Jim from
GCRL and I live in the same metro area - our
first trade was
in person, and it's always nice to save on shipping (not to mention meeting a fellow blogger). We tried meeting up again but timing didn't quite work out so the Dodgers I pulled from the big group trade and Jim's return had to go through the mail.
What a return it was! I have split it into two parts. Part one is focusing on the player collections he sent over. I always think of Rickey as an Oakland A, so his mid to late 90s West Coast tour always has an odd look to it. He spent a few seasons in San Diego with Tony Gwynn.
Larry Walker! He's among my favorite players that had their prime after I stopped collecting the first time. Jim send a huge stack of Walkers, I think they were all new to me.
I somehow managed to not have that 86 Donruss Dave - I've got to start making lists for these guys so I can track what I already have.
New Carew!
Barry Bonds - what can be said about him that hasn't already been said?
Pedro!
And more Pedro - hey... wait a minute. How did Upper Deck get away with using the 1963 Topps design in that Vintage set? I'm glad they did, it's a cool card.
This is just part one! More to come from GCRL, next time it will be all about the Twins.
Awesome cards! As far as tracking your stuff, Zistle, Zistle, Zistle!!!
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to check that site out - It certainly made it easier to find Red Sox cards to send you last time.
DeleteYeah it's killer. For example you could enter in all your Dave Winfields, might take you an hour or whatever, then when you're done there's a simple filter you can apply from just a drop-down menu to show you A) every Dave Winfield you have, and B) every Dave Winfield in their database that you don't have. If you should find one that's not in the library you can just add it yourself with a couple of clicks, although the user community has gotten so good over there that most all checklists are complete at this point.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm rambling but if you happen to check it out I'd love to hear your thoughts. I've been a huge fan for years now, was an early adapter to the site when Ashley and Josh (folks who own and run it) were just getting it off the ground. They are awesome people and I truly believe it's the single most powerful online tool for collectors out there...
so far so good . . . now I just have to find the time to add all my cards!
DeleteI love Zistle too--wonder whats going to happen now
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cardboardconnection.com/news/law-cards-beckett-sues-zistle-checklists
I think it would be hard for Beckett to win a case like that - but sometimes the big guy squashes the little guy just because he can.
DeleteThanks for making me aware of that, what a shame. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments below that article. Maybe Beckett would be a more successful company if they spent more time improving their own website, or how about even coming up with some original articles and content for that joke of a monthly price guide rather than trying to undercut an upstart competitor. I visited the Beckett forums after reading this and all I see are people complaining and leaving in droves, many of them for Zistle I'm sure. Reeks of a desperate attempt to snuff out a small competitor that they see as a big threat.
ReplyDeleteTo show you the difference in philosophy, Zistle literally has a built-in export utility to allow you to export this "protected" information in question. They're trying to build a business model where collectors are heard, and their goal is to build a utility based on feedback of the folks who enjoy the hobby. As a result, their focus is on improving and fine tuning all of the great things that make their site stand out heads and tails above Beckett's offering. Beckett, meanwhile, is spending their time meeting with lawyers and filing lawsuits because they apparently think they own rights to a checklist of cards produced by another company.
Are they so short-sighted and narrow-minded at Beckett that they care more about their precious checklists than they do about absolutely ruining their reputation with the very customer base they attempt to foist their inferior product upon? Unreal!