2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway Haul

I had 25 of 28 cards shipped through the 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway Web site for about $16 - the highlights were probably the three die-cuts; the rest are cardboard curiosities that I had delivered for whatever reason.

The oldest Topps card in my Diamond Giveaway collection was from 1959 and the newest non die-cut was from 1985 - the three cards I didn't get shipped included a 1982 Topps John D'Acquisto #58, a 1987 Topps Don Sutton #673 and a 1988 Topps Kirby Puckett All-Star subset card #391.

2011-BB-DDC-DDC-10 Howie Kendrick 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
2011-BB-DDC-DDC-11 Jered Weaver 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
2011-BB-DDC-DDC-25 Vladimir Guerrero 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1959-BB-TS1-194-NA Jim Brosnan 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1960-BB-TS1-113-NA Bob Skinner 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1972-BB-TS1-504-NA Ed Spiezio 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-513-NA Dave Marshall 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1974-BB-TS1-455-NA Tom Bradley 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1974-BB-TS1-512-NA Joe Lahoud 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1976-BB-TS1-213-NA Dave Heaverlo RC 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1976-BB-TS1-32-NA Danny Frisella 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1978-BB-TS1-19-NA Darrell Porter 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1978-BB-TS1-301-NA Buddy Schultz RC 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1980-BB-TS1-137-NA John Castino RC 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1980-BB-TS1-97-NA Bill Lee 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1981-BB-TS1-170-NA Ross Grimsley 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1982-BB-TS1-356-NA Denny Lewallyn 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1982-BB-TS1-77-NA Miguel Dilone 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1984-BB-TS1-189-NA Tim Conroy 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1985-BB-TS1-3-NA Dwight Gooden RB 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1985-BB-TS1-630-NA Tim Raines 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1974-BB-TS1-96-NA Jerry Hairston RC 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1973-BB-TS1-439-NA Eddie Fisher 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1975-BB-TS1-542-NA Pete Broberg 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED
1981-BB-TS1-709-NA ALAN TRAMMELL DP 1 07/17/12 SHIPPED

Order # 308490-1 Order Date: 07/02/12 0299EDI
Shipping Method - USPS

Diamond Giveaway trade - 1968 Topps Matty Alou #270

I thought the 1980 Topps Gary Carter I ended up trading for this 1968 Topps card of Matty Alou was a keeper - but I think I may have been compelled to trade after seeing 10-15 trade requests seemingly every time I log in.

Most on the Diamond Giveaway site want my Vladimir Guerrero and Jered Weaver Diamond Die-cut cards from my portfolio - though it seems like it is the only cards offered are from the junk wax era, so I try not to pay attention to it.

I also got two throw in cards of little consequence - a 1980 Topps Joe Wallis #562 and a 1985 Topps Danny Ozark [manager] #365.

Diamond Giveaway trade - 2011 Topps Diamond Cut Jered Weaver DDC-111

I traded the 2011 Topps Diamond die cut Manny Ramirez in my portfolio - for a Jered Weaver 2011 Topps Diamond die cut card.

I like 'collecting' hitters' cards a little bit more than pitchers but Weaver is the Angels' ace - but wanted to add a card with some regional flavor to my collection.

Diamond Giveaway trade - 2011 Topps Diamond Cut Manny Ramirez DDC-132

I traded my 1967 Topps Don Drysdale for a 2011 Topps Diamond Cut Manny Ramirez - Manny has been exiled from Major League Baseball but I guess I wanted another 2011 Topps Diamond die cut card in my portfolio.

Maybe I have more confidence in Topps being able to deliver a shiny 2011 card - than a 34 year old card of a Hall of Famer that was probably going to be in 'vg-ex' condition at best.

Topps Diamond Giveaway trade - 1975 Topps Dave Nelson

I wasn't particularly attached to a 1983 Topps Bill Madlock card in my portfolio - so I traded it for a 1975 Topps common just to get an old-school [though not quite a 1973 or before vintage] card into my Topps Diamond collection.

Diamond Giveaway trade - 1967 Topps Don Drysdale #55

I thought trading a 1960 Topps Frank Malzone for a 1967 Topps Don Drysdale was a coup for my little, itty bitty Topps Diamond Giveaway card collection - even though looking at eBay's completed auctions, the value of the Drysdale maybe $2 or $3 at the most.

Considering the condition of the delivered cards from the Topps Million / Topps Diamond giveaway contests - if I have it delivered in-hand, the actual value of the Drysdale card will be around a buck or less.

Topps Diamond Giveaway thoughts and trades

The 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway is the 21st century way of collecting trading cards - the cards in your portfolio are mostly the same from the 00s, 90s, 80s, 70s and before, but you don't really have the cards in hand. If you want them delivered, you need a credit card to ship your cards to you for S/H.

