A Mailday Full of Red Sox Cards

In a post, I did a few weeks ago, I listed multiple desirable cards that I had pulled in 2017 products of players I either didn't collect, or I felt that I could get cards I wanted more in exchange for that card. The cards included a couple of Topps Gallery Twins, 2 Mickey Mantle's from Donruss Optic, and the card I ended up trading last week, a 2017 Bowman's Best Atomic Refractor of Clayton Kershaw which falls at about 1 per box. 

When I asked who would want to trade for these cards, Chris of The Collector quickly claimed the Kershaw. He found a list of Red Sox doubles to trade to me and after going through to find the cards I needed, I was able to request and receive 10 cards I needed for Red Sox PC's in a matter of a few days. 

Over the last couple of months, I've discovered that I'm not alone as a player collector who has those certain collections that rarely get new additions. I have quite a few player collections that match that criteria, including Kevin Youkilis. I have around 30 cards of Youk, most of which are from the 2000's. I almost never see him in the dime bins nor do I see many cards of him elsewhere at the show and I live very close to Boston. I can't tell you the last time I got a new card of Kevin Youkilis, all I can say is that I'm very glad that Chris had an extra 2008 Bowman Chrome card of Youk to trade away.

David Ortiz is the exact opposite of Youkilis, you cannot find enough David Ortiz cards no matter where you go. My Big Papi collection dates back farther than nearly any other player collection I have, yet certain cards of him from the early 2010's, a time I was collecting Red Sox super often, have still evaded me. The one on the left is a base card from 2012 Bowman while the 2nd Ortiz card shown is a Vintage Chrome insert from 2011 Topps Chrome that is based off the widely unpopular 1996 Topps set.

When I looked at the card back of the 2016 Topps Chrome Pink Refractor of Dustin Pedroia shown above, I noticed that he is 34 years old, and will be 35 in August. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked, but it just seems so surreal that the 2008 AL MVP is getting up there in age and doesn't have a long time to play anymore. Pedroia's 2007 Rookie of the Year season does not seem so long along despite him winning the award over a decade ago. He's been such a key part of the Red Sox for so long, and while everyone else has moved on, Pedroia has remained a dedicated member of the Red Sox team year after year.

But before there was David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, there was Pedro Martinez, yet another one of my largest Red Sox collections. Last time I checked, my Pedro collection was at about 140 cards (still waiting for my first Pedro card on the Phillies though). The 2 cards Chris had were released 1 year apart, yet are polar opposite cards. The one on the left is a beautifully done card from 2001 Topps Gallery that highlights the incredible artwork of the artist, Ron Stark. On the right is a card from 2000 Topps HD, a set I only have one other card from, and that's of Vladimir Guerrero. The HD set is the opposite of Gallery because instead of focusing on artwork, it pays more attention to excellent quality images.

This next card was one I originally thought I needed for the Mookie Betts collection. But it turns out this 1987 insert from 2017 Topps is actually a need for my 1987 insert set. I began collecting the 1987 inserts last season just as I began collecting the 1983 inserts this year. I'm a lot closer to completing the '87 set than the '83, but I'm still a long ways away. However, every card helps and with the addition of this Mookie Betts card, I'm now just about halfway there.

And finally, it couldn't be a Red Sox trade package without a new Craig Kimbrel card to add to the Kimbrel Collection. I already had a 2016 Topps Bunt card of Kimbrel in my 2016 Bunt set, but I did not have an extra to add to the Kimbrel Collection until acquiring this one from Chris. With the addition of this card, I now have 101 different cards of Craig Kimbrel, a total I can't wait to continue to add to once the 2018 releases begin to occur more often.

Thanks for the awesome Red Sox cards Chris. I hope you enjoy the Kershaw Atomic Refractor.