Series Two Trade Bait

When Big Papi was Medium-Sized Papi.

I guess I don't have a lot to say about Series Two, so I thought I'd just throw up some scans of some of the more interesting cards that I don't need. I have a Cardinals want list, a Topps Heritage want list, a Bowman Heritage want list and an Allen & Ginter want list along with some other miscellany whose links aren't mobile browser friendly (I need to work on this.)

I picked up a 3-pack blister that contained a bonus Target exclusive Babe Ruth insert as well as a Target blaster box. It'd be nice to get ahold of the Yadi and Pujols medallion cards one of these days, but I'm not holding my breath.

More of the same from Series One, although I feel like the blaster/single pack versions look a little different than last series. Weren't they reddish before?

I don't like it when more than half of the card is taken up by something other than the player and there's nothing really distinctive about it.

Okay. I see what they did there.

Two pictures of deGrom and his floppy hair.

I have no idea who he is, but gold parallels have been relatively scarce in recent years despite virtually no change in print run. Seems fishy. According to the back of his card, Herrera bounced around the Dodgers system for more than a decade.

Spacecataz.

I don't see the appeal in this guy. Not only that, I really dislike this insert set. Of course, I'll take all the Hamm I can get.

Mo was good. Really good.

I want to scream at whoever designed this. What were they thinking?

Finally, here's a foily parallel of Marco Scutaro, a remnant of the Giants 2012 World Series run who got a card in Series Two for no reason whatsoever. He had 11 ABs last year and has no more baseball in his future.

Chipz 'n Dip

They're colorful and fun, but as a collector I don't know what to do with them.

I haven't done a pack break in awhile, and I have a bunch of stuff cluttering up my desk. Let's see what we can do here. I really like these Chipz. I like buying a pack and opening them and having something substantial fall out. I don't know what that's about. But I don't really know what to do with them, especially since in two years I've yet to pull a single Cardinal. (This is out of only, like, ten packs or so...)

I wouldn't be surprised if Erin ends up being a Jose Altuve collector, so this is probably the only one that will end up staying. I knew Altuve was good, but I had no idea that he'd be putting up the numbers he's put up this season. He'd be a viable MVP candidate if the Astros were anywhere near contention this season.

This year's set has magnetic Chipz in it, which makes it about the easiest pack searching helper known to this hobby. The packs with a magnet in it stick to a lot of things. The non-magnet having packs don't. These magnetic Chipz also stick to other Chipz, which could make storing them an exercise in science.

Some of them have vinyl team logo non-sticky stickers affixed to them, like this Mascot Chip(z?) of Paws, the Tigers mascot. He's grrrrrrreeeeeaaaaaaaatttt.

This is what I want to try. I'm going to list every Chip(z) I have here and put them all up for trade. However, what I'd really like to do is turn them into other Cardinal Chipz. Does that sound reasonable? I don't care about doubles, colors, magnets, glowing things, parallels, whatever... any Cardinal Chipz you have can turn into a Chip(z) for you. The only thing I'll say is that I don't think I feel comfortable dropping these in a Plain White Envelope and sending them on their way, so if I have any takers I will try to include them in a more substantial package. And if I don't have any takers, I guess I'll try something else.

And if you don't have any Chipz to speak of, but are super desperate to get ahold of one of these, feel free to let me know. I'm a reasonable guy with a reasonable amount of fake poker chips featuring baseball players on my desk.

Here's the list. If it seems like a parallel or is not a plain white one, I'll try to include what's different about it.

2014:

Roy Halladay - Red, Magnetic
Paws - Mascot, with Tigers Decal [2 of these]
Zack Wheeler - Blue
Jose Altuve
Chase Utley - with Phillies Decal
Marco Scutaro
David Price
Zack Greinke - Red, Gold interior (this one might be rare?)
David Ortiz
Ryan Howard - Red, Magnetic
CC Sabathia - Blue
Ian Kinsler - Black, Magnetic
Carlos Gomez - Glow in the Dark
Bryce Harper - with Nats Decal
Edwin Encarnacion
Andrew McCutchen - Black, with Pirates Decal
Jean Segura
Joe Mauer
Raymond - Mascot

But wait, there's also 2013:

Brandon Phillips - with Reds Decal
Adrian Beltre - Gold interior
Jay Bruce - with Reds Decal
Michael Young - Glow in the Dark
Yoenis Cespedes
Ben Zobrist [2 of these]
Mike Napoli
Angel Pagan - Glow in the Dark
Giancarlo Stanton - with Marlins Decal
Bryce Harper - with Nats Decal
Miguel Cabrera
Carlos Gonzalez
Colby Rasmus - Glow in the Dark
Jason Kipnis
Angel Pagan
Mike Napoli - Glow in the Dark

Finally, in case you wondered, the "Dip" is me for sitting through four hours of the Cardinals doing absolutely nothing at the plate tonight.

