Hitting All the Sets

A trade stack for every occasion.

The Topps Baseball Fanatic is arguably the biggest Topps Heritage fan around. His collection is certainly putting mine to shame, but when you are doing as well on your set quests as he is, you're bound to have some doubles. Fortunately, I was once again the beneficiary of some cards he didn't need and was able to punch a few more holes in quite a few different sets that I'm working on. The Fanatic is also a big Dustin Pedroia collector, and I'm working on something to that end that he'll hopefully enjoy.

The 2012 Heritage set is probably the one I'm most sick of, but it's probably because I've opened more of it than any other year other than possibly 2008's offerings. I still have a bunch of doubles from this year, but I was able to snag a couple of short prints including CarGo here.

I actually forgot I was trying to collect these inserts. This is from the 2012 Topps Archives 3-D collection. I like these weird lenticular Sportflics-ish cards that occasionally pop up in recent products.

Josh Hamilton is surprised! And he has no signature. This is one of the variations from the 2007 Bowman Heritage set. I should really put this one to bed soon.

There are so many Dodgers collectors that I've traded with, so I don't get many chances to scan and post Dodgers cards on this blog. They're usually gone almost as quickly as they arrive. This one is staying home.

Here's another Bowman Heritage card of the foil variety. It's also a "no sig" version.

I still need base cards from 2009 Topps Heritage. That's sad. I'm missing 5 non-SP cards from the main set and 2 from the high series.

Finally, my favorite Topps insert set of all-time still has quite a few names on the list to cross off. Someday!

Birthday Box: Packs 17-24

And here we have the frighteningly uneventful conclusion of the 2009 Heritage High Series box. With pictures!

Pack 17:

552 - Daniel Schlereth (Son of Stink)

603 - Jody Gerut

643 - Mike Carp (Mike Carp debuted in the majors in 2009 and then disappeared for awhile, only to reemerge this past season as one of the few reliable offensive options in the Mariners lineup.)

UH158 - Wilson Valdez

UH38 - Justin Upton All-Stars

505 - Adam Everett

564 - Emilio Bonifacio

588 - Jake Fox

Pack 18:

507 - John Smoltz (It's already weird to see Smoltz in a Cards uni. Did that really happen?)

547 - Craig Stammen

587 - J.P. Howell (Howell has some temper on him.)

UH175 - Jody Gerut

UH174 - Omar Vizquel

719 - Ricky Romero

627 - Kyle Farnsworth

650 - Jim Thome (Thome fits the Everyone Eventually Plays For The Dodgers theory, even if he only got a few lousy at-bats.)

Pack 19:

520 - Bobby Scales

679 - Scott Downs

UH166 - Mike Redmond

UH17 - Derek Jeter / David Wright Classic Combos Checklist

TN-1 - Roger Maris / Dustin Pedroia Then and Now

658 - Pat Burrell

630 - LaTroy Hawkins

Pack 20:

644 - Mike Hampton

672 - Aubrey Huff

529 - Brett Cecil

UH103 - Evan Longoria All-Stars

UH9 - Jonathan Broxton (Can broken closers ever be fixed?)

CHR131 - Brandon Wood Chrome 0501/1960

580 - Graham Taylor

541 - Clayton Mortensen (Former Cardinal who departed in the Matt Holliday trade.)

Pack 21:

622 - Kevin Gregg

664 - Randy Wells

683 - Bill Hall

UH161 - Andrew Bailey All-Stars

UH111 - Livan Hernandez

CHR165 - Matt LaPorta Chrome 0505/1960 (If any of these Chrome cards catch your eye, just let me know. I only collect them if they're Cardinals.)

511 - Andrew Bailey

591 - Felipe Lopez

Pack 22:

628 - Landon Powell

581 - Gregg Zaun

542 - Clayton Richard

UH206 - Chris Burke

UH294 - Josh Anderson

711 - Trevor Cahill (Here's another SP. Do I have it? I'll have to consult the want list.)

615 - Juan Rivera

585 - J.A. Happ

Pack 23:

503 - Aaron Poreda

666 - Rich Hill

655 - Omir Santos

UH185 - Kevin Correia

UH156 - Heath Bell All-Stars

FB-06 - Albert Pujols Flashback (I definitely needed this one!)

673 - Yuniesky Betancourt

661 - Freddy Sanchez

Pack 24:

506 - Adam Kennedy

565 - Endy Chavez

589 - Jamey Carroll (Ahh! Demon!)

UH148 - Jason Bay All-Stars

UH78 - LaTroy Hawkins

CHR158 - Jeff Francoeur Chrome 0474/1960 (Like I said... lots of Chrome.)

554 - David Eckstein

524 - Brad Penny (A couple of ex-Cards round out the box.)

Birthday Box: Packs 9-16 (The Hit)

This post is about the second group of packs from the 2009 Heritage High Series box I first posted about last week. This is the "middle row", if you will. As suggested by the title, the hit came in this section.

Pack 9:

626 - Tim Redding

651 - Nick Green

501 - Shane Robinson (Robinson has received a few call-ups in his Cardinals career, but has largely been invisible.)

