Blogger Trade: P-Town Tom

I did my very first group break with Tom.  He was breaking some cheap boxes of Pacific and Swell cards.  It was a nice break where I received some good cards.

He reached out to me quite awhile ago saying he had some cards pulled for me that he saw I needed from my Zislte list.  This was maybe late 2015, so these scans have been sitting around for a bit.  My goal is get current, but procrastination is a bitch.

I love the oddball cards he sent along.  I remember having some of the Kaybee cards when I was younger, but those were mainly used to play Flip.  I also do not mind these late 1980 mini cards.  They have different images from their larger sized counterparts and are not just some smaller parallel.

Tom also sent along a Topps Pro Debut of Luis Mateo.  Nothing to say about the player, but it was another reminder for me about Pro Debut.  I can never remember about this release for some reason.  I am glad that Topps does a set like this because it is fun to see players in their minor league uniforms.

Another nice card is the Travis d'Arnaud in the middle of the bottom row.  It is a 2014 Panini Classics base card.  It is a nice looking card considering it is a Panini release.  It is another example of my strong belief that Panini only looks good with strategic photos to hide logos.  I know they have to photoshop logos off due to licensing issues, but this card doesn't scream photoshopped.

Thanks for the great trade, Tom!  Sorry for the long delay of showing the great cards you sent.

Zistle Trade #67: Gerry

Here is another quick trade with Gerry.  Gerry has been a pleasant trade partner on Zistle.  He requests simple, PWE-sized trades.  Never hassles (not saying others do).  He is fitting of the namesake of the town where he lives.

I think all of my trades with Gerry have me receiving some Topps Bazooka cards.  I believe I will eventually get a team set from him.  They are not terrible cards.  They are geared towards the younger crowd with their colorful backs and fun fonts on the front.  I would put them on the same level as Donruss Triple Play and Upper Deck Collector's Choice.  I am not sure I would have bought them when I was younger, but I did enjoy some Collector's Choice.

Zistle Trade #66: The_Sandlot

Our next trade is from Joe.  He reached out with a trade offer around the time I was starting to get a bit burned out on trades.  Props to Joe, who was patient enough to wait for things to settle.

Joe sent along some nice cards to fill out my collection.  A few well known players in their pre- or post-Met days.  He also sent along a couple of micro cards which are terrible to store.

The last card is probably my favorite.  It is of Michael Fulmer, who never threw a single pitch for the Mets.  He was sent to the Detroit Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes at the 2015 trade deadline.  Fulmer was another young Mets pitching prospect that had some good upside.  Turns out he had Rookie of Year upside as he was given the year-end award for his stellar 2016 season.  This trade might be one of the best examples of a trade working out for both teams.  

eBay: Brent

I think it is time to clean up my scanned folder and show of some of these great Mets cards I have picked up from eBay super seller, Brent.  Brent specializes in case breaking and does a great job at getting it done.

First up is 2015 Topps Heritage High Numbers.  There is no difference design-wise from the standard release, but instead focuses on the younger talent.  Not much variety photo-wise either, but Heritage has never really been used for the action shots.  The Mets got a few insert cards that showcase their young pitching studs.  Favorite card is probably Noah Syndergaard's rookie card.  Biggest missed opportunity is not getting Alex Torres wearing his extra protective hat.

Next up is 2015 Topps Hi Tek.  I do not believe that Brent had any team sets available for this, but it would be pretty hard to put one together considering how many different patterns the set utilizes.  I kept it pretty simple here and picked up a few cards, a couple of "base" and one numbered Kevin Plawecki.  No real opinion here.  The cards look cool, but the various patterns make it difficult to collect.

Finally, 2015 Topps Update.  Here we have the first Mets cards for a few players who debuted or were traded for during the 2015 season.  Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, and Tyler Clippard were all apart of the teams late season run into the postseason.  Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz both debuted in 2015 and helped get the Mets further and further through their playoff run.  It is interesting to look back knowing that this team was the one that made it to the World Series that season.



The Mets were also given a near page full of inserts.  This time the inserts show the Mets rich history of pitchers.  From Tom Seaver to Dwight Gooden to Buddy Carlyle to Jacob deGrom.

I purchased nearly all of the 2016 releases from Series 2 onwards from Brent.   I doubt I will get around to scanning those cards at this point.  It would probably be best to start fresh for the 2017 releases. 

Zistle Trade #65: sam383

It has been a while since my last post and a lot has happened in the baseball world.  We will leave the real world out of this because that shit is crae-crae.  Anyway, the Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series in an exciting 7 game series against the Cleveland Indians.  Bill Murray and Eddie Vedder will die happier men.  Free agents have signed and players have been traded.  Bryce Harper wants to be the $400 million man, allegedly.  Nobody seems to want Jose Bautista.  Relievers are getting paid.  There is no lock out, but there was never going to be one.   

On the Mets front, Cespedes and Walker are both returning.  Bartolo Colon is now a Brave.  Jay Bruce is still on the trade block.  There will be an unfortunate, but appropriate, suspension of Familia.  Syndergaard is lighting fire on social media.

Spring Training is right around the corner.  Players will start to report and continue to get ready for the new season.  Some will participate in the World Baseball Classic.  Before we know it, Opening Day will be here.

On the card front, I have been keeping busy making trades while my beloved Zistle is around.  There is really no information available that suggests that Zistle will stick around.  It sucks to be in the dark.  I also had another go around with COMC's Black Friday special.

Speaking of trades, here is another Zistle trade.  Dave reached out with another trade offer shortly after our previous trade.  He was looking for a bunch of Gypsy Queen needs and offered up something solid in return.

You can not feel bad when you receive some vintage needs.  My favorite is probably the Cleon Jones in the middle of the top row.  I like action shots on vintage cards for some reason, but probably because they are not as commonly seen as modern cards.  It is always nice to receive some Gary Carter Expos cards, too.