A few days ago, a medium sized flat rate mailer showed up on my doorstep. After looking at the label, I saw it was from David up in Alaska. David and I have swapped cards (and LEGO figures) a number of times in the past, but I must say, this package blew all of those prior trades out of the water!
In fact, this box was so full of goodness that there is no way I can fit it all into a single post. So, for now, let's take a look at part I of the box!
Here's how good the box is...I'm starting with a pair of super hard-to-find 2014 Heritage short prints as the warm-up to the rest of the package!
The 2014 Topps Heritage set has been a total nightmare for me in terms of collecting the darn thing. I have the base set (cards 1 - 425) done but the short prints have proven to be way more elusive than I was hoping. David's two short prints have convinced me that there is still hope for me in terms of collecting the set...but I don't think I'll be holding out hope of finishing the set in 2015!
David gave me a bit of help with 2014 Heritage...but he knocked a crap ton of stuff off of another 2014 set that I'm working on: Topps Allen & Ginter's!
Much like 2014 Heritage, 2014 Ginter has also been a slow go in terms of collecting. I'm not exactly sure why - maybe people simply bought less cards from both sets last year? Maybe the constant increases in postal rates make people gun shy to trade? Maybe I'm too much of a cheapskate to simply order the cards off eBay, CheckOutMyCards, or some other site?
Well, I can only say for sure that the last hypothesis is correct.
Luckily for poor saps like me, there are still people out there with some Ginter to trade - and that definitely includes David. David ended up sending me ELEVEN different mini insert cards. If you know how much I love Ginter, you know that makes me ecstatic!
Since I love the minis so much, I've scanned 'em all for you.
We begin with the Into the Unknown set.
John Cabot was an Italian explorer who is credited with being the first European to land in North America since the 11th-century Norse Vikings. Cabot managed to find North America in 1497 though he thought it was Asia that he was claiming for King Henry VII. Fremont, on the other hand, wasn't quite so adventurous as he made his name by exploring the American west. According to his card back, it was Freemont's description of the west that contributed to the Mormons' decision to settle in Utah's Salt Lake Valley.
David sent me a single card from the Larger than Life insert set.
John Henry was a strong dude. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite strong enough to beat a steam-powered hammer as he died following a race against the machine. Seems unfair to me.
One of the quirkier mini sets from 2014 Ginter was the Outlaws, Bandits, and All-Around Ne-er Do Wells.
Juro Janosik was essentially a Slovakian Robin Hood. His card back states that he was eventually caught and then tortured to death. Not a good way to go.
I'm not much of an artist but I still like the Where Nature Ends set. David helped me here with five different artist cards.
Of the five, my easy favorite is the Leonardo Da Vinci. I had actually never heard of Gilbert Stuart...which is a bit embarrassing since he is "widely viewed as one of America's preeminent portratists." While that doesn't really mean much to me, here's what struck me about Stuart: It's his image of George Washington that is used on our $1 bills! Cool stuff!
The final pair of minis were from the World's Deadliest Predators set.
The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest living reptile clocking in around 1,000 pounds. The Jellyfish, on the other hand, kills by venom that is among the deadliest known to man. I think I'll take my chances with the crocodile!
Thanks a bunch for helping me whittle down my want list David! Of course, I mentioned earlier that today's post is but a small sample of the goodies that David sent my way - I'll have more from this box later this week!
In fact, this box was so full of goodness that there is no way I can fit it all into a single post. So, for now, let's take a look at part I of the box!
Here's how good the box is...I'm starting with a pair of super hard-to-find 2014 Heritage short prints as the warm-up to the rest of the package!
The 2014 Topps Heritage set has been a total nightmare for me in terms of collecting the darn thing. I have the base set (cards 1 - 425) done but the short prints have proven to be way more elusive than I was hoping. David's two short prints have convinced me that there is still hope for me in terms of collecting the set...but I don't think I'll be holding out hope of finishing the set in 2015!
David gave me a bit of help with 2014 Heritage...but he knocked a crap ton of stuff off of another 2014 set that I'm working on: Topps Allen & Ginter's!
Much like 2014 Heritage, 2014 Ginter has also been a slow go in terms of collecting. I'm not exactly sure why - maybe people simply bought less cards from both sets last year? Maybe the constant increases in postal rates make people gun shy to trade? Maybe I'm too much of a cheapskate to simply order the cards off eBay, CheckOutMyCards, or some other site?
Well, I can only say for sure that the last hypothesis is correct.
Luckily for poor saps like me, there are still people out there with some Ginter to trade - and that definitely includes David. David ended up sending me ELEVEN different mini insert cards. If you know how much I love Ginter, you know that makes me ecstatic!
Since I love the minis so much, I've scanned 'em all for you.
We begin with the Into the Unknown set.
John Cabot was an Italian explorer who is credited with being the first European to land in North America since the 11th-century Norse Vikings. Cabot managed to find North America in 1497 though he thought it was Asia that he was claiming for King Henry VII. Fremont, on the other hand, wasn't quite so adventurous as he made his name by exploring the American west. According to his card back, it was Freemont's description of the west that contributed to the Mormons' decision to settle in Utah's Salt Lake Valley.
David sent me a single card from the Larger than Life insert set.
John Henry was a strong dude. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite strong enough to beat a steam-powered hammer as he died following a race against the machine. Seems unfair to me.
One of the quirkier mini sets from 2014 Ginter was the Outlaws, Bandits, and All-Around Ne-er Do Wells.
Juro Janosik was essentially a Slovakian Robin Hood. His card back states that he was eventually caught and then tortured to death. Not a good way to go.
I'm not much of an artist but I still like the Where Nature Ends set. David helped me here with five different artist cards.
Of the five, my easy favorite is the Leonardo Da Vinci. I had actually never heard of Gilbert Stuart...which is a bit embarrassing since he is "widely viewed as one of America's preeminent portratists." While that doesn't really mean much to me, here's what struck me about Stuart: It's his image of George Washington that is used on our $1 bills! Cool stuff!
The final pair of minis were from the World's Deadliest Predators set.
The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest living reptile clocking in around 1,000 pounds. The Jellyfish, on the other hand, kills by venom that is among the deadliest known to man. I think I'll take my chances with the crocodile!
Thanks a bunch for helping me whittle down my want list David! Of course, I mentioned earlier that today's post is but a small sample of the goodies that David sent my way - I'll have more from this box later this week!
Send me a message on twitter please
ReplyDelete@hobbydefender
ReplyDeleteThe best A&G cards are the ones from the insert sets. Would they make an only insert set A&G and it would be great ;)
ReplyDelete