Spiegel Is An Awesome Trader

This is the third trade I've done with Spiegel, if I'm remembering correctly. Each trade seems to top the last. We both get cards that we enjoy, which is the best reason to trade.

I'm usually not concerned with the big splash trade. Unless it is ridiculously out of proportion, I'll usually throw in whatever I can. As long as I'm getting something I need, I'm very satisfied. If I trade with someone often enough, I figure that it will even out eventually.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, that works. I don't spend sleepless nights worrying about book value. I do keep my eye out for certain cards. If I spot something at a bargain that I know someone else will enjoy, I'll usually pick it up and send it along, if it's within my budget, or I get a kick butt deal. Quite a number of bloggers can attest to that, over the years.

Even though I follow those simple guidelines, when a trade happens that even blows my expectations out of the water, I can't help but feel uneasy, in a good way. It's almost like getting into a horrible car wreck and walking away without a scratch or a hair out of place. You don't know quite what aligned to make it happen, but you are ecstatic that it happened that way.

I know these are terrible analogies for a card trade, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe the feeling.

I had pulled a Kurt Suzuki manufactured patch from my first blaster of 2011 Topps. I knew this was one of the few players that Spiegel collects, so I put it aside for him, to mail a few weeks later, along with a few other cards. I figured that this would be pretty hard to top. That is until I received an e-mail from Spiegel informing me that he just pulled something that was right up my alley.

A 2009 T206 Carolina Brights mini of A.J. Pierzynski!
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that this is a 1/1 parallel. So my reaction was somewhat like this.

At least on the inside, that is.

In addition to that 1/1 blessing, Spiegel knocked off seventeen more cards from my want list, including five from the UD Documentary set and a 2011 John Danks Diamond Anniversary parallel.

Thanks, Spiegel! This was a great trade! I hope you enjoyed the cards that I sent over. I'm looking forward to trading again soon.