Just the word is amazing. Free embodies all the that perfect in the world. Free is never having to have enough money, searching for spare change, worrying about coming up short. Free is joy and happiness. It could not even be anything wonderful, but if it's free, it's awesome. When it comes down to it, is there anything on this blue ball of a planet better than something that is free???
Many of you have been trading partners with me, and in that I have your address which permits me to drop a PWE on you at will. I have about 1.64 million more readers that I have not traded with yet, but might enjoy receiving a PWE from time to time.
It also says 1.659999 millions of those readers find you better looking than Brad Pitt.
So how about you join all the cool kids? Up top, in the links bar, I have added a page for Club PWE, the coolest, hippest club in the history of the world. At least the coolest club on this website.
So click on the link above. You will be taken to a simple form to fill out. I won't share this data with anyone else for under $100. We'll have good fun!
Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.
Jermaine Dye - 2001 Fleer Ultra - Kansas City Monarchs
It might take a few seconds for some of us to ID who Fairfield is, but a look at their Facebook page should help those that can't place where you know the name. When I get bored, I like picking up a repack box. Or anything repack-y. It's a total gamble, but you never know what you get. I have added far more cards to my collection through the 20 pack repack boxes at Walmart (no idea the company), but Target Fairfield repacks have done me fairly well. I talked a month or so ago about a Bucky Dent auto I pulled from a pack of Goudey. 10 pack repack at Target. The dual Ducks auto? Another Fairfield hit. There are a few more jersey pulls I have never blogged about.
Lately, the budget has been tight, but I still like ripping open packs. GQ, Heritage and Series One are pretty complete, and I am waiting on Allen and Ginter to be released, so I have turned to Fairfield's hanging 100 card count rack packs for some fun. Just five bucks, and I get a good 15-20 cards out that I want or need. However, the packs list the ratio of a hit (relic or auto) at 1 out of every 8 packs. I have bought four packs so far, I have 3 hits. 75% compared to 12% - I am WAY ahead of the curve. Granted, the hits aren't going to pay my daughter's college, but I still like a bonus.
I just pulled this Maine jersey a couple hours ago. Not a bad card design, but available if you are interested. Maine is not a collection of mine, nor are the Mets.
Pulled this Rodriguez auto about a week ago. Actually, the whole rack pack was pretty sweet with the number of cards I added, plus the cards that will be traveling around the US in PWEs. Again, this is available for trade. I am looking at you, Baseball Dad. But the first rack pack I bought a few months back had the best pull of all, in my opinion. I think you will agree.
This was still in the penny sleeve (with $15 written on it in marker). But how great a pull for $5? I needed a jersey card of Frank. Now I just need his autograph to finish off the trifecta.
When I played ball as a kid, I worked my way through a lot of the positions. In the minor leagues (8 and 9 years old), I was a third baseman and a pitcher. I had a natural curve that the coach liked. I also had decent reaction time for the hot corner. Though, I was forgetful with the most important piece of equipment and was reminded once when a ball hit towards me bounced off a rock. Never forgot that plastic guard again.
Moving up to the majors (10, 11 & 12), I was moved to center field. I was the only kid on the team with any decent speed or range. So I roamed the outfield catching what I could. Last game, and we were out of the hunt, so the coach just put us in positions we had never played before throughout the game. First inning, I started at 2nd. Looking back at the last game, and the first inning in particular, the couch should have played the lineup that way the whole year. First batter ripped a shot down third the the kids plopped on to smother, got to his feet and threw the runner out. Next batter looped one over the short stop that the left fielder snagged with a diving catch. Third batter hit a shot up the hole, to the right of 2nd, that I broke to, backhanded, put on the brakes and threw out the runner by a few steps. ESPN Top Ten plays in one inning. But I am getting away from my story.
Pony league (13 & 14). I get drafted by the Cardinals and at the first team meeting the coach tells me I am moving to second. "Because of that great play in the last game last season", I ask? "No Jeff. You have no arm." Ok, wasn't what you wanted to hear, but I became a two time All Star at second, committed just a single error in two years (because of an injured glove hand the previous inning sliding into a base) and batted .469 in my last year.
