The Trading Post #107: Summer of '74

We've probably seen the two biggest transactions occur already during this MLB offseason. Japanese star Shohei Ohtani has chosen to hitch his wagon to the Angels, and the Yankees just took a nine-figure obligation off the Marlins' hands in Giancarlo Stanton, becoming the first team since 1919 to lead the Majors in home runs and then acquire the individual home run leader. The Yankees acquired Babe Ruth almost a century ago, though it would be a few more years before that turned into a championship.

The trades that occur in the Cardsphere have far fewer zeroes in the value column, but they are still appreciated, especially when there is a new face in our community. Summer of '74 is a newcomer as of this past April, and Matt P has already established himself as a trading partner with many veteran bloggers.

This won't be a two-part post, but Matt sent me a stack of 1994 Topps Gold cards before I could even blog about this first shipment. Watch for that in the near-ish future, but for now, let's start things off with a double play/cameo card:

2000 Topps #306 Mike Lansing

2000 Topps doesn't get a lot of love. The gray border and vertical back are often cited as demerits, but it's one of my favorites of the long period that Topps moved away from white borders. It has generally good photography, and I particularly like the "Topps 2000" lettering, something that really taps into the turn of the millennium craze that was happening at that time.

Mike Lansing is shown turning two over top of Brian Giles, center fielder of the Pirates. At first, I thought this player was an Oakland Athletic, thanks to the yellow outline on his uniform numbers. It took a bit of digging to find out that neither Brian Giles nor his brother Marcus ever played for Oakland, and what's more, #24 is retired by Oakland, as Rickey Henderson wore it for much of his career. I mistook the black for a shadowy dark green.

This was a tricky one to pinpoint. The Pirates hosted the Rockies twice during the 1999 season, but Lansing only played in the first series. There's no clear situation where Giles was the first out in a double play, so the best guess I have is May 1st, 1999. Giles was forced out at second base in the bottom of the first inning, and it looks like the Rockies may have tried turning a 5-4-3 double play but couldn't pull it off, allowing a run to score. This high slide of Giles', which does not look entirely Kosher to me, may have had an effect. The inning deteriorated from there, as the Pirates batted around and plated three.

I'm not as confident in this detective work as usual, so take it with a grain of salt. But it's a good shot, regardless.

2014 Topps Upper Class #UC-30 Matt Holliday

In 2014, when Upper Deck was several years removed from the baseball card market, Topps was bold enough to name an insert set "Upper Class", and this is my third card from it. There's plenty of gold foil and a nice frame, as well as a posed shot of a youthful-looking Matt Holliday. This 50-card insert set focuses on the player's rookie year, and Holliday's was full of power, including a grand slam. The back also mentions a few other rookies that joined the league the same year, in this case David Wright, Joe Mauer, and Adrian Gonzalez.

None of those players made a dramatic impact last season; in fact Wright didn't play at all. They may have a few years left in them, but their careers are definitely winding down.

2010 Topps Update #US-56 Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday's time in Denver had come to an end by the time the 2010 Home Run Derby was contested, where he represented the Cardinals. He didn't make it out of the first round, and it looks like this particular swing counted as one of his ten outs. But as this card tells us, he did have the longest shot of the night, 497 feet out of Angel Stadium (of Anaheim).

There are logos plastered all over this card, from the huge National League logo in the curve where the team logo is usually found, down to the Home Run Derby logo, which incorporates State Farm, the MLB logo, and a little architectural feature found in the Angel Stadium (of Anaheim) parking lot, which also makes an appearance on Billy Cowan's famed 1972 Topps card.

2013 Topps Emerald #638 Andrew Cashner

Andrew Cashner hasn't been able to take part in any All-Star Game festivities, but he was promising enough a prospect to get a base set card in 2013 Topps. That means there is an Emerald parallel, which is what you see above. The retro Padres uniform clashes somewhat with the design, but in my mind, that's what a Padres uniform should look like. Also notice the camo t-shirt that Cashner is wearing under his jersey, frequently a staple at Petco Park.

