Patience is a Virtue

There are those who can't stand redemption cards.  There are those who accept them as part of our hobby.  And believe it or not... there are those who don't mind pulling them at all... because they actually tell themselves they get rewarded twice.

The first time is when they pull the redemption card and get excited about pulling a hit (I mean... a redemption for a hit).  And the second time when they receive the card in the mail from the company.

Although I try my best to stay positive... I won't waste your time trying to convince you that I'm one of those optimists.  I'm one of the in-betweeners.  I don't like redemption cards, but I understand their place in our hobby.

With that being said... I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled this out of a bubble mailer yesterday:

Eight months earlier... I pulled this 2014 Topps Chrome redemption card:

The first few months, I'd check every now and then to see the status of my redemption.  However... I've probably only checked once or twice since January.  With so many other cards to focus on, I sort of let this redemption slip my mind.

So maybe there is a little truth to being rewarded twice when you pull a redemption card.  That's assuming you're either patient or forgetful.

Speaking of being patient... I appreciate all of the bloggers out there who have sent me packages in the past six weeks or so and are patiently waiting for me to open them up:

Like I've mentioned in previous posts... life has been a little crazy and I'm a little backed up in terms of scanning and updating my collection.  That being said... I love going to the stack and grabbing an envelope in my spare time.

Last night, I set up my new scanner and decided to celebrate by opening up a package from Tony over at Off Hiatus Baseball Cards.

Back in March, he made one of the greatest card show purchases in hobby history... when he bought a complete box of 1991 Topps Superstar Standups for one dollar.  Now that's the kind of deal I'm always on the lookout for.

The two of us share a deep appreciation for oddball issues.  That's why I want to assure him that I'll give this Tony Gwynn candy dispenser a warm and loving home.

He'll be welcomed by close to 1,000 other Gwynn collectibles, including this 1988 Starting Lineup Talking Baseball card:

Tony actually sent me the entire San Diego Padres set that includes Garry, Goose, Benny, and a very early issue of Sandy Alomar:

Thank you Tony for this awesome package of San Diego Padres oddballs.  As soon as things settle down, I'll send some Milwaukee Brewers for your collection.  I'm just asking for a little more patience.  I promise to make it worth the wait.

I'll try to get to at least one or two more packages this weekend.  As of right now, I have a stack of bubble mailers from Bob Walk the Plank, Night Owl Cards, Too Many Verlanders, The Home Run Apple, and of course... Jaybarkerfan's Junk.  Plus there's a pair of boxes from Johnny's Trading Spot and This Card is Cool that have been sitting in my office for at least a month.  But those will probably need to wait until my summer break when I have a little more free time to sift through their treasured boxes.

Thanks again to all of you for being patient... including those who are waiting for return packages.  Like the people at Topps say... "better late, than never".

Happy Friday and sayonara!