A Couple of Relics, One Auto, and Some Spectacular Base Cards

I recently completed my first trade with Dustin of Cool Veal and the Vealtones. Dustin is synonymous with trade bait, at least that is what his blog is filled with. Make sure you head over and see what he has to offer. 

His trade bait posts made this trade happen, as I saw a card I was interested in and contacted him about it. We discussed a few more cards, and a deal was made. 

And here is the card that sparked my interest. AJ Vanegas was the Dodgers 11th round pick (339th overall) out of Stanford this year. He projects to be a reliever, and should have a quick path to the majors. 

Turns out I missed an even better card in the same trade bait post. However, Dustin was quick to offer this card up to me. Hand numbered to just 99, this is my first autograph of the eventual Dodger (hopefully). 

The Vanegas cards weren't the only hits of the trade though. Dustin sent along this sweet relic of former Dodger, Shawn Green. I really miss those Dodger away uniforms from the mid 2000's. 

I love hits, but sometimes I love base cards even more. Case in point: this fantastic shot of Pee Wee Reese. It's not often I see Reese on cardboard, but Topps really hit it out of the park with this one. On top of a solid card design, we see Pee Wee making a helluva throw in what looks like a double play. Though the player sliding looks like he is also wearing a Brooklyn uniform. If the awesome shot wasn't good enough, it appears Jackie Robinson makes a cameo. Which makes me wonder: what other cards does Robinson make a cameo appearance in?

Since we are on the topic of Hall of Famers, let's talk some more about Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. This may actually be the cardboard debut of The Duke, but I could be wrong. *EDIT: It's not* These cards come from 1989 Bowman, a set I couldn't care less about. I'm not a big fan of the oversized Bowman cards from that time, but I am happy to make an exception for two of the greatest players to don a Dodgers uni. 

Which brings us to possibly the best player to ever wear a Dodgers uni, Sandy Koufax. Dustin was nice enough to send over this card of the best lefty to play the game. I had yet to see this image of Koufax on cardboard, but he looks to be tossing in the bullpen prior to a game. I, for one, would love to see some bullpen shots on modern cards, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Clayton Kershaw is often compared to Koufax, if only because he pitches with his left arm. You can't deny his greatness however, as he is having one of the most dominant seasons by a pitcher in recent memory. I'm glad Dustin was able to find a Kershaw I needed. 

We finish of this trade post with an appearance from Scott Van Slyke. Van Slyke, the Dodgers 5th outfielder, debuted on cardboard with a wonderful shot of him spinning a batting helmet on his fingers. However, his epic beard was not yet in development. He has, however, worked on his signature a bit. 

The package was filled with a bunch of other goodies, so my thanks goes out to Dustin. Hope we can deal again soon!

Breaking a Box of Panini Select

I don't get to crack open hobby boxes very often. Working part-time while going to school full-time doesn't leave me with a whole lot of spending money after each paycheck. I usually stick to pulling out singles from my LCS, or finding good deals on eBay. 

My friend Dikran decided to buy a hobby box of 2013 Panini Select on eBay last week, and then graciously gifted the box my way. We would have both opened it, but he got called into work. 

The box contained 4 autos as you can see on the packaging, and it was split into two mini boxes. I was hoping to add to my Dodger cards, but I only pulled one Dodger. I'll highlight the hits, inserts, and PC cards below. 

These are the only four cards from the box of eighty-four, that fit into my PC. No Kemp. No Kershaw. Just these four. I'm not complaining though. Any day I can add a new card to any of my PC's is a good one. 

The box also contained 5 refractors. I was not lucky enough to pull any #'d refractors, but I did pull some cool players.

The Frank Thomas was a surprise, though he was not the only retired player I pulled. Ozzie Smith and Randy Johnson also made appearances via the base card. 

I was looking forward to the inserts from this set. After seeing a few on eBay, I was hoping to pull some Dodgers from the various inserts. I was not lucky enough to do so, but I did get some cool cards.

I don;t know why the Felix Hernandez En Fuego card came out so much more red than the others, but it is a more accurate idea of how the cards look. The En Fuego is my favorite insert, but I'll have to get my Dodgers from the internet. The Mike Trout is also a great looking card, the scan doesn't give it any justice. 

The box promised four autographs, and that's what I got. 

Yippee! I figured I wouldn't have the luck to pull anything super great, but Derrick Robinson? Straight to Trade Bait you go. At least it is #"d 61/750.

Another low-end auto. Another lousy auto #'d 329/750. Moving on.

This isn't half bad. Jedd Gyorko had a good showing as a rookie in 2013, and there are a few Padres fans out there that may be interested. This one is #'d 305/500.

I did promise you one Dodger card though. 

I am in love with this card already. It is a Gold Prizm Auto, limited to 10 copies. Scott Van Smash is one of my favorite Dodgers, for his name alone. He should get the opportunity to be the power bat of the bench for the Dodgers in 2014, but management usually fills that spot with over-the-hill players like Bobby Abreu, Marcus Thames, and Garret Anderson. This is my first SVS auto, but hopefully not the last. There is an auto of his on eBay I'm looking to snag. 

Nothing too crazy in this box, but they are nice cards. I have a large stack of base cards from seemingly every team but the Dodgers. If you are interested in any of the cards above, or any of the bases let me know. 

Thanks again Dikran, I owe you a box of cards one of these days.