TCDB and Blog Trading

Trading for me has slowed down quite a bit the last couple months as I've had some other things I was focusing on, and I was going through sheets of stamps too fast, but then it picked up again.

I have completed 402 trades in 21 months of trading on TCDB though. Here are the latest several with a blog trade as well.

TCDB trade with wiredon65

1989 Topps LJN Baseball Talk

I wish I had paid more attention to these when they came out. They'd make a great set to chase, and I would have loved to hear all the players voices talking baseball. I could probably find the recordings on YouTube but that wouldn't be as cool as loading the card in the player and listening that way.

1981 Topps Coca-Cola Team Set Header

Topps put out eleven different team sets each with their own header/advertisement card.

I now have eight of them, just missing the Astros, Mets, and Pirates.

1993 Duracell Power Players Checklists

While most collect the player cards, I collect the checklists. For these two 6-card checklist sets, I'm now just lacking the checklist for Series I, Set 6.

TCDB trade with bleblanc74

2023 Heritage SP

Like the revolving door that is the Angels pen, Estevez is already with another team, the Phillies.

1992 Stadium Club

Though low on the priority list right now, it is football season, so I picked up some for the Patriots team set.

TCDB trade with TpocketT

1995 Bowmans Best - Refractors

A while back I posted about those animal cards found in Bear Fruit Snacks. I have a bunch of extras, so I traded a few to another collector of the set for this Salmon card.

TCDB trade with Thick McRunfast

aka Nine Pockets

Twenty-three 1989 Pro Set cards.

A few posts ago I mentioned that I was toying with the idea of collecting this set since I already had close to half of it.

I guess this means that I'm now committed.

Blog trade with Diamond Jesters

I picked these up through Time Travel Trading.

I was recently gifted a collection that included the bulk of the 1961 Topps set.

I figure I'll pick the rest of them off here and there.

TCDB trade with kcjays

The Bowmans Best Bachman is an extra throw-in. Thanks Merlin!

And the other Chrome are all Sonic cards denoted by the Topps Chrome logo in the upper left, except Rendon's card, but he has the Sonic code on back. Why did Topps even make these?

TCDB trade with RyanFrueh

Oh look, a couple more '89 Pro Set.

 

TCDB trade with Gunny Musgrove (x2)

2023 Topps Heritage - Clubhouse Collection Relics #CCR-JW Jared Walsh MEM

 2022 Topps Gallery - Next Wave #NW-10

Gunny proposed the first trade with these Angels cards for a White Border '24 Heritage Max Scherzer card he needed. I've always preferred a grey swatch to a white one.

1993 Skybox The Return of Superman

I proposed the second trade to Gunny after I saw that he had a bunch of these Superman cards I needed. I'm close to completing the base set, then I'll move on to the inserts.

Newly Acquired: 1960 Topps

 

Here's a sampling of some of the 1960 Topps cards I recently acquired.

I think the Mathews card is perfect, I love his pose and expression.

Lots of those nostalgic thumbtack holes.

I picked out the most colorful page in the binder of the dozen or so pages I have of these.

Vintage TTM Returns

 Several more "Old Timers" returns this past week.

Returned in 10 days from his home in Charlston, SC.

Ty is 85 years old.

He was involved in an "umpire interference" play in the 1970 World Series.

Returned from his home in Scottsdale, AZ in 25 days.

Marty is 90 years old.

Brother of MLBer Joe Keough and father of former pitcher Matt Keough.

Returned from his home in Fulton, MO in 13 days.

Charlie James is now 86.

Won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964.

Returned in 14 days from his home in Compton, CA.

Bennie is 92 years old.

He was the starter for the Pirates in the last game ever played at Ebbetts Field.

He had the only hit in what would have been Sandy Koufax's first no-hitter.

Well, That Snuck Up On Me

My 15-year Blogoversary came and went in October, and I completely forgot about it. It was about a year or so ago that I did the calculation for the upcoming milestone, even wrote it down in a few places so I wouldn't forget. But wouldn't you know it, I forgot.

Eddie Yost, Angel #1

I started this blog on October 1, 2009 with the initial intent of going through "The Angels" all-time roster "In Order" of the players first appearance, using my Angels collection as visual candy. It wasn't too long after that that I deviated and just started showing off whatever came my way but still mostly focusing on the Angels. It went pretty strong the first ten years.

My fire went out for a little while after my son passed away in 2019, and I almost pulled the plug completely, but I came back, and since then it's been fun again and therapeutic. I think that trading on TCDB has given me, and the blog, a little new life as well.

