L.A.A. From G.C.R.L.

Not only LAA, but also CAL, and Anaheim. Jim from GCRL sent over a box of assorted Angels cards of all types, styles, and varieties.

Ideally this box would have travelled down the 405 from LA (Jim collects Dodgers) to Orange County (I collect Angels).

Unfortunately, the Dodger fan lives in Minnesota, and the Angel fan lives in Texas. Go figure.

I grabbed several dozen to show you what the box included.

Oh and how could I forget. The best card in the trade.

A little piece of Garret Anderson.

Thanks Jim! Hope you enjoyed your Dodgers.

Oscar Sent Me Salmon, Many Salmon

I saw a couple of Angels trade bait posts on All Trade Bait, All The Time so I contacted Oscar. I was interested in the Salmon he has showing and any Trumbos he might have.

He was quick to reply that he would gladly send me his Salmon, Trumbo, and a nice little stack of other Angels.

When I got the package today I was so excited about the Salmon he sent that I had to show them off right quick.

1995 Pacific Prisms #21. What a bitchen card! This from 1995 beats out most refractors I've seen.

1997 Pacific Prisms #5. You know, I've overlooked Pacific for a long time. I always thought of them as "those Spanish cards." But Man am I wrong. These are some of the sweetest cards and most unique and appealing cards from the overproduced 90's. Please accept my appologies.

1994 Flair Outfield Power #9 of 10.  A well done combo picture card but I would have switched the photos and put hitting on top with the catching underneath.

1994 Ted Williams #158 Dawning Legacy.  One of my favorite all-time sets Ted Williams.

1995 Fleer Ultra National Packtime #8.  Never saw this card before but I've gotten two in the last 10 days.

1996 Topps Laser #110.

1994 Score #539.
The other Angels and the Trumbo are pretty sweet too.

Thanks Oscar. I'll get your Dodgers in the mail.

More Gems From My LCS

Along with all those sweet Angels and Topps Special Offer Cards I got on my LCS trip, I also picked up a sealed wax box of 1993 Upper Deck Series 1 for 5 bucks.

I figured for 5 bucks I'm sure to find something that I'll like, perhaps a few inserts that I don't already have, and I'll get to enjoy ripping 36 packs of baseball cards. Who wouldn't dig that for 5 bucks!

I am certainly NOT in need of any 1993 Upper Deck base cards. I have a zillion already.

But pickup some cool inserts, and a few player cards I collect, I did.

This Walter Iooss Collection Tim Salmon was the first insert I came across as I was ripping through foil packs. How appropriate. And one I didn't already have.

This Kirby Puckett was a second Iooss Collection card I got. Not bad at 1:9 packs.

Snagged these two Tim Salmon Star Rookie Checklist cards. One of my favorite Tim Salmon cards.

The only other Star Rookie that was worth mentioning is the #2 Mike Piazza. Too bad it's a dull cut on the left side.

At 1:27 packs, I pulled two Then and Now Hologram cards from this box. This really nice George Brett...

...and this Rickey Henderson that I already had. Dang!

There were two different 1:9 Willie Mays Baseball Heroes cards. I'm glad that one was this checklist card. Good looking card.

I actually got 3 of the Nolan Ryan base cards and 3 of the Community Heroes cards.

And I thought I'd show a card for the only non-Angels player I collect - John Olerud.

Anyone need any 1993 Upper Deck Series 1 cards?

Royals and Randoms Big Pile

Its a contest here.  Go enter.

Junk Gems From My LCS

I spent 2 hours going through junk, and I mean junk at my local card shop and came away with, you guessed it, junk. But junk that I love to collect.

I love Special Offer Cards, especially the ones Topps put out in the 80's (did they do any in the 70's? I don't know, but if they did I would love them equally).

I found a treasure trove of them on this trip.

1986 Topps 1987 Spring Fever Baseball/1986 Glossy All Star and Hot Prospects Collectors Edition set.

1987 Topps 1988 Spring Fever Baseball/1987 Glossy All Star and Hot Prospects Collectors Edition set.

1989 Topps Company Store cards A, B, C, E, and F. I'm missing D. Anyone have an extra D laying around?

1990 Topps Magazine/1991 Spring Fever Baseball.

1991 Topps Instant Win Game.

1991 Topps Match the Stats Game. Dare I scratch off the bonus offer?

Nice selection of the above mentioned Glossy All-Star cards from 1983-1986.

I had to do a double-take to catch Garret Anderson on this 1996 Pinnacle #200 Chase Checklist card. I wasn't aware he was on this card.

A shiney and foily (and looking rather pudgy) 1996 Leaf Limited #2 Darin Erstad Limited Rookies.

See the little Angels logo on this 1994 Leaf checklist card? That's why I grabbed it. Anything with an Angels logo.

I almost blew right past these two minor league cards. Tim DeCinces is the son of Doug so he counts as an Angel. Jared Abruzzo was in the Angels farm system for a while, making it into the top 10 of Angels prospects.

