[ricebondsmntna2young]

This mail call was brought to you in part by: Nick, Edward, Brian, Ashley, Mark, Walt, Matt, Richard, and John, among others. Many thanks you guys.

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Have a look at these two cards. There’s something completely different about them and it’s not the numbering. Look closely. Do you see it? Here’s a hint: one card is the only one of its kind and the other has about a thousand others just like it.



Can't you tell them apart? Well at least I know for sure now what I’ve always suspected: there are no psychics here among us. Anyways, your first non-ESP impression was right: outwardly, there’s no material difference. The only thing setting these cards apart is that #376 was purchased as part of a lot back when the set seemed out of reach, while #713 arrived unannounced in my mailbox yesterday from iluvladies5015 because he knew I was looking for one (thanks so much for the awesome gift Nick).

To me though, that’s a big difference. The biggest. I know I'm in the minority but the reason my favorite cards (outside of ones self-pulled) come from trades and the occasional gift is that each of them encapsulates a good memory of someone trying to help out my collection. And in a trade, the only thing a person asks for in return is a little help with his.

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For example katykeed hooked me up with some great cards earlier this month including this monster for my Ice RC project.



All he wanted in return were some Wings cards that he considered equally awesome.

It's just as fun now as it was trading $0.02 cards at the public library as a kid (those crafty librarians really knew how to suck us in). In a way, we're still those same 10 year olds carefully looking up the value of each "base card" in the annual Beckett Almanac before finally pulling the trigger on a very serious exchange of cardboard treasures.

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Also arriving yesterday was something for the Fedorov PC. I already owned a Blue Jackets card with a Ducks jersey swatch…



…so it was unacceptable not to have a Ducks card with a Wings swatch. bguzowski16 had me covered though...



…with a multicolor jersey no less. I’ll tire of patches before I ever lose interest in these.

Case in point, a nice 11-12 Artifacts triple jersey that alto4life sent me eventually turned into this…



…because PC player + multicolor = win.

It pairs well with another Sakic acquired this month:



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Speaking of pairs, heaterhabs sent me a Toivonen/Lehtonen AU that formed part of a trade package for this Iggy auto...



...which couples nicely with this recently acquired patch...



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It happens sometimes that something you intend to be PC either fades or becomes the only thing another trader will accept for an even higher PC priority.

For example pens1fan traded to me, among many other awesome things, a Bobby Ryan RC for my PC:



But later on I turned some Contenders RCs from a deal with kingkard543 into another RC of the American star:



Bringing me to the 3 stars...

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3rd star:

pens1fan’s Ryan SPx RC was no longer as vital to the PC upon the arrival of the Hot Prospects RC, and so it played a big role in reeling in this Shark:



It's not often that you come across the only confirmed pristine copy of a card in existence, even if it is of one of the players most heavily associated with the words "who's that." He's a Shark now, so it's ok.

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2nd Star:

I was reading a message board the other day where people played GM and offered mock trades for Evander Kane on behalf of the team they rooted for. They offered in turn:

Edler + Kassian
Booth + Schroeder + 1st Rd + 3rd Rd
Plekanec + Bourque + Gallagher + 1st Rd
Gardiner + MacArthur + Kadri/Colbourne

…only to be unanimously rejected each time by Winnipeg fans. Sure, some were lowball proposals, but outside of Bobby Ryan, this Shark was the only other player who was offered and seriously considered:



Yes it’s a message board but it's nice to see Pavs get some love league-wide. The Pavelski was a must-have, and in order to allow a deal to happen at all, I had to give up a beautiful Roenick AU that titan501ca had once helped add to my PC.

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1st Star:

A swap with bluefrozencanuck yielded me a Toews jersey that was resting comfortably in the PC up until another trader demanded it as part of my offer for this guy:



It's the kind of card that throws a wrench into your well-laid plans to get all the RCs first before moving on to other rookie year stuff.

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Whether a card comes in intended for my personal collection and stays there or leaves in a trade for another PC need, the final destination is inevitably something I cherish. I like to think that a big reason people place sentimental value on cards is that so many friends and fellow collectors have had a hand in acquiring them. For me it's one of the few things that turns trading-cards into treasures.

[pens1fan]

Wow Alan!!!! Simply some very, very outstanding cards there!!!! The Sheppard is awesome being a 10!!! Got to love all those special pickups. Congrats!!

[phildo37]

Some really awesome cards in there! That Iginla is great!

[pens fan addict]

Great mail Congrats on the pickups!!!!

[iluvladies5015]

Awesome cards Alan. I remember you saying you would like to obtain the set through trades. So I sent you the only one I had. Great stories with all the cards.

[wickabee]

Love the Bitzes (I was looking for one awhile ago but settled for his YG instead).
That Sakic patch is NASTY!

[rayeates]

Crazy cards, Al! Congrats on the great stuff and thanks for yet another fantastic read!!!

Randi

[josiahcecil]

Al I have to say I truly love the stories that you put together with all these posts on the board that you make, it is really cool and keeps the post interesting. Outstanding deals though!

[bguzowski16]

Great looking additions to the PC!!!!

[alstott9adams]

Insane patches