Weekend Trade Catch-up (Part 2 of 3)

The second package that I received came all the way from the UK, courtesy of John the creator of the Pursuit of 80's(ness) blog. John, out of the goodness of his heart, reached out to me with an offer. He'd send me a bunch of Tigers cards and I would trade him whatever I thought was fair in return. One HUGE package later, and I've got my work cut out for me.

As you may know, I was absent from the card world from roughly 1995-2005 and had no clue what sort of cards were made in that time. John's package certainly helped me get a better sense. While he sent far too many cards for me to list and post, I will gladly show off some of the highlights.

First, a trio of cards of the Big Daddy, Cecil Fielder:

I always liked Cecil Fielder and am glad he was able to pick up that series ring after he left the Tigers. I also still feel as though he was screwed out of the World Series MVP by John Wettland. Do any Yankees (or other) fans have thoughts on this?

Next up, a Diamond Kings beauty of Tony Phillips. Now, I'm not as enamoured with Diamond Kings as some, mostly because there weren't many good Tigers around when these cards were being made (there were a few, but not a ton), but I must say that this card of Tony Phillips, a fan favorite during his stay with the Tigers, is a keeper.


Now, I had not heard of Upper Deck Ovation before opening this package, and seeing Tony Clark and Dean Palmer on these cards lets me know that they were from the Tigers' lost decade, but man these cards are awesome. The combination of thick card stock, raised laces and baseball-like texture is just really, really cool. A photograph won't do it justice, so I recommend going to your local card shop and asking if you can touch an old Ovation base card. I guarantee that you won't get any weird looks or snide comments, just a knowing nod from a fellow collector that recognizes the inherent greatness of these cards. He'll pull a well worn Ovation from a box under the counter, worn thin from thousands of touches over the years and you'll remember what it was like to feel a card that has been untainted by the mylar and hard plastic that has encased our card worlds.

While I took a few more shots, one of a nice looking Upper Deck Al Kaline Cooperstown Collection card and another of a Kyle Sleeth First Year cards from Topps' Cracker Jack set, there is really only one more card worth posting. It features the single nicest photograph from any set of 2008 and is one of the more stunning and memorable card pictures that I've ever seen. The only drawback is the damn verizon ad covering the Whale Building. This brings back longing memories for watching baseball in Detroit, something that I get the chance to do maybe once a year, if I'm lucky. It is also reminiscent of the view that I used to get at Camden Yards, before they built that God-Forsaken Hilton hotel beyond left field that blocked the skyline and ruined the view. Geez, don't people think about aesthetics anymore? Anyway, decide for yourself, but I'm guessing that you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer shot than this.