This was one of about a half-dozen Emerald cards that Matt threw in, and the retro jersey caught my eye enough to use it in this post. And I'll give a little love to the Padres, a team that the Rockies usually share a similar spot with in the NL West standings. Interestingly, Cashner didn't begin his career as a Padre. He was drafted by a few teams, including the Rockies, but didn't sign until the Cubs came knocking a second time. The Cubs eventually swapped him for Anthony Rizzo, a move that surely helped the Cubs break their curse.

2017 Topps Salute #S-191 Jeff Hoffman

Speaking of big trades, Jeff Hoffman joined the Rockies as the "key return in the Troy Tulowitzki trade". He's young, has performed reasonably well both in the rotation and out of the bullpen, and he may be more of a later-innings guy in the 2018 season, as the Rockies have some work to do in rebuilding their bullpen.

Topps Salute is a rather forgettable insert set that spans a gigantic 250 cards across the two Series and Update. I'm pretty sure I've seen this set before on some of the blogs, and it jumps out at me enough to include in a post, but not nearly enough to make me want to chase the other 249 cards.

1995 Upper Deck #265 Juan Acevedo (RC) (AU)

I remember Juan Acevedo as one of the many pitching prospects that the Rockies fielded before it became clear how difficult it is to pitch in Coors Field. Alphabetically, at least in my collection where the Rockies are first, he was at the top of the stack in most of the 1995 sets I collected. I have his rookie card from 1995 Upper Deck already, but certainly not a signed copy! This was a nice surprise to get from Matt. I have no idea if this was signed during his rookie year, or perhaps during his brief second stint with the Rockies in 2001. He played with numerous other teams in his eight year career, even closing games for the Cardinals and Tigers.

This has the look of a rookie card to me. His uniform is tucked in just so, his glove looks like it just came off the rack at a sporting goods store, and he's got a touch of his own style in leaving the top button on his road jersey open. He has a more youthful-looking photo on the back, where he appears in the familiar Rockies pinstriped home jersey, which is inset next to a paragraph detailing his Minor League accolades. His big-league debut came in a 3-1 loss played in the Astrodome, a few days after Dante Bichette's historic home run.

2017 Topps Heritage #357 Mark Reynolds

Just like 2000 Topps, 1968 Topps and 2017 Heritage gave us vertical backs. Fortunately for Mark Reynolds, there is plenty of space to have a Home Runs column, but not enough for a Strikeouts column. Those counts have gotten better since he was on the Diamondbacks, but he still struck out 175 times last year. It's amazing that you can hit for power, get away with putting up a .198 batting average in a full season, and still be playing toward the end of the same decade.

The Rockies roster is set to undergo some major changes in 2018. Chris Iannetta will be returning to Denver, making it unlikely that Jonathan Lucroy will stick around. Also hitting the free agent market are Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Holland, and this guy, Mark Reynolds. Do the Rockies keep the veterans around a while longer with some short-term contracts, or do they commit to their solid pipeline and start calling up their prospects like Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers? Ohtani and Stanton are off the market, but there are tons of players out there for the Rockies to fill their 25-man roster.

Antique Mall Mystery Pack: Wrap-up

A good chunk of my posts over the last year came from cards I purchased at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Denver. I took a trip there with my girlfriend about a year ago, and this post will cover the last of my haul from that visit. In this series, you've seen team-focused posts of the Mets, Pirates, Blue Jays, Astros, Giants, Marlins, Twins, Expos, Yankees, Braves, and Brewers.

A few of the cards in this post came from teams I already covered, but since these came from a different vendor, I had them set aside in a different stack. And they range from the early 1970s through to current players that are still on the same team.

2013 Topps Emerald #587 Matt Cain

Matt Cain of the Giants was often known as one of the unluckiest pitchers in baseball, often turning in great pitching performances with minimal run support. This was certainly the case whenever he was on my fantasy team. But 2012 turned things around for him. In addition to the Giants' even-year magic, which could still happen in 2016, Cain threw a perfect game. There were three that year, but haven't been any since. Cain and Felix Hernandez threw the second and third in 2012, and they're both still pitching for the same teams. Philip Humber threw the first that April, but was released at the end of 2012. He went an appalling 0-8 for the Astros in 2013, kicked around the minors for a few years, and announced his retirement in March.

It goes without saying that perfect games are a rare beast. Max Scherzer almost had one last year until he hit the 27th batter (who really kind of leaned into it). Yu Darvish lost his bid on Opening Day 2013 when a single went right up the middle through his legs. And Rich Hill was pulled after seven perfect innings just a couple weeks ago due to injury concerns.

This Emerald parallel of Cain is not from his Perfect outing, as that came at home in AT&T Park. Cain is wearing his road jersey on this 2013 card, one that I can add to my collection of 2013 Emerald parallels. This is my favorite parallel set of at least the last ten years, even if the Giants' orange color clashes a little bit.

1977 Topps #201 Ed Kranepool

Rolling it back about 35 years, here's a 1977 card of the Mets' first franchise player, Ed Kranepool. He still holds the Mets team records for games played and singles. He was a key player for the 1969 Miracle Mets championship team, and never suited up for anyone else.

The back of his '77 card, coincidentally, contains a cartoon about the Seattle Pilots. They "were in existence for only the 1969 season." There's a drawing of some stadium gates with a sign in front that says "Home For Sale". The Pilots, you'll recall from a previous post, became the Milwaukee Brewers a year later. I'm guessing that Topps chose that bit of trivia to coincide with Kranepool's only World Series championship, which also came in 1969.

1972 Topps #164 Tug McGraw IA

Digging a few years further back in Topps' archives takes us to 1972, Giving us an action shot of Tug McGraw. 1972 was an All-Star year for him, but he'd only have a few years left as a Met before he was traded to the Phillies, where he finished his career.

Action shots were quite a new thing in 1972, and so novel that they can stand on their own without much other fanfare. The back of the card is basically just an ad for Series 3 and 4, promising the chance to "See your favorite stars when they were kids!", "Headline Higlights of 1971!", "Test your knowledge of the game's rules!", plus "12 of your favorite stars on special action cards." That last one actually omitted an exclamation mark, unlike most of the other taglines.

1995 Topps Embossed #89 Jeff Montgomery

By 1995, action shots were old hat. For that year and that year only, Topps released the Embossed set, stylized as tMB. I can't help but think of this as a kid-focused set, as MB means Milton Bradley in my mind. And I mean the company that made Battleship and Connect Four, not the retired MLB outfielder with a volcanic temper.

These cards have a raised surface on both sides, and it may have been a pioneering product. Upper Deck released a ton of cards like this in the 2000s (Ovation comes to mind) but I don't know of one that predates 1995. If there's a silver lining to the Strike, at least baseball card companies got extra-creative.

2015 Topps Gold #587 Daniel Descalso /587

I'll always like gold parallels, and I think the colored border works surprisingly well on the 2015 design. Daniel Decalso remains a Rockie into 2016, and even got a few hits last weekend against the Padres. Jon Gray's pitching performance last Saturday was one of the best in Rockies history, as he struck out a team-record 16 batters on his way to an 8-0 complete game shutout. Descalso was 2-4 that day, and it looks like he put one in play on this card, too.

1994 Score Gold Rush #445 Sandy Alomar Jr.

Score Gold Rush parallels popped up pretty frequently in these mystery packs. They're as eye-catching as anything out there, but in my experience are pretty fragile. I've had a Willie McGee Gold Rush card in my collection since I was a boy, and the lower right corner has been gradually peeling off the card stock for most of that time. You can see a bit of damage to the center of this card, probably because it was stuck to another card. And now that I look at it side-by-side with 2015 Topps, they both have three similar rows of dots on the bottom of the design. I'm pretty good with details, but I probably never would have picked up on that if I hadn't seen one right after the other.

We even get a bonus cameo of Paul Molitor on this card, a guy who's been showing up around here a lot lately.

2013 Topps Cut To The Chase #CTC-15 Dustin Pedroia

This isn't what anyone would expect to find in an antique mall. Die cut cards with a bit of shine from a Red Sox Championship year are pretty new. For all I know, it was the newest object in the entire building. Dustin Pedroia was the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and has been a part of two Boston championships. As this card tells us, he tied Ichiro for the most hits in the league in 2008, with 213. That remains a career high for Pedroia, but was actually kind of a down year for Ichiro.

I really enjoyed this trip to the antique mall. Despite not knowing a lot of what I was getting, I significantly added to my vintage collection, relived some of my favorite sets from childhood, got a ton of material for blog posts, a bit of trade material, and got the opportunity to expand my baseball knowledge, primarily around that whole Seattle Pilots business.

