Reciprocity insecurity, Pt. 2

In case you missed last night's sparsely attended Part 1 of this two-part trade post, I'll be recapping the contents of an amazing blogger box sent courtesy of Jeremy, a fellow collector.

A lot of the time, I wonder where my collection would be without the help of the blogosphere. Had I not started this blog, my binders would be a shadow of their present selves.

Needless to say, the blogosphere has given me an entirely new outlook on this hobby. I'm sure most fellow bloggers would say the same.

For that, I don't know if I can ever fully show my gratitude for that valuable lesson. I'll always be in debt to the blogosphere.

Although the original intent of this blog was to showcase a few goofy cards from my goofy little collection, people have insisted on helping to build my goofy binders more than I could've ever imagined over the years.

Jeremy is one of those generous people. As if the spectacular array of mini-collection hits I featured yesterday wasn't enough, he also managed to knock out a couple treasured "Dime Box Dozen" needs.

Landing the Valenzuela you see above was especially sweet, as it was a part of the Just Commons order I placed that wound up lost in the mail. For a long time, I assumed his '98 Upper Deck issue was his only true "sunset" card.

Little did I know that there was another one floating around this whole time. Valenzuela's 1998 Collector's Choice card also features him during his brief five-game tenure with the Cardinals in '97.

As you might guess, this one is also a coveted "Short Term Stops" need as well.

In all honesty, I was surprised this one stayed on the "Dime Box Dozen" list for as long as it did.

As a common from 2011 Topps Update, I didn't think finding a copy would be all that difficult. To my surprise, though, it sat on the sidebar for months on end.

Before Jeremy came along, I came very close to breaking down and buying one on my own. Now I don't have to go that route.

I'm fairly certain that this is the only card of pitcher and fellow collector Pat Neshek as a Padre. He spent just 25 games with the franchise in 2011.

It may not be the most aesthetically-pleasing photo in existence, but I'm sure glad to finally have it in my collection.

Jeremy just kept piling on with the great cardboard.

He even sprinkled in a little vintage for good measure.

Although this '70 Topps All-Star issue of "Yaz" was technically a dupe, the one Jeremy sent along was a vast upgrade over the one that was sitting in my Red Sox binder at the time.

While I've always thought those "double vision" mishaps were oddly cool, I'd rather have a standard copy.

The power of random was alive and well in this box, by the way.

Take a look at these fun equipment-themed pieces. Ken Dayley is sporting two gloves for no good reason, and Kevin Young appears to be holding onto that gigantic bat for dear life.

That said, I still can't look past the awful blazer-blue jeans combo.

Personally, I've always found fishing to be one of the most boring leisures known to man.

Andy Ashby would probably beg to differ. Call me crazy, but I don't think he's going to get a nibble on a baseball field. Not unless he's at Marlins Park where they have fish behind the on-deck circle.

Now, if I were to pluck something like that Charlotte Knights mascot out of the water, I'd probably run for my life.

I can't figure out what the heck that thing is supposed to be.

Perhaps the most striking part of Jeremy's blogger box, however, was the amount of damage it did to my player collections.

I don't actively seek out jersey cards anymore, but I certainly won't refuse one of a guy like Vlad. That would be blasphemy.

On top of that, I would have to say the terrific Schmidt liquorfractor was the shiniest card Jeremy included.

That's not to say it didn't have some competition, though.

Monstrosities like these should show you just how crazy companies went around 2000 or so.

It's like a seizure on a baseball card.

Also adding to the shininess parade was this neat Ichiro insert.

I'm shocked that I hadn't seen any of these before.

More Ichiro for your viewing pleasure.

Although they're admittedly gimmicky, I've always had a soft spot for those see-through cards.

You can never go wrong with Mark Grace cards.

Even my doubles of his go to good use. My mom has her own Grace collection, so I simply hand off my extras to her.

These two, however, are staying with me. The throwbacks are a telltale sign that these shots were taken during the very first interleague Cubs-White Sox contest in 1997. Both teams wore 1906 retro jerseys to commemorate the event.

This is the first I'm seeing of Grace in the nifty duds.

