The Small Trade Parade, Vol. X

Alright, I’m going to see if I can jam one of these out in the morning. I kinda love these posts – they let me unleash a flurry of thank yous without having to go too in depth, and I get to highlight some fun cards. Sometimes I’ve even forgotten the cards. The cards in today’s post all came via small TCDB swaps which arrived in January.

First up is a quartet from Charles (CK3), which helped me out on a couple sets I’m casually working on, as well as netting me a fun Hank Aaron card. Charles didn’t have much on my want list, and when I combed his traders it was clear he was a Braves and Canseco fan. Well, these three Braves and a Canseco are welcome here. I’m slow-rolling 1995 Leaf and should probably make a proper want list. I really liked that Million Dollar Moments set when it came out as pack filler in 1998 Fleer Tradition. Hank is, well, Hank. Totally awesome.

Dennis (dreaston) didn’t have much for my want list either, but he’s from Canada! That meant I got to dig around for some O-Pee-Chees of interest. Walling was the only card on my list here, but I couldn’t pass up an OPC pickup of Raines in an Expos uniform, or the Lesser Ripken for my little PC, or that sweet Strawberry. The Claude Raymond comes from a 1993 set celebrating the Expos 25th Anniversary. Donruss released it via McDonald’s. Claude was a Colt .45 back in the day, and I have a few cards set aside to write him. This one looked to be a fun addition to the envelope.

I told you I liked this set! Mitch (2outRBI) had a sextet for my needs. It’s just a fun cross-section of “moments in baseball,” really. Pops and Nomo are my favorites here, but the Nuxhall has a soft spot in my heart. He was a Reds broadcaster for a long time and answered my letter when I was a kid.

There’s been a little trend in these trades, where the folks sending cards my way haven’t had much in the way of Astros for me. That was the case with Pete (plevin) as well. Pete’s an Orioles fan, and not only had two spare Palmeiro’s for my Denny’s quest, but also had three Laughlin stickers for me. The 1960 and 1965 World Series both have Orioles stickers on the back. Quite frankly, I’m pretty miffed about that 1960 artwork. Sure, the Yankees hit the snot out of the ball while losing, but how do you not celebrate one of the most iconic moments in World Series history? Ouch. I’m not as well versed with the 1965 series, but I’m sure Night Owl could probably find reason to quibble with the loser appearing on that card as well. Heck, he’s probably already written about it.

Ah, here are some Astros cards to celebrate! Michael (Maddog320) had some shiny ‘Stros which were quite welcome around these parts. I apparently was pretty thin on 2001 Topps Chrome cards, which he was happy to send my way. I’m still pretty thin on these, so if you have one of the dozen on my want list, please reach out! Michael also had a super-sparkly Zack Greinke card to send my way, and hoooo boy is it stunning. What a perfect adaptation of those psychedelic ’72s. Finally, I’d like to highlight that he also used some perfect postage on the PWE that these cards arrived in – three baseball stamps! Plus two of them were Roberto and Pops! Kismet.

The other Astros in this post came from another Michael (PennsylvaniaTiger). Highlights from his PWE included a high number from 2020 Heritage, my first taste of 2021 Stadium Club, and a pair of green-bordered parallels from last year’s Gypsy Queen set. But the kicker in the package was a rookie auto of Enoli “Cannoli” Paredes from 2021 Stadium Club. I really like this dude. He’s had some control issues, but he throws gas, has been very effective for stretches, and always has the biggest freakin’ smile on his face. He’s down the street in AAA Sugar Land at the moment (I should go see him!), but I trust he’ll be back up with the big club soon. I only had a pair of sticker autos, so this on-card issue made the Astro-graphs binder.

Thanks to all you wonderful folks who send cards this way, even if it takes me ages to acknowledge them around these parts – they’re most appreciated!

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