UH70 - Wilkin Ramirez

UH227 - Edwin Jackson All-Stars

RP-09 - Chris Coghlan Rookie Performers (It seems like Coghlan is one of those one-year wonders.)

642 - Micah Owings

684 - Sean O'Sullivan

Pack 10:

550 - Daniel Bard

582 - Homer Bailey

UH7 - Brayan Pena (I wonder how you say his name... Bray-N?)

UH54 - Gerardo Parra Season Highlights

695 - Elvis Andrus (So many Rangers in this set.)

CHR128 - Vin Mazzaro Chrome Refractor 468/560 (Shiny.)

577 - Adam LaRoche

611 - Victor Martinez

Pack 11:

614 - Josh Outman (Great name for a pitcher. It's a good thing he didn't decide to play first base or something.)

641 - Micah Hoffpauir

657 - Vin Mazzaro

UH249 - Brian McCann All-Stars

UH270 - David Ortiz / Alex Rodriguez Classic Combos Checklist

CHR136 - Ryan Garko Chrome 0829/1960

675 - Ryan Garko (Ugh, again?)

654 - Omar Vizquel

Pack 12:

671 - Ross Gload

659 - Rafael Soriano

616 - Juan Uribe

UH41 - Xavier Paul

UH240 - Jason Marquis All-Stars

688 - Andrew McCutchen (Anyone need this short print?)

612 - Jose Contreras

595 - Jason Kubel

Pack 13:

586 - J.J. Putz

555 - David Freese (I hear this newly minted media darling is going to make an appearance on some new ABC sitcom at some point. Sounds hilariously awful!)

525 - Braden Looper (Looper is a reminder of the dark years between the recent Cardinals World Series wins.)

UH56 - Wes Helms

UH126 - Matt Tolbert

TN-6 - Roger Maris / Grady Sizemore Then and Now (One held the single season home run record for decades while the other is a free agent just looking for a second chance.)

560 - Derek Holland (Pre 'stache days... teenstache, that is.)

531 - Brett Hayes (Who is?)

Pack 14:

640 - Melky Cabrera

685 - Sean West

537 - Chris Gimenez

UH2 - Felipe Lopez

UH50 - Gary Sheffield

CHR185 - Jerry Hairston Jr. Chrome 1314/1960

513 - Andruw Jones

519 - Bud Norris (The bane of the Cardinals existence.)

Pack 15:

556 - David Hernandez

590 - Jarrett Hoffpauir

UH233 - Ramon Santiago

UH266 - Jonathan Broxton All-Stars

CCDR-PM - Jorge Posada / Mickey Mantle Clubhouse Collection Dual Jersey 32/60 (Did you forget that I mentioned "hit"? Wow, how did this happen? I was expecting something more along the lines of a plain white Adam Dunn jersey card, or at best a piece of plastic shaved from a chair at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I suppose there are better Yankees that could have appeared with Mantle, but this is still great. I have no idea what's up with the ultra fuzzy Posada swatch, though.)

583 - Garrett Jones

575 - Scott Rolen

Pack 16:

617 - Julio Borbon

638 - Matt Maloney

636 - Orlando Cabrera

UH127 - Shane Robinson

UH271 - Frank Catalanotto

693 - Chris Coghlan (Another short print here.)

636 - Ben Francisco

605 - Alex Gonzalez

I'll be back later this week with the anticlimactic conclusion.

Birthday Box: Packs 1-8

Here's the first third of the 2009 Topps Heritage High Numbers box that I got for my birthday. I should have plenty of dupes when I get these all sorted out, so check back periodically if you're interested in anything here.

Pack 1:

680 - Scott Hairston

676 - Ryan Perry

652 - Tyler Greene (Tyler Greene barely played for the Cardinals this season, yet ended up leading the team in steals. It'll be interesting to see if the team's philosophy towards baserunning changes with a new manager in tow.)

UH315 - Jerry Hairston Jr. (I probably won't spend a lot of time talking about the Updates cards that unfortunately littered this product. I do wish that Topps would just dispense with the pretenses and just call it what it is - Series 3.)

UH319 - Ramon Castro

CHR190 - Nyjer Morgan Chrome 1900/1960 (Ha. It figures I would get this clown in my first pack as my first insert.)

571 - Francisco Cervelli

544 - Coco Crisp

Pack 2:

613 - Josh Bard

596 - Jason Marquis (Marquis' run as being a member of a playoff team in every season came to an end last year when he spent the entire year with the Nats, but he started a new streak this year when Arizona traded for him just before the trading deadline.)

561 - Derek Lowe

UH173 - David Robertson

UH123 - Ryan Braun All-Stars

FB-05 - Carl Crawford Flashback (The once and former Mr. Devil Ray)

516 - Bartolo Colon

528 - Aaron Bates

Pack 3:

510 - Alfredo Figaro

543 - Cliff Floyd

570 - Fernando Nieve

UH235 - Joe Nathan All-Stars

UH189 - Rangers Classic Combos (Uhh... nice.)