In Colt....that's where I got stuck on the pines, and I figured the game wasn't fun anymore. So I moved to soccer. I was away from baseball a very long time. However, in my heart, I have always been a second baseman. It's natural one of my side collections in the play at 2nd. Jim over at Garvey, Cey, Russell, Lopes did an amazing double play card dump on his site, and it really impassioned me to work harder on that sub set. Jim and I talk about the DP cards that I find that are not on his master list. Recently, Jim dumped a nice envelope of ChiSox and double play cards to help me out. The Sox went to the Big Sort table (groan), but let's look at a few of the cards with the turn at two.
Jim hit me with a couple dozen cards for the binder. I'm hoping Nacho has that Larkin, cuz he is not getting it. The star is the Delino in the lower right. Double play, killer stirrups and a bunt on the back. That's the trifecta here at the 2x3 household.
I can honestly say I never had to sky over anyone trying to break up a double play in my youth career. Oh well, can't live the full life of a star ballplayer at 15.
Thanks Jim. One day, we will have the definitive record of all the turns at second on cardboard.
Still catching up a some great envelopes received here are Chateau 2x3. One blog that I find a wealth of great info is Lifetime Topps. Charles decided to collect the base Topps set for each year since his birth. Now there is a project. It's also a site with some awesome need lists that I am more than willing to fulfill. Charles replied in kind for the cards I sent, and does Charles know how to fill an envelope.
I didn't scan off the 2012 and '13 Gypsy Queen, but he knocked a few off the needs lists.
Those? Oh, just the last 3 Heritage I needed for the base set. And the Kinsler is another SP off the list.
MINIS!!! The three A&G were needs, and the Thomas GQ turns out to be a card I don't have. NICE!
COLORED PARALLELS! Hmmm - that doesn't carry the same sound as 'minis'. But I do love me some gold, Target and sparkle White Sox parallels. Charles could have stopped here and I would have felt like I get the better side of the trade. Then he added these three and it was a slam dunk.
With the train wreck (in my opinion) of the whole Turkey Red online deal, I gave a crap about the Sox in the set. Now I have half of them. They are pretty sweet in person. I may have to work on the Sale and Peavy if I can find them at a good price. I hate last year's Heritage, but I don't hate them when they are chromed!
Charles, thanks a bunch for the great trade.Now go help Charles and his base set needs.
Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.
Scott Erickson - 1995 Upper Deck - Minnesota Twins
I don't need to go too much into Listia. I think we all know what it is, and how it works, blah blah blah.... I think we also know that people on there are frigging out of their minds thinking some '90 Score card of Brian Holman is worth 499 credits. Free or not - that's real money in my book. But, from time to time, something will come on Listia that makes it worth the effort. This is the culmination of one of those times.
See, about a month back, an auction hit for a Panini National Trasures booklet of Lance Berkman. Now, there isn't a binder on Lance here at Casa Dos por Tres. However, there is an avid collector of Mr. Berkman in Alabama. Here's what was listed.
I was fairly certain that while the swatch was not Lance as an Astro, I was sure the Dimwit would be interested. Also, what the hell else did I have to spend my 20k+ of credits I have earned from surveys? After an intense bidding war, I snagged this for just under 8400 credits. Listia math puts that about $28. But since I sold nothing to get the credits, it was free to me. I have had my eye on a card from Dimwit's trade bait, and I knew this could wedge it from his hands....
....only to learn it was already promised to someone else. CURSES!!!
I'll get you next time, Plaschke! And your fantasy wife too!
So I had to come up with a plan B. Which, after a lot of white board work, came down to "Hey Sam - let me know what you want to trade for it". One of my better plans, if I say so myself. It took Sam less than a week to come up with the perfect trade. In the package came some new...
Some old...
YUMMY VINTAGE! And the prize of the trade was this...
