Make it funky - Allen & Ginter

Listening:  James Brown 20 All-Time Greatest Hits!

Finally returning to the blogosphere after an absence of one week.  My workload ramped up a bit over the past two weeks, some of that was unexpected, so I cut back a bit on sending trade offers out. 

I have made a number of Target runs over the past week, and pretty much always pick up a fat pack or two.  I try to limit it to no more than $10.  If I haven’t been in a while I will splurge and pick up a blaster.  I failed to take any photos of the packs I ripped, but I believe I picked up a pair each of Topps Series 2 and Allen & Ginter.  I may have picked some Chrome as well; can’t recall.  I scored another Vlad Jr rookie.  I also pulled a pair of SP variations.  I am pretty sure I have purchased maybe eight Series 2 fat packs and hit two Vlad Jr rookies.  Pretty nice.  I like the Allen & Ginter design but the checklist is so bizarre.  This is one of the cards I got.  Really?  They get a card?  I don’t get it.  I also pulled an interesting insert - a mini of a chihuahua.  How appropriate that this dog be found on a mini card.

As a result of my short hiatus from sending out trade offers very few packages arrived last week.  I did receive two packages on Saturday the 10^th.  The first was a small trade with wbaker01; our sixth.  Bill and I have done some good size trades, but this is by far our smallest, but it filled a need for each of us.  I received a pair of Rumeal Robinson’s for my Michigan collection:

Rumeal hit the free throws to seal the win against Seton Hall so he will always carry significance.  Things have been a little for Rumeal since ‘89.

The other package I received was a very pleasant surprise.  I found an envelope from PapaG321 in my PO box and paused because I was fairly certain we did not have a trade in progress.  I opened the envelope right there in the post office and literally chuckled out loud as I discovered I was the recipient of a genuine PapaG321 rookie card:

 

Thanks for the card, Dan.

I have returned to sending out trade offers so I found three packages in the mailbox today over lunch.  All three trades add 2019 baseball stars to my son’s budding collection.  My fourth trade with hockeydude adds some Bowman, Donruss, Topps, and Heritage cards to Owen’s collection:

 

My first trade with chemistclete adds cards from Donruss, Topps, and Gypsy Queen to Owen’s collection:

 

The day concludes with my first trade with belijr.  It is a small one, but packed with punch; Alonso and Tatis rookies for Owen:

Three Target runs in one day, duh

Listening:  Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

I am playing catch up with the old blog today.  Nana (my mom) came up and spent three nights with us so that put the kibosh on card-related activities (blogging, inventorying, trading, etc.).

I made three trips to Target on Saturday; three!  During the first trip, a solo trip to pick up some household supplies, I bought a Topps Series 2 fat pack and a Chrome blaster.  All of the Series 2 cards have been placed on my For Trade list.  I pulled a Yelich insert, however, I already have one in Owen’s collection:

 

The Chrome was blaster was ok.  I pulled a few 2019 stars for Owen’s collection:

 

I’m holding onto four base RCs:

 

The remainder, including a few inserts and parallels, has been placed on my For Trade list:

 

Nana wanted to buy the kids some things so I found myself at Target again.  I picked up a Prizm multi-pack for Owen’s collection:

 

Saturday evening my wife came up with a list of four items that we absolutely needed now.  Could they wait until Sunday morning?  No.  My third Target run of the day ended with a Chronicles hanger box purchase.  I did pretty well as 14 of the 30 cards go toward building the base set:

 

Some decent RCs – a pair of Ayton’s, a Trae, a Bagley, a Bamba, and a JJJ.

The three green parallels include a Bagley:

The remaining 13 cards are duplicates placed on my For Trade list:

 

I received a single trade today; my third with joe0786 and it begins with some basketball set builders:

The trade wraps up with some 1991 football set builders:

A Boombastic Trade

Today's lone package is a PWE trade with Shaggy69 that begins with a pair of basketball set builders from the SkyBox family:

Michigan additions are up next; mostly basketball but there is a Brady:

The trade concludes with some Bama football additions:

Whenever I see the handle Shaggy69 on TCDB I wonder if I'm dealing with the man who gave us such gems as "Boombastic", "Angel", and "It Wasn't Me". 