Last Call for Trade Bait

Get 'em while I got 'em!

I was thinking I wasn't quite getting the response I was hoping for with my Trade Bait link and haven't updated it in awhile. It turns out that part of the lack of response could be that the link has been broke for who-knows-how-long. The other reason is that, of course, a lot of these cards just aren't that interesting or were a lot more interesting a year or two ago.

Go here (or the Trade Bait link on the sidebar) to peruse what's left. I can even drop them in a PWE for you and we'll figure out the rest later. Otherwise, I'm taking them away to do something else with them and I'll have to decide if it's worth it to come up with a fresh batch.

Also, if I owe you anything, or if you just feel like I owe you something, or it's just been awhile since we traded, feel free to leave a comment here or an email there.

Trade Bait - Updated 4/16/14

Welcome to the Cards on Cards Trade Bait Bonanza. There's nothing very earth-shattering here, but each card is at least worth talking about, in my opinion. I will keep this post permanently linked on the sidebar, and will bump it to the top of the blog every time I add new cards. The most recently added cards will be at the top of the post. If you're interested in anything you see here (or anything else among my "Up For Grabs" posts or set doubles) please send me an email and we will talk.

Aaron Hill 2011 Topps Heritage Chrome Green Refractor #C26
I honestly had no idea that these green refractors existed in the 2011 Heritage set, which means that I had to add some more needs to my Cardinals want list. Yikes. They were apparently only available in "hot boxes", whatever that means.

Matt Cain 2011 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractor (195/562) #C176
The baby-faced Cain has been a constant in the Giants rotation for years. And don't forget that perfecto.

Yoenis Cespedes 2014 Topps Opening Day Blue (1212/2014) #88 - CLAIMED
I really like what Topps did with their Opening Day blue parallels this year. They're a little thicker and a whole lot shinier, not to mention that they are much closer to a true blue color than those phonies of the past (and present if you're talking about the Walmart base parallels.)

Jose Fernandez 2013 Topps #589
Not many had Fernandez pegged as the NL Rookie of the Year favorite, but I'm sure that next to nobody saw him as a Cy Young Award finalist in his first season. The little rookie card logo means something, I guess?

Jose Fernandez 2013 Topps Chasing History CH-150 [3 available]
It's disappointing that they used the same photo as his base card for this.

Jed Lowrie 2008 Tristar PROjections Reflectives #56
Lowrie didn't play enough in Boston for people to really know what to make of him, but he's become something of a Professional Hitter in Oakland.

Ozzie Smith 2010 Topps Turkey Red #TR16
What, you want me to write something about one of my favorite players on a Cardinals blog?! Ozzie clearly doesn't see the need.

Josh Reddick 2010 Bowman Chrome Topps 100 Prospects Refractor (213/499) #TPC98
After a breakout 2012 in which he earned a Gold Glove and bashed 32 HRs with the A's, Reddick is in danger of becoming known strictly for his beard than anything he does on the field. Here he is in the pre-beard days, which is funny because it's Boston.

Jayson Werth 2011 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractor (533/562) #C138
Werth hasn't exactly lived up to his mammoth contract that he signed with the Nats a few years back, but he hasn't quite veered off into Jayson "Werthless" territory just yet, which is a shame if you're me and like making fun of baseball players.

Paul Goldschmidt 2011 Topps Update #US47
Mike Trout's rookie card in this set makes everyone salivate over opening boxes of this Update set, but Goldschmidt's big year in 2013 makes this an interesting rookie card.

Derek Jeter 2006 Fleer Ultra Diamond Producers #DP1 - CLAIMED
The final two Fleer Ultra sets were (and probably still are) a constant presence in repack issues for years, so the inserts from these two sets don't exactly pop for me.

Nolan Ryan / Jered Weaver 2012 Topps Timeless Talents #TT-14
A vintage photo of a legend in an old-school Angels uniform on an insert card. And Jered Weaver.

Max Scherzer 2008 Topps Stadium Club #140
Scherzer had a phenomenal 2013 season, capturing the AL Cy Young Award and even earning some MVP votes. Had Max stayed in Arizona, he and Goldschmidt could've made a fearsome pair.

Wil Myers / Evan Longoria 2013 Topps Franchise Forerunners #FF-5
On this card, young Myers shares duties with Rays cornerstone Evan Longoria.

Wil Myers 2013 Topps Update #US200 [2 available]
Can you believe he was born in the '90s?

Gerrit Cole 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP86
Cole was a late addition to a talented Pirates pitching staff last season. He was the #1 overall pick in the 2011 draft and it didn't take him long to reach the bigs.

