Stopping on a Dime

(Fist Pump) Yes! Nick from the Dime Boxes Blog posted this awesome card of "Sarge" the other day and I mentioned it was my favorite of the post - turns out he had doubles! Great news for me, because this cards is fantastic. He didn't stop there, though:

Just a sample of the awesome selection - Nick has a knack for finding the gems, as you can tell from his blog.

Some Horizontal Heroes - I really appreciate that the Upper Deck set lists the exact day that the photo was taken. Take THAT, Topps NOW!

Some new and some right in that sweet spot of lost collecting years from the late 90s to mid 00s. The scanner did a nice job capturing the shine of the Hrbek card.

Thanks again Nick, another great package!

Trading IRL with GCRL

Well, I intended to post this last week, but life got in the way. Jim from GCRL and Franken Dodger and Cards As I See Them lives in the same metro area, and every once in a while we manage to run into one another and make a trade. Above are some mid 80s postcards issued by the Twins, fan favorites in a rough patch in the standings, not too different from the current incarnation.

Plenty of PC guys in the box from Jim, there's no shortage of Harmon Killebrew cards in new designs!

The cards came from all eras, including some 2016s like the Miguel Sano insert from this year's Heritage set.

The Jim Thome Dodger card is from a set called Topps Unique - it's the first time I've seen it before, it looks really sharp!

Jim also included these hits - I'm a big fan of framed minis, especially when they have  a well-designed frame like this one.

The Sportflics Team preview card was a highlight for me. Brought me back to a simpler time!

"On the verge of winning big" you say? Oh, Sportflics, how prescient! A pleasant surprise, indeed.

Thanks again Jim, much appreciated!

Heeeeere's Johnny! (#supertrade)

I can always expect the unexpected when something arrives from John of Johnny's Trading Spot.

 

It started with a pile of Twins Yearbooks and scorecards from the 70s and 80s - big full color photos and lots of crazy advertisements for local Minnesota businesses. 

This Topps Super Jerry Koosman card is heat sealed into this sleeve - which is exactly where it should stay!

Donruss was no stranger to the over-sized card game, and John included these three awesome examples.

Lots of Chuck Knoblauch

Some key pieces from the most recent Division-winning teams in the 2000s - The Bazooka card is really thick!

And of course a wide variety of 80s greats. As usual, what you see is just a small sample of the big stack of cards from "Generous Johnny."

Thanks again!

On this Day . . . Ten-Ten

1945: The last time the Cubs played in the World Series, they ran into a Tiger. 'Prince Hal' Newhouser shut down the Cubs in the series, winning twice including 10 strikeouts in a Game 7 gem on this date in 1945. The Cubs are still working on returning to the top of the mountain.

1957: Another great pitching performance came in 1957, and it culminated in the Milwaukee Braves bringing a title to the Midwest. Burdette did one better than Newhouser, winning 3 games in the Fall Classic. The Braves shut out the Yankees 5-0 in the decisive final game.

1968: Mickey Lolich outduels Bob Gibson in game 7 of the 1968 World Series, for his 3rd win of the Series, clinching the title for the Tigers.

1978: Davey Lopes crushed a pair of dingers and the Dodgers cruise to an 11-5 victory in Game One of the 1978 World Series. Reggie Jackson homered for the Yankees, and would ultimately be the thorn in side of the Dodgers' sides in the series, which the Yankees won in 6 games.

1980: George Brett gets a little revenge on behalf of all those Yankee haters out there, demolishing a pitch from Goose Gossage into the upper deck to put the finishing touches on a Royals' three game sweep in the ALCS. The Phillies would eventually take care of the Royals in the World Series, but for the moment it was exaltation in the Paris of the Plains

1990: Dave Stewart continues his dominance when matching up against Roger Clemens, taking the Red Sox to task in the finale of the 1990 ALCS. It would be the 8th straight victory of Stewart over Clemens. The Rocket failed to launch, arguing with plate umpire Terry Cooney and getting tossed from the game after facing just 8 batters. 3 runs would be charged to his ledger. Stewart gave up just a single run in eight innings, and garnered MVP honors for the 4 game ALCS.
 

BIRTHDAYS!!!

Tenace the Menace, a pair of Phils; Tulo, Cutch, and Cespedes; young fireballer Jeurys Familia, old submariner Ziegler, and Kolten Wong, who is now neither young nor old, which may be confusing or comforting to him, depends on how he feels about that ....

Saturday is the Day We Go to Card Shows

Oh boy.

 It has been since the Spring that I made it to the big monthly show in the Twin Cities. I made some vintage finds the main mission for the day, and I think I did pretty well!

I also re-connected with Jim from GCRL (now of Franken Dodger), and we made an in-person trade I'll feature later this week.

I am plugging along on my 1956 Topps set - and I found a nice batch of commons:

1955 World Series hero Johnny Podres might be the sharpest of the bunch. Then I decided to reach for the stars:

 Hall of Famer? Sure, why not? This guy had some worn corner issues and was a little uneven top to bottom. Advantage: Collector. Then I nearly lost my mind when I found this:

 Paper Loss, off center, rounded corners, but oh so gorgeous! I spent more $$ on 2016 Series one packs than it took to bring home this card, I'd call this a serious win.

 Bask.The vintage fun did not stop there, though. one of the vendors had a big box of damaged or otherwise misfit vintage cards and I picked up several.

The Nolan Ryan was an impulse buy - here's a closer look at the back to see how I was able to bring it home:

 A savvy youth investor pushed a pair of pins into each end of this card, and in doing so, passed the savings on to me! I think the card might also be trimmed a bit, it just a hair samller than the others in the stack. fine by me, though!

Of course I couldn't leave without picking up some Twins - these will fit nicely! All in all, a solid day at the card show!

Good to see you again Jim, hope to run into again at another show!