Trades From Across The Blogosphere

Excuse my absence for the past couple of days. There's a lot going on on beardyland, and we may become homeowners in the next few weeks. Pretty overwhelming if you ask me. Anyway, back to the card stuff.

Since there's always a whole lot of tradin' goin' on, I've decided this is going to become a weekly feature, cards allowing of course.

First up is a card from Marck, the Collective Troll. He's got one of the best card blogs around, and is also an extremely generous collector. After seeing that he had been busting some '08 Ginter boxes, I dropped him an email to see if he had pulled any Ancient Icons mini cards, since it was a set I had been thinking about chasing. The card below was sent to me in exchange for absolutely nothing. That's right, FREE. I know the Troll likes Brian Roberts, and I happen to have a TON of B-Rob cards laying around. His generosity will surely not be overlooked.

2008 Allen & Ginter Ancient Icons minis Quetzalcoatl

This is what Homer saw after eating the hot peppers at the chili festival.

Next up are a few cards from Ron over at Section 36. He had originally emailed me about a Ginter World Leader mini, but sent these great cards along as well. I deem our first trade a rousing success.

2009 Topps 206 Aubrey Huff Cycle back mini #'d /99

Probably should have scanned the back of this one instead. Sorry guys.

2007 Upper Deck Erik Bedard Game Materials relic

Does anyone know what's going on with this guy right now? It's doubtful that anyone outside of Seattle or Baltimore gives a damn, but Bedard has gone AWOL. There are doubts he will even be able to pitch next season. Pishawww!

2000 Topps Stars Brooks Robinson Spotlights

If only he could take charge of his hairline like he could a dribbler down the third base line. This is a nice card, and a new one for the Brooks collection.

2001 Upper Deck Decade Eddie Murray Award Winners '78 ROY

Has the ability to look badass even during an awkward backswing. You think he made contact?

Next up are some cards from Joe over at Cobb & Halladay. Since helping me complete the great Burke Kenny nona-fecta, Joe has become one of my favorite people to trade with, and I think this is our third or fourth completed trade.

2006 Playoff Contenders Haloti Ngata autograph

Haloti sort of has chick handwriting. This is the second rookie auto I have of his, both of them are signed with #96, which must have been what he wore at Oregon. He's always worn #92 as a pro.

2008 Upper Deck SP Threads Dwayne Bowe/Eddie Royal dual relic #'d /199

My first Dwayne Bowe relic! What the heck happened to Eddie Royal anyway? He set the fantasy football world on fire as a rookie, but didn't do diddly-poo this past season. I blame the system. At first I blamed Orton, but he actually had a pretty decent season.

2008 Upper Deck Team USA Brian Matusz National Team jersey

This guy is going to be one of a few of the O's young guns with a chance to really step up this season. With the lineup that Andy McPhail has put together, it'll only take one or two of the young arms to flourish for the Orioles to threaten the .500 mark this season. Mark it dude. Baby steps.

2008 Bowman Ray Rice refractor

Another Ray Rice rookie for my player collection. You all know how I feel about Baltimore's other Ray by now, and I was pretty happy to get this card.

Well... that's that. Another great round of trades scanned, posted and commented upon for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to Marck, Ron & Joe for the great cards. If you haven't already gotten them, your cards should hit the mail in the next few days.

Also a big thank you to Baseball Dad and The Average Joe for sending me some cards from my Goodwin Champions want list. I'm still a long way from finishing, but progress is progress.

Let the Doldrums Begin!

As the whole world just saw, the Baltimore Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens played a terrible game, and I am starting to have doubts about Joe Flacco's decision making. He hold on to the ball too long, and loves to throw deep passes into double coverage. He either has to be hurt, or there is a chance that maybe he won't be as good as everyone thought.

I never expected the Ravens to make the playoffs after they fell to 5-5 back in November, so all in all it was a pretty good season. Ray Rice had his coronation season, and it looks like he's got a chance to become a legitimate NFL star. Between Flacco and Rice, the future of Ravens football should be exciting.

These next few months are always the hardest for me in terms of my sports fanhood. Without the Ravens or Orioles to root for February feels like it has 82 days instead of only 28.

March Madness can't get here soon enough.

Hey you! Stop throwing so many checkdowns to Ray Rice and look downfield.

For now, I am pledging my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys, also known as America's Team. Ever heard of them?

More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

Another round of trades from across the blogosphere and beyond... The perfect way to start off a brand new year.

