GCRL to COC

Here are some pictures of baseball cards for you to enjoy.

As we continue on with the packages I received as a result of December's mini group break, long time trade partner and friend of the blog Garvey Cey Russell Lopes (or GCRL if that's too many players to memorize) sent over a nice stack of Cardinals needs, set needs, and player collection needs. That's a lot of needs. I am needy.

Jose Altuve is probably a popular player to collect these days, but I swear that Erin was an early adopter. I had to convince her to add Altuve to her official list after it was determined that Tim Lincecum had worn out his welcome, so a new collection begins. I think this is like Altuve #8. She likes athletes that are short, and Altuve definitely fits the bill.

I am always excited to add to my large (yet miniscule in the grand scheme of things) Jimmy Edmonds collection. This is the first time I've ever laid eyes on a 2003 Donruss Super Estrellas card, and I can certainly say without question that these look better than the 2002 set. I bought a box of those once and it was easy to see why they were heavily discounted.

I MUST HAVE ALL OF THE RETAIL PARALLELS.

I believe they are going to make a dreaded reality show out of the saga of Cole Hamels and whether he will or won't be traded.

The Topps Glossy All-Stars and Rookies inserts that showed up in the '80s were some early examples of insert cards before inserts really blew up. I don't remember these or their All-Star counterparts in 1991 packs at all, and I bought a ton of cards in 1991. I guess this means that the rack packs and jumbo packs didn't make it out to my corner of the world, but I have also noticed that the so-called Beckett value of these cards is significantly higher than those of previous years. I've also noticed that these things have been showing up in repacks a lot lately.