What I Took Away From The Million Card Giveaway

I did decently in last year's Topps Million Card Giveaway. I never obtained a card before the sixties, even though I tried. I traded a lot of good cards away because I wanted to make other people happy and didn't have a lot of interest in those particular cards. I was able to make a couple of decent trades for cards that I wanted.

In the end, Topps got their money from the extra packs that I bought and I had some fun and received a few cards in return. It was a fun experience, but I'm failing to recapture the same type of fun in their Diamond Giveaway from this year.

The cards that I ordered back in February finally arrived in today's mail. I only chose to get five cards delivered. I left about a dozen cards at the site, so if you get a 2005 Jermaine Dye or a 1988 Carlton Fisk in the Diamond Giveaway... you're welcome.

My first rule was to only get the cards delivered that struck a chord with me. These would include cards that I needed for my collection, vintage cards and the "what the hell, why not" factor. Three cards fit both the first and second stipulations and two cards fit the last category.

1983 Topps #274 - Terry Kennedy

This one was a last minute decision. 1983 Topps was my first pack of cards, so the nostalgic angle is there. I have come to realize that I have an affinity for catchers. I used to be a catcher and I suppose that this plays a huge part of that liking. Maybe it's the sadomasochistic way they abuse their bodies and still have to be sharp enough to know every little detail about the players on their team and any opponent that they face. The catcher is the James Brown of the baseball world; the hardest working man in baseball. Or maybe I just like catchers. It could be that I remember pulling a lot of Terry Kennedy cards when I was a kid.

1980 Topps #663 - Angels Future Stars (Ralph Botting, Bob Clark, Dickie Thon)

Do I even need to explain this one? It's a Dickie Thon rookie card! Of course I'm going to have it shipped to the house. This one has a little ding in the top left corner. Otherwise a nice card.

1973 Topps #423 - Johnny Jeter

The best card of the 1973 Topps set (for the White Sox at least). I wonder if the roller mark scalping him is giving Johnny that pained expression. Bonus: Johnny's son Shawn played for the White Sox nineteen years later.

1972 Topps #525 - Carlos May

A near perfect pose for a near perfect card. The only problem with this card is that it's slightly off-center. Another card off of my want list. Thanks, Marie!

1966 Topps #127 - Ken Berry

I traded a 1964 Braves card for this one. Normally, I wouldn't trade down on vintage, but I needed this one for my 1966 team set.

There you have it. One year's worth of tinkering and I get three vintage cards that I need for team sets, two other cards and a whole mess of cards left in Topps' possession. Not bad for a giveaway. I want to thank everyone who made trades with me. Sometimes I helped you out. Sometime you helped me out. I think it worked out in the end. It was fun. Isn't that what collecting cards is really about?