I just want to say thank you to all my followers and readers, thank you to all those that have traded with me or sent unexpected gifts over the years, and for all the encouraging comments, you're an inspiration. So again, thanks, it all means a lot to me.

Here's to another fifteen.

Tom
angelsinorder

Junk Mall Junk Wax Wednesday

The junk mall hasn't had anything different in a while, so I just grabbed another pack of 1989 Pro Set, which by the way, will probably be the last pack I buy of Series I since they raised the price to $3.

I like the Super Bowl inserts, and it was always helpful in collecting the subset in that they were the top card you could see through the wrapper.

Always fun to pull a Brian Bosworth card which is a variation.

This one has "Seahawks" as opposed to "Seattle".

Without searching, who can name his first movie?

This Rodney Holman #60 is also a variation.

This one has "BENGALS" all caps as opposed to "Bengals".

I like this set.

I have a little less than half of it...still toying with the idea of collecting the rest.

Newly Acquired: 1959 Topps

 These are some of the 1959 Topps cards I recently acquired.

The Berra has thumbtack holes, which I kind of like seeing. It's nice to imagine the prior owner as a kid having this tacked up on the wall in his bedroom.

I made up a 9-pocket page of some of the different color combinations. 

A sheet of these is real pretty, isn't it?

This design has grown on me over the years. There are a lot of head shots, which I usually do not like, but the head shots are not so in-your-face due to the color framing and the larger-font player name on the card.

Vintage TTM Returns

 Several more returns this week for TTM autographs.

Returned in 16 days from his home in San Diego, CA.

Gene is 88 years old.

I really like the old "rookie star" Topps used to use. It's so simple.

I had gotten Gene's autograph once before on an index card sometime prior to 2004 when I began tracking my requests on SCN, and way before I had a copy of these cards for him to sign.

Returned in 15 days from his home in Tempe, AZ.

Lou is 85 years old.

I wonder why Topps went so hatless in the 1962 set. Was it to minimize the amount of airbrushing they were having to do to keep up with team changes?

Returned in 16 days from his home in Sedona, AZ.

Joe is now 90.

I knew that Joe was a long-time third base coach for the Dodgers, and I always assumed that he had a playing connection to them as well, especially since he's a Southern California guy like me. Not so, according to baseball-reference, he only played for the NY/SF Giants, the Colt 45s and the Cubs.

There was no mail on Monday due to Veterans Day (thank you fellow Veterans) and as I'm writing this on Tuesday the mailman has already come and gone, but there was nothing left in the mailbox. 

An empty mailbox always leaves me suspicious.

Scale Modeling Update

It's been about a year since my last update of my other hobby - scale modeling. Here are some of the kits I've finished in the last year.

1/72 Hasegawa, M5 High Speed Tractor with 155mm Long Tom

1/35 Peerless, 155mm Howitzer

Built for a friend who manned one in the Army in the 60's.

1/76 Airfix, Morris Tractor and 40mm Bofors Gun

1/25 Revell, '34 Ford Roadster

Built in tribute to a fellow modeler who passed away.

1/76 Airfix, AEC Matador and 5.5" Gun

1/35 Monogram, M48 Patton Tank

1/72 Heller, Republic F-84G Thunderjet

1/72 Hobby Boss, Republic F-84E Thunderjet

1/48 Arii, Scud Launcher

1/25 Revell, 1969 Chevy Nova

Another tribute build.

1/25 AMT, Ford Econoline Van

1/76 Airfix, Scammell Transporter with Matilda Tank.

Two From Pennsylvania

Two quick TCDB trades from PennsylvaniaTiger: a Tigers fan in Pennsylvania, like I'm an Angels fan in Texas.

I initiated the first trade based on getting this card:

...one that I need towards the team set.

I'm down to needing just four SPs now: Gary Matthews (black ink), Figgins, Guerrero, and the team card.

The rest of the cards in the trade were a scattering of other interests:

Michael is a reader of the blog, but didn't realize it was me until he saw that I was requesting three checklists, then he put two-and-two together. I guess I'm kinda the checklist guy.

The Nokes is there because I'm working the '87 Fleer Update set.

Michael proposed the second trade, hitting me up for more Tigers while sending a bunch of Angels my way.

Parallels, refractors, update, Nolan Ryan, lots of good stuff.

I'm most excited to get this Livan Soto autograph. I'm always happy to add to the All-Time Angels Autograph collection.

Good trades Michael, thanks!