Dime Boxes: A Trade

When I started thus blog way back in 2012, I figured it would be a cool place to show off some of my Matt Kemp cards. I was fully committed to #BeastMode back then, focusing almost exclusively on building up my Matt Kemp collection. Eventually I expanded my interests a bit, chasing as many Dodgers' autos and relics as I could get my hands on. 2012 wasn't the most fiscally responsible year of my life. 

Of course my interests eventually expanded, and I moved away from expensive autos to more affordable cards, and not just Dodgers. I had several mini-collections and player collections, yet I primarily dabbled in modern cards--packs I could rip from Target and my local LCS. 

Of course, nearly a decade after I first started collecting, my collection and my collecting habits has narrowed. I have a greater appreciation for vintage stuff, and, if money wasn't a barrier, I'd probably be chasing and showcasing that here more often. But I'm a broke twenty-something, so most of my vintage comes from trades these days. 

Enter Nick of Dime Boxes fame, another twenty-something, with a rich collection of a fantastic cards. I sent him a package way back in early spring, and he sent a return package not too long after featuring a whole bevy of awesome cardboard, including that sweet Lou Johnson from 1966 above. 

It's not too often I run into cards from the 1950s, so seeing this sweet Jim Gilliam card drop out of the bubble mailer Nick sent my way was a definite surprise. I've spent very little time talking about my love for various vintage sets on this blog (something I should do more), and the 1959 set has got to be one of my top 10 favorite sets of all time. 

Ed Roebuck is a new name name for me. While I know the names of most Dodgers legends, I'm still filling in the gaps. Apparently Ed Roebuck was a relief pitcher for the Dodgers (Brooklyn and Los Angeles) in the late 50s and 60s. Fun Fact: he once tied the major league record for striking out twice in the same inning. 

2019 Heritage picked up the 1970 design for its release earlier this year (a set I enjoyed), but Nick included some of the real stuff in this package. While these look like standard cards from the 1970 set, I was in for a surprise.

Yep, that's an OPC. Nick managed to add hundreds of these to his collection a few months ago, and he was nice enough to share the wealth across the blogosphere. I took a couple of years of French in college (Je me souviens de rien), but never did I think I'd have to put it to use.

Of course, Nick included more than just vintage in this swap. In fact, he sent over what is officially the first card in my Jeopardy mini-collection: a glossy parallel of Austin Rogers from 2018 A&G. I talked at large about the lack of Jeopardy cards in the cardboard world a few months back. After doing a bit of research, I managed to only track down just three non-auto cards in existence that highlight the question and answer game show: 2006 A&G Ken Jennings, 2013 Topp Heritage News Flashback, and 2018 Topps A&G Austin Rogers. Thanks to some comments from a few of you, I was also able to locate a few autographs: Alex Trebek has a cut auto in 2014 Topps Archives; Trebek and Jennings have a dual cut auto in 2011 Topps American Pie (both are 1/1s); Rogers has an auto in the 2018 A&G set; and, more recently, James Holzhauser has an auto in 2019 A&G. Unfortunately, my Jeopardy mini-collection doesn't appear as if it will be growing anytime soon. 

My vintage collection, on the other hand, looks better than ever. With gracious trading partners like Nick, maybe I can manage completing some sets before modern cards are considered vintage. Maybe. 

Opening Up Some 2019 Allen & Ginter

Allen and Ginter is one of my favorite releases of the year. It often takes a lot of slack for the inclusion of non-sports-related cards, but I find that quite fun. There aren't any other sets that combine baseball, canines, trains, flowers, horses, and lost languages. And that's just the 2019 release alone. I doubt those reading a baseball card blog (or running their own) are one-hobby types of folks--I'm certain our interests stretch far and wide beyond baseball--so seeing subsets of things like The History of Flight, subjects that likely don't get any representation anywhere else on cardboard, has the potential to be quite fun. 

Of course, baseball is still the primary draw for me. The design and photography in this year's set is the sharpest it's been in years. I feel Topps got out of its own way this year and opted for a minimul design, similar to the 2010 set. The "framed" sets of the last few years tended to feel closed off and the cards blended too closely together, creating a sort of indistinguisable set of cards. Each of these cards from 2019, however, seems to have its own personality, with the design tying the cards together. 