A trade, a fat pack, a Bloss'em, and a Blume

Today's lone trade comes via TCDB member mrdonnee and consists solely of 2018 Donruss set builders:


I had to run out to Target after work to pick up a few cleaning supplies.  On my way to the check out I picked up one Chronicles fat pack.  Things are getting a little more challenging now.  Of the 15 cards only four go toward building the set:

My first Score card; that's nice.  The other cards are pretty nice as well (WCJ, Bamba, and Ayton).  I still really like that Studio design.  I miss it as a stand-alone set.
One parallel in the pack; a bronze Kyrie:

My second Score card is a Mo Wagner for the Michigan collection:

The remaining nine cards are all doubles, and in a few cases triples, headed for the For Trade list:


While at Target I also picked up a couple of things for our daughter.  I think the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang are primarily in the toy business.  My God, the constant of barrage of toy commercials.  And you'll see the same ads during every commercial break for two straight hours.  Over the past two weeks or so she has seen commercials for Awesome Bloss'ems and Blume.  Each time she blurts out, "I want that".  I finally found some in stock at Target today.  $6.99 for one and $9.99 for the other.  Very underwhelming but she loves them.  Sadly, we did not pull one of the rare diamond parallel dolls.

Katie Nolan & 3 trades

Three TCDB trades on today's docket.

I forgot about this...  While running to the post office over lunch on Friday I listened to Dan LeBatard and heard Katie Nolan's Woman 101.  Funny stuff.

1. My second trade with CrimsonTider kicks us off today and includes 1983 and 1984 Topps set builders:
   
2. My third trade with joe0786 adds some football cards to my Michigan collection:
   
   A trio of Bama football additions rounds out the trade:
   
3. My fourth trade with MattnMiller concludes today's recap and includes baseball set builders (1990 UD, 1991 Score, 1991 Topps):
   

Topps Chrome & Teen Age Riot

Listening:  Sonic Youth Daydream Nation

The first Saturday of college football is a mere four weeks away.  Four weeks.  This will be the 140th season of Michigan football.  My Michigan-Michigan St. ticket arrived a couple of weeks ago.  My brother-in-law is holding a Michigan-Wisconsin ticket for me.  I'm trying to convince my wife to let me take our daughter out to Ann Arbor for a game.  The three of us went as family to a game in both 2016 and 2017.  Last year didn't work out as my wife was pregnant.  I was in the grocery store yesterday and after checking out I walked by the magazine rack with its college football previews.  One had Michigan as #5.  I just don't see it.  They lost some talent off that defense and the offense has wilted time and again against good competition.  I think 9-3 is a realistic projection for Team 140.

Today's lone package is my second trade with TCDB member Driver8k and consists solely of football cards.  2018 Prestige set builders kicks things off:

Followed by some Michigan football additions:

The trade concludes with some Bama football additions:


As with many Saturday mornings I found myself out running an errand in the vicinity of our local Target.  I noticed earlier this week that Topps Chrome was released so I stepped into Target hoping to find some in stock...

As luck would have it, they had a few blasters in stock.  I forgot how much I like Topps Chrome.  So disappointing that Topps is not in the basketball business as Finest, Stadium Club, and Chrome rank among my all-time favorite offerings.
I pulled some stars of 2019 for Owen's collection:

This includes a McNeil Prism Refractor.
I pulled a handful of base rookies I will hold onto for now:

We'll see if any of them pan out.
I am placing the remainder of the cards, including three inserts and two parallels, on my For Trade list:


I also picked up a Chronicles hanger box as I have become quite fond of the set.  To this point I have been very lucky in pulling some strong rookies and only a handful of duplicates.  Something had to give eventually - of the 30 cards in today's only 13 go toward building the base set:

While there are only 13 cards here I did manage to pull Luka and Ayton rookies, as well as my second Obsidian.  Not too shabby.
Three green parallels were included in the box:

The Green Marquee pops nicely.
The remaining fourteen cards are all duplicates of base cards and will be available on my For Trade list:

Woodley Additions

Listening:  Slayer Undisputed Attitude

Short post tonight...
Zach Greinke to the Astros?  Whoa.  That's quite the starting rotation.

A single PWE in the mail today courtesy of my fifth trade with Steelersfan.  Whenever I accumulate a few Steelers inserts/parallels I turn to Pete first because guys named Pete need to look out for each other.  Trading with Pete benefits me because he has a nice stash of Lamarr Woodley's on his For Trade list and I received six today: