A Trade I Couldn't Refuse

As promised, here is the scoop on the other great trade package I received back on Wednesday.  This one comes by way of Tennessee from Tim, the man behind the curtain at The Home of the Toddfather blog.

I first heard about Tim's blog via a trade post that a fellow blogger posted, so I wanted to give it a look for myself. It turns out Tim is a cool character, and working out a deal with him was a real pleasure.

And the trade package he put together was absolutely tremendous.  He not only kicked me a few cards to help some of my 2012 set-building goals, but gathered a bunch of gems for my various player collections as well. Lots -- and I mean lots -- of great additions.

As always, I've chosen a few highlights from the trade package to share.  I'll begin with a simply beautiful card of future-HOFer Vlad Guerrero:

Obviously, this one is best appreciated in person, but I had to show it off anyhow.  It also happens to be numbered (3209/3500).  This is just one of the many Vlad cards that Tim included.

Next, we have a cool Jose Reyes insert:

This one is from 2006 Upper Deck.  I'm partial to any cards of Jose that showcase his speed and/or baserunning abilities.  Beyond that, this card reminds me of all those cool insert set from the early '90s that I used to love.

This next card is en Espanol:

From a Donruss set called Super Estrellas, we have Sammy Sosa's "Nacion de Origen" card.  Another very glossy, shiny card that my scanner can't digest.  Great card from a set I've never heard of.  Muy bien!

Moving along, we have an awesome David Wright entry:

Lots of embossing on this bad boy.  Any David Wright card I receive is always a prize, but this one is on another level.  In my opinion, Upper Deck hit a home run with this "Xponential" subset from their 2008 X product.  These cards really pop when you see them in person.

And finally...  The final card I have chosen to highlight is far and away my favorite of the package.  It may not be the fanciest or most visually appealing, though I think it meets both of those standards.  However, more so than its appearance, something about this card struck me immediately when I saw it:

Well, what do you notice?

Exactly!  How many Piazza cards have you seen with him wearing a Florida Marlins jersey?!  By my recollection, Piazza was barely a Marlin long enough to unpack his underwear. [Ed. Note: Per Baseball-Reference, he played just five games for Florida in 1998.  No word, however, on his underwear unpacking efforts.]

I'm not sure at what point during the '98 season Fleer released their Tradition set, but they must've thought they were pretty cute including a photo of Piazza in Fish attire.  Regardless, this is a brilliant addition to my Mike Piazza collection.  I will have to be on the lookout for other Piazza Marlins cards, if they exist.

Tim, thanks very much for an outstanding trade package.  And continued success with your blog!

MK