Results of Johnny's Contest

John recently had an anniversary in his little Trading Spot, and he held a simple contest: be one of the first to comment and he had a prize package for you.  I happened to have come along at the just the right time and was able to get in on this contest.  The reward was much more than adequate to compensate the "effort" I expended send some simple well-wishes his way.

John hit me almost exclusively with Cubs I needed.  Here we have some Series 2 offerings.  Two of these players (Montgomery and Edwards) are no longer with the club, having been shipped out on the trade deadline.  And speaking of trade deadline moves, Hamels has been rock-solid since he came over last July.  I was worried that he might be slowing down, but he has been a stud in the rotation that has had its up-and-down moments this year.

Here we have an insert and a parallel.  Like the cards above, this features someone who is no longer with us and a pitcher who was acquired in a trade deadline move.

Moving back in time, here are two cards that left me baffled at first.  These are inserts from 2005 Upper Deck, which I have never opened in my life.  I thought they were some kind of game card, and they still could be, I guess.

 

The back looks like it might be used for a game.

Going even further back, there are some nice oddballs of all-time great Cubs, including Woody English and Lon Warneke, who both participated in the first All-Star Game.  According to the back of the cards, English entered the game as a pinch-hitter for his teammate, Warneke.  These cards come from a 1983 Big League Collectibles set.  Moving from [Woody] English to [Larry] French, we see a nice early 80s TCMA set commemorating the greatest Cubs up to that point in time.

The cards are newer here, from 2003 SP Legendary Cuts, but the players are still old.  Some Hall of Fame Cubbie goodness is here.  The highlight for me is my first Harry Caray card.  Holy cow!

John didn't stop there with the Hall of Famers.

Also included was this set, which others have already shown on their blogs.  This small boxed set features a Who's Who of Baseball checklist packed into 12 cards.

This is the side of the box.  These are not just cards, but stamps from the island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  It's an innovative concept, marrying two popular collecting targets into one concept.  And now that I know these can actually be used as legal postage, I think they may be the most valuable cards in my collection!

Thanks for the contest and the prize, John.  I enjoy your blog and, as I mentioned in the comments on your page, I hope you have many more blogging anniversaries to come.  Stay safe down there through hurricane season!