Dime Box Red Sox!

I think most people who read card blogs are more than familiar with the great work of Nick over at Dime Boxes.  I really enjoy his writing, and his style of collecting, and recently was lucky enough to exchange some cards with him for the very first time.

From reading his blog over the years, I expected a whole heap of randomness in return for the cards I sent, and Nick certainly did not disappoint!  The package he sent along had to easily have 60 or more Sox cards in it, and I needed the good majority of them.  In fact, every card in this post, starting with this great Topps Kids Mike Greenwell, was new to my collection.

From Topps Kids, to Pacific, to Sportflics, that's a pretty random trio to kick off any trade package with.

This Harry Hooper is so random that I wasn't even sure when it was released.  Turns out this Baseball Immortals oddball set was printed up in 1980, before I was even born.  This is also just my second Harry Hooper card.

I know Nick enjoys cards of players signing autographs, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised to find this Garciaparra in the stack.

Here's a cool Dustin Pedroia that I believe was part of some hobby shop giveaway back in 2007.  Great stuff.

Nick even hit on some brand new stuff, like one of the final cards I was missing from my 2015 Opening Day team set.  With Victorino out of town now, Castillo has actually been logging some consistent playing time, and has looked...welll...okay...

Sticking with the new for a moment, here's probably the top pitching prospect in the organization.  Thanks to the team already being out of contention shortly after the All-Star break, Owens has had a chance to come up and make a couple of starts so far.  He's looked solid at times, nervous at others, but overall I think there's a good future for Henry at the big league level.

There were a lot of cards in this package where not only was the card new to me, but so was the entire set.  2001 Fleer Focus is definitely one of those sets.

Gotta love the Hygrade All-Time Greats set.

This Ortiz done in the style of 1967 Topps is one of those Trading Card History inserts from 2008 Topps flagship.

Archives was so much nicer in the early 2000s when it was a more original concept, had more varied designs, contained retired stars only, and was printed on sturdier card stock.

How's that for a delivery shot?

Ah, Topps Total.  I really wish I had been collecting when they were still making this set, I love the idea of an all-encompassing (or close anyway) set where some lesser-known players get to make an appearance on cardboard.  Nick sent along this one from the 2002 set...

...and Doug Mirabelli from 2004.

Bret Saberhagen rocking the batting gloves on this turn-of-the-century card from Upper Deck Victory.

My very first Topps Circle K card, featuring what looks like a Spring Training photo of Yaz.

Here's another set that's new to my collection, 2000 Pacific Aurora.

This 1996 Donruss Willie McGee might have been the sleeper card of the package for me.  That's because it's my first card of McGee that depicts him in his lone season with the Red Sox (1995).

Best retro/throwback jersey in the package, hands down!

This 2005 Diamond Kings Manny is the blue framed parallel, and is serial numbered to /100.  Very nice!

Here we have a nice oddball of The Rocket, done in the style of 1970 Topps.  This was cut out of a 1992 Baseball Card Magazine.

Yet another set I'd never heard of/seen before, Fleer Brilliants.  The card is not as nice looking as the name would imply, but my Red Sox card count increases by one nonetheless.

From the Topps Woolworth's set, my first Hub Leonard card!

Nick threw in a couple of great Upper Deck team checklist cards featuring Japanese pitchers.  Hideo Nomo from 2002...

...and Daisuke Matsuzaka from 2007.  This one had been on my want list for a while, I love that Matsuzaka is depicted on first base.

I didn't recognize these oddballs at first glance, but it turns out they're from the Pacific Legends set.  Bobby Doerr...

...and Jim Lonborg are from the first release, in 1988.  There's also an error version of the Lonborg card where is last name is mis-spelled Longborg.

Dick Radatz here is from the second series, printed in 1989.  Great oddballs for sure.

Last, but certainly not least, a nice condition upgrade 1968 Topps Petrocelli.

Nick, it was a blast scanning and cataloging all of these great new additions to my Red Sox collection.  I really appreciate all the thought and effort that went into crafting this great trade package, and I look forward to another exchange down the road!