Zapped by the ghosts of a few hundred Forever stamps

Zippy Zappy is a guy who hit the cardblog scene around the same time as me so I kinda feel like I have a bond with him like we were in the same graduating class or something. I've always loved reading his blog, learning stuff and getting his unique perspective on the hobby. He's been super generous with me, shipping several packages of cards across the country from New York to Portland over the past decade. I try to hit him back so I don't feel too guilty about it, but he's got a narrow focus and makes a priority of keeping a tight collection, limiting my potential for return fire. Thankfully he seems cool with the imbalance.

In a recent post, Kenny was lamenting his lack of storage space and joked about trashing the impressive collection of TTM/IP autographs he built up and logged on his blog over the years. I wasn't sure how serious the threat was, but I let him know I'd be happy to be caretaker of the cards if they need it. I'm fortunate to have a "cardroom" to fill with my collection. And while that room is always very full/messy, things eased ever since I found a secret additional room in my house a couple years ago. (That's a whimsical way of saying I realized I had accessible attic space I could use to store my Junk Wax Era complete sets.) So sure, if a buddy of mine has meaningful cards they reluctantly feel they must part with, I'm happy to help. And from a less noble standpoint, hell yeah I'm always down for free cards, baby!! LOL

A big box arrived yesterday with Zippy's trademark return address shenanigans. Included was the above box with a hefty portion of his through-the-mail-or-in-person autograph collection that I'll be happy to look after, though his accompanying note said I could do whatever with the cards. I'll likely keep them intact for a little while, if not a long while, in case he decides he's ready for them back at some point. The personalized cards were taken out (except one "To Kenny" from Eric Young, Jr.), so hopefully those stayed with him, or will maybe end up with another collectors who goes by the name Kenny.

In the interest of getting this post out ASAP, I'm just showing a few highlights. The majority of the cards are 2012-2016 minor leaguers, so many never went on to become stars, but it's still a kick thumbing through them. Lots of "Oh, I remember that guy!" and "Who?" And sometimes you get a guy who beat the odds like Trea Turner or Aaron Nola. A few big names like Adrian Beltre and Joe Carter in there too.

I remember when Kenny took a go at building a signed set of 1979 Topps, though he didn't dig his heels in with that project for too long. Cool to see the occasional old Topps card of solid players of the past along with the modern cards in the box.

Certified autographs were in there too, some on redeemed redemptions. I don't follow basketball much, but JJ Redick is a pretty nice player to have an autograph of fall in my lap. Michael King just came to the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, so I'll be rooting for him to pitch well for my hometown team.

Star Wars Legos! Looks like a couple complete fighters here with instructions for me to piece together sometime. While I haven't gone hard with Lego as an adult, I loved playing with them as a kid and still have most of them. Lego Masters is a fun show, too.

Wall art and more toys. It was like a second Christmas going through this box. Fun stuff!

Let's close with some non-sport. That's a lot of that purple one! With the addition of these two Stranger Things commemorative patches, I've now got 4 of them. Man, that Megan Fox auto deserves a better photo.. hang on..

There we go! That's a very nice add for my minicollection of women on cardboard.

Thanks again so much, Zippy! If/when you get rooted somewhere with more storage space and start getting a sentimental longing for anything you've given me, please don't be shy to mention it and I'll be more than happy to return the kindness if I'm able.

Random Ruby. To Kenny.

Thanks for reading!

Joy of a Completed Set: 1979 Topps

My last post excitedly shared the news that we just bought our first house. But in the ensuing few days, we've been nervously just hoping both our new and current homes stay standing. Much of Oregon is on fire. It's fucking bad. The fires haven't crept into Portland yet, but we're keeping an eye out for possible evacuation notice and anxiously waiting for some rain to help the situation. The air quality here is just about as bad as it can be from all the smoke.

So terrible all you can do is nervously laugh (and stay inside with the doors and windows closed). Just when I thought 2020 couldn't get any worse!

But hey, one good thing to happen to me this year is I just completed another vintage Topps set. That's something.

Yep, 1979 Topps is in the books! Let's give 'er a quick rundown. The big card in the set is the Ozzie Smith rookie. As a Padres fan, it's nice that we've got that going for us.

