A Post-Timbers Match PWE Round-Up

 

Envelopes from @sanjosefuji and more: featuring no actual Portland Timbers.

There was a big Portland Timbers match tonight that made me realize I've only purchase one Timbers card since the pandemic started. (It was a Topps card commemorating their 2015 MLS Cup win.) That really has nothing to do with anything as I show off some cards from a few small white envelopes that I received back in January. Let's take a looksee.

First up are some Blazers and Cardinals cards from Fuji. This Robert Pack card has been something I've desired going all the way back to when I was a teen, which is pretty silly because it's probably never been worth more than a buck at any point in its life. These Rookie Standouts inserts from the first Upper Deck basketball release were "hot" back in the day, much like the first run of the Fleer Rookie Sensations cards. When you combine that with the rampant local interest of the Blazers (everything was overpriced around here), I just never felt like on my jobless teenaged budget I could afford to splurge on something like this. Pack wasn't on the Blazers for very long, but he was very exciting for a bit there on an elite team that didn't have much room for him.

It's fitting that Randolph Childress wore number 12 with the Blazers, because he was never much more than a 12th man. You still have to love the hologram cards, something that seems to have completely disappeared since last millennium.

Here's a trio of Blazers from the "Special Edition" Upper Deck in 1995-96. These foil-heavy cards usually don't scan all that well for me, but this looks fine.

Fuji also sent some Cardinals along, including six of these 1993 Upper Deck B.A.T. cards that are some sort of tri-fold concept. I only included three of them in the scan, but they're all very cool. I've never actually seen these folded before, so I'm not entirely sure what they're supposed to look like in full form. Based on the year, I assume this set was released when I was still collecting cards as a teenager, but I hadn't seen or heard of it until this blog thing happened.

The last of the bunch of cards from Fuji is this mini Jack. It's a quality card of a quality pitcher.

Recent contest runner-up Trevor of Bump and Run passed along a couple of needs from the odd 2017 Honus Bonus set. I came across an unopened box of these online recently for a decent price, but it's probably best that I didn't pull the trigger because I am pretty sure I have most of the base set and a few of the silver parallels squared away. It's still tempting, though, in a time when it can be tough to find cards to open without opening up several lines of credit.

I was wondering if the Final Boss had pitched his final pitch, but it looks like he's returned to pitch in the KBO again in 2021 at age 38. He also closed out games for his Samsung team last season, which makes me wish I had looked harder for him during those late night live ESPN KBO broadcasts a year ago when there was a dearth of live sports to watch. I wish they had continued those broadcasts this season. Like most things these days, the games were broadcasted remotely, so it's not like they could have been expensive to produce.

The last grouping of cards comes from gcrl / cards as i see them. The bulk of these were set filling needs, but the Dmitri Young parallel comes from the lone ranger 2005 Topps Rookie Cup set. The tricky thing here is that the card looks completely orange to me, yet it scans red. I don't even know anymore. It's numbered to 499 in case you're curious.

I don't miss much about 2020, but I miss the times when I would randomly get Turkey Red cards in the mail. I'm guessing that won't happen so much this year. I'm also referring to this year as a future thing when we're already about a third of the way through it (yikes!)

Oh hey, I know this guy.

This six pack of 2020 Ginter cards rounds out the last envelope, which also rounds out the post. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't scanned the Chapman card, but what's done is done. Feel free to vandalize your computer or phone screen when you see his card pop up.

My Favorite Cards of 2018

Okay, fine, my favorite trade package of 2018.

It's hard to pick a favorite. While I'm still catching up on trade posts from what is now considered last year (so last year), I thought I'd duck away from the trend of nominating favorites from 2018 releases. However, I'm always in search of a clever blog post name, so here we are. This big bunch of cards from A Cracked Bat was certainly among my favorite things to hit my mailbox this past year. While said blog's author Julie just announced she's quitting, I was happy to see that it was not the blog (or the hobby) that's getting the boot. There's always too much of that going around if you ask me.

Well, let's dig in. It's January, so it's official Bounceback Season. We're all hoping for a bounceback year from Carlos Martinez, who finished the season in the bullpen because he wasn't able to build up enough strength after recovering from far too many injuries to want to remember here.

My scanner was not in a bounceback mood, so it decided to make this Darrell Porter O-Pee-Chee card come out crooked. (Probably user error, to be fair.) I want to work on some of the older areas of my collections, like the '80s/oddballs and vintage Cardinals cards (to me, this is just pre-'80s) in the coming year.

Donruss pretty much invented the serial numbered chase card, and then continued to put numbered on pretty much all of their inserts until they went bankrupt or something. There are a lot of cards numbered to numbers in the thousands, like this Dmitri Young Rookie DK, but that serial stamp keeps tends to keep these things out of the dime boxes.

I was a big Luke Weaver fan, but it was frustrating to see him struggle to stay in games last season. His lack of success when he was pushed to the bullpen late in the season also didn't make a lot of sense. Hopefully, he will regroup and look more like 2017 Weaver in Arizona.

Triple Threads! Fancy stuff. It's time for Matt Carpenter's annual position change, which will see him back at the hot corner full time with the arrival of a certain slugger who swapped places with Weaver.

I was adding MLB Showdown cards to my want list the other day (I need, like, most of them!) when I thought I'd just take a glance at box prices. I figured these cards have no meaningful hits to speak of, and the "inserts" are basically just info cards for a game that no one ever plays. I was shocked to see that "booster boxes" (yes, this is technically considered a TCG/CCG) seem to go for $200-$300. I guess that's what happens when you're made by Wizards of the Coast?!)

Ozuna is a prime Bounceback Season candidate. Hopefully adding Paul Goldschmidt to the mix will take some pressure off of Ozuna at the plate.

I super love acetate cards. I hope people are casting some HOF votes for Scott Rolen.

I completed missed this Panini America's Pastime set, which must have been aimed at the high roller crowd considering that all of the base cards seem to be numbered.

Bonus Wainwright card! He's back for 2019. Have I mentioned this? (I most certainly have mentioned this.) I am hoping he ends up working in broadcasting when his career is over, because the dude is hilarious.

It's not pictured, but Julie also sent over a Topps Action Flats Mark McGwire figure from 1999. I already owned one thanks to another generous trader, but I recently discovered that the Topps cards inside are exclusive to the set. I think I am going to free the figure (and card) from its box and display it (the figure, at least) somewhere.

Finally, Julie sent me a whole mess of 2018 Topps Heritage cards for my set, because... I am still working on this set. I figured I would stop with this madness once Topps started saluting the '70s, but I haven't really decided on 2019 yet. We'll see.