A merry All Hallow's Eve to all of you! Soon my household coffers will be filled with the spoils of my underlings as they disguise themselves and traverse from house to house offering those that dare answer the call the choice between sweet confectionery payment or mischievous retribution...
Ah! Long has it been since I've uttered the famous query, but I find in my advanced age that treats do not abate this time of year, although their sweetness derives more from their giver's heart than the sugary content.
Alright, enough trying to be all eloquent and wordy... :)
I have been on the receiving end of a lot of treats lately. I've already thanked Johnny for the 5 envelopes he's sent, but that was just one of many small favors that have come my way.
Often I'll get some bonus cards during a Time Travel Trading swap. One such card came from a recent trade with Greg (Night Owl Cards).
This card commemorates Duran's fantastic 2024 season. Statistically he came back down to Earth this past season, but he remains a solid contributor and fan favorite. It'll be interesting to see if he becomes the odd man out as the Red Sox seek to ease their outfield logjam.
When I announced that I was going to try and work on the 1977 Topps set, Tom (formerly of The Angels in Order), jumped in with a handful of cards towards the set build.
One thing I find myself appreciating more and more about this 1977 set are those wonderfully colorful uniforms. lots of dark red and baby blue in this bunch!
Johnny (Johnny's Trading Spot) absolutely floored me with his generosity. The Red Sox cards he sent were amazing enough, but then he had to send a padded envelope full of 1977 Topps cards!
He knocked out over 80 cards from my want list, including most of the Hall of Fame players I was missing!
Greg (Crocodile Sports) was another person who sent some bonus cards with a Time Travel Trade.
These three cards were the last Red Sox cards I needed from the 1979 Topps set. I now have a complete run of Red Sox cards from the 1977-1995 Topps base sets!
Yet another trade partner, Joseph from the TCDB, sent along some bonus cards with his portion of the trade.
Yet another trade partner, Joseph from the TCDB, sent along some bonus cards with his portion of the trade.
In addition to 1977 Topps, I also listed the 2024 Topps Heritage insert set devoted to Fred Lynn as a set I wanted to complete. Joseph gives me the first card I needed from this small 10 card set.
Finally, Bo (Baseball Cards Come To Life!) delivered a few more cards from my want lists:
Thanks to Tom, Johnny, and Bo, I'm now down to needing just 23 cards to complete the 1977 Topps set! There's another local card show happening towards the end of November, so I'll be looking for those cards then. Otherwise, this set may have to wait until after the holidays to complete, but it'll happen!
My most heartfelt thanks to Greg G, Tom, Johnny, Greg B, Joseph and Bo for these amazing cards. You guys are the best and I hope your favorite sweet treat finds it's way into your plastic pumpkin tonight!