A month or so ago, reader Joe L. emailed me saying that he had gotten the wrong Topps 206 box, and that this particular hobby box should have been mine. Well... being the nice guy that he is, Joe sent me the 2 Orioles hits he pulled from his box, along with an AMAZING Ray Rice patch card. First up is the case hit...

2009 Topps 206 Nick Markakis Polar Bear framed relic

I'm not sure how I feel about relic case hits. The only thing that makes this card any different than the other Markakis relics in this set is the frame. I would be pretty bummed if I shelled out all that cash for a case, and this was the "big hit". C'mon Topps! These should at least be autographed or something.

2009 Topps 206 Koji Uehara Piedmont framed autograph

Welcome to my Orioles autograph collection Koji! You have an interesting signature, and I dig the exclamation points that look like they are supposed to be i's.

2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Ray Rice 4-color patch #'d /50

This is officially the nicest patch card in my collection, and the only one featuring 4 colors. Joe swears he saw this card pulled in person, so I have confidence that this isn't a fake. Even if it is, aren't all "memorabilia" cards sort of fake in a way? There's no guarantee that the swatch on your card was ever actually touched by the player pictured.

Next up are a few cards from Duane over at Democratic Roadkill. Duane also emailed me about some cards he thought I might be interested in, and boy was he ever right. I am still rooting around for some Blue Jays cards to send back in return, and should have a package ready for mailing by Monday or Tuesday. Let's see what Duane sent!

2009 UD Ballpark Collection Stat Kings quad swatch

Ballpark Collection was yet another in a long line of overpriced sets featuring a gratuitous use of relics. All autographs are on stickers, and the price tag is upwards of $100/box. Pretty freakin' ridiculous if you ask me, especially since most of the relics (even the six & eight swatches) sell for right around the $5 mark on the secondary market. I'm still going to collect the Markakis & Adam Jones cards though. Being a player/team collector is such a pain in the ass sometimes, but such is life as a collector.

2005 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Jim Palmer relic #'d /50

This card has some chipping on the right edge, which is pretty standard for Upper Deck. I really like artwork on this card, and being numbered to 50 certainly doesn't hurt either. Both '05 & '08 Heroes are great products, but for me, '05 takes the cake since all autographs are on-card.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter's Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror Hydra mini

I goofed up a bit and left this card on my want list, even though I've already got a copy. If anyone needs this card for their set, or happens to be a huge Hydra fan, this card is for trade. My Creatures want list is officially down to just TWO cards, LMT3 & LMT14. If you happen to have them, please contact me and I will make sure you are more than fairly compensated. At this point I'm soooooo close, and just want to knock this set out.

Next we have a card sent to me by Larry the SewingMachineGuy, who is not to be confused with Larry the Cable Guy. Larry just re-did the banner on his blog, and it looks great. If you've never been there, or haven't been there in a while, I suggest checking it out immediately. Much like Joe & Duane, Larry emailed me to say that he'd pulled a Nick Markakis relic from a pack of '09 Sweet Spot, and was wondering if I was interested. Naturally, I was, and quickly sent off a Maggs relic in return.

2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Nick Markakis Sweet Swatch Memorabilia

Finally, we have an amazing card from Jeff at I Am Joe Collector. Over the summer he busted a case (maybe 2) of 2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes, and happened to pull not one, but TWO Joe Flacco hard-signed rookie autos. I immediately emailed him about acquiring one, but didn't have anything in my collection that Jeff was interested in. Fast forward to late November, when the Darren Sproles black refractor auto from my 2005 Topps Finest Football mini box break caught his eye, and a comment appeared on my blog that simply read "Sproles for Flacco". In my mind, that is a no brainer, and here is the beauty that arrived early last week, just in time for Christmas.

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes Joe Flacco rookie autograph #'d/ 250

Hot damn that is beautiful! "Joe the quarterback" had better bring it this Sunday, and every Sunday (or Saturday) from now until Super Bowl Sunday!

A big thank you to both Joes, Duane and Larry for the great cards! It was a pleasure trading with all of you. Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone out there in the great net of the inter.

His Past TIme.... Is Trading

I'll give you one guess where these cards came from. If you can't tell based on the title, chances are you've already started your New Year's Eve celebrations. These here fancy cards come courtesy of "The Don" himself, Mr. Wicked Ortega of the fabulous My Past Time.... I Love It! This is not the first, and I'm almost certain it will not be the last time him and I will deal with each other. This trade post id dedicated to my main man Thorzul, who thinks that reading other people's trade posts is boring, and wants to start a fight with a fellow blogger in 2010. I'll be your huckleberry, Thorzul, but not until tomorrow.