I find myself logging in each day to see which cards I maybe able to trade for - even though I only have a lousy 11 cards.

I made a couple of more trades that seemed to make sense - I traded my 1979 Topps Dennis Martinez for a 1978 Topps Darrell Porter and my 1978 Topps Rollie Fingers for a 1980 Topps Gary Carter.

I got exposed to a lot of Martinez cards through the 1986-1992 junk wax era - so it was a breath of fresh air to trade for something just a little bit different.

I think I was ecstatic being able to trade my 1978 Topps Rollie Fingers for a 1980 Topps Gary Carter - I've stashed away a 'tools of ignorance' collection picturing catchers or non-catchers with catching equipment.

Most of my cards are from the last 20 years - so it is nice that I can pick up a card featuring a nice action shot of the Hall of Fame catcher showing he tagged out an incoming runner trying to score.

Topps Diamond Giveaway trade

I didn't exactly wait to jump on an 'interesting offer,' but I did dump my 1989 Topps George Brett for a 1995 Topps Jose Canseco - even 20 years later, I think the 1989 Topps set makes my skin crawl because it was such an uninspired, boring set devoid of innovation.

Probably from about 1994 through the present, Topps has come out with consistently decent looking sets - while not every set is a 'winner,' there are no '1989 Topps' among the last 16 or 17 years.

This was almost a done deal - if there were only more cards offered instead of one lone Cal Ripken Jr. card...maybe a combination of some vintage 1988, 1989, 1990 Topps to sweeten the pot for my 1960 Topps Frank Malzone.

Last of the two Topps Diamond code cards - 1983 Topps Bill Madlock and 1989 Topps George Brett

1983 Topps Bill Madlock - don't know much about him, but doing some digging around on his stats, it looks like he was a pretty good player collecting just over 2,000 hits in his playing career and winning National League batting titles in 1975, 1976, 1981 and 1983.

1989 Topps George Brett - this is a card I probably won't have delivered, though I'm hoping to get some interesting offers for it, since Brett is a Hall of Famer.

Admittedly, my early years in card collecting was spent with the likes of 1989 Topps, 1990 Topps, 1990 Fleer and 1990 Donruss - there is something I just don't like about this particular card. Maybe I've seen it too many times over the years and realize it was worth a quarter back 20 years ago and it is probably now worth a nickel in 2011.

More Topps Diamond - 1979 Topps Dennis Martinez and 1978 Topps Rollie Fingers

I relented to enter the rest of the Topps Diamond Giveaway code cards I got from my 2011 Topps Value Box breaks - a 1979 Topps Dennis Martinez is a common, but I do remember him superficially as an older veteran who had reinvented himself as the ace of the Montreal Expos pitching staff from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.

1978 Topps Rollie Fingers - the first thing to notice is probably Fingers' trademark handlebar mustache and the second thing is the San Diego Padres' mustard-and-brown uniform / caps of the 1970s were really gaudy.

Even though Fingers is a Hall of Famer unlike Martinez - I'm probably looking to getsome sort of package deal of cards for this one or maybe one unique card i.e. a pre-1973 Topps common card of some vintage. I've seen my share of Fingers cards [mostly retro or late career] over the years and have gotten his autograph on various cards / items through the mid 2000s.

Vladimir Guerrero Diamond Die Cut

I unlocked a Topps Diamond code and ended up with this Vladimir Guerrero Diamond Die-Cut - this suddenly became the most unique card out of my portfolio. However, besides any interesting offers I may get, I'm thinking the Diamond Cuts cards may only be worth so much after people actually end up getting them delivered in-hand.

Unlocked another Topps Diamond Giveaway code

I got a 2007 Topps Rich Aurilia, which was a dud - but I got a bonus code, which led to a vintage 1960 Topps card of Frank Malzone.

Unlocked some Topps Diamond Giveaway codes

I was thinking about it lately and I hadn't gotten in on any Diamond Giveway action for the longest time - I ended up with about eight code cards [two pulled from packs] from the three 2011 Topps Value Boxes I purchased and wondered what to do with them?

I know I'd like to go to the Diamond Giveway Web site and enter the codes sooner than later - whether it is nefarious or not, there is a certain gambling element in play as you plug in a code and hope for something, anything of note.

I ended up entering two of the codes Sunday night and got a 1973 Topps Dave Marshall [who?] and a 1983 Topps Super Veterans subset card of Phil Niekro - maybe I should have save the rest of the unused codes to sell, particularly when the code cards are good for $3 or $4 each.

Chances are however, I'll probably end up entering the rest of the six four remaining code cards - after scratching in another set of codes Monday night.

My first 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway card - 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt

After reading this, I unlocked my first code card on the new 2011 Topps Diamond Giveaway Web site - for a 1967 Topps John Buzzhardt.