Jeremy kept on going with these two tough player collection hits.

I can't imagine minor league cards of Matt Kemp are all that common. There something innately cool about seeing huge stars like him buried in the minors.

The Stanton was part of the 2010 Topps Chrome wrapper redemption program. Some of you might remember that they were basically an apology for the pancaking disaster from 2010 Topps Chrome.

I'd still like to know where quality control was on that one.

Duuuuuuuuuuddddddddddeeeeeeeeeeee.

Trippy cardboard.

By the time these two new pieces for my John Olerud and Casey Kotchman collections fell out of the box, Jeremy had already gone above and beyond with his efforts.

If I was already so blown away with all the cards I've already shown so far...

...you can only imagine my reaction when I laid my eyes on these.

Yes, these are all TTM autographs tailor-made to guys I collect. This was unlike anything I'd ever received in the past.

From left to right, we have Pat Neshek, John Olerud, Morgan Ensberg, R.A. Dickey, Mark Grace, Casey Kotchman, John Axford, Matt Cain, and Aubrey Huff.

The Neshek was the third different TTM autograph I'd received within the span of a couple weeks. My mom got a tremendous kick out of the Grace, as it's the first autograph of his in my collection.

On top of that...

...here's one more for the road.

That, my friends, is a freaking Bobby Grich TTM autograph.

It might well be the best Grich card I've found thus far. The fact that Jeremy would think to send such awesome piece to me says wonders about his generosity.

I can't thank him enough.

This is the man who made this whole box possible.

Jeremy threw a custom card of himself into this amazing assortment of cards, even personally autographing it for good measure.

Mind-blowing acts of generosity like this are what make the blogosphere such a special place.

After more than two years in the business, I honestly can't imagine my life without it.

Reciprocity insecurity, Pt. 1

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm doing enough for the blogging community.

I try and write as much as I can to keep my faithful readers satisfied, but I think there's more to being a successful blogger than that.

Heck, even if there wasn't, I haven't blogged in the past two days due to other conflicts. Because I'll be on my way to the Indians-White Sox game by the time you read this, I could've left this blog dormant for a third day. But that would've been unacceptable.

Another reason I'm feeling a little insecure is because I haven't mailed out anything to my fellow bloggers in a couple weeks. I don't have the money to send a lot of packages out at the moment, but I'd still like to ship a little something in the mail every so often.

On top of that, I'm still way, way behind in my trade posts. It bothers me that I have so many awesome packages that haven't yet seen the light of day on this blog. I'm getting to them, I promise.

Even with all that, people still find it in their hearts to send me great cardboard on a regular basis. Some say my writing is enough in return, but I'm not so sure about that.

Take this recent blogger box, for instance. My buddy Jeremy put together one of the best trade packages I've ever received with this one. I highlighted his new custom-based blog in a post not too long ago, and he started a second one not too long after that.

In the time since I received this box from Jeremy, however, I was sad to see that he deactivated both of his blogs. I hope he's still around the blogging community, because I really want him to see just how appreciative I was of this magnificent blogger box.

That should teach me to get my trade posts done sooner.

Perhaps more important than any of the cards he included, however, was the fact that I could tell he put a ton of time and effort into carefully selecting the perfect package.

He found so many, in fact, that this wound up as a rare two-part trade posts. And the first part, which you're reading right now, will be entirely exclusive to my mini-collections. A good third of the box hit on a number of my different themes. 

I guess it's fitting that Jeremy included this fun "cards with kids" mini-collection hit.

After all, I felt like a kid in a candy store digging through all the gems he put together for me.

Also present was this cool "behind the camera" need.

I still can't believe how many of these are floating around out there.

"Broken bat" and "award show" hits are always appreciated.

Mr. Griffey was just hitting his prime when he took home that 1992 All-Star Game MVP trophy.

I love a good "interview" shot, but I'm already amazed at the flow of "anthemic" cards I've received lately.

Those didn't become an official mini-collection until recently, yet many of my fellow bloggers have already done a great job of bolstering my new theme.

Plus, it's hard to go wrong with pink-bordered cards.

