RTP #33 - Special Returning Guest Eric from Manupatches and Chrome Scratches

Welcome back to another edition of The Rockie Trading Post.  Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days, but it's been a bear of a week.  But I digress.  Tonight's special returning guest is Eric from Manupatches and Chrome Scratches.  Eric was a guest here for TRTP #18.  If you don't know or remember Eric is a fellow Rockies collector and also collects the Royals and is our blog world's resident Luke Hochevar super collector (whether he believes it or not).  This trade was a little of quantity versus quality, to an extent.  I sent Eric a lot of Rockie dupes that I have gathered from many fine traders over the past few months (nothing overly special other than a Royals auto, but a lot).  In return, Eric sent me some quality hits and overall beautiful cards.  Let's check out what showed up at my door.

This card is just flat out AWESOME!  I may have to stop collecting now, because every other card I ever get will pale in comparison to this.  I am kidding a bit of course, but if you had told me when I was a kid that I would be happy to see an autograph of a scout I would have thought you were nuts.  I do love this card though because it is quirky, just like me.  Pat Daugherty was the scouting director of the Rockies from 1993-99 and is featured in this card because he signed Matt Holliday originally.  This is a neat idea as a one shot deal, but could be very bad if used often.  For a rebuttal opinion, check out this very memorable post from Night Owl.

This card is a 2007 Sweet Spot Classic Memorabilia Dave Parker.  This is the beginning of a new foray into collecting for me.  I am going to add Dave Parker to my player collections.  He was possibly my first ever favorite player and I wanted to get a nice collection going.  I have since put my Fred McGriff collection on indefinite hiatus, in order to pursue this Parker collection of 926 cards.  I have a nice dent in it already thanks to Sportlots and my own dupe box, 74 during his playing days and 17 retired specials about 10%, mostly the easy ones to get.
 

Back to Rockies auto here with 2010 3rd round pick Josh Rutledge.  This card is the exact argument to use against people that dislike the above Pat Daugherty card.  No offense to Josh Rutledge and his career .135 minor league average, but he is probably not going to be a major leaguer.  That being said, he is a Rockie and I want his card same as Daugherty.  I say a card of a scout and a card of a minor league middling (at best) prospect are basically equivalent.  Your thoughts?

From obscure minor leaguer to one of the best, Todd Helton.  The first card is from 2007 Upper Deck Elements and uses PETG technology, which I think is a fancy acronym for acetate.  The card is really great looking in person, although it does have a kind of dull sheen.  The second card is a 2009 SP Authentic which is a vast improvement over the 2008 set, which I did not care for at all.

Here we have the 2007 version of the Rockies team card.  I have to ask who had the great idea to position the team behind a three foot wall.  You can barely see the guys in front.  Although it could be considered a real life homage to the 60s floating heads team cards.

What trade with Eric would be complete without a Royal featured.  He sent me this 2000 Topps Carlos Beltran for my All Star Rookie Team collection.  Beltran was such a superstar in both Kansas City and his short stint in Houston.  The Mets really seemed to have extinguished yet another hot star.  Good luck Jason Bay.

This next group is a pair of relievers from the expansion Rockies era.  Lance Painter was an unspectacular middle/long reliever and spot starter for a few years in Denver.  Darren Holmes was the Rockies first ever closer, holding that position for the first year and for short stints in the next four years before he departed.

Here are three of the Rockies base cards from 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition.  Rutledge I talked about above, Casteel was a 17th round pick that hit over .300 in his first year, and Bettis is a 2nd round starter with a potentially great future.  Bettis is my favorite as he was 6-1 combined in 2010 with a 1.07 ERA.  He is starting 2011 with the Modesto Nuts in High Class A.


Thanks again Eric for another great trade.  Check out his great blog here along with his secondary collection of golf course scorecards.  Well that just about wraps up another fine edition of The Rockie Trading Post.  Tune in next time for a first (and second) time visit from an old school Reds and Tigers fan.  Until then, we are officially signed off.