Gerrit Cole 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft #6
This card came out a year after his first Bowman card but gets the "RC" designation because Cole made his Major League debut this year.

Cole Hamels 2006 Upper Deck #946
Hamels doesn't get a lot of love these days, a product of both being a pitcher and being on a Phillies team that hasn't done much to its core in the years since its last World Series appearance (2009).

Justin Upton 2007 Topps Update #UH327
Both Upton brothers had rough years in their first season with Atlanta, but we'll always have that meme, right?

Cliff Lee 2012 Bowman Chrome Refractor #201
Lee has been one of the most dominant pitchers of the last half dozen seasons, but things haven't always worked out favorably for him in the won-loss department, which sadly is still an important statistic to some.

Eddie Murray 2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Back #CMT85
The "original back" variants of this cheesily named insert set aren't the easiest to find. I am still looking for a number of them for my team collection.

Custis Granderson 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #14 [2 available]
2013 was a bit of a lost season for Grandy, who hit the DL more than he hit the ball.

Josh Johnson 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #35 [2 available]
Somewhere there exists a Josh Johnson Probability Wheel that someone spins with all sorts of extreme outcomes, from ineffectiveness to near no-hitters. Wrong side of a perfect game? Sure. All-Star appearances? You bet. Major arm surgery. Count on it!

Jason Kubel 2003 Bowman #246
At the time that I dug this up, Kubel was coming off of one of the best seasons of his career after a switch to the National League. He's had a rough 2013.

Rickey Henderson 2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Back #CMT88
Rickey thinks this is a good card for you to put in your personal collection.

Mark Trumbo 2011 Bowman Platinum #21 - CLAIMED
Trumbo is a slugger to be feared, but may have to deal with constantly playing in the shadow of Mike Trout as long as he remains in Anaheim.

Brandon Weeden 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #31 - CLAIMED

Now that we're in the thick of football season, I thought it would be fun to bring out this little curiosity. Weeden starred as a quarterback at Oklahoma State before becoming the Cleveland Browns starter. Check the misspelling of his name here.

Matt Cain / Zack Wheeler 2010 Bowman Expectations #BE37
Cain had that perfecto awhile back, but he's been pretty awful this year. If the Giants were in almost any other division, they would have probably written this season off and started selling off some of their pieces. They don't have superprospect Zack Wheeler to sell, though. He's in New York!

Brandon Beachy 2011 Topps Chrome #176
Tommy John surgery is becoming a rite of passage for young pitchers. People were excited about this guy before he went under the knife last year and they will, presumably, be excited once again if he returns to peak levels in another year or so.

Carlos Gonzalez 2008 Topps Stadium Club #128 [2 available]
Sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between fantasy value and baseball card value. CarGo is a terrific young outfielder and someone anyone would love to have on their team, fake or otherwise. No one seems to give a crap about his baseball cards, rookie or otherwise. I would like to see that change.

Matt Holliday / Jeff Winchester 1999 Topps #442
Poor Jeff Winchester. I wonder if he hangs out in bars telling people that Matt Holliday was on his rookie card.

Carlos Quentin 2004 Bowman Chrome #202
It's a true rookie card of the guy who fought that guy for some reason.

Curt Schilling 1989 Donruss #635
It's hard to make a convincing argument that anything from 1989 that doesn't have Griffey in the name somewhere is actually trade bait, but if you take this home you can gaze into the smarmy eyes of a young Curt Schilling. I am pretty sure I have a few of these, but this one is pack fresh!

Troy Tulowitzki 2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces #34
Tulo is one of the best shortstops in the game and has his own chant. What's not to like?

Chipper Jones 2002 Fleer Tradition Diamond Tributes #12 - CLAIMED
A house Chipper owns apparently exploded recently, but no one was hurt. Everyone knows Larry, and this is an odd looking insert from a decade or so ago.

Mark Grace / Darrin Jackson 1988 Fleer #641
I don't remember owning this card as a kid. I had his less desired Donruss rookie card, but no Fleer. I bought this at a card show a couple of days ago for 5 cents for some reason. (I also bought a 1984 Donruss Tony Fernandez for the same price, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that.)

Jack Morris 1979 Topps # 251
My scanner apparently hates vintage cards and other cards with thin white borders these days. This card actually has a thin border on the top, not that you could tell by the scan.

Phil Niekro 1979 Topps #595
Another card that was artificially trimmed by my scanner. This Knuckle Brother looks absolutely thrilled to be taking part in this photo op.

Mike Trout 2012 Topps #446
This is just a lowly non-rookie Topps base card, but Mike Trout's card prices have inflated to the point of absolutely absurdity. He's off to a slow star. I don't really feel one way or another about him, but I am taking a little bit of solace in the fact that the Angels have not dominated the league since Pujols arrived.