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As many of you know, I'm a math guy - so I thought it'd be fun to update the trade stack statistics now that twenty trade stacks are in the book! Perhaps at some point I'll be able to figure out exactly what people are interested in (and then Topps can pay me big bucks for my insight). Until then, I'll keep adding various cards to my trade stack and see what sticks. You can find all the old trade stacks here if you'd like to try and discover any information on your own!
First, a little background:
I conceived the trade stack idea as a fun way to rid myself of cards that I don't necessarily want while slowly being able to acquire cards that I do want. I figured it was a fine trade (from my point of view) if I was turning trash into the proverbial treasure. I also figured that most stacks wouldn't get claimed with only one card on them - and thus I'd automatically be sending out more cards than I would have incoming. As it turned out, many of the claimed trade stacks have resulted in larger, more inclusive trades (which is awesome) - and 20% of the trade stacks were actually one-for-one trades since the stack was claimed with only a single card on it.
How I determine what goes in the trade stack:
Honestly, there is little planning on my part. I have a small pile of cards that I think would make for fun additions to the trade stack - but mostly I've tried to vary the sets, teams, and years represented. I also try to sprinkle in regular base cards, insert cards, and the occassional "good" card (serially numbered, autos, etc.). After the first ten trade stacks, I did make a conscious effort to include cards of teams that hadn't received any love from me up until to that point (Nationals, Marlins, Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Royals).
Trade Stacks #1 - 20 Statistics:
Below, you'll find a table which shows the number of cards from each team. I've had a couple of cards feature players from more than one team but those have not been included in any of the individual team totals. Be aware that some trade stacks also feature cards of either non-current teams (like the Expos) or of non-baseball players (like the Sailors of the Seven Seas mini card I added one time).
Judging the results above, there are a few things that I can see are true. I seem to have a lot of random Red Sox cards as they are leading the pack in terms of base cards added to the trade stack. The Reds have a high number (mostly due to the three Larkins to start one of the stacks) as do the Dodgers and Giants. Every team now has at least one card that's been added to the stack, and one-third of all the MLB teams have had a least one insert added to the stack (the Rangers and Yankees lead the way in inserts with three each so far). However, the most interesting piece of information for me thus far is the fact that only the Braves (three times) and the Nationals (twice) have had multiple cards serve as the card that forces* the stack to be claimed. It's the parity amongst all the teams that makes the trade stacks so much fun for me (not to mention I get rid of stuff I don't want/need and slowly acquire cards that I do want/need)! I truly never have any idea whether a particular card will be wanted by someone out there - whether it's a junk wax era Topps base card or a super shiny insert, each have a chance at being claimed by someone who will cherish the card. And that really is the essence of card collecting, am I right?
*The column labeled "Final Card" represents the last team represented by the card that "forced" the stack to be claimed. It's not a fool-proof way of determining which teams are most popular, especially since it's possible a Red Sox fan missed the post when I posted a Red Sox, happened to catch it a day later when a Dodger was added and then claimed the stack right away (thus giving the "point" to the Dodgers). However, I do believe it's a decent way to see which teams are more likely to cause the stack to be claimed.
So far, I've had a blast with my trade stack - and I'm going to continue the idea for as long as the interest appears to be there. This is your chance to voice your opinions - want to see more cards, different teams, more inserts, more base cards, more variety, more new stuff, etc. etc. I've also updated my want list to include more cards and more sets - so if you haven't check it out in a while, please do so now!
First, a little background:
I conceived the trade stack idea as a fun way to rid myself of cards that I don't necessarily want while slowly being able to acquire cards that I do want. I figured it was a fine trade (from my point of view) if I was turning trash into the proverbial treasure. I also figured that most stacks wouldn't get claimed with only one card on them - and thus I'd automatically be sending out more cards than I would have incoming. As it turned out, many of the claimed trade stacks have resulted in larger, more inclusive trades (which is awesome) - and 20% of the trade stacks were actually one-for-one trades since the stack was claimed with only a single card on it.
How I determine what goes in the trade stack:
Honestly, there is little planning on my part. I have a small pile of cards that I think would make for fun additions to the trade stack - but mostly I've tried to vary the sets, teams, and years represented. I also try to sprinkle in regular base cards, insert cards, and the occassional "good" card (serially numbered, autos, etc.). After the first ten trade stacks, I did make a conscious effort to include cards of teams that hadn't received any love from me up until to that point (Nationals, Marlins, Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Royals).
Trade Stacks #1 - 20 Statistics:
Below, you'll find a table which shows the number of cards from each team. I've had a couple of cards feature players from more than one team but those have not been included in any of the individual team totals. Be aware that some trade stacks also feature cards of either non-current teams (like the Expos) or of non-baseball players (like the Sailors of the Seven Seas mini card I added one time).
Trade Stack Statistics | |||
Team | Base Cards | Inserts | Final Card |
Braves | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Nationals | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Marlins | 1 | ||
Mets | 2 | ||
Phillies | 1 | ||
Reds | 5 | 1 | |
Cardinals | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Cubs | 3 | 1 | |
Astros | 2 | 1 | |
Pirates | 3 | ||
Brewers | 1 | ||
Dodgers | 4 | 1 | |
Diamondbacks | 1 | ||
Rockies | 3 | 1 | |
Giants | 4 | 2 | |
Padres | 2 | 1 | |
Yankees | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Red Sox | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Orioles | 2 | ||
Rays | 1 | ||
Blue Jays | 1 | ||
White Sox | 1 | ||
Indians | 1 | ||
Tigers | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Royals | 2 | 1 | |
Twins | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Athletics | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Mariners | 3 | ||
Rangers | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Angels | 2 | ||
Judging the results above, there are a few things that I can see are true. I seem to have a lot of random Red Sox cards as they are leading the pack in terms of base cards added to the trade stack. The Reds have a high number (mostly due to the three Larkins to start one of the stacks) as do the Dodgers and Giants. Every team now has at least one card that's been added to the stack, and one-third of all the MLB teams have had a least one insert added to the stack (the Rangers and Yankees lead the way in inserts with three each so far). However, the most interesting piece of information for me thus far is the fact that only the Braves (three times) and the Nationals (twice) have had multiple cards serve as the card that forces* the stack to be claimed. It's the parity amongst all the teams that makes the trade stacks so much fun for me (not to mention I get rid of stuff I don't want/need and slowly acquire cards that I do want/need)! I truly never have any idea whether a particular card will be wanted by someone out there - whether it's a junk wax era Topps base card or a super shiny insert, each have a chance at being claimed by someone who will cherish the card. And that really is the essence of card collecting, am I right?
*The column labeled "Final Card" represents the last team represented by the card that "forced" the stack to be claimed. It's not a fool-proof way of determining which teams are most popular, especially since it's possible a Red Sox fan missed the post when I posted a Red Sox, happened to catch it a day later when a Dodger was added and then claimed the stack right away (thus giving the "point" to the Dodgers). However, I do believe it's a decent way to see which teams are more likely to cause the stack to be claimed.
So far, I've had a blast with my trade stack - and I'm going to continue the idea for as long as the interest appears to be there. This is your chance to voice your opinions - want to see more cards, different teams, more inserts, more base cards, more variety, more new stuff, etc. etc. I've also updated my want list to include more cards and more sets - so if you haven't check it out in a while, please do so now!
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