Traders on the Storm.

       The Night Owl and I have been trading back and forth for so long that we are like neighbors on an old sitcom - no need to knock, just come on in - but we had only spoken of a few random cards recently and nothing seemed pending, so it was a pleasant surprise to come back from New Orleans last week to see a package from upstate New York.  It contained the usual put-aside Mets and some cards I had forgotten I had asked for.  I am glad he pays attention to the stuff I say.  Let's take a look:

David Wright cards are always appreciated, especially now that he is not going anywhere.  The Triple Play sticker is especially cool.  There is also a mini Santana and some other random 2012 things here.  Also an older Mo Vaughn card.  There is a rumor that Mo's old black jerseys were sewn together to make the infield tarp for Citi Field.  I can neither confirm nor deny this. 

Stack #2 is even better (I have no idea if it was accidental or on purpose that he sent me exactly 18 cards):

You will see a 1977 Topps cloth sticker Ron Cey here and he like, huh?  Cey is Owl's guy. Well, he is also one of my guys (why? I am fond of Penguins and Cey's nickname is The Penguin - simple as that).  And since he had an extra one of these oddballs, he was nice enough to set it aside for me.  I also requested the Mantle because I have a soft spot for those dreadful Moments and Milestones sets and I needed a center for a page of black parallels.  And hey, Mantle is Mantle, right?  I have most of vintage 1960's Mets cards.  One day, I might even sit down and put the ones I need on a wantlist.  Somehow, Night Owl found not one but two early 60's cards I needed.  I am sure he just randomly sent these.  He is the man.  Rounding this pile out is some 2008 cards with long gone Mets and a couple of Topps Fan Favorites.  I am certain I have the 2008 cards, but I am pretty sure I do not have the FF cards.  Nice stuff all round.  I know I have a pile of Dodgers for Night Owl; I will try to drop them in the mail when he least expects it.

Postscript:  Greg always puts a little note in with his cards.  I suggest doing this with all your trades and eBay sales so that the recipient knows who sent the package.  He was also nice enough to even wish me well after my displacement from Hurricane Sandy; I assume he sent these cards along to further my recovery.  What a nice guy.  My second suggestion is to always use team bags and easily removable tape.  Here you see blue painter's tape, which is preferable, but masking tape also works well.  Never ever ever put scotch tape on a toploader.  I wish I could spread this as gospel. Scotch tape and toploaders do NOT mix, yet so many eBay sellers and even a few traders have used it on them.  If this blog teaches one person to never put scotch tape on a toploader again, I will feel it has been helpful to mankind.

Hey Everyone...

...who wants to see my new shiny Dickey?

Uhhhh...yeah.

This marvelous little pile came from the Night Owl, who when he pulled the R.A. Bowman card not only earmarked it for me right away, but somehow resisted the urge to make the obvious lame joke I did.  That is why Night Owl is a better man than me (and most of us).  In my defense, dick jokes are much easier than college residence assistant jokes.  Also included are an awesome 3-D David Wright from this years Opening Day.  I was quite fond of the 2010 3D inserts and these are equally nifty.  I may have to find a lot of these to make a page.  I have also grown to enjoy the sheen on this year's gold Topps parallels; I already have a page of those, though.  That Mr. Turkey Dwight Gooden card combines my favorite failed Met and oddball food issues...what's not to love?  I also must give a shout out to the Topps Fan Favorites cards he included, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan cards are always appreciated, that but sticking out there belongs (fittingly) to Sid Fernandez - who may have been the widest pitcher I have ever seen, and I had never known that Ron Swoboda card existed, and now I need a second one for my Rookie All Stars collection.  Finally, I must say the 1984 Fleer set is not my favorite, I find it a little too minimalist, but I do find the blue stripe works well for teams with blue as a main color and, since the 1983 Mets spent a lot of time in blue 80's style pull overs, the team looks great in this set.  I don't have many of the 1984 Fleer Mets for some odd reason, but now I have two more, including the OG Brian Giles.  Thanks Night Owl!