Bat barrels, anyone?

While it may seem like an odd mini-collection at times, the awesomeness of that Blauser reminded me of why I started chasing these things in the first place.

Throwbacks will forever be the basis for one of my favorite mini-collection themes.

Grabbing as many retro-themed cards as possible has been a quest of mine for as long as I can remember. I don't care whether the jersey is from 100 years ago or ten years ago.

I want them all.

Like any mini-collection hit, though, not all throwbacks are created equal.

Mr. Guardado and his epic Senators jersey kicks the tar out of a lot of other throwback hits I've found in the past.

Needless to say, it was one of my favorite surprises from Jeremy's blogger box.

I'd actually been plotting to make this one a "Dime Box Dozen" need for a while now.

As it happens, Jeremy knocked it out not long before it was slated to pop up on the sidebar of this blog.

"Junior" has had a lot of cool cardboard in the past, but this terrific multiple-exposure piece takes its place near the top.

I've often heard people preach the "quality vs. quantity" argument.

While I agree with that, who's to say that one can't have quality and quantity? Just look at this trade package for proof.

I'd never seen this many terrific "autograph" hits in one place before Jeremy came along.

Jeremy easily filled up a page of "plays at the plate" as well.

I can't imagine a more well-rounded batch of PATPs than these.

It's a perfect mix of horizontal and vertical cardboard. With names like Rickey Henderson and Darren Daulton, this page has a little star power as well.

Also present are cameos from Sandy Alomar Jr., Mark Grace, and even a pitcher with the late Geremi Gonzalez.

I'm especially fond of the centerpiece of this page.

That Blanco is the only bird's-eye "play at the plate" shot I've ever seen.

Jeremy managed to find an impressive bunch of "pitchers at the plate" as well.

As you might be able to tell from the sets featured here, the '90s and early 2000's were the prime era for cards like these.

The most striking aspect of this blogger box, however, were the "double dips" I received from Jeremy.

As evidenced by the fantastic shots seen here, he hit a home run with the quality of these things. Look at all those awesome double plays.

But, if you're a quality type of person, Jeremy had you covered as well.

If this isn't enough "double dips" for your viewing pleasure...

...here's nine more to tide you over.

Believe me, these were barely a fraction of all the double plays Jeremy found for me.

This was perhaps the most fascinating one.

I'm not even entirely sure that it's a "double dip" shot, in fact. I'm only assuming it is based on Hairston's leap.

Though it didn't really hit me at first, I quickly came to realize that this is one of the strangest baseball cards I've ever seen.

The fact that Upper Deck managed to find a midair shot of Hairston basically scrunched into a ball is an accomplishment in itself. Him being the only one in the frame makes it even more amusing.

It's a fitting end to the mini-collection madness that Jeremy unleashed on me.

I've been at this blogging thing for over two years now. In all that time, however, I've never received a more amazing assortment of mini-collection hits.

And, believe it or not, this is just half of the goodies that Jeremy sent along.

I'm greatly appreciative that amazing batches of cards like these still consistently wind up on my doorstep.

I still don't think I'm deserving of it, though.

The anatomy of a blaster

As much as I love writing, there are some limits to this blog.

Since I'm not one of those people who posts videos of themselves every five seconds, most of you know me simply by my posts. I'm "Dime Box Nick" or "The Dime Box Guy" to a lot of people around here.

I'm completely fine with that. I like having that sort of dime box niche here in the blogosphere.

Still, there's a certain wall that exists between a blogger and a reader. Unless you're some sort of creepy stalker, you don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes of a blogger's collection unless he or she specifically opens that world up to you.

Through my writings, I've been trying to break down that invisible wall that separates blogger and reader more and more lately. I've documented the specifics of how I collect many times in the past, and I took many of you on "the grand tour" not too long ago.

Today, though, I'd like to show what exactly happens when I acquire new cards for my collection. Thanks to a blaster of Opening Day courtesy of my dad, we have a perfect starting point.

I love bragging about my finds after a nice retail break, but there's a whole lot than the simple feeling of "check out these awesome cards!" when I open a blaster or whatnot.

