Trading WIth My Brother John - Manny Machado RC and Foxx SP

Like I said last night, I went back to my hometown for my birthday and made the rounds to visit some relatives while I was in town.  I tried to remember to bring some trade bait for my older brother, John, because I keep forgetting and he always calls and reminds me.  Apparently, I had some stuff that was good enough for his strict eye for condition, because we made a deal for a couple Orioles cards and a SP.

John priced the above Manny Machado X-Fractor RC pretty high, but I was able to talk him down into more realistic terms.  He got some Red Sox stuff off of me, and I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement.  He's a tough negotiator.

While I liked the Machado, this Jimmie Foxx SP was the jewel of the trade, in my opinion.  I still enjoy the Topps legends SPs and I didn't yet have this Foxx for my PC.  The value for these has come down and I probably could have gotten one for less than what I traded to get it, but I don't care.  John was happy with the deal, and so am I.  He knows I'm happy with it, because he asked me three or four times.

Some Pickups From My Brother John

I finally remembered to take one of my huge boxes of trade bait to my parents' house this past weekend and made the trek across the street to trade with my older brother, John.  I gave John a Ted Williams manufactured awards relic and he hooked me up with this cool Brooks Robinson All Star Game manufactured patch from 2013 Topps.

John gave me this awesome Virgil Trucks card, the only flaw being the spot near his eye.  It's ok, because I am a fan of any Virgil Trucks card.  His 97th birthday was on the 26th.  I took a moment on that day to pause and reflect on how awesome the man was and how I miss him, even though I never met him.

John traded this 2014 Topps Red Hot foil Chris Davis to me for a Ted Williams WWII card that I had.  I don't remember what year those were from, 2010, maybe?  I thought I had one of these Davis's coming in a trade, but I don't know what happened there.  Oh well, I have it now.

For a Jim Rice Silver Slugger Award manufactured card, John hooked me up with these two Manny Machado RCs.  The above card is a Topps Finest refractor and the below card is the Bowman Platinum red parallel.  Neither is numbered, but they are both really nice.

So, thanks for the cards, John.  I need to build back up some Red Sox inventory, but with all of the friends I have that collect Red Sox, it's tough.

Last Post From The December Card Show

Thankfully, I have reached the end of my posts from the December card show that I went to with my good friend, Scott.  These last few cards are some inserts I got for various PCs.  The above card is the 2013 Bowman Platinum purple chrome parallel of Jonathan Schoop (pronounced - scope).  He is the Orioles' top position player prospect.  Hailing from Curacao, he impressed during the Arizona Fall League.  Schoop likely will begin the season at AAA Norfolk, but could win the Opening Day second base job if he outplays Ryan Flaherty.  No longer are the Orioles waiting on Brian Roberts to return from injury, he cut ties with them this winter and signed with the arch-enemy Yankees.  With Roberts gone, Schoop now has a much clearer path to the majors.

Another player who could start at AAA Norfolk, but could win a job out of Spring Training, Kevin Gausman is the Orioles' #1 pitching prospect in some circles.  If you have Dylan Bundy ahead of him, that's ok, they are 1 and 1A, pretty much.  Gausman has the potential to be very good, he just has to put it together.  I got upset at times last year, mainly because I'm afraid that he is going to end up like other much hyped pitching prospects, like Hayden Penn, Adam Loewen, Daniel Cabrera, Zach Britton, etc.  Let's hope Gausman puts it together and has a strong year.  I know the Orioles need him to, since they haven't signed any other starting pitchers.

Finally, here is an X-fractor from 2013 Finest of 2013 NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen.  I've had a McCutchen PC going for about two years now.  He is the only current non-Oriole that I have a PC of, but I probably will have a few more this year.  I definitely will continue to get Nate McLouth cards, but he was an Oriole, so I don't know if that counts.  Really, though, there aren't too many other non-Oriole players who interest me like 'Cutch does.  He's such a good player on a team that you can root for.  I hope he keeps up his production and puts together a Hall of Fame career.  At this point, he is definitely on pace.

Trade With Matthew

I follow the "Topps Baseball Card Collectors" page on Facebook.  After I posted a few times asking (begging) folks to let me know if they have the two Brooks Robinson patches I need and then posting looking for Chris Davis and Nolan Reimold parallels, I met a kid named Matthew.  Matthew is 10 and is just starting out with his card collection.  I believe I am the first person he actually traded with, although I know he had a couple others cooking with Scott and Andrew.  Matthew admittedly has a lot to learn when it comes to trading cards, but I have tried to give him a few pointers along the way.  He also started a blog, which you can check out here.

So, I got 3 cards from Matthew in exchange for several Carlos Santana (the Indians catcher, not the amazing guitarist) and Yovanni Gallardo cards.  I didn't mind sending him a few extras, as I have no need for Santana or Gallardo.  Surprisingly, I didn't have the above Chris Davis Chrome refractor from last year's Topps Chrome.  This saves me from thinking I already have it and missing it every time I pick up Davis PC needs.

You saw the Bobby Bundy Bowman Chrome at the top; He is the 'other' Bundy in the Orioles' system.  He's Dylan's older brother and a pretty good pitcher in his own right.  The final card in the package is the above Billy Hamilton Bowman Platinum purple chrome parallel.  This is a really pretty card.  I think I'm going to add it to my RC collection and not flip it for anything.

So, I hope everyone gets a chance to check out Matthew's blog and make him feel welcome to the blogging community.  It's nice to see kids continuing to get involved with cards.  It's a sure sign that our hobby will continue into the future.