Packages on their way!

 The packages for the 2020 "12 Days of Christmas" have mostly been shipped. As I write this, on Friday Aug 2 2024, I still have a handful (if you call half a dozen 550-count boxes a handful) to send out and those will go out today!

As a general heads up to everyone who took part: These will be mostly baseball cards. You may recall the original "12 Days" asked about your non-baseball preferences as well. Those are still on the list and I will be putting together those surprises in the future and those probably will be Christmas Gifts, as I have been completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of bits of cardboard I had scattered throughout my house.

My wife thanks you for taking part in this endeavor, by the way. Haha! Actually, she can't wrap her head around why I would do such a crazy giveaway in the first place. And, it is a bit crazy, but I woud rather share the cards I don't collect with folks who do in the traditional "old school" fashion: hand them out to those who will appreciate them. Or, at least appreciate the thought behind it.

Not gonna lie: there's a lot of junk wax in these. It's the nature of the beast. But, there are also some VERY cool inserts, oddballs, autos, material cards, etc etc. Going through the sort process, divvying up the cards, and reflecting on certain players, certain specific cards, and re-discovering cards I had long forgotten I even had, has been an incredible journey so far. Being able to "spread the wealth," as it were, means these cards won't just sit around taking up space and wasting away in cardboard boxes, plastic tubs, and binders stuck on shelves. 

I was genuinely shocked by some of the cards I came across, and I hope you will be, too!

By the way, if you missed out on the "12 Days" of 2020, have no fear. Even after putting together more than 20 packages or cards, I still have THOUSANDS of cards left over. So, that means I will be opening up another round in the future! And like Gump says - you never know what you're gonna get.

Happy collecting! See you on the wrapper backs!

Four Years Late - Sending Free Cards, Finally!

 Back in 2020, I made a post that was meant to kick off the holiday season with surprise gifts for those who filled out the form. Well, that time came and went four times over. It is now 2024, and I am FINALLY in a place where I have been sorting, filing, and packing cards to be mailed out!

The photo above shows Dodgers being separated into boxes based on the number of folks who requested that team (There were 5 folks, for the record). Below, I have a handful of packages ready for shipping:

It's been a very slow process because I have WAAAAY more cards than I ever realized. The crazy thing are the years that these things cover - From about 1975 to 2024! Yes, there's a lot of Junk Wax era stuff. I am trying to not load the boxes down with those, though. Below, my team drawers for sorting all these cards:

I am trying not to put dupes in the mailers, but I am not promising anything. In fact, I know there are dupes of some just because I had so many of certain specific cards. Again, though, I am trying to limit dupes. 

These will be mailed out over the next few weeks as I sort and pack. I am excited for you to receive your packages! There are definitely some surprises in there that I didn't even remember having - autos, swatches, oddballs, and more! It has been a blast sorting these out for everyone!

So, Merry 12 Days of Christmas - about 4 years later!

The 800th Post!

This is it! No, that's not a reference to Coke nor is it a reference to the DVD released by the Michael Jackson estate following his passing.  It is, however, reference to the Tribecards blog!

In some respects, I should have hit 800 posts about a year and a half ago easily.  But, as life has a way of working things out, the 800th post appears now.  There should be some kind of hoopla or fanfare or something, I'm sure, but I am saving that up for my 1000th post.  Well, that is a bit of a stretch, really.  I mean, come on, who really plans such things this far in advance, right?  Hmm, I suppose, though, if I get on the ball this coming year, I could hit 1000 before the World Series next season.

The one thing I want to communicate fully and completely in this post has everything to do with the time of year this post finds itself: Christmas.  For the past several years, I hosted a "12 Days of Christmas" event with TONS of cards given away to anyone and everyone that asked.  This year saw some hard times for the Tribecards family and that was met with some amazing generosity from my friends and readers!

