Got some cards in the mail today and while opening the enveloped I notice a note. I was expecting the usual “thanks for your purchase” or just a receipt. When I flipped it over I noticed it was a personalized note saying these cards brought back some good memories. It was a pleasant surprised and made this eBay transaction feel special and personal.

My collection of Padres team cards covering the 1969/1970 through 1980/1981 seasons. I’ve always been a big fan of these cards with the full team photo on the front, especially the ones that include season and team stats on the back—it’s a nice little piece of history.

From what I can tell, 1981 was the last season that Topps featured a team card/team checklist with a team picture. Starting in 1982, they switched to using the manager card as the checklist. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong—I’d love to track down a team card from every season of the Padres’ existence and the manager cards just aren't as exciting.

The team photo card trend seemed to return from about 2000 to about 2007, before shifting to cards that highlighted a specific moment or season highlight on the front.

So far, I’ve added team cards for 25 of the Padres’ 57 seasons to my collection.

It's rare to find Mariners stuff, even locally, so I had to jump at the chance to get a piece of San Diego hockey history

Was at a local book store and noticed these packs of author cards, pretty cool find. Does anyone collect these?

My favorite and most unique/rare item in my collection. I’ve always been a huge blink-182 and Travis Barker fan, and back in 2014, I got these hand-painted Nike SB Janoskis based on Barker’s tattoos. The artist is Kelsey Amy, a former designer at Nike/Jordan Brand. A few years later, I got the chance to get them signed by the man himself at a meet-and-greet event. He was impressed by the artwork and didn’t want to sign directly on it, so he chose to sign the back of the midsole—“Vans style,” as he called it. The shoes are now officially retired and sit in a cool display case in my home office.