The long awaited SportLots order and trade from Nick

A little more than a week ago, my SportLots order finally arrived, and after logging everything into TCDB, I am still short a few cards from having a complete 1980-2026 Topps run. After marking off my paper wantlists, it appears the main reason for some of the missing cards was just my clumsy typing and erasing when editing the lists. All in all it’s maybe 30 cards, and I might just put out a plea on the TCDB messageboards and hopefully get some trades going to help finish the project. Might as well post it here too:

2003 Topps Traded

T149 Jerome Williams

T162 James Loney

T300 Robinson Cano

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights

UH49 Ryan Ludwick

UH309 John Bowker

2009 Topps Update

U43 Koyie Hill

U93 Pedro Martinez

U256Tim Wakefield All-Star

2010 Topps Update

U74 Ryan Church

U183 Luis Atilano 

2011 Topps

37 Vicente Padilla

592 Dyan Viciedo

2012 Topps Update

U156 Troy Patton

U190 Francisco Cordero

2013 Topps Update

U35 Andrew McCutchen All-Star

U72 Adam Jones All-Star

U81 Casey Kotchman

U219 Pedro Alvarez HR Derby

2014 Topps

5 Lance Lynn

142 Zack Grienke

230 Andre Rienzo

470 Cole Calhoun 

516 Mike Belfiore

608 Jeff Locke

2014 Topps Update

U33 Grady Sizemore

U79 Clint Barmes 

U145 AJ Pierzynski

U296 Tyler Moore

2016 Topps

174 Jered Weaver

249 Carlos Gomez

429 Kenta Maeda

489 Aideny Hechivarria

508 Jaime Garcia

568 Diamondbacks team

629 Patrick Corbin

683 Carlos Gonzalez

2017 Topps Update

U44 Cubs combo

2018 Topps Update

U42 Teoscar Hernandez

I’ll probably post something when I complete everything. 

While not nearly the whole picture of my SportLots order of nearly 2,000 cards, I figured I would post a few of my favorites. 

A couple of cheap 1951 and 1952 Topps cards start us out. The 2 Jayden Hylton cards were not autographed when I got them, but he plays for Stetson University, who we have season tickets to, and I got them signed about a week ago when they played against Bethune-Cookman University. Rafael Bournigal cards I don’t have are getting harder and harder to find. I got an autographed Ky Bush card to add to my ‘Kyler collection’. Jurrangelo Cijntje is not only a switch-pitcher, but a member of the Dutch National team, so I had to get a jersey card of him. Jordan DeJong and Eric Dinyar are favorite players that I found minor league cards of. I wanted to add some Finest cards of Tigers from the first 2 years of the sets, but only found cheap ones of Cecil Fielder, but I’m ok with that, as I collect him. The Nick Fortes 2025 Topps Purple card gave me the top spot on TCDB for Fortes collectors. I saw the 2026 Topps Series 2 checklist has him in it, so that gives me the opportunity to boost my lead. Kelly Hunt is a great guy who gave me his full game-used bat after the last game of the 2005 Lakeland Tigers season, so any time I can find a card of him, I pick it up. Keith Kimsey is a guy I probably should’ve collected for a while now. He is a former Detroit Tiger farmhand who not only played for Lakeland, but is from there. My 5th grade hoops coach used to know him. Kyler Meccage is another addition to the Kyler collection. I’ve always liked Doug Million because of his name and his potential, and ever since I met my wife, fighting  asthma has been very important to me. Million passed away from the disease, so I collect him, and this 1995 Bowman foil is a new pickup.  Last 2 cards are a Netherlands map, and a card of Todd Revenig, a guy with ERAs so low that it’s impossible to justify him only getting a cup of coffee in MLB. Seriously, check his minor league stats before injuring his arm in 1993. 