Picked up a team set of 1994 Score Rookies and Traded. Not very pretty cards, but I needed them.

Grabbed this Gold Rush version of the Jim Edmonds rookie card in that set.

Also grabbed about an equal sized stack of other Angels cards as well.

Another nice trip to the shop.

Off Season Fan Pack From the Kernels

We actually got two of these envelopes in the mail, one addressed to me and one addressed to the family.  In the off season we accumulate Angels associated stuff to get us through the winter.

Both envelopes were nearly identical so I combined them here.

Nice Kernels brochure highlighting Mr. Shucks, Mike Trout, tee-shirt cannons, and Klement's Sausage Racers.  Good Times.

A single 2007 DAV Mike Napoli card.  Mike Napoli.

A single 2010 DAV Manaurys Correa card.

A single 2009 DAV Rafael Rodriguez card.

And a Mike Trout pocket schedule.

The perfect little fan pack.  Thanks Kernels!

There's That T-Bo Again

Not T-Bo as in Tim Tebow silly. T-Bo as in "I got me two more Trumbos."

Trumbos in my Trumbo Collection:
2005 Just Minors Justifiable #81 Orem Owlz
2006 Bowman #B14
2006 Bowman #B14 Gold
2006 Bowman Chrome #BC14
2006 Bowman Chrome #BC14 Refractor 102/500
2006 Bowman Sterling Prospect #BSP-MT
2011 Bowman #193
2011 Bowman #193 Gold
2011 Bowman #193 Blue 021/500
2011 Bowman Topps of the Class #TC10
2011 Bowman Brightest #BBR3
2011 Bowman Platinum #21
2011 Bowman Platinum #21 Gold
2011 Topps #57
2011 Topps #57 Diamond Anniversary
2011 Topps #57 Gold 0086/2011
2011 Topps Update #57 Cognac Diamond Anniversary
2011 Topps Update Next 60 Certified Autograph #N60A-MT
2011 Topps Chrome #178
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Autograph
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Refractor
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Refractor Orange
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Xfractor
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Atomic Refractor 045/225
2011 Topps Chrome #178 Sepia 54/99
2011 Topps Chrome #157 Refractor Purple 083/499
2011 Topps Chrome #157 Refractor Blue 96/99
2011 Topps Chrome Heritage #C122 1458/1962
2011 Topps Allen & Ginters #263
2011 Topps Heritage #404

Angels Debut #105 Jim Coates

James Alton Coates (Mummy)
Pitcher
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 4", Weight: 192 lb.
Born: August 4, 1932 in Farnham, VA
MLB Debut: September 21, 1956 New York Yankees
Final MLB Game: September 30, 1967 California Angels
Years with the Angels: 1965-1967

ANGELS TRANSACTIONS:
Obtained through trade from the Cincinnati Reds with a player to be named to the California Angels for Bobby Locke on July 28, 1965.
Released from the Angels in 1967 but remaining in their minor league system until 1970.

ANGELS DEBUT:
With the Twins leading 3-1 in the top of the 9th, with one on and one out, he entered the game as a pitching replacement for starter George Brunet and facing Sandy Valdespino gave up a run scoring single. He then got Jerry Zimmerman to ground into a double play to end the inning in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday, August 20, 1965 (N) at Chavez Ravine.

ANGELS RECORD:
1965 - 1967
112 innings over 51 games went 4-3 with 3 saves, 70 strikeouts and a 4.02 ERA.

Best Angels Performance:
Threw a complete game, 4H, 3K shutout against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, August 14, 1966 (D) at Comiskey Park I.

OTHER INTERSTING FACTS:
- Originally signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent prior to the 1951 season.
- Also played for the Yankees (56-62); Washington Senators (63); Reds (63).
- AL All-Star (1960)
- Won two World Series with the New York Yankees (1961 & 1962)
- He threw with a side-arm delivery and turned his head away from the batter at the last second, often resulting in a hit batter.
- Last Yankee pitcher to win both games of a doubleheader.

A Flyby At The Local Antique Mall

Ran into my local antique mall, hit the spots that I knew usually had toys and collectables, and found several packs of 1984 Topps Photo Rub-Downs.

Grabbed 3 at a buck a piece, took them home and ripped them open.

Angels in the set are  Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew, Fred Lynn, Bobby Grich, and Tommy John.

Here's the back of the package just for grins.

Pack 1

Pack 2

Pack 3

No ANGELS!  Blast!

I dig the instruction card.  This one goes in my Special Offer card binder.

The back is a checklist card for all the dudes that have a rub-down.

I'd be willing to trade if anyone has a sheet with an Angel on it.

I also picked up a small baggie full of 1990 Starline, Long John Silver's cards.  There were 18 cards in the baggie, but I wasn't able to open it to see what was inside so I took a gamble that there would be a card I'd want.  There wasn't.  But it was only a buck.

 Turned out to be these 8 different cards, the rest were all dupes.  These are for trade.