Card Show & Tell: Tradition and Heritage and Such

Onward and (possibly) upward we go.  Some more cards from last weekend's show.  So far, I've talked about '12 Prizm and '97 Score and '13 GQ.   Those were among the main themes of my pickups from a week ago.

Today, the retro-look cards take center stage.  First, a dabbling a 2005 Fleer Tradition...

I had to do a double-take on this one initially.  I don't know how it is with others, but I rarely have come across any R.A. Dickey Texas-era cards in dime boxes.  And by rarely I mean never.  So this guy was my first.  Furthermore, this is the oldest R.A. that I own.  Pretty cool.

Javy Lopez, just chillin' and stretchin' before a game at Camden Yards.  The gray border on this leads me to believe its some sort of parallel.  But, I could be wrong about that.

Speaking of chillin', Robbie Alomar looks absolutely ice cold in his wrap-around shades and throwback ChiSox uni.  The mandarin orange background makes the card really pop.

I have been a fan of Carlos for a long time, but things really blossomed when he got traded to the Mets at the deadline in '96.  Here, we find Baerga at the tail-end of his career.  I think this might be my first D-Back Baerga card.

Hey, you, get off of my clouds!  These are absolutely dreamy.  Even if this pair weren't among my favorite players, I'd be positively tickled by these artsy-fartsy cards.

So that's Fleer's nod to nostalgia.  I really like these things.  I was kinda on a collecting sabbatical at the time Tradition came around, so I really missed out on all this brand.  Luckily, card shows and discount boxes allow me (and all of us) to reclaim those lost years.

On the topic of nostalgia, may I present a few Topps Heritage cards from 2006 and 2007...

With this Fonzie card, I've detected a theme.  Just like the Dickey card was my first from his Rangers days, and the Baerga was my first from his Arizona days, this '06 Alfonzo is my first of the former-Met in Halos garb.

Sammy as an Oriole, with is trademark smile.  Such a likable guy, it's a shame he wrapped himself up in the PED nonsense.  Regardless, he's still one of my all-time favorites.

I found some great 2007's, as well.

I found nearly every Mets card from the set in this particular dime box.  All except the David Wright base and All-Star cards.  These two were my favorites of those I uncovered.  Lo Duca hamming it up with the catcher's mitt, and Carlos shouldering a bunch of Louisville Sluggers.

A pair of superstars from early in their careers.  I love the red background on the Zimm card.  This is truly one of the best years from Heritage.  Makes me wish I was collecting this product back then as I collect it nowadays.

And to leave you with a pleasant taste in your mouth, here's A-Rod!  Haha, sorry about that.  But, I'll take a 10-cent Heritage card of A-Rod all day, every day.  Definitely one of the best All-Star subset designs in the history of Topps.

I think perhaps one last post is in order before I put last weekend's show to bed.  I've got some trades to catch up on, anyhow.

Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend, folks!

MK