It's actually a good deal of work.

Step #1 of busting a blaster is pretty simple.

Open the packs!

I'm sure most collectors know the familiar popping sound that accompanies opening a fresh new pack of cards. Hearing that sound has become sort of an addiction over the years. There could literally be anything inside.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I actually like to look at the back of the last card of the pack before flipping them over.

I'll bet a lot of collectors avert their eyes and just go straight for that first card without peeking at the back.

I don't do any sorting while I'm in the process of opening packs.

I go through each one, absorb the cards inside, and throw the contents into a stack. Thanks to Opening Day's budget-minded ways, this was a process I got to repeat eleven times during the course of this blaster.

For most posts, that's where the story would end. I'd go through everything, pick out the most "blog-worthy" ones, and show them to you.

Although there were certainly quite a few "blog-worthy" cards in this blaster, that's not how this post is going to go.

Nope, you're getting an exclusive backstage pass into the post-opening process here tonight.

There are a few very clear stages of busting a blaster or box or whatever you might have on hand. 

Step #1, as you just saw, was the process of actually opening and absorbing all the cards you pulled. That might be the pinnacle of the blaster experience.

After the despair of not having anymore packs to open wears off, step #2 begins.

Sorting.

These days, I group my pulls into three distinct stats. Cards of "binder guys" I need (left), possible frankenset nominees (center), and cards I don't need (right).

If luck was on my side, that stack on the left should be the biggest of the three.

Thankfully, it was with this blaster.

That said, I'd like to start with the pile on the right.

The extras.

Even though it may seem like I want everything, not every card I pull is going to be a need. That's just how it goes when you're busting retail.

Thankfully, though, I've begun to take notice of what other people collect during my time here. And, though I've been slacking a bit with sending out trade packages lately, I'm constantly putting cards aside that I think other blogger buddies might enjoy.

Whether it's Mets, Red Sox, Braves, or any other team seen here, these will all find good homes in due time.

Sadly, the same can't be said about every extra I pull.

Though I've met a lot of great people around here, I don't have good homes lined up for some of these cards.

To date, I don't think I've ever traded with a Mariners or Twins fan, which pretty much puts extras of those teams (and a few others) in limbo.

These are the cards that wind up in my dups box, dreaming of the day that they'll wind up in a better home with more love and care than I could ever give them.

Now, let's move onto the so-called "rock stars" of every blaster.

The keepers.

With my seemingly random ways, I probably hang onto more cards than most people. It's no secret that I collect a lot of different things.

Every time I open a blaster, the keepers go through a couple different sorting stages.

Firstly, I sort them by number. On the left is every card I need between numbers 1-99. In the middle are numbers 101-199, and on the right are numbers 200 and up. (I do the same with the frankenset cards as well.)

This allows me to maintain some sort of sanity in keeping the "set needs" page on the sidebar of this blog updated. Thankfully, this blaster knocked out a good chunk of my remaining Opening Day base wants.

I can happily say that the sidebar is now fully up to date.

After that, however, the real sorting fun begins.

As I've mentioned before, almost my entire collection is organized by team. Whether it be a card show, blaster, or whatever, the last sorting process that occurs is the grouping by team.

Each pile above represents a different MLB squad. This blaster alone added new cards to 19 different teams in my binders.

From there, I organize them alphabetically by team (Angels first, Yankees last) and prep them to eventually be filed away.

That's where the third and final step of this process begins.

Filing.

I don't always have time to do filing, so cards can sit on the living room table for days or weeks on end. (In the case of a mammoth card show, it can take upwards of a month.)

I think I managed to put the contents of this blaster away within a couple days. One of the better pulls was the Opening Day version of Todd Helton's "sunset" issue, seen here in the top-left corner. It looks beautiful next to its Flagship counterparts.

That, my friends, is why I will always be a binder guy.

Once the last cards are put away, the process ends. At least until the next blaster comes along, anyways.

Then it starts all over again.

It's a vicious cycle, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The repack B-movie

I love repacks.

I'm not afraid to admit it. Repacks and I have a special connection. Nothing will ever stand in the way of our love. It's like we were meant for each other.

