I TCDB, U TCDB, We All TCDB

 Happy Monday, everyone.  A new week begins which means it's time for me to wrap-up last week in my TCDB trading!  I'm happy to report that I have continued to make a number of swaps - so sit back, grab a coffee or tea, and enjoy the show.

We begin with a two-for-him, one-for-me swap with user La Loosh. 

That's the second-to-last Booming Cities mini that I need for my 2020 Allen & Ginter set.  At this point, I'm down to only card #15 in the set...but any trades that I've proposed for that particular card have (thus far) not panned out.  Still, with only one mini left to collect I feel quite hopeful that this set will end up on my "Sets Completed in 2021 List" sooner rather than later!

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  -1

Moving right along, from user jrad1973 we find a slightly fuller PWE - this one with four cards in it (I also sent off four cards in return to jrad1973). 

The first two cards are from the 1999 Pacific set.  At the start of last year, my needs for this particular set were quite large but I've been making fairly steady progress whittling down my want list via TCDB trades...albeit typically at a rate of only one or two cards at a time.  Still, it's a set released over 20 years ago so the way I see it is that there is no reason for me to be in a rush now!

Speaking of older sets that I'm still plugging away at, the next card is from the 2000 Fleer Tradition set - a gorgeous set that I'm inching ever so close to (finally) completing!  I'm down to needing to trade for seven more cards from this set (plus I'm waiting on another three cards to show up in other trades).  The 2000 Fleer Tradition set is another set that I'm hoping will go on the "completed sets list" for 2021!

And finally, the last card from this particular PWE isn't a set need at all but rather a new (to me) Barry Larkin card.

That's a 1992 The Sport Card Review & Value Line Prime Pics card of Barry...a card that I didn't even knew existed until I did my recent complete organization of my Barry Larkin Collection for the year 1992.  I'll have plenty more to say about this particular card whenever I get around to featuring it in my ongoing Barry Larkin Collection series of posts!

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  -1

Next, from a name that some of you will recognize as being Matt from Bubba's Baseball Bits - user bubbasbums.  Matt and I did a quick 2 card PWE swap of Allen & Ginter cards.  I sent him a couple of those weird code card parallels from 2011 and he sent me a pair of minis:  one from 2020 and the other from 2009.  

I'm still not entirely sure why I decided to collect the full regular back mini set in 2009 but what's done is done so here we are.  At least I'm nearly complete with that particular build - only three cards to go.  In fact, all of my 2009 A&G set needs are down to between one and four cards each.  

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Wants:
Inventions of the Future (minis): FI5
Extinct Creatures (minis):   EA1
Creatures of Legend, Myth, &Terror (minis): 5, 10, 14, 15
Cabinet Boxloader: CB6, CB10
Regular back mini:  134, 159, 205

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  -1

This must have been a week of small swaps arriving in the mail because I've got another tiny (one-for-one) trade to show off from user kanee1978.  

That's a 1988 Starting Lineup Talking Baseball card of Barry Larkin - obviously without the license ability to show the Reds' team logo on his cap.  This is another card that I didn't know I needed until my recent overhaul of my "early years" Barry Larkin Collection.  

The only negative thing I can say about this trade is that it was packaged in a nasty old yellow card protector and an even nastier, poorly sized penny sleeve that was so tight I had to literally rip the sleeve in half to get the Larkin card out.  Needless to say, both the sleeve and the card protector have been trashed...I like to recycle and reuse as much as anyone but even I have to draw the line somewhere.

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  -1

My second-to-last incoming trade of the week comes courtesy of user hershey.  This was a 10-for me, only 7-for him swap which means more cards have come in to my house this week than have gone out (thus far).  That's odd for my TCDB trading but since everything that's arrived has been either a set need or a Barry Larkin Collection need, I'm not complaining! 

This particular trade hit both of the nails on the head - nine cards for my 1996 Collector's Choice set build and one additional card for my Barry Larkin Collection (another Topps Sticker variation - this time with Harold Reynolds on the front).  

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  +3

Finally, the last incoming package of the week arrived from user timreiss.

As in an earlier trade this week, I ended up acquiring a few more 1999 Pacific cards for my set build (four in total) as well as another Larkin variation card.  

(I'll explain what the variation is in a future Larkin Collection post.)

Overall, I ended up sending off two more cards than I brought in for this swap which leaves me at a net gain of +1 cards this week.  Not bad...and the best part is that I'm definitely within striking range of completing a bunch of different sets this year!  

Net gain of cards this week (so far) from TCDB trades:  +1

That does it for another week of trading.  Considering the rush of the holidays, I'm certainly satisfied with my incoming mail this past week.  I do hope to continue trading on TCDB moving forward - and I keep adding more and more trade bait to the site (current tally is 5,230 cards available for trade by me)!  Go here to see my profile and feel free to send me a trade offer!