Downsizing

For nearly every single card collector, the #1 goal when you first started collecting was to get as many cards as possible. I think that was part of what made the dime bins so popular so early on in card collecting. The ability to get cards for my player collections for mere loose change really excited me which is why I went to the show so much when I first began collecting cards. I could grow my collection by 100 cards at a time by only spending $10 bucks.

Now that I've been collecting for well over a decade, I've certainly realized that it's quality that matters over quantity. I slowly saw my card collecting hobby turn into an obsession as thousands of baseball cards overtook my house. As much as I loved and still love buying dime cards and other cards in bulk, I realized that it simply wasn't possible to continue collecting at that rate without an attempt to clear out some other cards.

I began trading cards with fellow bloggers a year and a half ago and began selling on Sportlots last February. This, to a degree, has helped control my abundance of cards, but I'm still sitting on hundreds of cards that would be beneficial to move onto someone who would appreciate them more.

Therefore, I've decided to dedicate a post every now and then to cards that I currently have available for trade. Each post will showcase 10-15 cards available to anyone who asks. If you'd like to buy or trade for these cards, send me an email (henryaaronblanchette@gmail.com) and we can figure something out. 

First up are a few Factory Set Yankees cards from 2017 Topps. I came across these in a random card pack at Fenway Park earlier this year and haven't been able to find a place for them. I know there are plenty of Yankees fans out there and that the Yanks have been stellar so far this season. So please, don't hesitate to ask for 1, 2 or all 3 of these cards.

I realize there aren't many Diamondbacks fans out there but if there are, I have a gold parallel of Steven Souza Jr. that may or may not interest you. I don't think I'd be able to sell this to anyone other than a major Dbacks team collector which I have yet to find over the course of my lifetime. After all, his .148 batting average isn't something that would appeal to anyone except a die-hard Arizona fan.

Sano is one of the guys whose card I pulled out of my 2018 National Baseball Card Day packs. He hasn't had the greatest year but has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career thus far. Considering how hard it can be to track down some of these National Baseball Card Day cards, it's a good choice for any Miguel Sano collectors, Twins fans, or those attempting to complete the 2018 NBCD set. 

I do not have a player collection for Adam Wainwright, and Sandy Koufax is on the long list of players I should collect cards of but don't. That makes this 2015 Topps Heritage Then & Now card officially available until I decide to stop being so lazy and actually form player collections of all the guys I've talked about like Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, and Josh Donaldson.

Speaking of Josh Donaldson

I also have a 2017 Topps Stadium Club Contact Sheet insert of his. The Stadium Club inserts have never been too incredible since the brand's revival in 2014, although they did make improvements this year. I must say that I don't mind this Contact Sheet insert design, especially the different shades of black and grey in the background. Just like Koufax, I've been thinking about collecting Donaldson for a while, so if you're interested in this card, now's the time to ask.

While we're on the topic of Stadium Club, I might as well show this 2018 Topps Stadium Club chrome parallel of Cubs utility player Ian Happ. Not only are the chrome cards in Stadium Club pretty rare, but Happ is a very talented individual who I could see blossoming into either a stellar contact hitter, a power hitter, or even a mix of both. Happ is only 23 years old and is just getting started, so he's a good choice for a player who could become a superstar over the next few years.

Certain card boxes from the 80's and 90's, including Topps, had these cutout card panels located at the very bottom of the box. The Topps panels would have blue borders and would include groups of cards that had letters instead of numbers. They included only the best players in baseball at the time, like Don Baylor and Goose Gossage whose cards I am including in this downsizing post. As you can tell, I'm mainly trying to keep cards of players I collect and trade cards of those who I don't which is why I've made these 2 cards available for trade.

I recognize these cards that include the signatures of all the players, but I'm not exactly sure what set they're from. They don't have numbers on the back, and the front only has the year and the team name. Still, I've seen that other bloggers have sought after these at card shows and that they're still vintage cards no matter what, So I figured, it can't hurt to make them available for trade and see if any Yankees fans or Cubs fans want them.

The final card is an early 1970's 3D card of Sam McDowell because who doesn't like 3D cards and an awesome old-school Indians uniform. 

That's all for now. If any of these cards appeal to you or you'd like to see anything else I have available that may interest you, please let me know. I'm trying to downsize my collection by at least a couple hundred cards, so being able to sell, trade, or send cards to other bloggers would definitely help me reach my goal.