I should have known better

In hindsight, I guess I should have known better.

I should have known better than to trade at "book value" for a Bryce Harper card.

But, alas, I did. I'll admit it.

One of the last trades I completed on the forums involved this very card, one of the final few I needed from 2013 Topps.

When I made that ill-fated swap, my mindset basically centered around simply getting the last of my Flagship base needs over with, no matter how.

Even if it meant trading by book value.

The almighty Beckett gods say that Mr. Harper is "worth" four dollars. So, on the forums, that's what the asking price is. And, against my better judgment, I paid it by way of few miscellaneous 2013 Topps inserts.

On Thursday, the hallowed Harper arrived in my mailbox via the forums. Woo.

It's a nice card and all, but I can probably name quite a few Flagship cards I enjoy better.

That same afternoon, I was happy to find yet another "surprise" package on my doorstep, courtesy of fellow blogger and "friend of the blog" Adam. For those of you who don't know, he runs the terrific blog "ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession".

In it, I found a team bag bursting with cards. And what did I find about halfway through?

You guessed it.

The man himself, Bryce Harper.

I guess I should've known a fellow blogger would send it to me out of pure generosity, rather than capitalizing on its high "book value".

If I hadn't found a final "nail in the coffin" for my forum days up to that point, the saga of Bryce Harper was certainly it.

A heartwarming tale of generosity versus book value.

Still, the goods Adam sent didn't end there.

As much as I liked it, the Harper was far from the only 2013 base card Adam included in his package.

In fact, with the likes of Mr. Verlander and others, he ended up doing some serious damage to my remaining 2013 Flagship base needs.

Right now, I'm down to needing one last card.

Mike Trout's card #27 is the final piece I need for my Flagship puzzle.

Looks like someone's goin' fishing.

I'd specifically requested this pair from Adam earlier in the month.

PED suspension or not, Bartolo Colon is indeed a "binder guy". As a result, I can't help but enjoy his 2013 Flagship issue, Colon's first as an Oakland A.

I may be the only person in the nation who doesn't live within a reasonable distance from a Wal-Mart. In fact, I have purchased cards from Wally World on exactly one occasion in my entire life. And that was about two years ago.

While I love Target's red parallels this year, I like Wal-Mart's blue bordered cards a tad better. There's just something about that light shade of blue that captures my fancy.

Because of the lack of Wal-Marts in my area, though, I felt a bit left out of the blue-paralleled party. 

Thankfully, that feeling didn't last long. The Colon was my first foray into the wonderful world of blue-bordered paradise.

But, as you'll see in future trade posts around here, it wouldn't be my last.

No, Adam didn't send me all nine of these Chris Sale cards.

However, he did manage to turn one of the pages in my White Sox binder into an absolute masterpiece.

I pulled Sale's Flagship base issue from my initial 2013 breaks a few weeks ago. Thanks to the terrific red-pinstriped throwbacks, it instantly took its place as one of the better cards in the checklist.

Being the awesome person he is, Adam included both the red and blue parallels of Mr. Sale in his recent package. 

Look at how amazing that looks in a nine-pocket page. Simply beautiful.

Plus, it works well with the little 2012 Topps "combo" I have going in the bottom row.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, folks.

Binders are the way to go.

I hope you're not sick of these '72 minis yet.

Because chances are that you'll be seeing them a lot on this blog throughout the course of the year.

To date, I still have quite a bit of headway to make with these. However, Adam helped me chip away at my still plentiful '72 mini needs with this Castro.

Every little bit helps.

Although I'm always up for getting some 2013 goods, I was pleasantly surprised that Adam took the time to knock out a few of my remaining 2012 needs as well.

My 2012 Panini Cooperstown needs are starting to get dangerously close to completion. Although there were about four or five in the package he sent me, these were easily my two favorites from Adam.

That Lasorda is one of the greatest cards from the Cooperstown set. If not all of 2012, for that matter.

Due to his legendary managerial career, Lasorda's brief stint in the bigs as a pitcher sometimes gets overlooked. I love the fact that Cooperstown stole a page from his playing days for his card in the set.

I think we may need a drumroll for the last card Adam sent.

I definitely believe it to be drumroll worthy.

So...

Drumroll please!

Ta-da!

While Panini Golden Age was mainly just "another set" for most collectors last year, it definitely stood out in my eyes.

A large factor in that was Panini's inclusion of the Three Stooges in their checklist.

I've always been a huge fan of the comedy team. Much like the Marx Brothers, their material just never stops being funny to me, no matter how many times I watch it.

And, let's face it. While I'm definitely a Shemp supporter, Curly is the "Third Stooge". (For all our sakes, let's not bring Joe Besser into this.)

While Moe, Larry, and Curly do have individual cards in the Golden Age set, this was the one I really wanted. (But I'm still on the hunt for their solo cards if any are floating around out there!)

In the email he sent me, Adam said that he "knew right where this one needed to go" after he pulled it out of a Golden Age pack.

That meant a lot.

With friends like these, who needs the forums?

Not me.

From Bryce Harper to the Three Stooges, I know many of the great people in the blogosphere are keeping a lookout for me.

That's one of the greatest things about this community.

We're a tightly-knit bunch.