Errrr.....well that didn't scan so well. Let me try this another way.
Ahhh - much better. My original plan was to swap the booklet for a Pee Wee Reese relic card. After that fell through, Sam offered a TriStar certified autograph of Harold Baines. Well hell yeah! This is my first autograph on a baseball, and I couldn't ask for a better player.
So, children, what have we learned? Free can be pretty dang cool.
Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.
Albert Belle - 1998 Upper Deck - Chicago White Sox
I should have expected that Jaybarkerfan would not leave his bombing at just 6 envelopes. Sure enough - 4 more arrived yesterday. None today, so maybe 10 will be the final count. A fine, fine final count if you ask me. So, let's look at the best 3 again in each penny sleeve - 8 sleeves to view.
A nice 91 Leaf of Big Frank. Great shot of Ozzie on the 86 Topps All Star set. Love the kick up of dirt from the bat. I have that Thome Upper Deck X, but I need one for my throwbacks binder. Not any more.
Needed that 05 Topps of AJ. A Topps Ultimate Archives of Bill Wilson. And dig the specs on Kelly!
Vintage-y. Tolleson and Fregosi are gazing longingly into the future. I love seeing Flecher choking up on the bat a bit. Don't see players doing that much these days.
Lot of white space on the Just Minors of Lumsden, but I like that they used the team logo. I do not remember Flash being a Chisox. Early Wynn Archive - do I really need to say anything about that?
Pod-zillas are always welcome at 2x3 headquarters, based on this hit. More Frank, signing autos (yes, I know Nick....I know). And more Alex in the lovely yellow of Fleer.
A Ray Durham Finest that I released from its cover. Even more Big Hurt. And a nice Jose Valentin on the base paths of Comiskey.
I have pulled a few of those UD Premier Prospects from repack boxes, but never any player I cared about. This one....I care about. Vasquez in a Topps black parallel. There were three of those Score cards in the penny sleeve, all players sporting those beautiful stirrups.
The last sleeve had 10 cards, and picking just 3 was too difficult. You can see why. Rookie of Alex Fernandez. Great chops on the Spencer. Topps sticker of Melido Perez's no-hit. A blue parallel (#247/309) of a minor league prospect. Pauly 06 Topps Walmart exclusive. And that sweet Buehrle Cracker Jack. That is a set I should try and complete.
If you have been around the blogs, you know that Jaybarkerfan has been dropping PWEs like the Bible's got Psalms. I was his latest recipient, coming home Saturday to 6 envelopes. All total, I got about 75 cards in the envelopes. Jaybarker nailed it with a fine assortment of White Sox though the envelopes. About 6 cards per penny sleeve - let's pull the three best of each sleeve to show off.
Nice vintage DP card to start off the images. A mini from 1990 and an '82 KMart Allen.
Couple a Apaicios. I have the Fleer great as an auto, so I am glad to get the base. Dig Hoyt frontier-man beard. Suck it, Brian Wilson. Always love the Aparicio from the 2001 UD Hall of Fame set.
Love that picture's face, Ken. Documentary - a set I really need to complete (insert humor here). And a shiny of the Big Hurt.
More shiny with the Pearson Bowman. A great Marsh reprint from the Ultimate Archives, and a 89 UD of Hillegas, where the highlight is the beautiful stirrups on the back. Though the front has a great background of old Comiskey.
OCD ALERT! Nice to add another of the UD Prosig cards to my collection. A decent OPC of Konerko, cuz all the other 09 OPC suck).The Belle is a nice batting cage shot. The back is cool, too. I like the inserts of the old timers. Not sure how Belle relates to them, but it's still pretty neat.
Not sure when 322ft made someone a "hero", but ok. Like those All Time Great cards - so simplistic, yet classic. Was Frank ever that skinny?
Bowman of a guy in AAA ball. Nice All Star set from Topps. And a Fernandez. I liked Alex a lot - great young pitcher. Should have had a longer career.
