Putting a Bow on 2016

I'm not one to give myself a lot of goals when it comes to my collection.  Last year I decided to eliminate impulse blasters and that worked out well.  I think I may have opened 5 retail packs all year. I expect more of the same with how I add cards to my collection.  Check new sets for interesting Pirates and fill in holes of interesting Pirate parallels from years past via eBay and lots of trades!

One area in my collection that continues to grow at a fast rate is vintage. I received so many great trades this year from fellow bloggers that have helped turned what was once my least represented area to a full fledged respectable collection. I capped the year off nicely by getting the Kiner rookie so maybe I look at finding a Stargell rookie this year! If I hit the lottery maybe Clemente!

It was another nice year for trading.  For the third year in a row I received over 100 packages in the mail. The true number is probably a good bit more because of JBF as he sends me about 40 at a time, but either way that is right on pace from the last few years.

My Stamps.Com account says I sent out 75 packages during the calendar year.  That number is down from years past, but still a nice number. Some of this is due to some bloggers taking a break from sending out cards and some trades being streamlined for cost efficiency.

Like everyone else, time is always the biggest issue with blogging. Balancing work and family sometimes can create some headaches, but I will continue to make time for the hobby I love. Hopefully I'll think of a few new things this year for the blog to keep things fresh.

Before closing on 2016 here is the last pending trade package of 2016 from Adam of Infield Fly Rule.

 You have my attention Adam!

 Another fun aspect of 2016 was that more and more bloggers started to send me WVU cards. I don't post about them consistently but I'm adding to that collection just as much as my Pirates.  Pat White is a legend in Morgantown and I hope one day WVU will retire his jersey.

 This was a fun bunch of cards with a few Pirate cameos and former Buccos.

 Looks like Doug Drabek better hurry and field that dribbler.

 The king always gets his lone scan!

 Stadium Club is beloved but same era Leaf and Ultra was every bit as as good. You even get cool skyline shots with Leaf....

Poor Stan is remembered for giving up the hit to Francisco Cabrera. At least he has a cool Leaf card.

 Only Gerrit Cole is still a Pirate of this bunch.

 Right here is exactly the type of card I chase for WVU collection. I'm such a sucker for a card if the player is represented in the college uniform.

 I'm hoping that Hurdle will sign for a set one day. For now I will have to settle base cards like this beauty from Heritage.

Former two sport superstar Dick Groat.  Groat was a Duke guy, maybe he can help control Grayson Allen!

Thanks for all the cards Adam. That was a unique bunch for sure.  This is my official goodbye to 2016 two weeks late! On to 2017 cardboard. As you can see things are piling up.

Thanks for reading. 

Canadian Cardboard

My pal Angus hit me with a box of cardboard that had a nice Canadian theme to it right before New Years.  Are you still savoring that lone Browns win Angus?  Do you think they draft Deshaun Watson?  No fan base deserves to suffer that kind of losing. Being a Pirates fan I understand your pain.

Back to cardboard.....Look at these beauties!!!!!

 Canadian Goudey! When I first opened the box that Angus sent my attention was immediately drawn to the colorful Goudey cards. Upon examination I found that they were the Canadian version.  So cool!!! Thanks so much for sending these my way.

 Couple of Chrome autos highlighted by Nick Kingham and his unique penmanship. Kingham is kind of the forgotten man when it comes to Pirate prospects.  He was all set to make his debut in 2015 but blew out his arm. Thankfully he worked his way back last year and has shown no velocity drop. He will likely start the season in AAA, but will be one of the first calls if an injury or trade occurs.

 I'm such a sucker for Little/Big Poison cards. Such a great set.

 These double sided Leaf Limited cards are so interesting that you can make a post alone. My favorite is the Lou Collier card because he shares with a certain Yankee captain.....

 That is right....Lou Collier and Derek Jeter on the same card.

 Some more Canadian goodness with the colorful 75 OPC set.

 The Stargell and Kiner are Circle K oddballs!

 Almost World Series hero and forgotten Pirate Rajai Davis.

The biggest portion of the box Angus set was a ton of late 70's early 80's hockey.  These Penguin teams weren't that good. Thankfuly Super Mario wasn't too far way and helped put the franchise on the map.

 I can thumb through older hockey cards forever. The hairstyles are top notch!

