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.

RTP #18 - Special Guest Eric from Manupatches and Chrome Scratches

Welcome to a landmark edition of The Rockie Trading Post.  Tonight's special guest is Eric from Manupatches and Chrome Scratches.  If you haven't met Eric yet, he is a collector of both the Royals and Rockies and has an impressive player collection of Luke Hochevar.  I would plug your Fowler collection too Eric, but I want those coming here first (hehe).  This episode contains the very first trade in which Rockies left my hands.  I had accumulated many dupes through the first 17 episodes of TRTP, so I passed them along to Eric along with a stack of Royals I got from a group break.  Here is what he sent me back.

Who would work better in the leadoff spot in this trade than Juan Pierre.  This 2002 Finest Xfractor is numbered 109/299 and is very nice.  It still amazes me that Pierre is one year younger (well 10 months) than me, it seems like he has been around for a lot longer than 10 years.  This 2005 Donruss Champions Blue Impressions parallel is numbered 40/100.  Donruss Champions is a notable set because it is one of the last sets produced under MLB license by Donruss.

Up next we have a Jhoulys Chacin rookie from 2009 UD Ultimate Collection /599.  I do not understand the fascination with "high-end" products.  Well, of course it's the hits, but if you took the set name and serial number off this base card; it doesn't look that much different from any other less expensive Upper Deck side sets.  This sweet blue refractor of Matt Holliday from one of the best insert sets ever, 2008 Topps 50th Anniversary All Star Rookie Team.  I love this set.

A 2008 Topps Triple Threads of former Colorado closer Brian Fuentes #'d 1326/1350 leads off this segment.  Fuentes is one of those rare pitchers, like Jason Jennings, that had worse pitching numbers after leaving Denver.  Hoepfully he can get his act together as the new closer for the A's.  As many of you have probably figured out by now...I love gold parallels and the 2008 Topps Golds are among my favorites.  This Willy Taveras bring me to a total of six for that team set including U&H.

Here we have "joy of a completed (team) set" with my final 2010 A&G Rockie needed with this short-print Huston Street.  I already had the mini of Street.  The odd thing is that was the only mini I had, so he was my only mini and only needed regular size...just a little irony.  Up next is a fun picture with former Rockie reliever Taylor Buchholz and the Pirate Parrot.  I wish the Rockies had a cool mascot, but we are stuck with Dinger, the purple dinosaur.  I will have a minor rant post on Dinger, eventually.

Here are another couple of now former Rockies.  Jeff Baker was the Cubs third baseman that, in a very scary moment, went temporarily blind when a ball was hit toward him in a game last year.  Luckily for him, it seems to have been a one-time incident.  Ethan Hollingsworth was a middling prospect that was dealt to the A's this offseason for Clayton Mortensen, who was dealt by the Cardinals to Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal.

After 18 episodes of TRTP, I thought I was finally stumped on a Rockie card with these two, and I was until earlier today.  They are from the Colorado Rockies Police sets, Castilla the 1997 and Walker the 1998.  That was actually my first thought when they arrived, but the card numbering threw me off.  My master checklist had the cards alphabetically numbered when they are in fact numbered by player uniform number.  I like that the back of the Larry Walker card seems to be a mug shot warning about litterbugs.  "Take Pride in Your Community" or you could end up like this guy.

Rounding out this deal are two cool looking pieces of "shiny goodness."  The 2007 Finest Refractor Matt Holliday is my first of any card from this set.  The 2007 Finest design is a tad underwhelming compared to other years.  Speaking of underwhelming designs, here is a 2004 Topps Chrome Refractor of Vinny Castilla in his 2nd of 3 stints with Colorado.  I am probably not alone in saying that the 2004 set is one of my least favorite Topps flagship designs of the 2000s.


Thanks again Eric for the trade and you will be the regular next home for any needed Rockie dupes.  Plus you can have first claim on the Royals as well.  Make sure you check out his blog right here.  Well that just about wraps up this edition of The Rockie Trading Post.  Tune in next time for a Hal'O a trade (wow, put me in bad pun prison).  Until then, we are officially signed off.