A Completed 2019 Allen & Ginter, My Way

Most of my collecting is focused around the San Francisco Giants, as I'm sure I've made more than clear on too many occasions. I'm kind of working backward and forward at the same time - trying to build up complete Giants sets from 2020 on back to appx. 2002 or so, the skipping the 90s entirely, and then going backward again from 1981 all the way to 1969. Why 1969 as a backward stopping point? Well, it starts getting pretty expensive from there, given hall-of-famers Mays, McCovey, Marichal and Cepeda - but I'm going to do the best I can. Right now I'm concentrating much more on the Giants that came in Topps sets this past decade - the Topps sets that I like, which are mainly Heritage, Gypsy Queen and Allen & Ginter.

So a nice "success" for me is gathering a 7-card SF Giants collection from a set like, say, 2019 Allen & Ginter - which I have now done. The only short-print card in the bunch is this Orlando Cepeda card you see here. The other six are relatively easy-n-cheap base cards. Of the 7 cards, only 4 of the guys still play organized baseball, with the other three being the aforementioned Giants legends. Totally cool with that. It's nice to so easily procure a "complete set" and to have these gems to have, hold and appreciate from here to eternity.

Wax Pack Wonders Rides Into Town

Hey, there's a quality baseball card blog even newer than mine that's just arrived, and it's absolutely worth your attention: Wax Pack Wonders. Jeff is the fine American that runs the Wax Pack Wonders experience, and not only does he have a real up-n-comer of a blog, he's a gentlemanly trader to boot. In fact, I just got an envelope from him this very afternoon, and I'm pretty psyched about it.

Did you know about the Drake's Big Hitters series from 1981 and 1983? I'll admit to you that I didn't. Jeff must've known that, because he sent me two excellent Jack Clark cards from the series. Clark, as you may recall, was my first baseball hero, and I'm attempting to "collect" him. These two cards are part of a "Collector's Edition", and as it turns out, I'm a collector!

Here's another Clark card I'd never seen - this one from his brief stint as a Padre, brought to you by KayBee Toys in 1989.

Jeff also tossed in these 3 nice Buster Posey picks. I hadn't even started on my 2018 Gypsy Queen Giants set yet, and now I've got the first card.

There were several other winners in my envelope as well. I've scanned these two "idiot cards" for you, as they'll make a nice addition to the absurd/idiot frankenset I'm quietly building.

Apologies for the lopsided Bruce Hurst scan there, folks. What a horrible card! I love it. Welcome to the card blogging world, Jeff. It feels nice to be able to say that after the good tidings many showered upon me when I started my blog all of 6 weeks ago. Check him out at Wax Pack Wonders, and bookmark the site while you're at it. 

Look at Me, I'm a Big Boy Card Blogger

It only took just over a week, but I reckon I've now joined the ranks of the proverbial "professional baseball card bloggers" society. This is thanks to Great American Madding, who helms the Cards on Cards blog and who just sent me my first "trade" cards in the mail in what you folks like to call a "PWE". Thing was, I haven't even sent him a thing yet, either! That's how Great of an American he is. (Don't worry, sir - I'm working up a batch for ya as we speak).

This trading racket you card bloggers seem to engage in is one of the reasons I thought I'd raise my blogging voice in the first place. What a blast. I send you some surprises/wants, you send me some surprises/wants, and everyone's happy playing a low-stakes game of "postage". Madding definitely did me right. Just look at this Big Time Timmy Jim card to your left, a 2013 Topps Opening Day Franchise Flashback to a time when Mr. Lincecum not only rocked a San Francisco Sea Lions Negro League uniform, but also wore a mini-beer belly and the coolest pair of dork spectacles this side of Dick Tracy.

We could have stopped right there, but he also provided me with the following modern Giants gems:

 

 

Even a couple of 2018 Topps Stickers (!), easily the first stickers in my collection since my 1970s Wacky Packages. Hey, remember when Matt Moore almost threw that no-hitter against the Dodgers? That and being the guy we traded Matt Duffy for will always be the two things folks in SF remember about him.

 

Thanks again to Madding for the loot, and for helping me feel as if maybe, just maybe, I belong here.