Cards From My Toddfather

I am very fortunate to have met some very cool people thanks to this blogging community.  One of them is Tim from Home of the Toddfather.  He's a big-time collector of Mr. Todd Helton (thus the blog name), as well as any Rockies stars past and present.  I see now that he's also working on the Topps Chrome purple refractor set, so check him out if you have any to trade.  I've had the pleasure of trading with Tim twice before, and the cards he flipped me were incredible.

So, I was naturally excited when he emailed me earlier this week to notify me of a package that was on its way from Tennessee to Delaware.  As expected, Tim delivered in a big way.

From the stack of cards he sent me, here are some of the highlights:

1998 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles

I figured I would start out with my favorite card.  How cool is this?!  Notice also the bottom right of the card. Does that little swoosh design look at all familiar?  Perhaps a little bit like a certain 2012 Topps design?  Hmm...

1995 Collector's Choice SE, #90

A most excellent picture of Mike Piazza.  Look at the grimace on his face.  You know the ball he just crushed is headed a long ways away.  I was a fan of Collector's Choice from this era, especially the Special Edition parallels with the silver signatures.  And since Piazza is an All-Star, his card gets the borderless treatment. Nice!

2003 Upper Deck MVP, #87

I always like cards that have pictures from press conferences.  When looking through my player collections, it's nice to come across a card like this or a head shot.  It breaks up the monotony of all the action photos.  Variety, y'know?

Manny, Will and Joey

Three of my favorite players of all time in the above panel.  One quick thought about Albert Belle.  I'm glad Topps has decided to resurrect Belle's legacy by featuring him in some of their 2012 base sets and insert sets.  People tend to forget about him.  I get it, he was a real you-know-what.  But that isn't something new for pro athletes, is it?  What gives?

And then you've got this one:

2004 Donruss Studio Fans of the Game, #220FG-5

So, this is stock trader Adam Mesh.  And apparently he was on the reality show "Average Joe."  I never watched that show, so I don't know this guy from Adam.  But, he must be doing well for himself since Donruss chose him for the Mets fan subject of ther "Fans of the Game" insert set.  Either that or Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Kevin James, Chris Rock and The Situation each had prior commitments.

A very cool assortment of cards, as usual.  Thanks once again, Tim!

MK