Basically, repacks and I are the plot of a corny B-movie. That was especially true with the last one I bought.

After one of my recent searches for Heritage came up empty, one of the repacks my local Target had on the hanger intrigued me. For some reason, though, I didn't buy it. Instead, I made a vow that I'd come back for that lonely repack at some point in the future.

As it turns out, that repack and I were reunited the very next day. After worrying that some evil soul would snatch the repack from right under my nose, I decided that it had to be mine as soon as possible.

I rushed over to my local Target and snagged it off the shelf, wondering what had held me back the previous afternoon.

Unlike many of the past repacks I've opened, this one didn't contain a pack of 1989 Fleer. That's certainly no skin off my back.

The only pack I found was the usual one of 2012 Topps Update. I don't know what it was, but I had a feeling that something special was in the thing. I was right.

My pack netted me the Darwin Barney you see above, a gold parallel of one of 2012's finest moments.

The fun was just beginning.

Most of the vintage in repacks I open end up being quite forgettable.

That is, if they contain any vintage in the first place.

However, this particular one had a groovy piece of '70s baseball in store for me with this White Sox team card. 

Although I'd already had a copy of it in my collection, this one was a vast upgrade. Mine looked like it'd been run over by an 18-wheel semi at some point.

I don't know about you, but I wish the South Siders would permanently make red a part of their color scheme again.

As any repack is bound to have, this one featured a few fun randoms.

While I enjoyed the Ian Desmond "double dip", the O'Connor really grabbed my attention. From the looks of it, he just uncorked a Nuke LaLoosh-like fastball into the stands.

Let's just hope it didn't hit the mascot.

I'm constantly amazed at how many overproduction era cards I still need.

Though I seem to have reams of 1991 Topps and 1992 Pinnacle extras lying around, both of these were new to me.

Willie Randolph as a Brewer never quite looked right to me.

Perhaps the strongest connection between repacks and I is our mutual love for oddballs.

Every single one I open seems to have a few new oddities for my binders. At just four bucks, you can't beat the draw of landing some cool oddballs.

Most of the repacks I've opened lately have contained one of these 1992 Conlon Babe Ruth singles. As you might know by now, I'm on board with absolutely anything Conlon-related.

This one, however, was particularly mind-blowing. Shortly before his death in August of 1948, "The Great Bambino" is shown here handing out an award to a Yale baseball player. That player was named George Bush.

Yes, the very same George Bush that would become president about 40 years later.

Talk about a coincidence!

Oddball minis have become an integral part of the repack experience.

They're always good for some bite-sized fun.

Of course, full-sized oddballs are always good.

Sadly, I've never had the opportunity to get a baseball card out of a cereal box in my lifetime.

It's one of my bigger disappointments.

Like any good relationship, repacks will almost certainly surprise you every now and again.

Pacific's 1988 Eight Men Out release is one of the better oddball sets in history. Unlike the Conlon Ruths, though, I'd never gotten one of these out of a repack before.

Except for The Sandlot, Eight Men Out is most likely my favorite baseball movie. Pictured here is one of the better scenes from the film, featuring John Cusack as White Sox third baseman Buck Weaver.

In fact, I may have to go watch Eight Men Out for about the twentieth time now.

When I first laid eyes on this repack, one thing in particular caught my attention.

It wasn't the pack of 2012 Topps Update. It wasn't the possibility of landing a couple new vintage singles. It wasn't the alluring four-dollar price tag.

It was this.

Staring out at me from the window of the very first repack on the shelf were none other than David Wright and Mr. Met. I was hopelessly in love.

Since I bought quite a bit of 2008 Topps in its heyday, I wondered how such an awesome card could've slipped by me. I wondered whether it was a pre-Topps monopoly photo-variation SP or something.

After a little research, however, I found that Topps issued these as kind of a "Stay In School" promotion back in 2008. Ironically, they were only available via Target.

In the end, I did get my copy at Target, but about six years later. And it took a repack for it to finally happen.

So, just like the end of any corny B-movie, the repack and I lived happily ever after.

It was a match made in heaven.

