When Quality Meets Quantity - Part I

This hobby is full of very friendly people.  In the nearly 8 years I've been writing this blog now I've been introduced to, and received cards from, dozens and dozens of other collectors.  Some of my favorite cards in my entire collection have been sent to me in trade, or just out of the blue.  I really do appreciate each as much as the next. 

With that being said, if we are talking about pure quantity of cardboard sent, there is one guy who stands out above the rest, especially in the past year or two.

That would be my buddy Jeff S (who sadly does not have a blog that I can link to here).  Jeff has sent me a few absolutely giant packages of new cards in recent months.  The majority of the cards have bolstered my Red Sox collection, like this great Panini Prizm Fearless insert of second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

The best part about Jeff's packages is not only the total number of cards, but the variety that he manages to hit on among them.  He's sent me everything from vintage oddballs right up through current day releases, like this 2015 Stadium Club Ortiz insert.

Jeff even keeps his eye out for cool Sox items for me at shows, or wherever else he scores new cardboard.  It's pretty awesome to be able to attend a card show "by proxy"!

There are only two unfortunate things about Jeff.  The first is that he's a much more narrowed and focused collector than I am, which makes it awfully hard for me to find stuff to send him in return sometimes.  At this point I'm forever in debt to him, as I think the ratio of cards sent to cards received has gotta be something like 100 sent 1,000+ received, maybe worse!

The second "problem" with Jeff is that when I receive batches of cards this large my OCD scanning and categorization process results in me taking forever to get through them.  I tend to grab, process and post many other PWEs and smaller packages during the time when I'm going through one of Jeff's deliveries, just to keep my card desk relatively clean.  As a result, the person who sent me the most gets the least thanks.  Well, I'm working on that, and today's post is a step in the right direction.

Aside from those two things, Jeff is alright!

All the cards you see in this post are just the tip of the iceberg, and I haven't even gotten to any of the Sox cards from his latest delivery yet.

More Topps Total...

...and a new Canseco Red Sox card.  Love it.

I had the base version of this incredibly awkward card already, and thanks to Jeff's efforts now I've got the Electric Diamond parallel to accompany it.  Makes me want to chase the one-per-box Electric Diamond Gold to complete the rainbow of awkwardness and hand moles.

Typically I find a healthy batch of new Nomars any time Jeff sends a package to my doorstep.

I think I collect Xander Bogaerts.  I learned long ago that being a player collector is not for me, too stressful chasing everything down and with my personality it makes my hobby seem more like a chore.  I have enough chores.  Xander was one of the few bright spots on a doomed 2015 Red Sox team, and whenever I land a card of either he or Mookie Betts it feels extra significant.  So, I guess I kind of collect those two.

A nice shot of The Hawk signing some pre-game 'graphs.

The second 1996 Topps Gallery card I've received in trade this summer, pretty random for a set I never knew existed until a few weeks ago.

I don't know how Jeff does it, he must have some good card shows, or dime/quarter boxes in his area.  He's even started expanding out and sending cards to other bloggers recently, at least a couple that I know of.

I like the cameo appearance on this one of the blurry beer vendor.

More Nomah!

I already had a couple of parallel versions of this Mookie Betts rookie, but somehow the base card had escaped me.  Like I said, nothing makes me happier than new Betts or Bogaerts cards, and the photograph on this one is great.

Going old school oddball with a trio of 1987 K-Marts!  I can remember a copy or two of this box set kicking around among my childhood collecting friends back in the day.  From a monetary perspective, these are probably among the least valuable cards in the entire package, but they brought a smile to my face.  Besides, I think most everyone has learned by this point that if you're in this hobby to make money, you're in the wrong hobby.

Everyone loves the Hostess cards from the '70s, but how about one from the early '90s?

Last Red Sox card for today, 1990 Donruss done right (or at least as well as 1990 Donruss can be done).

Oh, and in case that wasn't enough I also got a nice, large chunk of my 2015 Topps Stadium Club set knocked off in a recent package as well!  I won't show most of them, but here are a couple select favorites from the dozens Jeff sent...

Alright, I've dragged this one on long enough, so I'll just say it one more time, short and simple.

Thank you Jeff.