New York State of Mind

Bo from Baseball Cards Come To Life! had a biiiiiiig stack of Twins to send me, but I will start with one of the 1979 Topps needs he checked off for me, from his local New York Yankees.

I somehow managed to miss out on Denard's Rookie Card until now, happy to add it to my collection!

The Cards came from the 2000s, the 90s and even a few older 80s like this Fleer Star Sticker of John Castino.

One of the best sets of all-time right here. Jack Morris is pumped.

We could be here all night showing scans, but it's safe to say that Bo knocked this one out of park. Gardy tossing B.P. and the pre-rookie Torii Hunter were certainly highlights.

Thanks again for the trade, Bo!

O Canada! (two of deux)

Mike of Not Another Baseball Card Blog is working on a couple sets and I have one shipment so far (more coming soon!) his way. These cards, including the awesome Gary Carter above, came in return.

The two Hall of Fame pitchers came from the 89 Traded set, one at the beginning of his career, and the other just starting his final ride into the sunset.

A few of these were featured recently in another trade, but that'll happen when you have cards on your want list from the late 80s and early 90s.

Last but not least was this pair of Hall of Famers that became legends for their teams, spending their entire career with the same team.

Thanks again Mike, I will be sending some more cards your way soon.

O Canada! (one of deux)

Talk about excitement! It's YOUPPI! I sent some O-Pee-Chee cards down South to Ontario and Trevor send back a nice assortment.

Had to share the back of the Stuart Expos YOUPPI! On the same team as Tim Raines, being the top base stealer is saying something!

Some 1979 Topps needs including an alliterative catcher and a Spaceman!

Some great additions to my new Stanley Cup mini-collection!

A pair of Canadian Post Kirbys!

This one is still in the cellophane wrapper. Thanks for the trade, Trevor!

Part Deux will feature another Canadian trade.

Over the Moon after this Trade

Spring Training Games started yesterday, I'm watching the Twins game right now, I'm as pumped as Red Dog here!

Another reason to be pumped up? Night Owl sent over some great cards in trade! I've had my eye on this Herb Washington card for some time, not many cards for Pinch Runners out there.

These guys were all on my junk wax want list - Kevin Foster employs the Jedi mind trick on a baseball in the upper left.

Some Horizontal Heroes, always a fan of Rickey running the bases - Pat Neshek, of course is a MN native and a P.C. guy.

Speaking of player collections, heeeeeere's Manny!

Twins were included as well - three MVPs and a Rat!

What I really appreciate is when you get a nice surprise like some Barry Sanders cards. I have very few non-baseball cards in my collection, but Barry is one of those players from my youth that stayed in my collection all the way through.

Thanks so much Greg!

Los Dodgers

 The beat goes on in the set build for 1964 Venezuelan Topps - I found a 6 card lot on eBay, all Dodgers. The player in the background of the Dick Calmus card is the highlight for me! I think it is Nate Oliver.

 Torborg is given credit by Topps for his "Scholastic ballplaying" which is, I suppose, a nice way of saying he hit .223 in the minors.

As long as I keep pecking away every couple weeks or so on this, I should be able to meet my goal. So far I am still able to find single cards for single digits that are set needs.

Happy Presidents' Day

 Happy Presidents' Day from Washington and Lincoln;

 Adams, Buchanan, Bush, and Ford;

 Harrison, Johnson, Jackson, and Monroe;

 Madison, Nixon, Tyler, and Wilson!

And for you West Wing fans, Happy Presidents' Day from Bartlet(t) too!

Keeping up with Kennys

I haven't forgotten about my favorite MN Twin - Kennys Vargas! There was some bittersweet news this offseason when the Twins designated Byung-ho Park for assignment, removing him from the 40 Man Roster. He is going to start the season in AAA, the same place he finished last year. He was a big investment for the team, and is still under contract after clearing waivers. The main beneficiary of this news is Kennys, who is now slated to be the regular DH with the big league club.

This blue mini Parallel from 2016 Topps is numbered to just 10! Once again, I've added another Vargas card numbered to 10, even though the one I really want has eluded me since the summer of 2015.**

Here's the base card from the Topps Mini set, nothing fancy here, just another parallel... It looked like Vargas might not have any cards in 2016 when he was left off the series one checklist (and started in AAA, with Byung-ho Park leading the team in homers at the time), but it turns out they just waited until Series Two. More for me to chase!

Here's a "Limited Edition" parallel from an online only factory set - These are the ancestors of the old Topps Tiffany sets. The card stock is very thick, but it's essentially the same card as flagship.

Last, but not least we have a "siiiiick patch" of Vargas, which I found on eBay for less than a pack of new cards. I'm looking forward to seeing Vargas starting the season as the Twins' DH - hopefully he can make the most of the opportunity and be the guy for some time to come. He's also on the roster for Puerto Rico in the WBC, along with Twins' teammates Eddie Rosario and Jose Berrios, so they are going to be my second fave team in the tournament.



** Seriously, please do me a favor and ask your local card shop owner if they have the 2015 Series One Acetate (aka Clear) Kennys Vargas parallel numbered to 10 squirreled away behind glass or in a dusty box on a shelf or under a pile of laundry. If you find one (please send a pic), I will send money to buy it and a TON of cards as a finders' fee.**

Some Oddball Alous!

I am the youngest of three, just like Jesus Alou. This Sports Collectors Photostamp is from 1969.

Any fans out there still have the album? I would like to see that.

Middle brother Matty is featured on Ray Kroc's Restaurant (McDonald's) issue from 1974.

Matty was everywhere from 1973 to 1974 -- East Coast, West Coast, and right in the middle on the mighty Mississip!

This isn't an oddball, really, it's just an interesting variation - Jesus in the Outfield, and Jesus everywhere and nowhere at once!

This one may be the oddest of all - a regional shopping mall issued these photos in 1966 - a little thicker than a poster, but not much.

Here's a size comparison with a standard card - the backs are plain white. Just a few new Alous I added this year!

GCA Delivers Junk Wax Gems

Greg From The Collective Mind contacted me and let me know he had some cards from my want lists, so I was very happy to start up a trade with him

The cards ranged from 1982 to 1995 - can't go wrong with Teke!

All needs from 1985 - Steve Trout in particular caught my eye.

Remember when Biggio was the best hitting catcher in the NL? When Kenny Lofton played for Houston? That's a great photo for 1992 Score, too.

The Kirby card on the top right was the only Twin (well, two if you count Brian Harper getting trucked by Lonnie Smith), and that's A-OK with me! I probably have that Jim Thome somewhere, but I certainly couldn't find a copy when I was building my want list - I was happy to check that one off.

Serious question - are there many Cacti in Colorado? I suppose there are more than just snowy mountains, and I bet this photo was taken in Arizona at Spring Training, but it made me pause for a moment...

A couple all time greats - Hall of Fame talents, and then a pair of two-sport stars. Great variety, and the whole package were needed cards from my want lists.

Thanks a bunch Greg! I am putting something together to send back your way soon.

A Quartet of Venezuelans

Making a serious dent in my 1964 Venezuelan Topps Set, one card at a time!

Joe Gaines is technically a high number for this set, which goes to Topps Card # 370 from the 1964 set. But in terms of scarcity, I don't know that it is any more difficult to find than any other card in the set.

1959 Topps All-Star Rookie Jim O'Toole!

This was obviously my favorite of the batch- Such a fun card.

Here are all the backs, very respectable given how rough these can get - lost a little info on the Jim O'Toole card, but for the most part these 4 stayed intact!

I'm up to 117 cards in the set, I'll be starting to put these in a binder soon, then we can see about getting some completed pages.