Only one true error/variation in the set, so I went ahead and snagged both Bumps. (I suppose you could also include Burger King cards if you wanted to go nuts with '79 Topps-- they put out team sets for Phillies and Yankees using the same design-- but I don't think I'll go after those. Maybe someday. I suppose I'd at least like to get the few BK cards that feature a different photo than the flagship counterpart. Is there a blogpost or something out there with a list?)

I'm considering my set complete now, though there are still 57 cards that I've got marked as "upgrade would be nice" and one that I've raised the severity level to "upgrade needed" and that's this A's team card that looks like it was a wad at one point. If you've got some sharp 79s available, feel free to take a look at my 1979 Topps spreadsheet and help me upgrade my set. There are also 11 cards currently marked as "dupe wanted for PC".

And here's a card that I'd like to upgrade (thanks to some rough corners), and if/when I get a better copy, this one will hop over to the Nolan Ryan PC. I collected like 98% of the set through trades, but got impatient and turned to Sportlots for the last few commons, and to eBay for the Bump Wills error and then this, what I thought was the final card I needed. But before the Ryan Express even pulled into the station, I did a final sort and couldn't find #469 anywhere despite being marked off on my spreadsheet.

But I mentioned it in a previous post, and reader Brett Alan stepped up with Lance Parrish here to officially finish my set.

I'm slowly working on a run of the 70s Topps sets, with '73 (completed in 2015), '71 (completed in 2017), and now '79 done.

Brett kindly included a few surprises along for the ride, such as these '77s.

And my fledgeling 1976 Topps set now has an Eckersley rookie in it! The '78 Zimmer is a "dupe wanted for PC" acquisition.

Thanks a lot, Brett! You've helped breathe some joy into an otherwise very stressful time.

super 70s influx

Time for another trade roundup. Lots of quality Topps cards from the 70s to show off in this post. Our exhausting new puppy has cut into my spare time for carding activities, so I'm trying to limit my trading commitments.. but cards keep arriving and I try to keep afloat! (Apologies to the few guys I've been slow to send cards or reply to regarding trade propositions.. will try to catch up when I can.)

This first mailing up is a doozy! I believe it's my first exchange with Scott Crawford, who has been blogging a long time but we just hadn't crossed paths much before. But some of my music-related customs caught his eye and so we hammered out a deal sending him a short stack of Baseball Card Breakdown originals in exchange for some vintage Topps, heavy on '74.

Look at all these Hank Aaron cards within cards! These are pretty neat. I'm lucky enough to own a few of those older Aaron cards. I was excited thinking I had completed all the Hank Aaron cards in 1974 Topps with these, already having the "New Home Run King" card #1, but looks like I'm still short the All-Star card he shares with Dick Allen. I've got that card in my Dick Allen PC, but since I consider Mr. Allen one of the top dudes I collect, I'm reluctant to pluck out a PC card for a set (something I'm otherwise not all that opposed to). But maybe if I get down to a couple cards left and it's one of them, maybe then I'll cave and worry about replacing the PC card later. ("PC" in this context is for "Player Collection", for any newbs reading.)

And a bunch more '74s from Scott! Thanks to these, I'm down to just 45 more cards on my wantlist for the set (a decent percentage of which are Washington Nat'l variations).

And some big-name '79s. The Reggie on the end isn't a dupe, but rather a Burger King card. Note the difference in space above his helmet.

Thanks, Scott! Just mailed out your customs. Pleasure dealing with you!

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I know I said I'm trying to cool it a little on trading for the time being, but I made an offer on Twitter last week for anybody to send me vintage needs in exchange for a Joan Jett custom I made a little while back-- trying to swing a few quick and easy trades-- and got a handful of guys to take me up on it, with two swaps going through so far.

Night Owl sent me a PWE heavy on '77 Dodgers I needed for my in-progress set. Looking good!

And there were a bunch of Kellogg's in there, too! Always love to see those funky 3D beauties slip out among the cards I receive.. Even when cracked to hell! (Pops is shaping up to be the star of the post, and we'll see more of him in a moment.)

