Pickups and Mailbag

 

Sadly another summer has come and gone, fall has arrived and with it colder temps.  I actually don't mind the cold, as this is one of my most favorite times of the year.  However, the last quarter of the year always feels like a rush to get things accomplished.  So while the average temps have started dropping, things in the card world are heating up for me.

I've got sets to complete, things to organize and blogs to write.  Believe it or not, the Crocodile blogversary is coming up next month, along with my 100th post milestone.  Which is kind of cool, but wasn't on my list goals to achieve this year.  

What has been on my "unstated" goal list recently is this guy.  Luis Arraez is poised to capture his first AL batting title.  As an avowed hater of the Yankees, I can't think of a better player to break up a Yankee triple crown.  So I've been hunting these down while they're still affordable.  Of course, he plays for the Twins, so maybe his cards will always be affordable.  

The card on the left is the standard holiday card which doesn't have the raised snowflake effect.  The pink refractor on the right is only one in a rainbow of  colors.  The Chrome signature is unfortunately a sticker, but I'll take it nevertheless.  In fact I'll take all of them. 

I'm not so much into wrestling nowadays like I was when I was a youngster, but this card took me back.  I had rode my bike to the local 7-eleven (I couldn't have been more the 10 or 12 years old at the time) and was there for the usual - a big gulp and some baseball cards.  I remember Jesse walking in and the place fell dead silent.  He was huge - dwarfing over everyone in the place and he was in his wrestling garb (though I don't remember him wearing the boa).  There wasn't a word to be spoken.  He casually walked up to the counter, completed his purchase and was gone in less than a minute.  I'm pretty sure I just stood there dumbfounded, but remember people breathing after he left.  Surprisingly I grew up in the neighborhood where he owned a gym, but that was my only time I ever saw him.

Reader Derek, of Canada, saw me post a reply on Bo's blog Baseball Cards Come to Life!, about these 1993 McDonald's card celebrating Toronto''s first championship.

These are a few of my favorites, but Derek was good enough to send along 7 cards of this 36 card set.  I will try to complete this set some day.  These are good looking cards, thank you Derek!

Apparently I made an offer the seller of this Puckett couldn't refuse.  So I was very happy to add this Desert Shield card to my Puckett PC.  It is the only card I have from this rare set.

After highlighting Mother's Cookies baseball cards in a prior post, I found this Piazza rookie in a dealer's quarter box.

Eventually I'll complete the 1970 Topps set, but along the way I'm also working to complete the set of booklets Topps issued that year.  For a couple bucks, this certainly helps with that endeavor.

Quarter boxes can be fun, especially when you find a few OPC needs.  These certainly help with my '85 OPC build.  I'm not far into this build, but I'll take these whenever I find them.

Speaking of OPC, I found these hiding out in the bulk lot of cards I purchased awhile back.  Since I already have the set, if anyone wants them, go ahead and leave a comment.  I'll send a PWE.

Happy hunting and good luck to Luis Arraez and his chase for the AL batting title!