We start off page 2 with a Jonathan Schoop WBC card and an SP of DeLand High School Hall of Famer Luke Weaver. Last for the favorite players is another Lakeland native I should’ve collected sooner in Sean Whiteside. Only 2 Tigers I decided to show, but one is another 1952 Topps, I believe making it 2 originals I have of the Tigers. The Cobb 2025 Archives completes my team set. Next are some rookies of note in my set completion process. Rizzo, Cole, Yelich, Swanson, and Devers. The only big one I’m missing in my 1980-2026 run is Robinson Cano, and I swear I have that card, but I must be mistaking it with the ‘03 Bowman card. The last 3 cards are just some rookie parallels that I pulled from packs that Karen got me during the last week. I believe the Connor Griffin is numbered. 

A few weeks ago, I reached out to Nick from Dime Boxes and we got a trade together. Nick really helped add to my Tigers collection with a number of older cards, food/oddball issues, and cards from sets that I just never opened many packs of. 

The Cochrane and Gehringer cards are the oldest of the lot, coming from 1960 Fleer. Nick included some nice vintage cards, including samples from 1960 Post, a 1972 Topps Willie Horton Boyhood Photos of the Star subset, and cards from Kellogs 3D and Hostess sets (I am not sure on the years without looking them up). The Kirk Gibson is an O-Pee-Chee version. 

Gibby appeared in a number of Fleer boxed sets. The Jose Lima is a Platinum Team version. A 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Justin Verlander rookie somehow snuck its way into the package. The Sega Card-Gen of Rick Porcello is my first from the set. There was a Heritage insert of Miggy, a few Gypsy Queen cards (some of the sets I haven't busted many packs of), a Museum Collection Scherzer (one I have never even SEEN a pack of), and 1984 and 1986 Topps redux cards of Miguel Cabrera (from sets I have busted tons of packs of but never pulled those particular cards).

The Tigers close out with more Miggy Topps redux cards, a Chrome Platinum anniversary Kaline, and 2025 Stadium Club parallels of Tarik Skubal (Green), and Jackson Jobe (Sepia). I think the day after I got the Gage Workman Chrome was the day he hit his first career HR. Nick sent a number of 2012 Topps parallels of the Rays (a Gold Wade Davis, and Gold Speckles of JP Howell, Casey Kotchman, and Carlos Pena). I'll have to see how close to the regular set I am. The last 2 cards are a 2022 Heritage Chrome refractor and a 2025 Topps Chrome Raywave refractor of Brandon Lowe. So many cool cards that will be added to my Tigers and Rays binders in the near future. Thanks, so much, Nick!

I have been shut out with 2026 Bowman and Donruss during my last trips to Target and Wal-Mart, but that doesn't mean I have been shut out on cards. After getting the first 1/3 of the Stetson University team set (and getting it autographed), I picked up the 2nd third of the set, and was able to get my friend Jim to pick up the last third as I was working during the last game. The team made it into the ASUN tournament, which starts tomorrow, so I'll be at the game tomorrow cheering them on, and hopefully getting the 15-20 cards signed to finish the set. The game is a single-elimination game, so I'm going to need to do a great job picking out the players, but if I can get the pitchers and seniors, I'll be happy. 

With the SportLots order in, I've been able to start putting cards from boxes into binders. I wouldn't mind going right down the NL teams in order, but I decided to go with the smallest teams, and started and completed the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the next 2 teams will be the Marlins and Rockies. Then, I'll just finish out the NL, move to the AL, and then the fun binders (rookie cards, relics/parallels, Tigers, Rays, and favorite players). That should take me until the end of the year to finish, but maybe not. 

My evil plot to get every 1998 Topps version of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is almost complete, as I have finished the base, Minted in Cooperstown, Inaugural Devil Rays, Inaugural Diamondbacks, and Chrome team sets. The only card missing is the Chrome Refractor of Fred McGriff, and there is a version on eBay for about 25 bucks. I would rather pay 10, but not sure if I could find another for that price, as the only other one I see is closer to 70 bucks. 

I'll probably post later in the year when I have more binders done and maybe I'll have some more new cards to post by then. 

Thanks for checking out my latest post.

-Jeremy