I'd probably pull the proverbial trigger and buy a couple of boxes!


Thanks a lot Noah!  (And remember, there's a second box full of cards that will be posted sometime in the future)!  Finally, as always, if anyone else would like to work out a trade - check out my want list and make an offer.