Trade with Chunter

No one wants a Frank Robinson autograph? Really? I just traded most of the 1987 Topps set to Chunter of the Braves blog Chipp 'n' Dale in exchange for about a hundred common cards from the 1990s and 2000s. That's basically what I would want for one of the Frank Robinson cards. Is there really more demand for 1987 Topps than an autographed card of a Hall of Famer?

I love it when Topps goes beyond the on-field aspects of a player on their card, like this one Chunter sent me. Do you think Big Papi was wearing the underwear at the time?

Amazing haul of cards (got some Frank Robinson autographs to trade!)

I recently got a couple thousand free cards from a poster on Freecycle. The post just said "80s and 90s baseball cards" so I wasn't expecting much, maybe a bunch of 1988 Topps. In fact, there was a lot of 1988 Topps in there - a full set! I actually needed one of the cards, because it was the variation on the Mark McGwire record breaker card. Anyone interested in trading for 791 of the 792 card set?

Amazingly, however, almost all of the other cards were not junk wax. For example, there were a ton of 2000 Fleer Tradition and Stadium Club cards.

Speaking of set collecting, my 1980 Topps wantlist got whittled down to five, with probably the most valuable of the cards I needed, Nolan Ryan! Now I just need Johnny Bench, George Brett, Tom Seaver, Reggie Jackson, and the Red Sox team card.

There was a bunch of 1995 Collectors Choice. I have the full base set, so all of those, including the Derek Jeter rookie card, are up for trade.

There were also a bunch of Silver Signatures, including the Jeter!

There were several small complete sets, including 1993 Upper Deck BAT/Foundation of Baseball, 1997 Cracker Jack minis (with a bunch of extras to trade), and series one and two of 1993 Duracell. I already had series one, so this one is up for trade.

There were some cool oddballs as well, the most interesting being some reproductions of Ken Griffey Jr.'s boyhood photos! Check out Dad's afro!

Judging by the address they were published out of someone's apartment.

That's some impressive muscles for such a little kid.

The coolest thing in the trade, however, were these eleven cards.

These were individually autographed cards produced by Canadian Club Classic Whisky. Whoever collected these cards must have been a big drinker! Apparently they did a promotion in the mid-90s with a few Hall-of-Famers autographing cards. I'm keeping one, so the other ten are up for trade. It looks like they generally go for about $15, so I would want to do a trade of similar value. I don't want to trade for other autographs, just cards, so take a look at my wantlists if you are interested, but let me know what else you might have for trade as I have a ton of other wants not listed.

Player Profile: Anthony Ariola

I have two cards of Anthony Ariola. This one is from 1989 Star.

Playing career: Anthony Ariola pitched in the A’s organization from 1988 through 1992. He had a career record of 25-11 with a 2.61 ERA but he only pitched in eleven games from 1990 to 1992 as injuries cut his career short. You can read a more detailed description of his career in his 21 Greatest Days profile, called “Tony Ariola, That Guy," and a two-part interview of Ariola from the same blog.

Where he is now: Director, Strategic Resources at State Farm.

My memories: Never heard of him until I got his card.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is tenth when you type Anthony Ari, behind Anthony Arita, a neuropsychologist with the US Navy. Another prominent Anthony Ariola is a sports blogger who is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Marcos Armas.

Player Profile: Joaquin Arias

I have three cards of Joaquin Arias. This one is from 2007 Ultra.

Playing career: Infielder Joaquin Arias played for the Rangers and Mets from 2006 to 2010, hitting .276 in 113 games.

Where he is now: He is now in the Giants organization.

My memories: Vaguely remember him from the Rangers but nothing specific.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is first when you type Joaquin A, ahead of former Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar. Another prominent Joaquin Arias was a Cuban soccer player in the 1930s.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Anthony Ariola.

Player Profile: George Arias

I have eight cards of George Arias. This one is from 1996 Collectors Choice.

Playing career: Third baseman George Arias played for the Angels and Padres from 1996 to 1999, hitting .238 with 14 HR and 55 RBI. He then went to Japan where he starred for several years.

My memories: Vaguely remember him from the Angels but nothing specific.

Where he is now: Director of Instruction at Centerfield Baseball and Softball in Tucson, AZ.

Google Autocomplete results: He is fourth when you type George Ari, between George Arida MD, an OBGYN in New York, and George Arispe, a professional bodybuilder. Another prominent George Arias is an artist in Denver.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Joaquin Arias.