We start, with a smattering of vintage Tigers on my Topps Wantlists:
Followed by a couple of the last 2008 Cards that I needed for my sets. Topps:
And Upper Deck:
For the record, I thought that the Topps Dick Perez sketches were terrible. Maybe it was just me, but both Cabrera and Cameron Maybin look awful in these cards. They are not nearly as nice as the hand painted cards that are featured later in this post.
A throwback Marcus Thames smiles back at me as I approach closing out my Series 1 throwback needs:
These cards are all great and, given I'm primarily a Topps collector at heart, go a long way towards my obsessive completion goals. However, that isn't all (not even close). Kerry sent me enough Upper Deck cards to DEMOLISH my wants list from the early years. I now remember why, growing up, I really preferred Upper Deck cards. These are incredible. I know that I had a bunch of these but have no idea where they could have gone. Opening these cards brought a smile to my face and sticking them in binder pages was a joy. Here are the highlights, all of which are from the heyday of my collecting in the early 90s:
Milt! (I know I had this card back then)
And finally, the best of the bunch, in rapid succession:
And my absolute favorite, from the moment that defined the design of my room as a child:
Winner.
Kerry, you rocked my world with this package and reminded me of all that is good in the world. The Topps, the Upper Deck, all of it incredible, not to mention the thick stack of cards that I had never seen an absolutely love. I hope to trade with you again and I hope you enjoyed your end of the deal.
I will leave you now with my favorite non Topps/Upper Deck card, from a really neat looking set:
Sure, Carlos Guillen looks like an idiot, but look at that autographic! It's silver, shiny and beautiful. Might not work with all players, but for Carlos, it's a gem.
Thanks Kerry!
