A Tale of Two Unbelievably Similar PWEs

Last week I received two different PWEs from different parts of the country.  Both came from frequent trading partners (Dimebox Nick and Joe Shlabotnik).  They arrived on the very same day, but they had much more in common than just that.  In fact, as I flipped through each of them it was really quite amazing just how similar they were.

For example, each one had a single base card that I already owned.  In Nick's case, this David Ortiz from 2008 Upper Deck featuring a nice broken bat.

In Joe's case, a Wade Boggs Topps Bunt card.  Two nice cards that I'll be re-routing to another Red Sox collector at some point.  Now let's get to the stuff that was new to me...

Each envelope contained a couple of 2016 cards that were new to my collection.  Unlike the Wade Boggs, I did not have this Carlton Fisk Bunt card from Joe.

Joe also threw in this David Ortiz insert from this year's Topps Heritage release.  A couple of franchise all-time greats for sure.

The 2016 cards from Nick were of the Topps Update variety, a set I've yet to see in person prior to this (though admittedly haven't been searching very hard for).  This is my first Brad Ziegler-as-a-Red-Sox card, which is cool.

A couple more Update cards from Nick, reliever Junichi Tazawa...

...and an All-Star Game card of JBJ.  A nice 2016 Red Sox boost there, but that wasn't all that the envelopes had in common.

Joe sent me two great Sox cards from the '70s.  First up, yet another 1976 SSPC card.  Joe has sent me at least a dozen of these over time, maybe more.  Someday I will get my act together and figure out the handful of cards I have left to knock out this team set.

This one is right up my alley, love the '70s O-Pee-Chee!  Aside from that I will never tire of adding new George Scott cards to my collection.  Just awesome, this might be my single favorite card Joe sent this time around, though it's hard to pick just one.

Not to be outdone, Nick also sent a pair of '70s Red Sox!  From the '71 Topps set we have two of the more recognizable Boston players from that era in hurler Bill Lee...

...and shortstop Rico Petrocelli (with a cameo by the Green Monster).  If I had unlimited time and funds the '71 Topps set is one I'd love to put together.  I'm always green with envy when someone shows off a completed page from this release.  As it stands right now I'm shooting for at least all the Red Sox cards from the set, and I'm two closer thanks to Nick.

The similarities didn't end there though, as both Nick and Joe included Topps Total in their respective PWEs.  Joe hit me up with a tandem from the 2005 set, rookies Jeremy West and Willy Mota...

...and an insert of Big Papi.  Topps Total is one of the releases I most regret missing out on while I was away from the hobby, in fact I had no idea the set even had inserts until getting this one.

Nick's Topps Total card was from the year prior.  Kenny Perez never made the big league club, but I like the card nonetheless.  I really wish this set would make a return.

While strikingly similar, there were some cards that prevented the two envelopes from being an exact match.  Joe hooked me up with this nice 2000 Topps Gallery No-mah, card #1 in the set.

2003 Donruss Team Heroes is typically a centerpiece to a Shlabotnik PWE, and this time was no exception.

While not a Red Sox card strictly speaking, this Heath Hembree card is now the closest thing I have.  Heath came to Boston in the trade that sent Jake Peavy to the Giants, and this will be a nice placeholder until the day comes (if it ever does) where he gets a proper Red Sox card.  Who knows, I don't keep up too well with new releases so maybe he's got one already.

Nick included some nice random cards too, starting with the famous '88 Topps Traded Brady Anderson.  One of the more obscure, but also one of my favorite, '80s Red Sox cards.

I like this one quite a bit because it's my very first Earl Webb card.  He doesn't have a whole lot of cardboard out there, but he is the answer to an interesting baseball trivia question.  The question?  Who has the record for most doubles in a season?  Earl does, with an impressive 67 two-baggers back in 1931!

Studio!

I'm guessing this one is a dupe/cast-off from Nick's "players signing autographs" collection.  Glad he thought of me as a home for it, as the 2009 O-Pee-Chee set is a favorite of mine.

Another new Mookie Betts from Nick as well.  Will he be voted the 2016 AL MVP?  We'll know soon enough!

There was actually one more similarity between the two PWEs, buybacks!  Each PWE contained one, and both of them were 1966 buybacks from 2015 Topps Heritage.

1966 Topps #118 - Mike McCormick

Joe delivered big-time with this Mike McCormick!  I didn't have a #118 previously, plus I love defunct franchises of yesteryear.  Mike has been added to the franken-set binder.  Mike was also just one year out from capturing the NL Cy Young Award here.  I confess that until receiving this card I had no clue that McCormick won the award in dominating fashion in '67.

1966 Topps #44 - Bill Davis/Tom Kelley

Here's the buyback Nick sent.  While I don't appreciate the card any less, unfortunately I've already got a copy of this one.  Mark Hoyle gave it to me when I met up with him and Matt from Bob Walk the Plank in Providence a couple of months ago.  It's really no problem though, because I know a couple of other collectors that like buybacks, and will have no problem forwarding this on to a good home.

Besides, Nick more than made up for it by sending along this one...

Sweet!  This Black parallel from 2016 Topps Update is pretty scarce at just /65 copies.  I'm guessing Nick pulled this from his hobby box of 2016 Update, and I'm honored that he thought to send it my way.

Thanks to both Joe and Nick for two eerily similar, and greatly appreciated PWEs!  I'll be hitting you both back in the near future here!