Thank you, Greg! A return is on the way to you currently.

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Here's another bounty thanks to Joan Jett.

John @phitter72 on Twitter is a guy I was familiar with due to his amusing "Literals Series" customs he shares (such as a card depicting Ernie Banks doing his banking). This was my first swap with him, netting me 4 solid names to check off my 70s vintage Topps wantlists, highlighted by Billy Williams' final card as an active player. Thanks, John!

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Reader David G. returned with a 3rd recent PWE of '88 Fleer needs for me, plus a Madlock and another wonderful Kellogg's need. Thanks, David.. I'll scrounge up another envelope of Cardinals for you soon.

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Wes, a.k.a. The Pancake King, dropped a shortstack of 3 PWEs on me in short order, each containing one Gavin card plus an autographed business card. Bonkers! Thanks for thinking of me, Wes!

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Last one for today is a great bubble mailer from ARPSmith, hitting me back for a package of cards I sent him recently.

Nice bunch of current cards featuring guys I collect. Man, this 2020 "season" is wild. I'll be surprised if we actually make it all the way to a World Series this year, but here's hoping for the best.

Complete Willie Stargell puzzle from 1991 Donruss! This'll be nice to bolster my Pops PC. If/when I get a second set, I'll bust out the pieces and piece it together.

The real punch of the package was the vintage. Been a while since I've added to my '57 Topps setbuild.. not since 2019, in fact. The pair are both from the toughest series, making them even more of a big deal. Same can be said for the '72: first time all year I get to update my needs spreadsheet, and it's a tough high number, to boot. Nice!

As far as the 74 and 79s, they might look familiar, as this same trio was among the cards I showed from Scott Crawford earlier in this post. Adam's copies are in better condition, so they'll go into the setbuilds.. But don't worry, Scott's cards can still find a home for now in the respective PCs since I collect these guys too.

Thanks for another great trade, Adam!

That's gonna wrap up the post. Thanks for reading, everybody. Stay safe out there.

Big Ol' Trade Post

Hey, here are a bunch of cool cards that I've received over the past couple weeks from friendly collector folk.

Holy heck, check this out! Giancarlo Stanton 2010 Topps Chrome rookie refractor autograph! It may be off-center and have some surface scratches, but still a "big card" and not the caliber of card that typically shows up in your mailbox without some wheeling and dealing beforehand.

But yeah, the incredible Matthew Scott has been working on his big, mostly-Pirates collection and decided Giancarlo didn't really have a place. He asked if I was still collecting him. Yep! Maybe not with as much fervor since his trade to the Yankees, but still definitely a guy I collect. And this rookie auto is a nice crown jewel for my Stanton PC.

Numbered 104/499. Sweet! While I'm not rooting for the Yankees, generally speaking, I do hope Stanton has himself a great comeback season.


And if that RC auto wasn't a big enough boom on its own, along with it was this..

Wow! This 2013 Topps "Chasing History" auto ain't nothing to sneeze at either! The number of Giancarlo Stanton autographs in my collection tripled thanks to this mailing.

Bob Walk the Plank is still on hiatus for the most part, so you guys didn't get to see all the neat Pirates I mailed him a while back unless maybe you caught some highlights on Twitter. But yeah, I always try to sniff out good Pirates cards for Matt (and some left over for my other Bucco trader buds), and will hope to gather more for him before too long. Huge thanks again, Matt!

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Friend o' the blog Alex T. and I have been back to our routine where I help him out with some custom card projects and he returns the favor with cards. Here's a nice run from Mark Fidrych's playing days, including a pair of rookies.

And a couple Upper Deck factory sets! I already got '91 UD just a couple months ago from The Diamond King, but Alex had the '90 set I needed plus a '91 he didn't need and since there was room in the flat-rate box, he offered to throw it in for the heck of it. If anyone needs it, I'd be willing to sell it for just a smidge above the postage cost (or a trade equivalent). Otherwise maybe I'll open up the wrap and raid it for my many PCs; there are probably a few that are lacking '91 UD cards, believe it or not. But yeah, I'm excited about the 1990 set. I ripped a fair amount of that in my first year as a collector, but never came anywhere near completing it. I really need to thumb through this set sometime soon and let the familiar cards take me back to those days.