This will be the FIRST and LAST year without a "12 Days Giveaway."  The giveaway brought me more enjoyment and satisfaction than I ever realized before not being able to host it.  I plan to acquire cards in small stages throughout the upcoming year in order to be able to hold the rebirth of the "12 Days Giveaway" next year.  It is so much fun putting together the packages for everyone with favorite teams, players, and surprises - and then to hear about the reactions from each of the recipients!  Yeah, a lot like being Santa Claus.

I have a LOT to accomplish for the Tribecards site: I still want to get that "Best all-time Tribers by Uniform Number" done!  I also want to get all the cards posted in my "From the Collection" series.  I don't know what the next year holds, but starting with post 800, I can tell it *will* hold a "12 Days Giveaway." 

Ho! Ho! Ho! 12 Days of Cardsmas is here!

Ladies and Gentlemen!  Boys and Girls!  I'm makin a list and checking it twice!

It is time for the annual "12 Days of Christmas" giveaway!  Now, before I give the deets, let me say this: I have a few "Trick-or-Treat" packages that I have yet to send out, and I am sincerely hoping to finally drop those in the mail tomorrow!  Those who haven't received yours yet, please don't take it personally! It is my own shortcoming that caused it!

Now, on to "12 Days!"

Here is how it works:  You provide me with a list of the following:

1. At least two or three of your favorite BASEBALL teams
2. At least two or three of your favorite BASEBALL PLAYERS
3. If possible, list two or three FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, HOCKEY teams you like

That's it!  You send an email to me at davidinark@gmail.com with "12 DAYS" anywhere in the subject!   Please note, if it does *NOT* say "12 DAYS" in the subject, I may not see it!!  I will have a filter set up to catch all "12 DAYS" messages (as long as that is in the subject).

In your email, please provide the information requested above AND provide me a mailing address.  I have many of your addresses, I know, but I want to make sure I have everything up-to-date!

What do you get??

You get cards for each of the "12 Days of Christmas," of course!  12 so-and-so, 11 such-and-such, all the way to the partridge in the pear tree, which will, of course, actually be a card and not a bird.  All tolled, you get 78 cards! :-)

There are no "tricks" in these.  It's Christmas, after all!

Note: feel free to reply here, but ONLY email requests will be sent out.  In years past, mailouts have gone well into January.  I hope to get your gifts out by Christmas so you can open them on the holiday, but I can't promise anything.... Just look at my Halloween mailings for my track record... oy.

It's 2:30am, do you know where your gift packs are?

Yes, I am one of those crazy people that stays up all hours on the weekend, and this go-round netted the completion of 2/3 of the remaining 12 Days gift packs!

The first tonight (okay, this morning) goes to Brandon in Indiana. He provided a smorgasbord of options for me, which helped immensely, especially since by my calculations, his was the last request in: Yankees, Braves, Nationals, Ravens, and Browns. Without further adieu - On the twelfth day of Christmas, Tribecards gave away: twelve Washington Nationals (sidebar: they were ALL the Nationals I had!), eleven random Ravens, ten Tim Couch cards, nine assorted Yankees, eight insert/oddball Braves cards, seven Cleveland Browns cards, six Skybox Dominion/Thunders, FIVE TODD HEAP CARDS, four Chris Redmans, three Steve Sax, two Dale Murphys, and a Billy Martin World Series Heroes Card (okay, so you really have to stretch around the last one to make it fit the song, but hey, that's what mangled traditional favorites is all about, right?).

The second giveaway goes to Joe in Utah who also had an interesting request list: Titans, Saints, Penguins, and Reds. Thus, on the twelfth day of Christmas, Tribecards gave to Joe: twelve Aaron Brooks cards, eleven Barry Larkins, ten Tennessee Titans, nine Pokey Reeses, eight assorted Saints cards, seven Yancey Thigpens, six Deuce McAllister, FIVE PENGUIN CARDS (again, all the Penguin cards I could find!), four Kevin Dyson, three '07 Goudey Reds, two Austin Kearns, and a '71 Topps in tree-oh! Okay, the last one there? Well, the '71 Topps Reds I had were kinda roughed up, so I decided to include all the '71 Topps Reds I had in one "day." I know, it doesn't "follow the rules" of the song, but really, in the song, the guy gets a partridge in a pear tree, so that's actually two things. Besides, I made up the rules, so I can "shape" them as I need to, right?