 Quick break for a Jagr oddball!

 Such an Upper Deck Artifacts move showing a guy in his old hockey jersey....

 Pat Boutette sporting a bowl cut.

 It looks like Greg Millen is wearing a turtle neck. Also every early 80's hockey player looks tough.

To finish things out some sweet goalie action. Frank Peterangelo and Marc Andre Fleury probably have the two most famous saves in franchise history. Peterangelo's was probably the better save but Fleury's won the 2009 cup against the Red Wings.

Thanks so much Angus for all the great cards.  What a great assortment. You really bolstered my hockey collection.

Thanks for reading.

Trade: The Chronicles of Fuji

My quest to finish out my 2016 trade packages continues with a long time trade partner Fuji.  I think Fuji sent out something to just about everyone in the blogging community to close out his super trading. I was happy to be included in that mix.

 BWTP favorite Jason Bay.

 Nyjer Morgan aka Tony Plush was an interesting guy. Last I heard he was still playing in Japan. The weird thing was he never really started going crazy during interviews until he left Pittsburgh.  It reached peak weird when he was with the Brewers.

 Finest is one of my favorite sets every year. It is always a little too expensive to bust a box, but I'll look for singles like crazy on eBay.  This is a nice parallel /99.

 /100!!!!

 The Pirates dropped the ball a little bit on Womack.  I think they must have thought he was washed up, but he would go on to have some nice years with the Dbacks.

Donruss Signature Series is so nice.

 Freddy Sanchez was on the hall of fame ballot this year!  Injuries derailed the former batting champs career. At least he played a big part in a World Series with the Giants.

 I talked a good bit about Press Pass Football the other day, but much of the same could be said for basketball as well.  Every year I would scope out the WVU guys that would be in the sets and hunt them like crazy.

 The Steelers had a thing for drafting quarterbacks and turning them into receivers.

 This was a nice surprise! I don't have many nice Steeler patches just because they demand such a premium on the secondary market. Archer is a Buffalo Bill these days.

 Pretty nice bunch of cards right here! I think my favorite is either the Dave Cash or the 70 NL Batting Leaders card.

 I really need to do a Jason Kendall centric post.  The guy has some all time great cards.  For whatever reason he was captured in some of the coolest cards.

I cringe every time I see Bixler.  Unfortunately I went all in on him as a prospect and he failed miserably.

Gold edition!!!!

Thanks for all the great cards Fuji! I know you probably don't want anything in return, but sometimes I don't listen very well. :)

Thanks for reading.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Dime Boxes Nick is a creative guy.  He just knows how to pack a cardboard punch in a pwe. I've received several of these over the years, but this most recent envelope might be my favorite.

 You would be hard pressed to find cards more beloved than Kellogg's releases.  A lot plays into that, but first and foremost I think it takes many collectors back to when they were kids. This Parker is just cool.

 Taillon rookie....

 BOOM! Taillon photo variation rookie.  I'm so bad at noticing these.  It took me almost 6 months to realize I was the owner of a Mariano Rivera variation from 2014 Update. Since then I've done a better job of studying cardboardconnections photo breakdown.

 Owner of the greatest game ever pitched.

 I've always liked this insert as it has featured several Pirates over the years. Maybe the design leaves something to be desired but the subject matter is top notch.

 I believe Nick commented on one of my posts recently when I stated that Kendall has some of the best cards in recent history. Some of the early 2000's Ultra sets are among my favorites. This is a beautiful play at the plate card.

 More awesome Kellogs.  This time it is Pops showcasing some mean sideburns.

 I know Nick recently gave Donruss the title again of the worst set of the year.  I'm always a little bit of a Donruss apologist because they offer better player variety than Topps, but you really can't argue the fact that it is ugly.

 Last week I saw some pictures of the 2017 version and I have a feeling it will likely retain its title. My hope is that they mold it after the football version, but it really doesn't matter if the photos suck. I think every card blog known to man has given some kind of recommendation on how to skirt licensing issues, but they will continue to use boring pictures featuring too much photoshopped uniforms.

Clemente!!!!!  The best checklist ever.

International man of mystery Bob Walk finishes things off.  Look at the athleticism!

Thanks for all the great cards Nick.  I appreciate the thought you put into your packages.

Thanks for reading!