Delivery Time! Surprise Cards from Nick!

One of the great things about having a blog is the ability to reach out to a variety of collectors across the country (and sometimes world)!  Amongst the people that I've traded with, the vast majority have been fair traders which has resulted in good feelings for both parties.  On occassion, however, I've dealt with people at either end of the spectrum.  Some people promise to send cards and never do (or they don't send what we agreed to originally).  That's super annoying - at best, and downright crappy at worst.  Other people, however, live at the opposite end of the spectrum.  Those people are bloggers like Nick (from For Card's Sake).  They are the people who send cards "just because" - and luckily for me, there are WAY more people like that on the blogs than there are people who are simply scum bags.

Speaking of Nick, it wasn't all that long ago that he sent me an envelope of 25 assorted Reds cards out of the blue.  I loved each card, but I wanted to show off a few of my favorites!

1961 Topps:
418.  Ed Bailey

Any time I can acquire a Reds card prior to 1980 I'm happy.  Send me a 1960-something Reds card out of the blue?  I'm super happy!


2010 Bowman Platinum:
PP10.  Aroldis Chapman

I've mentioned it before, but I don't buy Bowman.  Thus, while I know nothing about what type of insert this might be, I do know that I appreciate being able to add it to my collection!  According to the card, Chapman compares to Dodger's pitcher Clayton Kershaw.  I can't say I've heard that particular comparison before...


2003 Fleer Avant:
62.  Austin Kearns

Here's another set that I didn't even know existed until Nick sent me this card!  It's from 2003 - and it features a photo-like frame around an inset picture of Austin Kearns.  It's certainly different from most of what is out there - and a big reason why I miss companies like Fleer...  Fleer, along with Pacific, were two of the best companies at taking risks and trying new things with cards.  Granted, many of their sets turned out to be quite disastrous - but you couldn't fault them for not trying new things.  Lately, Upper Deck (and now just Topps) seem content to toe the line.  There's very little risk in their sets - which means ultimately, there's very little reward as well.


Thanks for all the great cards Nick!  I also need to give a special thanks for the Barry Larkin card (I didn't own it before now).  That one will get its own special post though, so I'll hold off on scanning it for now!

Finally, if anyone else would like to trade - check out my want list and make an offer!