Now, you may be asking yourself (especially if you are the last person to be getting your gift pack) why I filled the last request in (Brandon's) before I filled a request that came in earlier. The answer is simple. David A requested an all-Cleveland gift pack (Indians, Browns, and Buckeyes). Since I have a bazillion Indians cards to pick through, it is going to take a little more time than the other gift packs. Have no fear though, David, you will end up with some sweet Tribe cards. Well, the Browns cards are pretty cool, too. I'll let you know now, though, I only have one Buckeye, so at least you know what you're getting on the first day of your 12 days gift pack... :-)

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Before I sign off for the night (morning), I have a couple observations I wish to share should anyone out there decide to take on a similar venture in the future:

• Stock up on Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, and Orioles before you start.
• The hardest days to fill are the days 7 through 11 (or were for me).
• Day 1 is hard to fill because you want just the 'right' card, if possible.
• Have your cards sorted by team (and player within the team) if at all possible BEFORE you start.
• Coke and Mt. Dew will do wonders for creatively filling missing days.
• Print out each request and keep track (generally) of what you are giving out to folks (so you can post it!).
• Take pictures or scans of some of the cards included in the gift packs. I wish I had thought to do that before shipping them off, mainly to break up the monotony of all the text!
• Get the kids involved, if you have youngins (kids, grand kids, nieces, nephews, etc) - they'll have as much fun as you are!
• Have fun and don't take any of it too seriously!
• Finally, make sure you are comfortable parting with whatever cards you are giving away. In my case, I have no problem giving any card up that is not an Indian player regardless if the card happens to be a materials card, auto'd, etc. Honestly, I don't remember if any of the cards given away had materials or autos. As for the cards you *DO* collect, only give out/trade your duplicates. :-)

Have no fear, David, your gift pack will be ready by the end of the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by, have a good night (morning), and drive safely out there. (See what staying up until 3:00am does? Yes, I started this post at 2:30 and now it's 3:00, and my son has a basketball tourney at 8:00am to boot!)

Ho-ho-ho! Three more gifts packs are due to go!

I have to say that I am amazed at how many folks requested Braves and Yankees cards from the "12 Days" giveaway. The only "down" side is that I have to invent some 'creative' ways to fill 12 days (Yes, I believe I am channelling Dr. Seuss this morning!). However, I can say that the recipients will (hopefully) not be disappointed in the selection of cards they get! In any case, I completed 3 more gift packs:

To Lo in NY, who requested Yankees and Cardinals, tribecards gave away: twelve Yankee catchers, eleven random Yankees, ten Ray Lankford, nine Ozzie Smith, eight Mark McGwire, seven Matt Morris, six vintage Cardinals, FIVE FERNANDO TATISeseses, four Don Mattingly, three Wade Boggs, two Derek Jeters, and a Hank Bauer Lends of NY card!

To Chris in NC, an avid Phillies phan, Tribe cards gave away: tweleve Darren Daulton, eleven vintage/HOFers, ten Lieberthals, nine Lenny Dykstra, eight John Kruk, seven rookie/prospects, six Mike Schmidt, FIVE DALE MURPHY CARDS, four Pat Burrells, three Steve Carltons, two Luzinski cards, and a Ryan Howard Generation Now!

And, to David, who also lives in NC and collects Yankees, Tribecards sent to him: twelve Yankee pitchers, eleven shortstops, ten outfielders, nine third basemen, eight first base guys, seven Dave Winfields, six designated hitters, FIVE MICKEY MANTLES, four Dave Righettis, three Jorge Posadas, two Carl Everetts, and a Joe Neikro Yankees Classic card!

