February Mail Roundup

I feel like the sports card trading hobby is in a great place right now. It's not perfect (it never will be) and I know a lot of collectors have their gripes. Prices are on the rise, and you can't find retail. And yes, that sucks. 

But lot of great things are happening too:

• TCDB trades have picked up
• The market has more buyers than ever, and I've been able to sell cards that have no place in my collection - and historically had few buyers.
• One of my friends who hasn't collected since he was a child is getting back into cards and it's been fun to chat with someone about cards without using the internet as a medium.
• I believe many "dormant" collectors are resurfacing to sell some old cards that are becoming valuable again, and that means options for buyers.
• With all the activity surrounding the hobby, I've also felt more engaged than usual. In the past, it was just us bloggers in our little corner of the internet - some us just writing, some doing some trades, and maybe some buying and selling on eBay, COMC, and SportsLots. It seems like the hobby is more integrated with society now, if that makes any sense.

I think my February Mail Roundup is a great representation of these trends. I bought some singles on eBay, traded on TCDB, traded with a blogger, and even traded with a non-blogger who contacted me because of my blog - miracles do happen!

Let's start with eBay pickups: 

Andrew McCutchen - 2010 Topps Chrome Refractor

Starting off with my favorite pickup of the month. I'm no Collecting Cutch, but I do have a nice little stash of Cutch cards. His 2010 card is one of my favorites, and there are still several variations of this card that I'd like to get my hands on. This purchase ran me a whopping $4, and if you're asking me, that's absurdly low for a second year refractor of a player of his calibur. Lately, I'm really loving the Topps All-Star Rookie cards with the gold cup. More on that to follow.

Stan Lee - 2015 Topps

Although it's technically a sports card since it's part of the Flagship set, here's a rare non-sports add for me. This card is a must-have for any Marvel fan.

Juan Soto - 2019 Topps

As I write this post, I'm learning that I'm becoming more and more of a fan of the Topps Rookie Cup. It's a classic logo, and like the "RC" logo, I think it does add some value to the card. As card prices soar, the price of star rookies are soaring as well. I'm fine with that trend, but it means I seldom own any star rookie cards. Second year cards are the next best thing. I grabbed a few of these for $2 each. I guess that's my version of "investing."

Alexandre Texier - 2019-20 Upper Deck Artifacts RC #/999

A small pickup for the Blue Jackets PC.

Trade with TCDB member Leftydunc:

Josh Anderson - 2015-16 Upper Deck Young Guns

A small PWE trade through TCDB netted me this Josh Anderson Young Guns. I sent off two 2020 Bowman prospect cards, and in return I was fortunate to see this in my mailbox. Anderson was one of my favorite Blue Jackets over the past two years. Sadly he was dealt this offseason, but I still plan on collecting him. Young Guns cards can be tough to come by, so this was an exciting add for me.

Trade with Doug of Sportscards From The Dollar Store:

Liam Foudy - 2020-21 Upper Deck Artifacts #/999

(L) Seth Jones - 2018-19 Upper Deck Ice Green

(R) Sergei Bobrovsky - 2020-21 Upper Deck Artifacts - Threads of Time Relic

A pattern is developing where I see a nice Blue Jackets card on Doug's blog, I inquire about it, and then he sends me the card along with some other awesome stuff. That was the case here, with me inquiring about the Foudy card. The Jones parallel and the Bobrovsky relic were bonuses as well as some other base card that I didn't photograph.

 Thankfully I had a good handful of Raptors cards to send Doug's way to return the favor. Thanks, Doug!

Trade with Oren, a nice man who reads my blog:

Seth Jones - 2014-15 Upper Deck Canvas

Sergei Bobrovsky - 2017-18 O-Pee-Chee OPC Mini 

Malachi Richardson - 2016-17 Donruss Optic Orange #/199

Michael Carter Williams - 2014-15 Panini NBA Hoops Blue #/349

(L) Jerome Bettis - 2015 Donruss 

(R) Trevor Williams - 2021 Topps Gold Foil

I had the rare opportunity to trade with a blog-reader who does not have a blog himself. I got a nice email from Oren, who had some cards that he thought I might like. He had a great assortment of items for my PC, sending something for my Blue Jackets, Syracuse Alum, Steelers, and Pirates PCs. He sent me a list of players he collects, and we were able to work out a PWE swap. Thanks for the trade, Oren. It's nice to know someone out there reads the blog!