Trades In Order (or) Angels in Trades (or) Trading Orders of Angels

I like the last title best. Trading Orders of Angels. Yes, these cards came from Tom, of Angels In Order. He saw some great trade bait I posted a little while back and offered up some help with my type collection!

 First, let's talk a little baseball, Kenner style. Hey, this is two posts in a row where I'm showing off Kenner cards! How strange, when they're known not for their cards but for their toys and action figures! This card comes not from a figure, but from a board game. I wish I could find one of these in working order, cheap. But then, where would I put it right now?

 This card and the two below it are different from the card above in that the pictures are actually paintings instead of photographs. This distinguishes these cards as belonging to the team set cartridges instead of being included with the original game.

 You could buy a cartridge with players on your favorite team and put them up against another team (or one of the all-star teams included with the board game - but would that be a fair match?).

 As you see, they're MLBPA licensed, but not MLBP licensed, so there are no logos. In fact, there is no indication of team on the front at all. Sure, there are some team colors, but it's not obvious. The team is stated on the back.

 Remember these? Dick Perez did a series of paintings included in Wal-Mart packs of 2008 Topps. Why do I have such a hard time finding these? I really should just hunt the rest of the set down on Sportlots or COMC and be done with it.

 Thanks to Tom, I no longer need Mickey here (cut off on the bottom by my scanner). There are so many sets I'm working on. Next year I think I will prioritize my collecting goals.

 This is another card for the type collection, from the 1988 Series 3 edition of Baseball Immortals, a Conlon Collection style series that wasn't as popular as the '91-'95 version.

 Here's a card from a set I didn't even know existed! Most of us are probably familiar with Mothers Cookies cards by now. They were issued for decades in team set and individual player format, with their peak coming around 1990. This set was issued right about that time and includes all the presidents up to the date of issue. This reminds me I should probably locate a copy of Non-Spot Update before I head to Japan so I can look up sets like this - if they're even issued.

By the way, if you ever want information on non-sport sets, the best resource is Jeff Allender's page. He has as much information as possible compiled on each set - mainly checklists, though there are no images. For sets like 2011 Americana, detailed breakdowns are provided. Did you realize that only about 1200 base sets were issued based on his estimates? I think the number is probably higher due to the retail release (he hasn't figured those into his data) but that's still a pretty limited set!

 Back to the type collection. I have the blue-bordered Series I card, but this is my first Series II issue.

 And here's a minor-league card from the Line Drive Pre-Rookie set. Deciphering minor league sets can be confusing. More on that in a minute.

 This card comes from a 1983 ASA set featuring Johnny Mize. Small player sets like this were issued all the time in the 1980s by dozens of manufacturers, and Beckett's database isn't always complete when it comes to identifying them. The Mize set is listed.

 Remember when I mentioned just two cards ago that minor league issues can be confusing? Well, here's why. Around 1990, there were a few different companies making minor league sets. Most minor league teams would have two or three team sets issued by different manufacturers (ProCards, Line Drive, CMC, Best). Then, those minor league manufacturers would produce larger complete sets featuring players from all the teams. In many cases, only tiny differences between the team issue and major release are noticeable. I believe one issue's difference is a black box around the back of the card. For the card above, team sets have a greenish back, and major sets have a yellow back. I didn't know this until Jason at Clyde's Stale Cards clued me in. That man has knowledge of and access to sets I've never heard of before! Jason's been doing time at Sports Card Forum trying to compile more-accurate checklists. You realize Beckett hasn't entered a single minor league team set since 2007, and many other team issues are missing, right? SCF's list includes everything you'd find in Beckett, SCD, the Japanese Checklist and Price Guide, and more! Okay, they didn't pay for advertising time, so that's enough for now. I'll probably gush about how great they are when I raid their database to update my type collection checklists.

 Well, that's Swell! Yaz from a forgettable retired player set. I'm amazed at how much value sets like these have today. It's not a lot, but it's more than I would expect.

Speaking of retired players, everyone in this album has long since retired. This is the 1969 Topps Stamps album, and a great card (?) to end on.

Thanks a ton for the awesome cards, Tom! I hope you enjoy the Angels you ordered! (Ha! Something clever to end on! Oh, wait, ruined it. Quick, play me out...)