I have two or three requests left to fill, so if you made your request and got my reply, then don't worry, your will be on its way shortly! :-) Until then, Happy Collecting!

12 Days and All-Time Uniform Numbers

Today's 12 Days gift pack goes to Kevin in Maryland, who requested Orioles, Ravens and pre-1986 Topps. Hopefully, his package covers all the (er, uh) bases: 12 Vintage Topps cards, 11 Ripken Juniors, 10 Oriole Rookie/Prospects, 9 Ray Lewis cards, 8 first basemen, 7 Shannon Sharpes, 6 Jermaine Lewis, FIVE BRADY ANDERSONS, 4 Melvin Mora, 3 Hairston Juniors, 2 Priest Holmes, and a Cal Ripken Classic Phone Card!

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Taking a cue from White Sox Cards, I am going to start up an Indians version of "All-Time Tribers" based on the uniform number. That is, who I think "best" represents the jersey number from 00 to 99 (Yes, we have a double zero in our midst). I'll be starting that up this weekend, and post a new name, number, and card pic at least once a day (if not more often). I think it'll be lots of fun!

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Another 12 Days Giveaway

I am playing "catch-up" on the 12 Days requests, and here is the latest to be shipping out:

This one goes to Todd in Iowa, who requested "KC Royals, then MN Vikings..."

Twelve Cris Carters, eleven Royals pitchers, ten Royal outfielders, nine Viking QB's, eight Robert Smith, seven Royals DH's, six George Brett, FIVE BRAD JOHN-SON, four Saberhagen, three Kevin Seitzer, two Wally Joyners, and a Fran Tarkenton All-Pro Rewind!

Hope you enjoy the belated gift!

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More gift packs are shipping out Friday!

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It has occurred to me that I might need to remove the "Always" from the title of my blog! LOL - nah....

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Do not worry if you do not see your request listed yet! I am still putting these together and having quite a bit of fun in the process. I really had no idea how many of the same players were on so many different teams! I must say it lends itself to more than a few double-takes...

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Rocco requested Braves, Falcons, and FSU Football players. I didn't think I could pull it off, but I will let you be the judge: Twelve Chris Chandlers, eleven Jamal Anderson, ten Warrick Dunn, nine Leaf/Donruss Falcons, eight Braves pitchers, seven Seminole players, six Greg Vaughn cards, FIVE JEFF BLAUSERS... Four Devon Brazeltons, three Ben Grieves, two Jason Tyners, and a '77 Topps baseball card!

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Joey, your twelfth day goes something like this: Twelve Nolan Ryans, eleven random Rangers, ten Don Mattinglys, nine Rusty Greer's, eight Richard Hildagos, seven Billy Wagners, six Jeff Bagwells, FIVE '76 RANGERS.... four Pudge cards, three Paul O'Neills, two Blaylock Goudeys, and a Doug Rader '71 Topps!

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Bo, who asked for Yankees this year, gets a slightly different kind of surprise because I forgot to write down what was on the fourth day! So, here's the best I can do for ya: Twelve assorted Upper Deck cards, eleven Pinnacle Brand guys, ten random Fleer ones, nine Donruss too, eight Bernie Williams, seven Nick Johnsons, six Derek Jeters, FIVE ORLANDO HERNANDEZeses, four cards I forget, three Matt Drews, two Goose Gossage tributes, and a Babe Ruth Renata Galasso!

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Bart collects Royals with a little Carlton Fisk thrown in for good measure: Twelve '88 Topps cards, eleven assorted Royals, ten more random Royals, nine positions on the field, eight Bret Saberhagen, seven Bo Jackson, six Kevin Appier, FIVE MARK QUINN CARDS.... four George Brett, three Carlton Fisk, two Wally Joyners, and an Alex Gordon Goudey Rookie Card!