It would be fun to go back.

The Trading Post #24: Cards From the Quarry (Part 2: Topps)

Hiflew from Cards From the Quarry recently sent over a huge assortment of Rockies cards, so many that I had to break it up into two posts. The first post was all about non-Topps cards, and in this second post, I'll just be featuring cards from the only current MLB-licensed card manufacturer.

There seem to be a lot of cards picturing Carlos Gonzalez sliding into home. One came over from Foul Bunt not long ago.

2013 Topps Chasing History #CH-72 Carlos Gonzalez

This package had one too, and it's from 2013's Chasing History insert set, one that is rapidly evolving into my favorite insert set of that year. Along with Emerald parallels and the playful "sea turtle" design, I think Topps actually did a pretty good job in '13.

That card refers to his streak of 20 or more stolen bases in consecutive seasons (which he continued through 2013), but I highly doubt he is actually stealing home in that shot. Now that the steroid era has come to an end, perhaps the game will focus a bit more on well-rounded players that can not only hit for power, but also get on base frequently and steal. Sort of like Barry Bonds did in his early days.

Here's another card that documents how CarGo can do more for a ballclub than just mash home runs in the thin, dry air of Denver.

2011 Topps Opening Day Stars #ODS-2 Carlos Gonzalez

The back describes how he started off the year with four singles, on his way to leading the NL in hits in 2010. Charlie Blackmon did him two better last year, having a rare 6-for-6 day at the home opener. Assuming the Opening Day Stars insert set returns in 2015, I hope Blackmon gets a card. He certainly earned it.

3-D cards never scan well, but it's a recurring favorite in Opening Day sets. Maybe that's why us collectors seem to like Opening Day insert cards so much—Topps reuses a few of the same great themes from year to year. Superstar Celebrations, these 3-D ones, and of course the sought-after Mascot cards. You'll find these old standbys in addition to a few new insert sets each year, and I think it's a winning formula.

Speaking of the thin, dry air of Denver, to say that Coors Field is a hitter's park is a massive understatement.

2010 Topps Update More Tales of the Game #MTOG-8 Mile-High Humidor

Yes, Topps made a card of the famous humidor at Coors Field, meant to keep baseballs from drying out and turning into little ballistic missiles. It's helped a bit, but slugfests are still pretty common at 20th and Blake. These days, they are at least the exception rather than the rule. Even with the installation of the humidor in 2002, the Yankees came to town that year and combined with the Rockies for a record 70 runs over a three-game series. Derek Jeter compared it to playing a video game.

Arizona has kicked the humidor idea around as well, and if an MLB team ever plays in Las Vegas, I'm sure they'll consider it too.

Topps Archives sets of the last few years haven't been at the top of my favorites list, but they appear in discount boxes rather frequently, so it's neither hard nor expensive to see which sets Topps has chosen to recreate. However, I do really like the semi-gloss coating on these cards. It's pretty easy to pick them out by touch alone.

2014 Topps Archives #24 Michael Cuddyer

In 2014, one of the sets they chose was 1973. Like most early- to mid-1970s sets, it usually ranks pretty high on the list of best Topps sets. The silhouette of a player in action in the lower corner is an iconic touch.

Cuddyer was a Home Run Derby participant in 2013, but since he's wearing his Rockies home jersey with the Mets All-Star Game patch rather than just a National League jersey, this must be from the exhibition game itself. The NL pulled off a streak of wins after many years of AL dominance, but it looks like the tables may be turning again, as the NL has now lost two in a row, including this game where Cuddyer was a starter.

One thing the Rockies aren't known for is All-Star pitchers. There have been a few, including Ubaldo Jimenez, who might be the best hurler to ever take the mound for the Rockies, but with a 6-11 record last year, Tyler Matzek isn't likely to make that short list.

2011 Topps Pro Debut #163 Tyler Matzek

Matzek only made the majors last year after numerous injuries to the rest of the rotation, and he's pictured here playing for the Asheville Tourists, a Class-A affiliate of the Rockies. Minor League cards are pretty hard to come by, especially of Rockies players, who never seem to draft the great prospects. In 2006, the Rockies had the 2nd overall pick, and missed out on Kershaw, Lincecum, Longoria, and Scherzer, They took Greg Reynolds instead.