Shiny Harold (that I had to release from the sticker. Frank praying about something. And a great vintage of Squires.
Addison Reed Bowman? Yes please. Harold Baines All Star? Yes please. Ed Farmer vintage? Err...sure!
The Thomas scan shows no justice. But take note, Panini. It's Pri-S-m done right.
Garland is another Sox I wish stayed in Chicago longer. Gotta love a Baines Sportflix. I'm must showing that Lee to get a rise out of the Dimwit.
Last, but not least, two great Buehrles with a sweet Crede All Star in the center.
Thanks again, Jaybarker, for the bombing. You sure know how to work a stamp.
Every Thursday, I post a card showing a ballplayer wearing a throwback uniform from my collection. Hopefully, he will be wearing it well, with proper pants blousing. I'll try not to duplicate a uniform. The picture may be from the front of the card, or the back. Enjoy the uniforms from years past.
It's been a few days since I have posted. I've been meaning to get something up sooner, but well, we all know the real world plays havoc with our online lives. So let's get my desk caught up with a somewhat quick glace over all that has come in over the past week.
If you follow me on Twitter, I posted about receiving this card, one of the most wanted. Scored it off eBay for about $10. Considering most everything I see out there is this Red Heart card graded and out of my price range, I was more than happy with the price and quality of this card. Just five cards remaining in the Pierce Project.
A Sisler win off Listia for 199 credits if I recall. One of those deals you can't pass up.
Dennis at Too Many Verlanders tried out his first PWE attempt on me. This Pierce Archive refractor arrived in perfect shape, so Dennis will be mailing more to other people. Thankfully, Dennis is a Red Wings fan, so he won't drop any of that junk cardboard on you.
I think I sent Weston from Fantastic Catch some cards a while back and he sent me a nice stack of Sox in return. Or Weston is being totally cool and sending me stuff for no reason. Either/or, the cards are awesome. While the Big Sort is stalled out (ie being lazy), I know I don't have these three cards. While I hate those uniforms, anything with Seaver is cool. Proof that the Big Hurt can jump, and a nice Buehrle. Thanks Weston.
Mike at the Card Raven exchanged a few cards. I think I hit a want list, and in return he sent more Sox I know I don't have, like a 1st Bowman of sale and a sweet diecut Durham.
Couple more from the Raven - both serialed. The Black Jack looks far better in person, because what looks yellow is really refractor-ish gold. The Shingo? #53/100. I wish he stayed around longer. Thanks a bunch for all the cards, Mike.
Robert from $30 a week (and Serial Insanity) responded to a bunch of set fillers for both blogs with the pretty ChiSox team card sparkle, plus the on card auto of Tuomo Ruutu. He never fit in well with the Hawks, but found his place in Carolina. Great card to me, no matter where he is.
Yes - 2013 Heritage. 2013 Heritage SHORT PRINTS! Thank you Robert!
That's just your average 1989 Trevor Linden rookie card from JD at Buckstore Cards. I received this card about a month back, in O-Pee-Chee form. I loved that one, and I am only giving the nod to this version, because it is the last card needed to complete the 1989-90 Topps Hockey set. Only took 23 years.
JD stepped up the vintage with this gorgeous 1962 Sox team card. I think JD opened a pack, cuz there is not a mark of ding on this card. I think I can still smell the gum. Did they put gum in '62 packs? Google says they did. All I know is I love this card. Thanks again, JD.
Last is a PWE from Kevin, the Diamond King. And talk about your PWEs! Two autos (Joey Cora and Matt Ginter), two serials (Crede Heritage and Magglio Donruss Naturals) and an error card of Steve Sax (notice the lack of foil on the front). Kevin included the regular base to compare,
And then this beauty of Ernie Banks from the 2001 Upper Deck Hall of Famers set. I did a nice dent on that set with a upick auction I found on eBay, but still short in completing.
Anyway, I think that covers everything and everyone. If I forgot someone, or screwed something up, let me know. Between you and me, I can be dumb at times. No - really. Just ask my wife.