We'll kick things off with a few of the O's cards "The Don" sent my way:

2001 Topps Gold Label Eddie Murray MLB Awards Ceremony relic

As usual, Eddie is looking like a badass on cardboard. This might be the oldest game-used card in my whole collection, and it's interesting that the whole swatch is actually encased in the window like that. There's also a thin layer of plastic covering the window, ala Allen & Ginter's. I wonder how long Topps tweaked this style, before nailing it with Ginter? Are you bored yet Thorzul?

2005 Upper Deck ProSigs Jorge Julio autograph #'d /50

Normally I would love a guy who's name translates to George July, but Jorge Julio was a bit of a letdown, both in Baltimore, and wherever he ended up after being jettisoned. It looks like now he is mired in the depths of the Pirates organization. If he can't make it there, he can't make it anywhere.

2006 Topps Chrome Nick Markakis black refractor #'d / 549

This card, to me, was the centerpiece of the trade. Even though it's #'d to 549, I've only seen one or 2 for sale... EVER. It's always nice to add a new Markakis to the collection.

2009 Bowman Chrome David Hernandez autograph

I think Thorzul just yawned. Hernandez is probably the lowest ranked O's pitching prospect who is currently on the roster, and that's really saying something, because he showed quite a bit of promise last season. With a bit more coaching, and experience, he could develop into a nice like middle/back of the rotation starter. The kid's got a great fastball.

To close things out, here's a couple of Ravens game used cards that are much appreciated. For only being a football collector for about 3 months now, I've already got a nice little start to a Ravens collection.

2008 Topps Football Joe Flacco relic

Everything you need to know about Joe Cool can be seen right HERE. I love it that he came to Baltimore complete with bad accent and all. It's easier that way, and shortens the break-in period.

2008 Upper Deck Ray Rice Game Day Gear

Dear Upper Deck, please address your quality control issues. A large percentage of your so-called "hits" come complete with chipping around the relic window, a dinged corner or both. You might wonder why MLB didn't re-up your license. I submit to you exhibit A. Oh, and say "hi" to your mother for me, ok?

Wicked Ortega, thanks for the cards dude. There is a chance you just might be the most prolific trader on the interwebs, but we'll have to wait for drewscards to announce his winners later tonight in order to know for sure.

Even More Cards From Check Out My Cards

This was a Christmas present of sorts to myself, and is once again a shining example of what you can get for $20 on checkoutmycards.com. This was actually $20 and change, since there were some funds left over from my last spree. I used the majority of the leftover funds to pick up a couple of cards to be used in trades. They have already been sent off to their new homes, so you will not be seeing them here. Anyway, enough jibba-jabba, let's get on with the cards.

2006 Allen & Ginter's Nick Markakis mini

I remember the good old days, when Nick wore #61.

2009 Goodwin Champions Buffalo Bill Cody Gypsy Queen mini

Cody's eyes on this card remind me of one of those paintings, you know the ones, with the eyes cut out, that are always following you. Watch a Scooby-Doo episode if you're still unfamiliar.

2008 Upper Deck X Nick Markakis Xponential

Oh the plight of the player collector. This is one of my least favorite sets of all time, but these Xponential inserts are awesome looking. If anyone has the other 50,000 Nick Markakis variations, I'd love to discuss a trade.

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis Rookie Retrospectrum

Spectrum was released in 2007? I had no idea. This is what checkoutmycards.com is perfect for, picking up base/inserts of your favorite player/team that you wouldn't purchase individually on eBay because the shipping costs just aren't worth it.

2007 Bowman Chrome Nick Markakis refractor

Oooooh... a rainbow.

2008 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Nick Markakis #'d /350

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed blue refractor

Please get healthy soon Ed, the Ravens need you... desperately.

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed green refractor #'d /299

2008 Bowman Sterling Ray Rice blue refractor

I love this guy in the most heterosexual way possible. Not only is he going to be the greatest Ravens running back ever, he also led me to one of the two fantasy football championships I won this season.

2006 Playoff National Treasures Haloti Ngata rookie autograph #'d /52

I was pretty psyched to get this card. Ngata is an absolute beast, and is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the league. Since he used to be a rugby player, I'd love to see the Ravens use him as a ball carrier near the goal line.

2001 Topps Archives Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium seat relic

Yeah, I know, this card is awesome. There really isn't much more to be said, so I won't bother.

Well there you have it. Another great round of cards picked I picked up on checkoutmycards.com. You can expect plenty of these posts in 2010, since my plan is to do a lot less buying on eBay. I've realized that paying for shipping on eBay is a rip-off, and if there's any other place possible to acquire the cards I want, I am going to that other place, wherever that place may be. While checkoutmycards.com doesn't have the biggest selection in the world, I challenge you to spend 15 minutes poking around and NOT find at least one card you want.