That said, I'm intrigued by the the background imagery used in the Piazza, Pollock, and Buehler cards above. It seems to be of an old-timey, fictional stadium (a pretty cool touch), though considering the backdrop in all three cards is nearly identical, I wonder if it was used too much throughout the set. Regardless, I'm happy to add a new Buehler to the PC. 

Along with those Dodgers base cards above, I also managed to land a pretty cool Kershaw insert. This cancer isn't into astrology, zodiacs, or star signs, but it's still a pretty cool lense from which to approach a card set. I mean, where else would you find a comparsion likening Kershaw to an "enchanting fish"?

I ended up purchasing three hanging value packs, another cheaper value pack, and a single pack, and I managed to pull the relic below, but it was the two cards from the 15-card Mares and Stallions subset that I was most excited about. As I described in this post several months ago, I decided to start a mini-collection of horse cards. That post featured two minis from the Horse in the Race miniset from 2017 A&G, and until I pulled the two cards above, they were the only cards in that mini-collection. Not a bad day when a couple of packs doubles your PC. 

I'm hunting the cards from this Mares and Stallions set, so please let me know if you have any dupes. You can find my want list here. I'd love to take them off your hands. 

Finally, here is that relic I alluded to above. I don't watch a ton of television, and I certainly never watch American Pickers, so this card didn't do much for me. Still, it's never a bad thing to pull a relic. It's another card to add to the trade bait, for those interested. 

Overall, A&G has definitely been one of my favorite products of the year (as it always is). I got a nice start on that Mares and Stallions set, though I'll still have to chase that elusive Jeopardy James autograph....

Where are all of the Jeopardy cards?

Earlier this week, longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek announced he has been diagnosed with Stage-IV Pancreatic cancer. This is terrible news for anyone, but it was especially difficult to see this terrible cancer take hold of one of the last great voices on television. Trebek appeared to have an optimistic take on his outlook, even cracking a zinger about his contract, though long-time fans are less so. I, like so many others, are hoping Trebek can find a way to pull through.

I've been a fan of Jeopardy for a long time. I used to watch the show as I was growing up, and I continue to watch it frequently now as an adult. I've long been a trivia aficionado, albeit maybe a too nerdy about it, as I keep track of my own Jeopardy stats as I play along. I've always dreamt about making it on the show--a longshot dream if there ever was one, but a dream nonetheless. 

Trebek's announcement led to a bit of reflection, but it also led me to think about Jeopardy on cardboard. I figured Alex Trebek has to have a card out there somewhere, right?

Well, no. At least not that I can find. And despite the cultural behemoth Jeopardy has become (countless SNL parodies, a Weird Al song, hell, even the Simpsons did it), there simply aren't that many Jeopardy-related cards. 

In fact, I only managed to track down three Jeopardy related cards--and none of them feature the mustachioed Canadian.

2007 Allen and Ginter #319 Ken Jennings

2013 Topps Heritage News Flashback #NF-J

2018 Topps #161 Austin Rogers

None of these cards are currently in my collection, but I'd like to change that. I was hoping to start a mini-collection of Jeopardy related cards, but there may not be enough out there to sufficiently call it a mini-collection. Some more research is in my future, and I hope to unearth some more. If you know of any, please do let me know. 

In the meantime, I've decided to add these three cards (and a few others) to what I am calling the Chavez Seven, or in other words, cards I'm chasing. You can find this list in the sidebar or on my newly updated Want List and Mini Collections page. Oh, and below. Any readers have any of the cards below and want to trade? 

1. 2007 Allen and Ginter #319 Ken Jennings
2. 2013 Topps Heritage News Flashback #NF-J
3. 2018 Topps #161 Austin Rogers
4. 2010 Bowman Chrome #BDP105 Justin Turner RC
5. 2010 Upper Deck #39 Justin Turner RC
6. 2014 Topps Update Series US-223 Yasiel Puig
7. 2013 Topps Series One #263 Ted Lilly