A Trade Post...and a Baseball Post Nonetheless!

I don't do all that much trading compared to many of you, but as usual I find myself behind on trade posts. I do like to make an effort to properly thank everyone that sends me something, even if it does take a few months sometimes. A couple of months back I exchanged some cards with Chuck of the blog Lifetime Topps Project. I sent him some 2011 Gypsy Queen and a big chunk of 1990 Topps cards. Here are a few highlights from the return package:

Included were a few dozen cards off of my Gypsy Queen want list. On the one hand, I think this is the set that soured me on set building and changed my buying habits over the last few months (for the better). After getting hooked on the set through retail rack packs, they disappeared almost overnight. I was "forced" to buy a hobby box in order to continue my ripping, but at over $200 I wasn't thrilled with the return and I'm still so many cards short of even the base set.

On the other hand though, when I look at this Thurman Munson card I can see why I kind of got swept up in this set. That's everything a good baseball card should be right there! Some other Gypsy Queen highlights included...

#1 - Ichiro

A fitting selection to lead off the set...

#4 - Jackie Robinson

#18 - Christy Mathewson

#62 - Red Schoendienst

Can you tell I'm more of a fan of the retired players in this one? Another fine looking card.

#74 - Tom Seaver

#95 - George Sisler

Those cards all came from the short 300-card base set, but there were a handful of short prints included as well (cards 301-350):

#301 - Alfonso Soriano

#317 - Justin Upton

#340 - Miguel Olivo

#FS7 - Ike Davis

I'm two inserts closer thanks to this package...

#HH11 - Andruw Jones

In addition to the Gypsy Queen cards, there were two more sets on the want list that got whittled down a bit...

#118 - Tim Wakefield

I've been working on 1993 Flair for a while. Well if you consider "working on" to mean ripping a wax box, sorting them, updating the want list and then forgetting all about them that is.

#138 - Barry Bonds

#148 - Matt Williams

#211 - Lou Whitaker

#297 - Devon White

I've now got 225 cards out of 300 for this set, putting me at exactly 75% complete. Also inside the package were a few cards from a set that I'm tantalizingly close to finishing, 2008 Upper Deck baseball:

#778 - Joe Mauer - Twins Team Checklist

#797 - Magglio Ordonez - Season Highlights

I'm now just 22 cards away from finishing this 799 card monster of a set! It's only taken me 3 years and counting. Closing things out were a couple of much-appreciated Diamond Anniversary parallels from this past year's Topps flagship set:

#123 - Mike Lowell

#235 - AL ERA Leaders (Hernandez/Buchholz/Price)

I'm missing only one Red Sox Diamond Anniversay parallel from Series 1 now, #278, Marco Scutaro.

Thanks for a fantastic trade Chuck! I'll be sure to look you up when I get the rest of my 1990 Topps cards sorted out!