If you look at my sidebar, you'll see that I have added a sales tracker for all cards I am selling on checkoutmycards.com. So far the total is pretty pathetic, but I've also only sold 1 card. Once sales pick up, or I'm patient enough, there should be some store credit to play with in the coming weeks/months.

Trade With Joe

This story starts the same as any trade story. One of my wonderful readers, Joe, contacted me about a potential trade. He was looking for some Blue Jays cards, Halladay in particular, and I was just looking to score some O's. Joe got himself a nice little stack of Jays, including a Halladay N43, and I was able to add the following shiny and fabric filled cards to my collection:

2004 Topps Chrome Jack Cust gold refractor

At least in Oakland they let him on the field. When I first got back onto baseball, the radio announcers were always trying to hype Cust as the next Oriole slugger.

2008 Topps Finest Ray Rice refractor

My very own Purple Jesus, and my new favorite Raven. I have him in a fantasy football keeper league, and will most likely be adding his name to the players I collect.

2009 Topps Chrome Willis McGahee refractor

I ordered these cards just like the Ravens depth chart, Rice first, McGahee second.

2001 Upper Deck Game Gear Jamal Lewis jersey relic

It doesn't matter to me that he's in Cleveland now, or that his career has been in obvious decline for 2 seasons now. There will always be a special place in my heart for Jamal. He was a beast of a back in his day, and propelled my team to it's only Super Bowl Championship the same year this card was released.

2009 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts Frank Robinson jersey relic green parallel

I think this gives me 2 of the color parallels now. I've got purple, and now green. As far as game-used cards go, the design really works here, and looks classy to boot.

Joe, thanks for the great cards, and if you ever want to trade again, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Since it took me nearly 2 weeks to actually get this trade posted, I'm sure your cards have already arrived.

If anyone else has Orioles cards to trade, the lines of communication are always open. Despite the rate at which I have been busting boxes, I really should be saving my money right now, and trades are my favorite way to get new cards without spending any money. Aside from theft, I believe it's the only way.

Cards from darkship

This is yet another post dedicated to the awesome cards that find there way to through this blog. Reader darkship emailed me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago and said he had some cards to send my way. I recognized the handle, from various group breaks, and sent him my information.

What showed up over the weekend completely blew me away, and I've been searching for some sweet Royals cards ever since, to send in return. Included in this package were a whopping 3 autographs, and a patch card #'d to 5!

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #168 Luke Scott charcoal autograph

My first Luke Scott auto. This guy has pretty quietly put together a decent season, and leads the O's in home runs. I like Luke Scott, and hopefully they can find a place for him next season.

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #15 Brian Roberts purple patch

Wow, just wow. This is the 3rd or 4th Brian Roberts patch I've acquired via trade. There are more patches of his in my collection than any other player. This one is a beaut, featuring 3 color breaks, and actually matches the jersey worn in the photo. Amazing!

2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic #SP-RR Ray Rice autograph

This is my first Ray Rice autograph, and I love it. He's on my fantasy squad this season, and appears in line to get a lot more action in his second full season. Ray Rice is a quick, shifty little runner with great moves, and the rest of the league should consider themselves on notice.

2008 Masterpieces #SG-JG Jeremy Guthrie Stroke of Genius autograph

Another great card. These Masterpieces autos have to be amongst the nicest ever produced. Guthrie also has a great signature. He may be an ace by association in Baltimore, but Guts can pitch, and I think would make an excellent 2nd or 3rd starter almost anywhere.

2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic RA-8 Joe Flacco "event worn" jersey

Joe the quarterback has looked much improved this season, and is already beloved here in Baltimore, despite this being just his second season. Unless you're from Baltimore, or follow it's sports news closely, you've probably got no idea how bad we longed for a decent QB in this town. Our collective prayers look to have been answered. Have you seen who's #1 in this week's power rankings?

2009 Topps #LPR-49 Cal Ripken Jr. manu-patch

How many of these things did they make for each player? I am way too lazy to actually look it up, but this is the 3rd different Cal Jr. that I've got in the collection.

Once again, awesome cards, and far more than I ever expect anyone to ever send me. Why this keeps happening to me, I don't know. It's inspired me to give back, so the first 3 people to comment on this post, who are also followers of this blog, will receive a few choice cards fromt their favorite team or player.

darkship, thanks a lot for the great cards, and be on the lookout for a package of Bo Jackson-ey goodness to arrive sometime later this week.