Canadian Addendum

Not long after Doug (Sportscards from the Dollar Store) blew me away with a fantastic trade package he contacted and said another one more envelope would be heading my way.  Once again this one featured some high end Mountaineers.

 The Tavon Austin plate below was probably the "best" card in the bunch but this Sims was my favorite. Complete with the college uniform and the "Go Mountaineers" inscription it may be my favorite Sims in my collection.

 Tavon cards seem to be moving on eBay better these after being traded to the Cowboys.  The Rams didn't do a good job utilizing his skill set so I'm hoping the Cowboys think of something.  Word is they may use him out of the backfield more.  Ultimately he just needs the ball in open space.

 I've been on a nice running adding some White cards to my collection lately.  Between great trade partners like Doug and Wes and me finding some nice lots on eBay, I've been able to double the size of my collection.

 I'm not really sure where Smallwood ends up on the depth chart next year.  The Eagles have quite a few Mountaineers on the roster so they've had my attention a lot.

The core of the Pens.  Really like the Crosby celebration shot.

Thanks for the extra envelop Doug.  Already found a few nice cards for your collection.  Still in need of a headliner and then it will hit the mail.

Thanks for reading.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

I finally wrapped up my stretch where I was on the road 5 of the past 7 weekends.  No complaints as most of them were extremely fun, but it will be nice to unwind at home for a stretch.  The weekends are often used for me to get a handle on my collection.  Between being gone and the JBF items you can probably see how I fell a little behind. Time to catch up! 

First up is my pal Doug (Sportscards from the Dollar Store).  Doug always sends well rounded trade packages, but he seems to specialize in finding great WVU cards.  

I'm a sucker for any card that features the player in a WVU uniform. This is just a sharp looking card featuring Geno in the gold WVU uniform with an on card auto.  

Charles Sims just resigned a one year deal with the Buccaneers.  My guess is he will continue with his 3rd down duties.

I've noticed an uptick in Tavon Austin cards since he just got traded to the Cowboys.

Fingers crossed for a healthy year out of White.

I've always been a huge fan of Contenders.  Probably top 3 for me in favorite football sets.

Nova's only certified Pirates auto!

Cutch hasn't had a great start to his Giants career.  I was watching a Giants game the other day and it just doesn't seem right watching him wear a different uniform.

Vasquez came to Pittsburgh in a small trade with the Mariners a couple seasons back.  I believe this is my first card of his and it is a very low numbered one!

Doug is contractually obligated to at least send me one Pens card or he loses his Canadian citizenship.

Pretty excited to see this dual auto of two guys that had nice tenures as Penguins.

Guessing Doug must have already had these in his mask collection.

I welcome all Sid cards!

Tom Barasso was a maniac, but fun to watch.

Happy to see Cole doing well in Houston.  Too bad the Pirates didn't get to fully tap into his potential.

Lots of big prospect names in the bunch of Bowman. Former WV Black Bear Kevin Newman is the likeliest to see MLB team this year.

Wish Cervelli had more Pirate releases.  He got off to a very fast start this year, so maybe if he stays healthy he could have a chance at an All Star selection.  That should generate a few more releases.

Nickname card!!!!

Mario Mendoza just looks like an world athlete.

You can never have too many Dock Ellis cards, right?!!!!

Doug was super quick in sending me the new Score Steelers.  The biggest get is the Mason Rudolph rookie.  I got to see plenty of him when he was Oklahoma State playing the Mountaineers.

This was a fantastic assortment Doug!  I have my work cut out for me to hit you back at the same magnitude, but challenge accepted.

I Unknowingly Did a Case Break

Last chance to join my birthday celebration contest.  Click here.  I'll probably end in tomorrow. 

Around the holidays Doug from Sportscards From the Dollar Store busted a case of Topps Field Access football.  The appeal of the set is the huge auto checklist that includes some big names. It also boasts some unique photos that you don't often see on cards. Click the link to Doug's site and check out his posts. 