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And the last one for this evening (well, okay - this morning, given it is now 2:30am) goes to Mark who collects Mets mainly: Twelve draft/rookie/prospects, eleven random Mets cards, ten chrome/best/finest cards, nine assorted Donruss, eight Edgardo Alfonzos, seven Al Leiter cards, six Dwight Goodens, FIVE VINTAGE METS.... four Rey Ordonez, three Bobby Bonilla, two Eddie Murrays, and a Koosman Fleer Greats card!

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Remember, I am still putting gift packs together, so if you haven't seen yours yet, it just means the elves are still sorting and assembling!!

12 "Old West" Days of Christmas

Old West, you ask?? Why yes, this gift pack goes out to Brian, who requested Cowboys and Braves! :-) So, what goes into an "old west" gift pack?

12 Joey Galloway cards, 11 wide receivers, 10 random Cowboys, 9 random Braves, 8 David Justice, 7 Deion Sanders, 6 Mark Lemke, FIVE JAVY LOPEZ...., 4 Michael Irvin, 3 Troy Aikman, 2 'lectric diamonds, and an Emmitt Smith Eye of a Champion!

I want to state that I try very hard to limit the number of duplicate cards in each of these packs. Sometimes, though, I have to include duplicates. Even so, I have a feeling each of the recipients will be pleased with their "12 ___ of Christmas" packs! :-)

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Great Minds Think Alike!

Dayf commented that I had "stolen" his 12 cards idea. The funny thing is, I had not even read his post about the 12 Cards of Christmas before posting my giveaway! That is waaaayyyy tooo weird!!

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Speaking of the giveaway, things are rolling right along! Of course, in my haste to get the gifts out, I crazily combined two requests! I will remedy the situation before sending out the cards, of course! Somehow, I managed to put together a Cowboys, Braves, Falcons, Hawks combination - no easy task! I'm glad I not only made a list, but checked it twice!!

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I'm still taking requests, but please try to provide me with several teams (even in same sport is fine), so that I can do my best to send a variety of players and cards. What surprised me right off was the number of requests for Braves cards. Who knew!?

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The Holiday Season and 78 Cards?

I am putting together special "holiday presents" for folks that are interested. Each present consists of 78 total cards. The number is there for a reason (yes, another one of my hair-brained riddle giveaway/trades!).

DAYF gets the first stack because, well, I found a bunch of Braves while putting together eBay items when the idea hit me like the something falling from a partridge in a pear tree! In fact, I am calling his the "Twelve Braves of Christmas!" All together now: "In the "12 Braves of Christmas," davidinark gave to dayf: 12 Greg Maddux, 11 vintage brave cards, 10 John Smoltz cards, 9 Steve Avery's, 8 Chipper Jones, 7 Andruw (no-relation), 6 Tom Glavines, FIVE FRED MCGRIFFS.... 4 Dale Murphys, 3 Jason Schmidts, 2 Phil Niekros, and a Hank Aaron Annivers'ry card!

So, here is what I am going to do: Ask and ye shall receive. Okay, well, maybe not quite. How about: Ask and I'll do my best to see that ye receive.

Here is how it works: Email me (davidinark@yahoo.com) with your favorite team(s) - baseball, football, heck I might even be able to pull off a basketball gift. I could also do one hockey but it would not be team-specific. On the other hand, I could put together a ton of Tribe packs - LOL...

List the teams in your order of preference, and I will accommodate requests on a first-come first-gifted basis. :-) When you email me, send me your mailing address so I know where to send your Holiday Present.

That's it. Email me and ask. I will gladly receive requests until I can't fill the requests (if/when I reach that point, I will be sure to let everyone know) or until Christmas Eve, whichever comes first. Now, this is the season of giving and brotherly (sisterly) love, so please understand that I can only offer one gift per person per household - I want as many folks as possible to benefit from the 78-card gift packs. Cards will be mailed as I am able to put "12 ___ of Christmas" packs together, and you may not get them in time for Christmas Day (in case you were hoping to get these as a 're-gift' item).

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and remember kids, Do Cards, Not Drugs!