A BIG Trade post... massive quantity of updates... birthday present... stuff...

I've been a bad blogger while I was doing my contest... I let trades, b-day presents and contest winnings pile up and now you all get a huge post to scroll through and see my new cards! So, first up is Chris from Nachos Grande. There's no way for me to scan all the cards he sent my way... he finished off my 2011 Allen and Ginter set (except for 1 card, #88) and also sent along this awesomeness:

My first ever "diamond sparkle" SP, even if it is Carlos Lee. Chris did a fantastic Top 10 break down of all the cards I sent him, and I'd be here all night posting pictures of all the awesome cards he sent me. I definitely owe him a nice hit or two down the road as he totally outdid himself on this one. Chris, you're awesome, your blog is awesome and I'm sure I'll be sending some cards your way some time soon!

Next up is my buddy Andrew who I met on FanBro.com. He had this SWEET Jeff Kent patch and I was able to get it with a could of Goodwin hits sent his way... it's number 4/5, so a very nice low numbered patch is always welcome... and it's my first Jeff Kent "hit".

Alright, next up is my buddy David from Rhubarb_Runner. I was holding some Twins hostage, errr... holding them for safe keeping, until David was able to replenish his Astros trade bait... and that he did!

It turns out that I somehow missed the fact that I already had both Oswalt relics in my collection, so any Astros collectors out there with duplicate hits they want to send my way... or any Phillies Oswalt collectors who want to trade for these? The Scott auto is nice, as it's my first of him as well. I really like the Born In The USA series as well. Thanks David!

Alright, next is Duane from Democratic Roadkill... AWESOME blog name, love it... and not for political reasons, but mainly because I like blog titles that are descriptive and just a little odd.... I'm odd, just deal with it people... I had a bunch of mini's for him... he had these two SWEET EXT A&G mini's (only found in RIP cards) for me...

Nice additions to my collection, again, even if it involves Carlos Lee... hard to think they could fit Carlos on a "mini" anything... ok, sorry... bad "fat" joke... I'll move on...

Another reader, Jeff W., is always willing and able to make a trade and once again he out did himself with his latest assistance getting my Kimball Champions and Topps series 2 need lists cleared out a bit:

Thanks Jeff!

Alright, now onto a "contest" winning... from the forum boards of Tri-City Sports Cards (of Poland). I'm still feeling a bit of a let down from the half case I bought in Jan/Feb. But I go to their forum when they announce a contest just to put my hat in the ring... and I won a limited edition Bryce Harper card numbered 69/100. So here you go, I'll let you all judge it's coolness, let me know what you think:

Oh crap... one more trade... this from a nice lady named Jenny who Jeff W. put me in contact with... I sent her a Stras-mas RC and a few other Yanks in exchange for some cards for my wife:

Thanks Jenny! Anyone with cards from this set, let me know, I'd be interested in trading for them!

Finally, I have two cards (one's already traded) from one of my birthday presents (next Tuesday I'll be 31, ug, closer to 40 than 20 now... so sad...) and my wife and I went to Big Hits Sports Cards in Spanish Fort, AL looking for Goodwin Champions, but alas they were soldout. However, they did have some boxes of 2007 UD Black on sale... so I took a shot a some high end cards which I normally wouldn't dare... here's what I got:

The Verlander is already on its way to Dennis at Too Many Grandersons. The Konerko is definitely up for trade. The Konerko is just sick looking... I love it... the photo and sig plate are see-through, hard to explain but in hand it just looks awesome.  I definitely may try this product again. You only get two cards, but they are nice looking cards and I definitely feel I got my money's worth. It may just change my collecting mindset as well, but more on that in a later post...

Thanks to all who participated in the recent contest... it was a lot of fun and I hope everyone who "won" actually feels like they won. I don't think anyone got "stuck" with a card they didn't really want. Hopefully it'll bless your trade bait or personal collections more than it did mine!