A Trade That Wasn't

I recently completed my second trade with my friend Austin...well...it wasn't really a trade. I actually didn't send him anything at all. But, being the great guy that he is, he sent a few awesome cards my way.

The first being this fantastic Chad Billingsley card you see above. As most of you probably know, the card comes from 2012 Topps Heritage and features the awesome dual-image design. It is interesting to note how long Chad's last name is, and how close it came to being to long to fit on the card. An extra letter may have changed the entire look of the card. 

Austin also tossed in a new #'d card of one of my favorite players, Adrian Beltre. Austin knows his way around my Beltre PC, evident by our previous trade, and his good eye showed up in his most recent package. This looks to be a copper or brown parallel, limited to just 625 copies. Stealing a page from Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown, this an exclusive eBay one of one. How you ask? Well, during Beltre's time is the American League, he has been caught stealing 55 times. So, I now happen to have the "copper caught stealing in the AL eBay 1/1". Great, isn't it?

To top it all off, Austin included this weirdly awesome Beltre relic. I consider it to be a bit weird considering the card lists Beltre as a Mariner, is Mariner green, yet features Beltre in a Dodgers batting helmet. It isn't uncommon for cards like this (pictured as one team, listed as another), but I always find these cards fascinating when they fall into my hands.

One thing that does bug me about this card in the unnecessary black box that seems to be circling Beltre's face. Perhaps it was a plot to cover up the "LA" on the batting helmet, though I doubt it. It just looks to be a part of the design that wasn't well thought out. Also, anybody else see a football field surrounding the relic? 

Thanks again for the cards, Austin. One of these days, I'm going to have to return the favor and send you something back.