Christmas Came Late

I was really jealous when I saw a bunch of bloggers busting 2019 Topps Holiday Boxes back in December. I think it's safe to say that this product is universally well-liked - I couldn't find you a collector that has anything bad to say about it.

I don't normally shop at Wal-Mart, but I started to make some Wally World pit stops once these hit the shelves, and I was lucky enough to stumble across a box in December. My plan was to open it around Christmas day. I ended up doing a lot of travel around the holiday, and then forgot that I had the box stashed away. 

I finally got around to opening it today. Merry Christmas to me!

Several of the rookie headliners showed up and I'm pretty pumped about that. I think Austin Riley might just have the best career out of these four. Don't @ me. 

If there is one Pirates card in the set that I was hoping for, this is the one. It's nice to add the base card to my collection. I already have the sparkly snowflake parallel which I highlighted as my #9 favorite card in my top 10 cards of the year. That came my way via a PWE swap with Matt at Diamond Jesters.

I kept a keen eye out for SPs, which come aplenty in this set. Some are subtle, and some are incredibly obvious, like Carlos Correa holding a giant candy cane. It's easy to hit big league pitching when you know what pitch is coming - but no word on the ease of swinging a giant peppermint stick.

Each box promises an autograph or memorabilia card. I have yet to see an autograph on the blogosphere, relics only. For a plain white relic, I think this is pretty much best case scenario. Very happy to add this to my collection. 

Who out there is building this set? I remember reading a few blogs that were going for it, but can't recall. I'd be happy to send out set needs to fill holes where I can. 

Thanks for reading!

2019 Allen & Ginter Blaster

I'm not necessarily a Ginter collector. I'm not much of a set builder either. 

However - A&G is such a staple within the collecting world that I have a hard time not grabbing a blaster when I see one. This was my first and likely only A&G purchase this year and I had a lot of fun breaking it.

Everything below is available for trade. 

2019 Allen & Ginter Blaster Box: Blends well with my granite.

Here are the baseball minis. My strange magnetic attraction with Jacob DeGrom continues. Really cool border on this mini.

Trevor Bauer rocking the "I just got traded to a non-contender" look.

Non-baseball minis. Giraffes are cool. So are weiner dogs! I believe that some of these are retail exclusive. If you're building a set or if you have any interest in these what-so-ever, please drop me a line.

The aviation inserts are pretty sweet. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an aviation guy, but I can certainly appreciate some nice artwork. The top insert is titled "Man, I wish that's how my lawn looked. Plus an airplane."

I grew up near a historic race track. I have fond childhood memories of visiting the track and placing 10 cent bets on different horses. The picks were always based off name, color, and other completely meaningless traits. 

Quarter horses are super speedy in very short distances. They get their name from that notion - they can beat almost any breed in a quarter mile race, and they can eclipse 50 mph.

The interestingly biblical/mythological "Incredible Equipment" inserts.

I'll leave you with a nice little rookie. The kid has a ton to learn, but he's certainly getting his shot at the MLB level this season. A sub .300 on base percentage won't cut it for ever. Pulling for him.

Overall, very average retail box. Sadly no Pirates.

Everything here is for trade. If any of these cards can help fill a void in your set, or a void in your life, drop a comment or an email.

Thanks for reading!