2013 Topps Update Emerald #US206 Reid Brignac

Green.

Anyway, moving on from current cards, there was an eye-catching assortment from 1999 Stadium Club, the brand that made a terrific comeback in 2014.

1999 Stadium Club #9 Vinny Castilla

Castilla is launching a throw to first base with all his might, and the card number happens to match his uniform number (mini-collection idea, anyone?). It's a Coors Field card, to boot. That's the tarp in the background under its cover, which is kept by the wall near shallow left field. Over my fifty or so visits to Coors Field, I've seen the tarp deployed more than a few times, including during that "video game" Yankees series in 2002.

1999 Stadium Club #83 Darryl Hamilton

Though there is ivy at Coors Field on the batter's eye behind the bullpen area, Hamilton's card is obviously from Wrigley Field. The way this photo is cropped, it almost looks like he's fielding a fly ball on some British estate with trimmed hedges. Great photography in Stadium Club goes way back, long before 2014!

Two other cards from this set look fantastic when viewed side-by-side, and I'd wager they're even from the same game. Based on the cameo, it must have been from when the Rockies were visiting Philadelphia.

1999 Stadium Club #302 Kirt Manwaring

1999 Stadium Club #230 Larry Walker

Kirt Manwaring was a catcher who spent most of his career in the NL West as a Giant and then a Rockie. He's not the most well-known player, but when his 1999 Stadium Club card is paired with Larry Walker's, it looks pretty magical. I'll have to check if I have any other copies of these. Daniel from It's Like Having My Own Card Shop has a mini-collection of all-dirt backgrounds that these would be perfect for.

I am fully sold on having a "most-wanted cards" list, which I call "Eight Men Out", because it's already helped fill a few gaps in my collection.

2011 Topps Town #TT-48 Troy Tulowitzki

In our first email exchange, hiflew said he had around 20 copies of this ToppsTown card. He threw in two for good measure. Though another trader beat him to it, as seems to be a common occurrence when it comes to mini wantlists, I can't stress how much I appreciate my fellow collectors and bloggers taking the time to look at my specific needs when putting together trades. It's part of what makes this community so great. Even though he wasn't the first to send the ToppsTown card, I'm still happy to give him credit.

The baseball community is still mourning the loss of Ernie Banks, so I thought it would be appropriate for Mr. Cub to make another appearance to wrap this up.

2012 Topps Timeless Talents #TT20 Ernie Banks/Troy Tulowitzki

Given the outpouring of sympathy and fond memories following the passing of Ernie Banks, I think it is indeed clear that he was truly a "timeless talent." Those aren't just words that Topps is throwing around on that insert set; Banks was truly a legend. And Troy Tulowitzki should consider himself honored to be compared to such an amazing player. I hope he plays his whole career in Denver, because us Colorado fans don't have a "Mr. Rockie" just yet.

The Trading Post #22: Dime Boxes

Yes, it's Super Sunday, and it will be time for "The Big Game" (to keep the NFL's intellectual property SWAT team happy) in a few hours. And what better way to spend some time during pre-game than blogging about baseball cards?

My buddy Nick over at Dime Boxes sent over a stack of cards recently, and I have to admit, I had a really hard time narrowing down what I'd scan for the blog. He's kind of the king of mini-collections, and he did a pretty good job finding some great Coors Field cards for me.

I've written a couple times recently about pinpointing the date a baseball card photograph was taken. One of the cards that Nick sent probably provided enough information for me to do that.

1997 Upper Deck #59 Walt Weiss

However, in a stroke of genius, 1997 Upper Deck frequently just flat-out told us on the front of the card. Just to be sure, I did pop over to baseball-reference.com to verify, and it does indeed check out. So there you have it. April 27th, 1996. That was easy.

The prior year's UD set didn't have the specific date listed, but this one's nearly as easy.

1996 Upper Deck #65 Andres Galarraga

That is from the final game of the inaugural Coors Field season on October 1st, 1995. The Rockies beat the Giants to win the NL Wild Card, which marked both the first postseason appearance for the Rockies, as well as the first year of the expanded playoff structure. Lucky for the Rockies that the Wild Card exists at all. They've never won their division, so all three of their postseason appearances were earned on Wild Cards.

