I always believe that in trades, it’s always best to pay it forward. Once upon a time about two months ago someone sent me a stack of about 15 Jose Canseco cards and 1 Andrew Miller for free. Unfortunately, the only card I needed was the Andrew Miller but since it was a card I didn’t have, I spent the next two hours going through my entire collection pulling every single card of this person’s favorite player. The next week I busted a box of Moments & Milestones and packed all those cards of that player as well. When my wife found out I was sending all these cards out she thought I was making a mistake. She is not a bad person, she just doesn’t understand the comradery that is shared by the Baseball Card Community. We don’t just look out for #1, we also look out for that blogger, this blogger, and yes, even that blogger. Shoot, one time I was completing a trade with someone when I read somewhere they always wanted a printing plate of the set they were building. Aside from the cards in the trade, I wrapped up my Mariano Rivera Allen & Ginter printing plate and kissed it goodbye. I didn’t think twice because I knew sooner or later my good deed would be rewarded. Today, is that day….boy is it ever.
Last week I received an e-mail from “Anonymous Astros Fan” telling me that he just recently got back into the hobby after a long absence and was a daily reader of Wax Heaven and promised that he would send me any Andrew Miller pulls from that night. His case of Triple Threads and Upper Deck Black had just arrived. A few minutes later he sends me a scan of a card he pulled and true to his word, wanted to know my address. It was a signed & numbered U.D Black Game Day Lineup. It”s a gorgeous and very thick card that I have NEVER seen on eBay and thanks to A.A.F, it was now mine. It didn’t end there, though.
A few minutes later I got another e-mail from a very excited A.A.F braggin’ about his latest pull, an Andrew Miller 3-piece game-used/autograph from ’07 Topps Triple Threads. I have a similar one, but this one is sooooo much sweeter and was now also mine. At this point I am thinking this is WAY too good to be true….and then the next e-mail came in.
Out of his box of U.D Black, a product I would NEVER touch due to the risk and price, A.A.F pulled an autographed 1/1 printing plate. At this point, I e-mailed A.A.F to let him know that he could get close to $150 or more for these cards and as much as I appreciated the thought, I could not accept them. A.A.F insisted and even gave the “no strings attached” agreement.
Of course, I could not let him go empty-handed. Unfortunately, his favorite player never stays in my collection very long (Hunter Pence) so I asked him who else he likes and he told me a man by the name of ‘Ichiro’. Well, A.A.F, my entire Ichiro collection is now yours along with some Carlos Lee base and two Miguel Tejada game-used. Also, for the rest of the year—you are entitled to every Hunter Pence and Astros player we pull from new products, that includes my two boxes of Finest coming soon. To see the cards he is getting, click HERE.
As if the package he sent wasn’t full enough, A.A.F sent me a 2007 Bowman Andrew Miller autograph completely by surprise! A.A.F, thank you for your generosity. You have single-handedly taken my collection to the next level. I won’t soon forget this day.
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