My First Korean Mailday

It’s been several days since I’ve provided an update. The culprit was a nasty stomach virus that took hold of me Friday and had me couch-ridden through Sunday night. While I did have the energy to send out some tweets through the weekend, I was without any energy to write, sort, or even walk downstairs to the card room.

Four packages of Chicago Cubs baseball cards arrived on Thursday, with one of them traveling the furthest distance of any trade during the One Million Cubs Project.

Thanks to George (@KBOCollections) of Hongcheon, South Korea for making that happen. In return, I'll be sending a package of St. Louis Cardinals overseas. I'll have to dig up some nice Cardinals to trade because look at what highlighted this trade!

Oh my goodness! Javier Baez. Jersey relic /10. Just an absolute beauty. This card will not be bindered or boxed, rather added to one of my shelves that displays my Javier Baez collection. Wow, this is one sweet card. It's from 2017 Topps Museum Collection with a relic from the World Baseball Classic, in which Baez suited up for team Puerto Rico.

Another Javier Baez card was included. It's the blue bordered parallel from 2018 Topps 35th anniversary insert set.

Two more Topps Museum Collection cards that are serial numbered include Ernie Banks 10/99.

And Kyle Schwarber numbered 93/99.

Here's a 2015 Bowman's Best Jake Arrieta refractor numbered 60/150.

From 2018 Donruss it's a Kris Bryant foil numbered 401/500.

I've stated in the past that not all cards in the One Million Cubs Project are actual Cubs cards. There are some Team USA cards (like Ty Griffin from 1988 Topps Traded, or Panini Stars and Stripes of various players), so I basically make my own rules of what I include. This is a Korean baseball card of Chang-Yong Lim. He pitched for the Cubs in 2013 appearing in six games and pitched a total of five innings. This counts!

Another card that is not a Cubs card, but I will count is a custom made by George. It features Seth Frankoff pitching for the Doosan Bears. Frankoff is a one-game wonder appearing in just one Major League Baseball game. It was with the Chicago Cubs in 2017. He appeared in relief for two innings against the Colorado Rockies on June 9, 2017.

From enemy territory, Caleb of St. Louis sent just short of 100 Cubs baseball cards, and I sent him a package of Angels cards with some Ichiro cards as well. This package included a couple of those late 1980's Broder cards of Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro.

My guy Dylan Cease, who is now in Triple A for the Chicago White Sox. Cease appears here on a 2016 Bowman baseball card.

And I don't receive too many 2002 Bowman baseball cards in trade packages. It seems there was quite the lull amongst collectors during the first decade of the new century. Speaking of taking time off, Luke Hagerty did the same. A rare comeback story was being written by Hagerty entering spring 2019 as the former Cubs first round draft pick attempted a comeback with the team that drafted him.

Hagerty was selected 32nd overall by the Cubs in the 2002 MLB Draft. He peaked with the Cubs' High-A affiliate in Daytona in 2006, his last season in organized professional baseball. The lefty returned to play independent league baseball in 2007 and 2008. At age 37, Hagerty attempted a comeback this past spring with the Cubs. Unfortunately, it was derailed and he underwent elbow surgery in April.

Thomas in Alabama sent 200 Cubs cards including a Mark Prior jersey relic...with blue pinstripe...from 2004 Playoff Prestige. This relic is numbered 148/250.

I think this is a new addition, at least I didn't recognize this 1999 Fleer/Sports Illustrated Fergie Jenkins card.

And I'm really becoming a fan of the Topps rainbow foil parallels. This Willson Contreras is extra attractive with the backdrop of Wrigley Field. Even though it's a horizontal card, I appreciate the imagery.

David in Miami wowed me with his box of Cubs. It was topped by a PSA 10 Greg Maddux from 2005 Fleer.

Defintely a new addition to my collection is a stack of 2001 Topps Cubs cards with a special stamping on the front of each card. These are limited edition Topps Employee cards. A total of 26 cards are here spanning everyone from Hee Seop Choi, Jeff Goldbach, and Julio Zuleta to Mark Grace, Kerry Wood, and Sammy Sosa.

More limited edition cards, but these are serial numbered cards from the 1990's and early 2000's. The pile includes: 1998 Upper Deck SPX Sammy Sosa numbered 946/2250, 1998 Upper Deck SPX Sosa numbered 37/1750, 1998 Leaf Fractal Materials Lance Johnson numbered 2283/3250, 2000 Pacific Revolution Kerry Wood numbered 536/999, and 2003 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Corey Patterson numbered 19/100.

Finally, a Javier Baez commemorative 150 years of baseball patch from 2019 Topps.

What a great mailday!

One Million Cubs Project Stats

Thursday's (5/16/2019) Cards: 578

Thursday's (5/16/2019) Packages: 4

January's Cubs Count: 9,343

February's Cubs Count: 8,980

March's Cubs Count: 15,704

April's Cubs Count: 11,651

May's Cubs Count: 2,943

Total Trades/Donations: 126

Trade States of Origin: Arizona Alabama (2)

Arkansas California (8)

Colorado Connecticut (8)

Florida (7)

Georgia (3)

Idaho (2) Illinois (13) Indiana (3)

Kansas

Kentucky Maryland (6) Massachusetts (4)

Michigan Minnesota (2)

Missouri

New Hampshire New Jersey (10) New York (9) North Carolina (4) Ohio (6)

Oregon (2) Pennsylvania (3)

Rhode Island

South Carolina Tennessee (4) Texas (4)

Virginia Washington (3)

West Virginia (2) Wisconsin (9)

Countries of Origin

Korea (1)