As many of you know, Doug and I are active trade partners.  He really knows my collection and has a good memory for WVU alums.  Since Field Access has a big checklist some of the more obscure WVU guys got featured.  Doug set them aside for me! 

Alford was a 7th round pick in 2015 and has balanced around a handful of practice squads.

This card would have been considered a nice hit in 2015.  Obviously White's career has been riddled with devastating injuries. I've been picking up a good bit of his cards recently.

Sims only played one year at WVU, but you could definitely see his game translate to the NFL. His excellent pass catching skills made him a perfect 3rd down back.  That has essentially been his job since being drafted by the Bucs.

Some base cards.

As always Doug threw in some extras.

I'm rooting for the Eagles in the Super Bowl because they have 4 WVU alums.

A very Canadian Gregory Polanco.  Really pumped Doug sent this my way.

I think Doug has provided two thirds of my Sidney Crosby collection.  Love the bottom Score card.

Doug must have the Fleury card already for his mask collection.   Thankful he sent the extra my way.  Pretty cool watching him have so much success in Vegas.

Some baseball to finish things out....

Sets of my youth.  I'm pretty sure I have a Mike Dunne Starting Lineup Figure. Bidding starts at 50k.

I probably should come up with an official top ten list of the most Pittsburgh(y) things.  Being that I'm not from Pittsburgh makes this list unbiased and totally legit.

1. Bob Walk
hmmmmmm

I really couldn't think of anything else.

Thanks for thinking of me when you were busting your case Doug.  I'll be hitting you back soon.

Thanks for reading.

Close Call and Trades Galore

I went into panic mode last night when my home PC started to falter on me.  Thought the hard drive was going kaput, but thankfully I was able to remedy the issue at least short term. I'm a little more prepared for computer failure than I was when I lost everything a few years back.  Cloud services and backup drives are used and in stock at my house now.

My work computer is a MAC, but it is hard to justify one for home use because I can run through about 4 PC's before I get to the price of one Mac. If anything it has made my wife and more diligent about backing up important files.

Back to the regular scheduled program.

This has been a nice week to receive some awesome trade packages.  Regular trade partners JBF and Doug (Sportscards From the Dollar Store) hit me hard this past week.

I'm always excited to add hockey hits.  I don't buy them as a rule just because my baseball and WVU collection takes up the budget, but still love them.  Doug always seems to hook me up with interesting ones.

This is really cool.  Kehoe was the Pens all time scoring leader before Lemieux came into the picture.  Now he is 5th behind the big four of Lemiux, Jagr, Crosby and Malkin.

The Pens best defenseman!

Doug continues his well rounded trade package with Steelers hits.

Strata autographs are super thick

Current third string quarterback of the Steelers Josh Dobbs is an interesting talent.  Some considered him a value pick in the 4th round last year.

WVU time!

Most people seem to be not that excited about Geno Smith being named Giants quarterback.  I think the WVU faithful are the only ones happy for him.

The Steelers are an interesting team this year.  They have a great record, but it just feels like they are destined to lose to the first good passing quarterback they play in the playoffs.

I think my favorite current Steeler to watch is Le'veon Bell.  His running style is so unique.

Pens time

A great shot of Kunitz playing in one of the outdoor games.

Always happy to receive some Sid cards.  One of these years I would love to add an auto, but they are so expensive.

Some more cards of current Pens including new Pens fan favorite Phil Kessel.

A nice St Patricks Day warm up jersey shot of Olli Maatta.

Now for some Buccos to finish things off.

My buddy and I always use to have a running joke about Ross Ohlendorf. Whenever he would pitch he would sweat so much that it would actually show through on his jersey.  We always said if you would buy a game used jersey you would have to throw the damn thing away because it would stink so bad.

Thanks for the great cards Doug.  I'll hit you back soon.  I just received a nice Mets card the other day from Topps as a replacement for a Pirate auto that was never fulfilled.  It will be nice start to my next shipment to Canada.