Christmas Gift From Michael S.

I got a nice surprise package in the mail recently from my friend, Michael S. from Instagram.  He and I both have been really busy lately, and haven't chatted much, which I regret.  I have some cards for him, but I have been waiting to ship once I find some more stuff to add to the pile.

Michael really surprised me with what he included in the package.  I had never seen the above 2006 Bowman Originals Nolan Reimold auto.  It is hand numbered and comes in a sealed snap case.  They don't scan very well, but that's ok.  I loved the Bowman Heritage when it came out.  I feel like it may be time for Topps to go back to the well with Bowman Heritage.

Michael included this 2009 Topps Chrome Nolan Reimold auto as well.  I have a couple already, but since I super collect Nolan, I will take duplicates of his relics and autos at any time.

Michael added this 2008 Donruss Diamond Kings Reimold auto.  The card looks really awesome and is numbered 149/500.  I always liked Diamond Kings, when they were their own standalone product, and when they were inserts in Donruss products.  They always look awesome.

Finally, Michael included this 1/1 sketch card.  I have actually seen this one on Ebay from time to time.  I never jumped on it, though.  Now that I have this in my hands, I'm really impressed with the art of it.  The guy is really talented, that's for sure.  I used to do a good bit of artwork when I was younger and always struggled when drawing people.  This guy really nailed it, I think.

Thanks so much for the Christmas care package, Michael.  I really appreciate it and am happy to add all of these cards to my collection!

Awesome Care Package From Andrew

I got a package in the mail the other day from my good friend, Andrew, that had a few cards that he and I dealt for, and also some unique items.  Andrew, unbeknownst to me for a long time, is quite the artist.  He recently began doing some pencil sketches of baseball players and showed them to me over Skype.  I was amazed by how talented he was and requested that he draw me something.  Funny thing is, he had already drawn some for me.  This Nolan Reimold sketch is really amazing.  So much so, I took a quick picture of it and sent the picture to Nolan's wife, Jenny.  She, too, thought it was awesome and said that she would show Nolan.  I know that this was a pretty cool moment for Andrew.

This is actually the second sketch that he drew for me of Chris Davis.  Apparently, he had one completed after several hours of painstaking work, only to spill a drink on it.  Ouch.  Thankfully, Andrew re-drew it and here it is.  This one is awesome, as well.  He really is talented.  I hope some folks go on his blog and request some sketches from him.  He really needs to utilize this talent.

Andrew and I HAD been working on a trade for some trade bait on both sides, so I sent him something he could flip elsewhere and I took this 2014 Topps Supreme Chase Whitley that I could take with me to this weekend's show.  I think I can sell it for a decent price, especially since there are a ton of Yankees fans in Raleigh, for some reason.

Finally, Andrew found me another Nolan card that I needed in my collection, this 2006 Just Minors auto.  The card is numbered 12/50 and looks really cool.  I had no idea that Andrew picked this up for me, and I was really happy to receive it.

Thanks so much for the great package, Andrew.  I hope some folks commission you to do some sketches.  I think you can make a little money off of them, if you so choose.  You sure have a talent!

Everyone, go check out Andrew's blog, and put him to work!  You can access his blog HERE.