I remember that game and the victory lap the Rockies took in their brand-new ballpark. And here's another Fun Fact: though it just opened in 1995, it's already the third-oldest ballpark in the National League.

Looking at 1996 and 1997 Upper Deck side-by-side, I never really noticed how similar these sets are. UD logo in the upper left, copper border on the bottom with silver foil above it. Even the backs have a pretty similar layout, though I do prefer the shift to full career statistics on the 1997 cards, rather than just a few recent seasons of stats that appeared on prior sets.

There's still a bit more Upper Deck to cover, starting with the second and final year of one of their most beautiful sets.

2008 UD Masterpieces #30 Matt Holliday

UD Masterpieces only existed for two years, 2007 and 2008. They were small sets, too—only 90 base cards and a few short prints. But they're stunning. Makes you wonder what this hobby would look like if the glossy trend hadn't started. This card documents part of the historic run the Rockies made in September and October 2007. Including the postseason, they won 21 of 22 games to make it to the World Series, and Matt Holliday cranked out quite a few home runs during that span.

Longtime readers know that I'm a sucker for serial numbers. And this trade package didn't disappoint.

2009 UD A Piece of History Blue #116 Dexter Fowler /299

Dexter Fowler was one of my favorite Rockies in recent years. There's just something about the speed and range of a Center Fielder. He was traded to the Astros last year, and he'll be playing for the Cubbies in 2015.

Like Masterpieces, the "A Piece of History" set only existed for a few years. However, it's a bit unusual, in that 25% of the checklist consists of "historical moments" from world history.

2009 UD A Piece of History #175 Smallpox Eradicated

Such as a card commemorating what might be humankind's greatest achievement, the eradication of smallpox. As you likely know, vaccines and the diseases they prevent have been in the news lately. My choice from the Historical Moments subset should say all I need to say about my position on that matter.

Back to baseball, another serial numbered card came from 2013 Opening Day. The numbered blue parallels are one of the few places to find foil in the Opening Day brand, and it's just in that tiny date above the opening day logo.

2013 Topps Opening Day Blue #79 Tyler Colvin /2013

Coincidentally, this one just happens to be #1000. Round numbers are just so pleasing, aren't they? The purple "sea turtle" clashes a little bit with the blue background, but into the collection it goes!

2013 Topps Emerald #449 Michael Cuddyer

Green.

2012 Topps Stickers #273 Dinger

There were two or three of these stickers, which is yet another set I had never seen before. I don't really recognize this size either. It's got some odd dimensions, too: 1 13/16" x 2 5/8". No idea how they came up with that, but Dinger cards (and mascot cards in general) are some of my favorite ones to find.

2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Bazooka #131 Chris Iannetta /25

These narrow A&G minis are a bit more recognizable, but Nick put this one in a penny sleeve with a note to "check the back!"

2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Bazooka #131 Chris Iannetta /25 (Reverse)

This is the rare Bazooka back variation, and unlike most serial numbers which are embossed in foil, this one is handwritten in blue ballpoint pen. I can honestly say that I never expected to see that. And irony of ironies, though it's written on, that makes it more valuable.

Nick loves the oddball cards, and while these aren't my cup of tea as much as some other collectors, they do mix things up a bit.

1988 Donruss Pop-Ups #8 Bret Saberhagen

Regardless, I am pleased to see that the Bret Saberhagen portal my girlfriend opened up on Christmas is still open.

Throughout its existence, Pacific straddled the line between mainstream and oddball. 1998's Pacific Online set was definitely a bit more on the oddball end of that spectrum.

1998 Pacific Online #238 Jason Bates

This one with gold foil is the base card; there's also a red foil parallel. Pacific was weird like that. Either way, that ugly white URL bar is still up at the top, and it still gives you a 404 error. There are a few remnants of it on Archive.org, and it looks pretty much like you'd expect for a website built in 1998 that ends in ".html".

I could easily pick another three or four cards, but this has been a long post and it's getting close to gametime, so the last card I'll show today is pretty similar to a relic card I blogged about last week.