The dime box frankenset, Page 21: Numbers 181-189

Welcome to another Frankenset Sunday!

I can't believe that a week of the baseball season is already in the books. Although my fantasy team has had a few injuries thus far, it's been a good first few games for my squad.

All in all, I'm just happy that baseball is finally back. I can't wait until I can soak in more games over the summer months.

I'm also looking forward to a summer full of frankenset posts.

Here's another page coming at you.

Completion status: 9/9...completed page!

Numbers needed: None.

The card: 2004 Topps #181 Jason Michaels

Why it made the cut...

In some ways, this card is part of the inspiration for my frankenset.

I saw it week after week in a dime box at the local flea market, but passed on it each time. After all, I didn't collect Jason Michaels. And, as was my train of thought at the time, what's the point of buying a card of a guy who isn't in my binders?

That changed one week when I finally decided to drop a shiny FDR on Mr. Michaels. At some point, I decided the card was just too cool not to own. Huge mitts like those are always good for a laugh.

As time went on, I began to pick up more fun cards of guys I didn't collect. Eventually, the process snowballed into the creation of this entire non-binder guy frankenset.

It's one of the best decisions I've made as a collector.

And a lot of it can be traced back to Jason Michaels.

The card: 1984 Fleer #182 Glenn Hubbard

Why it made the cut...

One of the fun things about building a frankenset is that there's always a possibility that a better card can come along and knock someone else out of a particular slot.

You just never know when that next upgrade is going to come.

However, in the case of Glenn Hubbard, I can say with about 99.99 percent certainty that he has a permanent hold on the #182 slot in my frankenset.

Most longtime collectors have probably seen this card at some point. It's one of the more iconic cards in Fleer's history, and definitely one of my five favorite cards in this frankenset.

I don't see anything coming along that could knock this one out.

Still, you never know.

Maybe there's a komodo dragon card floating around out there.

The card: 1992 Upper Deck #183 Chris Hoiles

Why it made the cut...

Of the last four frankenset pages I've posted, three have featured a Chris Hoiles "play at the plate".

That has to be some sort of record.

Hoiles is a PATP god.

The card: 1998 Topps #184 Jeff Montgomery

Why it made the cut...

I actually received this one in a trade package I haven't yet posted on the blog.

You'll see it again around here soon enough, but Mr. Montgomery certainly didn't have too much competition in locking down this frankenset slot.

Topps obviously attempted to play on the whole "fireman" theme with this one. As much as I want to like 1998 Topps for quirky photos like these, I come up short each time.

I just can't get past that horrific design.

The card: 1993 Upper Deck #185 Tony Pena

Why it made the cut...

This, my friends, is the definition of a perfectly framed baseball card.

I guess it's fitting that it comes from such a legendary set like 1993 Upper Deck.

The card: 2000 Ultra #186 Justin Thompson

Why it made the cut...

Pitcher at the plate!

Plus, you have a nice bunting shot and a sweet horizontal frame. Oh, and Thompson is a rare American League "pitcher at the plate" nominee.

This card fires on all cylinders.

The card: 2014 Topps #187 Justin Turner

Why it made the cut...

It's our first 2014 frankenset nominee!

Justin Turner earns that distinction with this terrific double play shot.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other frankenset hits the year has in store.

The card: 1993 Fleer #188 Gary DiSarcina

Why it made the cut...

Another double dip!

I've never been huge on 1993 Fleer, but this is a beauty.

The card: 1981 Donruss #189 Pete Vuckovich

Why it made the cut...

Part of the reason I love collecting "pitchers at the plate" is because of their unfamiliarity.

There's just something inherently strange about seeing guys who pitch for a living taking their hacks.

Still, if the image of Pete Vuckovich with a bat in his hands looks vaguely familiar to you, you're not alone. Something about it struck me when I first received this card.

It took a while until I found out that Vuckovich played menacing slugger Clu Haywood in the first Major League movie.

That's where you've seen him before.

I mean, you've seen Major League, right?

If not, do yourself a favor and watch it RIGHT NOW.

It's a rite of passage for every baseball fan.