Alex surprised me with this Padres batting practice jersey. There's no name on the back, and he says it's unlikely to be player-worn (sorry I'm too lazy to relay the full background story he shared), but still cool. Size XL, it's too big for me, but if/when the Padres win the World Series, I might have to don this anyways. (I'll probably have filled out enough to fit into it by then, lol.)

Alex's collection has a focus on minor league cards. He knows I collect Tim Blackwell and so he hooked me up with some team sets featuring that marvelous mustache. Even if I already have some of these singles, it's pretty cool to have the full team sets, too.

A nice lot of early 90s black gold!

Here's a sealed '92 Topps pack with a multiplayer "Top Prospects" card showing on top that features a couple guys I collect, Ryan Klesko and Dave Staton. Neat!

Some more cards highlighted by a Dick Allen oddball I needed and the classic Bevacqua bubble card from 1976 Topps.

Alex was downright apologetic for including these customs he had made through a Topps promotion a few years back, but I think they're awesome. I already have a little minicollection of bloggers' cards going, so it's easy to stretch that into including blog-readers' cards too. Made sure to get his approval before posting them for privacy concerns.

Then if all that wasn't enough for the little project he had me working on (several copies of a custom minor league card for a friend of his), he sent a nice PWE on top of it shortly thereafter...

Another oddity for my Tim Blackwell PC, a Floyd auto I didn't have, a Templeton oddball I needed, and a pair of Rafael Garcia signed oddballs sponsored by Carta Blanca, a mexican beer (one of which intended for Rod if he has any interest). Also known as Ralph Garcia, he pitched in a few games for the Padres in the early 70s and is in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

Thanks, Alex! Good stuff! I'll drop your customs in the mail by the end of the week.

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Here's another PWE full of '88 Fleer needs from reader David G., our third light swap along these lines. A cool thing about getting cards from David is he uses magazine cologne ads to wrap them in, so the cards come out smelling lovely and you get a bonus air freshener! Thanks, David! I'll send you back some Cardinals soon.

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Brett the Hoyt Wilhelm superfan graciously offered to send me a copy of Hoyt's 2020 Topps insert.. heck yeah! Always love adding new Hoyts to the PC. Thanks, Brett!

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And here's the last one for today. It's a package from Bob at the Best Bubble.

Big lot of pack-fresh 1976 Topps! These needs take me up to 36% complete with the set. Funny thing, these cards are all found around the back end of the set. So if you look at my '76 Topps wantlist, you'll see my haves are pretty sparse at first, but I'm in better shape once you hit #400.

More late 70s Topps needs including a few solid names. I'm really close with '79 Topps now, down to just 6 more needs to finish the set:
6 Strikeout Leaders - J.R. Richard / Nolan Ryan
115 Nolan Ryan
313 Dyar Miller (Dyar Miller?!)
369A Bump Willis (Blue Jays error variation)
412 Hank Aaron / Hack Wilson ATL RBI
610 Mike Schmidt (this one looks to be set aside for me already)

And still a ways to go with '78 Topps, but those few needs take me past 81% complete. Not too bad.

I've already got most of these Gavins, but at least a couple I didn't have. I just looked into what Gavin Cecchini is up to these days. He had gone to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, but they released him a month or so ago. And before that he had moved to Australia to play baseball there, but then fled the country after the crazy brushfires decimated much of the continent. Not sure what's next for him, but wish him the best of luck.

Finally, Bob threw in a few ladies on cardboard. Always a nice touch.

Thanks, Bob! I'll try to round up a return package for you soon, but you might need to have some patience...

Gonna be a busy rest of July for me. Between the usual work craziness, and now trying to raise a tiny puppy who needs constant supervision, and plus my close friend from way back is going to be in town staying with us next week. So it'll likely be a while till I'm able to spend much quality time with cards.

Oh, I also got a nice box of cards dropped on my doorstep last week by Padrographs Rod, but this post is already pretty long, and I still need to sort that stuff out a bit, so I'll save that for another day.

Thanks for reading!