2013 Topps Chasing History Holofoil Gold #CH-97 Troy Tulowitzki

That's nearly the same Tulowitzki card that I got in trade from Andrew's Baseball Cards, though without the baseball bat relic. Instead, that's the Holofoil Gold parallel (yes, a parallel of an insert, I know); basically a refractor. Now that I have the two rarest varieties, going for the rainbow of this card wouldn't be too difficult. It would just be two more cards; the base and the silver holofoil. Perhaps I'll work my way backwards in terms of scarcity.

Just a quick note to wrap this up. In my opinion, Nick's blog is the best one around. The number of new blogs I see that mention Dime Boxes as an inspiration (my own included) is quite high. He's a great trader, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the hobby, and I don't think this community would be what it is today without him.

Thanks, Nick, and you'll find a return shipment headed your way shortly!

What's new last year?

In the midst of all these trade posts, I haven't posted much about the cards I ordered from Dave & Adam's Card World a few months ago. I've opened everything by now, but haven't sorted through it all just yet. Part of that shipment was a blaster of 2013 Topps Update, and there was quite a bit of interesting photography to be found.

First off, a Coors Field Card! The forest behind center field which I've written about before is visible here, along with a section of the Wells Fargo banner in right center above the bullpens.

2013 Topps Update #US118 Joe Blanton

I figured that it would be pretty easy to pinpoint which game this was from, as the Angels rarely make interleague appearances in Denver. However, research shows that the Angels didn't play the Rockies at all in 2013, nor was Blanton an Angel prior to that, which can only mean that this is a Photoshop job on Topps' part. Blanton pitched for the Dodgers in 2012, and made a start in Coors Field that August. I am guessing this photo was taken while Blanton was playing for LA's National League team, rather than their Anaheim rivals as pictured.

Detective work is fun!

Continuing to examine these photos with a fine-toothed comb, this checklist card of Mariano Rivera shows a vehicle of some kind in the middle infield area. Which is an unusual location for vehicles, to say the least.

2013 Topps Update #US237 Mariano Rivera

Rather than some lame pickup truck like Madison Bumgarner drove away with for earning MVP honors in this year's World Series, Mr. Sandman was the recipient of a shiny new C7 Corvette Stingray for his performance in the 2013 All-Star Game. The Chevy guys would probably not like to hear that I initially thought this was a Dodge Viper until I remembered that Chevrolet has been a major sponsor of MLB for quite some time.

Another interesting photograph came on this horizontal card of A.J. Pollock with his exuberant teammates exiting the dugout.

2013 Topps Update #US34 A.J. Pollock

An imminent play at the plate! This looks to be against the Dodgers, possibly even in walk-off fashion.

Of course, there were more than just base cards in this box. Topps Update always seems to be heavy on content from the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby, so this short-printed variant card of Bo Jackson at the '89 All-Star Game fits with the Update theme quite nicely.

2013 Topps Update #US16b Bo Jackson SP

Though this card doesn't mention it, Bo was the MVP of that All-Star Game in Anaheim. Regrettably, injuries plagued him and derailed his promising career, leaving him as one of the best players that "might have been," in two sports, no less.

I know I've posted cards from Topps Emerald before, but I just can't get over how striking they are.

2013 Topps Update Emerald #US187 Wilson Betemit

Don't expect me to pass up an opportunity to show off a little green.

I missed most of the buzz about the Chasing History inserts, which seems to be quite a well-liked and frequently collected set. That's not surprising, given that there is a great mix of old-time legends and current stars to be collected.

2013 Topps Chasing History #CH-147 Bob Feller

This is the base card, but there are silver- and gold-foil parallels to be found as well. Parallels of insert cards. This can be a confusing hobby, indeed.

Finally, I thought it was very appropriate to find two cards in particular from the Postseason Heroes insert set—one that is exclusive to 2013 Update, unlike the above, which was found in all series of 2013 Topps.

2013 Topps Update Postseason Heroes #PH-3 George Brett

2013 Topps Update Postseason Heroes #PH-11 Buster Posey

Think back just a few weeks to the World Series, when the San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games. George Brett had the TV cameras trained on him quite frequently throughout the postseason, and Posey performed well on-field. The way these photos are positioned, Fox could have done some clever graphics and used these two cards to illustrate the matchup, perhaps something like the animation of two colliding helmets that precedes many football games.

Even though Topps Emerald was a one-year treat, I'll still look for a deal on 2014 Topps Update next year.