When I got back from my holidays, there was a package waiting in the mail for me from Richard over at Dawgbones, a Phillie Fan. He and I had been working on a trade, my first involving cards from 2011 Topps. Thankfully, I had a lot of cards that he needed for his collection, and he had more than a few to fill some gaps in my set. While these cards aren't all of them, they are a representative sample.

Richard sent about 15 of the 2011 base cards. These three were the ones that I didn't have, although there were also quite a few White Sox and Orioles for my team sets as a few cards that were upgrades from the damaged cards I pulled from my box. But thanks to the Dawg, I now have Messrs. Wright, Conger and Revere in the binder.




There were also some insert cards - once again, I'm being a fool and attempting to collect the 60 Years of Topps set, even though I haven't finished collecting last year's Cards Your Mom Threw Out (a fact shown by the Maris card from that set that I needed). Thankfully, the Diamond Duos set appears to be a much more reasonable target, even though the pairings are a bit strange. Hornsby and Holliday? Outside of the uniform, there doesn't seem to be much in common. Ramirez and Stanton are at least teammates, so they're a duo that shares a diamond.


As I was hammering out the trade details with Richard, I pulled out my 2010 Allen & Ginter binder and realised that I have a lot of work to go on this set. Thankfully, he had 13 cards from A&G to put in the binder, so I only have a great deal of work to go now.


Now for the big-ticket items. As you might remember, I had pulled a Matt Holliday manu-patch out of my 2011 blaster. I also pulled a Hank Greenburg short print so it wasn't a total loss. Thankfully, not only did Richard want my manu-patch (since he collects players who were the No. 7) but he had an Ichiro patch card from the same series to trade. In fact, I think this my have been the impetus for the trade in the first place.


Another thing that Richard collects is currency. And for the price of AUD 3.85 (approximately US$4.00), which is one of each coin (that's right, we have a dollar and a two-dollar coin, and they're lovely), he was kind enough to throw in this card. It's not a manu-hit, it's the real thing. Ichiro's 2007 Night Before the All-Star Game batting practice jersey, all cut up and preserved for posterity. I like the color.




Besides the cards, which I was expecting, were a few things that I wasn't. First up, these three Fatheads, which will find a place on the front of their respective team binders. Now I'm going to have to chase up the Orioles and the Athletics, too.

But the best thing in the package wasn't even a card, or a Fathead. Richard included a really, really nice note that let me know how much he enjoys reading my blog. It was very touching because, as I've said before, I write this for all of you. I enjoy getting to share my collection, and my opinions on the game, but it's the comments and the interaction with you guys that keep me writing.

He specifically mentioned my Travels With Raleigh series, which was abruptly cut off due to our arriving safely in Derby and not having any internet access up here for a few weeks on my arrival. By that point, it was time to start writing about cards and the new baseball season again. But I should finish the series, because there's a few more stories to tell. Richard's note is the impetus to get that finished. Please hold me to this.

Thanks for an absolutely great trade, Richard. I hope to complete another one with you in the future!

Not even Allen & Ginter is immune from the uniform back phenomenon. You would think that a set based on artwork, not photography, wouldn't have shots of people's backs. You'd be wrong. Allen & Ginter, after all, is artwork based on photography. Here's some examples from the 2010 set:

Nick Markakis from my beloved Orioles gets the back treatment. This card isn't one of a batting stance, but rather, it looks like a follow through. However, his face is still obscured, and there's a good view of his back. Plus, with it being Allen & Ginter, there's a field of verdant green in the background, with just a touch of basepath.

So I purchased a box of Allen & Ginter thanks to the good folks at Dave and Adam's (who, as regular readers of the blog know by know, actually ship to Australia). I opened the box on the holidays, and, in the spirit of rationing, have limited myself to three packs a day, much like a smoker! :o

The first three packs (without the box topper, which I'll open later) included one of the hits. It also included a quasi-mangled mini card, which was a bit frustrating.

Here's the hit - as you can see, it's definitely one worth having:

It's Carlos Quentin. TCQ got off to a slow start this season, but eventually became a big contributor to the Bunbury Biscuits success in fantasy baseball. Unfortunately, the Biscuits regular-season triumph did not translate into post-season glory, going out in the LCS to an inferior team. Sometimes I hate fantasy baseball. Bring on fantasy hockey!

Here's the quasi-mangled card.



Negro Leaguer Robert Scott, so I'm annoyed that this happened. There's a gouge on the right-hand side of the card in the middle, like it was caught in a crimper. You can sort of see it on the scan. Regardless, this still goes into the Frankenset, because beggers can't be choosers, and I'm just starting out.



The other two minis were National Animals, the Jaguar and the Elk. I wonder who would win in a fight?

As far as regular cards, the only one that I got, and really wanted, isn't even a baseball player:


It's marathon champion Meb Keflezighi. If you're not familiar with his story, check it out. He's bringing marathon glory back to the USA. Even if he is originally from Eritrea.

Okay, technically, it's my second, but it was much better than my first. I staked my claim to the pack over on A Pack to Be Named Later nearly a month ago, and I finally was able to scan in the cards. So the post is now up over there.

2010 Allen & Ginter Hobby Pack