Delivery Time! Long Over Due Huge Box of Reds from the Great Orioles Autograph Project

This might be the slowest produced "free" cards ever - from start to finish.  Back in August of 2010, Ryan (from The Great Orioles Autograph Project blog) sent me a quick email saying he had some 1991 Score cards and some Reds set aside for me.  I emailed him back within the day with my address, and then I waited.

And waited.

And then forgot all about the promised cards.

And then, in early January 2011, a box from Ryan showed up in my mailbox that was stuff full of Reds cards (plus some '91 Scores)!  

Flash forward another two months and you are finally able to see the "thank you" post show up on my blog.  Who knows, maybe within the next six months or so I'll get a return package of O's in the mail for Ryan...(actually, something tells me it won't take that long if you get my drift).

Anyhow, let's take a look at some of my favorite cards from the box of goodies:

1991 Score:

397.  Rickey Henderson

The danger with waiting a long time in sending me cards is that there is decent chance I'll have someone else send me the same card(s) in between the initial agreement and actual delivery of the package.  However, now that I've started the Trade Stack idea, getting the duplicates is a bit less annoying for me.  Even better, some times there are cards that I like having two of (for instance, every Barry Larkin card).  Other times, there's just a card that I like for no other reason than it makes me laugh.  This particular Henderson card makes me laugh every time.  Rickey has a big head - literally and figuratively...and that's why this card is cardboard perfection.

1997 Fleer Ultra:

331.  Ricky Bones

I've always been a big fan of the mid-to-late 90s Fleer Ultra sets.  In fact, someday I hope to track down a box or two of a few different Ultra sets (as well as some of the Pacific sets that I love).  This particular card isn't overly exciting in terms of photography - though the immense concentration on Bones' face is fairly priceless, I can only hope that the ball has been tossed up in the air by him rather than a line drive that he wasn't paying attention to...  I also like the back of the cards - the stats include H/9, BB/9, SO/9, and BAA - a smorgasbord of statistical goodness to go along with the more common W/L, ERA, and IP numbers!

1996 Fleer:

350.  Jose Rijo

How many packs do you remember your exact expression when you opened them?  For me, opening my first '96 Fleer pack is something I'll never foget!  I was only 14 in 1996, so money was extra tight (mostly earned from snow shoveling the previous winter).  As such, my card buying budget was exceedingly small...and a pack or two of 1996 Fleer seemed to be about as "good" as I could do.  However, when I ripped open that first pack I was treated *cough* to a bunch of cards printed on the flimsiest card stock I had ever seen.  In fact, I'm guessing there are plenty of stickers printed on a thicker stock than 1996 Fleer.  Needless to say, I wasn't impressed at the time - and I didn't buy any more of the set.  Over time though, this set has slowly grown on me.  In fact, I now am able to appreciate it for what it is (and was) - a simple set from an era of over hyped noise, shine, and ridiculous glitz.

2000 Fleer Impact:
200.  Sean Casey


From a set that I might try to collect in the future we move to a set that I'm currently trying to complete.  I'm a huge fan of the 2000 Fleer Impact set - mostly because it was a decent alternative to the Collector's Choice sets that I loved in the late 90s.  I never got into Topp's Opening Day or Upper Deck's First Pitch, but other low-cost sets have interested me over the years.  Fleer Impact, Topps Total, etc. all are much better choices than a simple rehash of a base set with a stupid logo smacked onto the card and sold for cheap.  

1992 Topps:
485.  Chris Sabo


As someone who collects a wide variety of sets, I have a lot of favorite cards.  However, if I had to choose a top-10 favorite card list (sounds like a blog idea doesn't it?), I'm guessing that at least 7 of my top 10 would be cards from my childhood.  It's (perhaps) unfortunate that I grew up in the junk wax era, but at the same time, I'm guessing the wide variety of cards is what kept me interested (are you listening MLB and baseball card companies?).  Of all the sets I had as a kid, I probably spent the most time looking at the backs of the '92 Topps set.  I loved the idea of the photo of the team's stadium at the bottom of the card...and I recall being disappointed that the Reds' stadium didn't look cooler in the photo.  This particular card gets a few bonus points for featuring my other favorite player growing up - Chris "Spuds" Sabo.  There was something about the goofy glasses, coupled with his first name being the same as mine, that drew me in to his fan club.  It also helped that he had a pretty good year the year the Reds won the World Series.

2005 Topps:
Hit Parade:
RBI5.  Ken Griffey Jr.


There may be a lot of complaining about Topps rehashing their inserts from last year's base set in this year's edition...but that's nothing new for Topps.  In fact, if you look back through the early 00s and late 90s, you'll find a whole bunch of variations on inserts like the Griffey above.  Way too much shine, way too little photographs, and virtually no information on the back - the hallmark of a Topps insert card back then.

2007 Bowman Heritage:
206.  Homer Bailey


Once again, a set that I would like to complete - the Bowman Heritage set was a nice little set back in '07.  In fact, I think Bowman Heritage is what Topps Heritage should have been...it's different enough from the base set to warrant printing, and yet, it's still entirely representative of a past era of baseball cards.  I do believe there was some nonsense gimmick-ing up of the set with signature/no signature cards or something, but I'm too lazy to look that up for now.  Maybe if I ever decide to actively chase the set I'll take the time to figure out all the nuances.  Until then, I'll simply enjoy cards like the Bailey rookie without worrying about any possible variations.

2000 Fleer Tradition:
43.  Denny Neagle


And finally, we arrive at a representative from my favorite set in the package.  I love the 2000 Fleer Tradition set...and this trade packaged has inspired me to see if I can track down a box of the stuff for myself.  I really ought to dig through my 2000 binder and see how close I am to completing the set...I'm guessing that I need a lot of the cards - usually when think I am close I'm actually not...(1991 Topps and 1991 Score were both perfect examples of that phenomenon).  As for the card itself, the best part is the small written blurb on the back:  "Denny won nine of his last 11 decisions in 1999, including six in a row in August and September to keep the Reds in the playoff hunt."  Until last year, that would be the last time the Reds were able to even sniff a playoff position (stupid Mets).


And finally, Ryan threw in a few Barry Larkin cards - each of which will get a chance to shine in my Barry Larkin Collection series...so for now, all you get is a glimpse.

Thanks for the cards Ryan!  And, be on the lookout, you should get a return package of O's at some point before 2012 (or maybe even by the time this post goes live on my blog)!  And, finally, if anyone else would like to trade - check out my want list and make an offer!