CHR105 - Jason Marquis Chrome 1588/1960

598 - Jeff Baker

574 - Gabe Kapler

Pack 4:

532 - @str8edgeracer

514 - Anthony Swarzak

UH44 - Seth Smith

UH97 - Juan Castro

700 - Huston Street (Here's a short print, but it's a dupe.)

CHR114 - Eric Byrnes Chrome Refractor 101/560 (I think I've pulled at least two regular Chrome versions of this card. Great?)

618 - Jarrod Washburn

634 - Mark Loretta

Pack 5:

610 - Jordan Schafer

633 - Tony Gwynn (Jr.)

653 - Nyjer Morgan

UH241 - Dewayne Wise

UH292 - Yuniesky Betancourt

RP-04 - Rick Porcello Rookie Performers

548 - Cristian Guzman

521 - Nick Evans

Pack 6:

515 - Antonio Bastardo

559 - Delwyn Young (Not to be confused with Delmon.)

573 - Fu-Te Ni

UH32 - Kris Medlen

UH22 - Brett Gardner

708 - Mark DeRosa (Ugh, I think this makes four times that I've gotten ahold of one of these short prints... and yet, no Matt Holliday for me. Life is unfair.)

557 - David Huff

545 - Neftali Feliz

Pack 7:

533 - Carl Pavano

635 - Matt Diaz (Local guy.)

606 - Joel Hanrahan (The pride of Norwalk, Iowa.)

UH114 - Chris Coghlan

UH108 - Chris Tillman

714 - Nelson Cruz (Again, I think this is a double. Bad luck on the SPs all around.)

623 - Kevin Millar

563 - Pedro Martinez (It's really easy to forget that Pedro Martinez pitched in 2009.)

Pack 8:

572 - Frank Catalanotto

546 - Craig Counsell

518 - Blake Hawksworth

UH321 - Hunter Pence All-Stars

UH139 - Brian Moehler

CHR113 - David Aardsma Chrome 1269/1960 (Aardsma is done as a Mariner, but I guess that's not that surprising.)

619 - Justin Masterson

538 - Chris Jakubauskas

Next up: a hit, perhaps?

Birthday Box: The Box Toppers

My lone baseball card related birthday gift this Halloween ended up being a hobby box of 2009 Heritage High Series thanks to my friend Kevin. Seeing as how I rarely open hobby boxes, and never have gotten around to getting a Heritage one, this was a special treat. And speaking of special treats, here's a look at the box toppers that came with said box.

Does anyone else feel like these buyback cards would be a lot cooler without the permanent gold stamp? That being said, this is a pretty nice card, imperfections and all. I really like the look of the team cards from this set, much more so than team cards from other sets that Heritage has featured of late. But, seriously, the gold stamp? It would be nicer if they just encased it in specially marked plastic or something, so that people could "free the vintage" if they chose to.

An old-school unmarked checklist! Nice. Has anyone pulled a marked up checklist in their buyback experiences?

I was really looking forward to the ad panel since I somehow did not own any of my own.

And then I pulled this. Jamey Carroll is in the center of this, somehow making things even worse than they could be.

I have never really seen these cut up, not that I'd really approve of this sort of thing. Anyway, this is up for trade, but I'd prefer to either get one with a Cardinal on it or maybe just any old one from 2008. I don't see a lot of demand for Tim Redding stuff these days, however, so this will probably go in the archives somewhere.

Trading with Jon from Community Gum

I can always appreciate a trader with a well-organized want list. I completed a trade with Jon from Community Gum, one of the best sports cards blogs in the business, and suggest that you go on over there and check out said want list. I'm quite certain that I will be making a return trip.

For my part, I got a bunch of needs from sets I've been working on. I thought collecting all of the Black retail inserts from 2011 Heritage would be nearly impossible considering how quickly the jumbo packs disappeared from the big box store racks. However, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that no one likes these cards but me.

I seem to be a huge sucker for anything that is Sportflics-esque these days. Maybe someday when I feel better about the progress I've made on other more serious efforts I'll go back and take a look at collecting actual Sportflics.

This is still my favorite Heritage set and Topps design. When you throw the High Numbers and variations on the pile, it also becomes the daunting. I will be working on this until I reach the grave.

I'm no down to needing just 8 base cards, 8 sketch cards and the Albert Pujols National Pride card to bring my 2009 Allen & Ginter experience to a close. Well, that's not to say it will be a complete close. After all, there are the endless amounts of minis to look forward to.

I usually like posting these sketch cards to make fun of how they look, but I've seen worse than this. I'm not sure I can vouch for the whereabouts of Randy's right arm, however.

It seems like Sheff retired 10 years ago to me for some reason. This 2009 Heritage high numbered short print seems to say otherwise.

As is often the case around here, a good group of Cardinals made their way into the deal. What is this "Big League Challenge" that is being commemorated here? Was someone too cheap to own the rights to the name Home Run Derby? Come on, Donruss, fess up... er... I guess there is no Donruss anymore.

Minis are always appreciated. Cardinals minis, doubly so.