cardpocalypse 7 day trading card challenge, day 1: i who hesitated lost

i am going to partake in the cardpocalypse 7 day trading card challenge!

there are some great topics suggested, so why not. it will take me longer than 7 days to complete, i assure you. still, i've enjoyed reading many of the posts that have populated the blogroll already.

before i get to my favorite card acquired in the last couple of months, let me share with you a story about one i didn't obtain.  it was the first day of stay-at-home orders, and things were not very well defined. i was anxious and uncertain about many things, including health and employment. i wasn't sure if my work would be deemed essential or not, and so i was in extreme penny-pinching mode.  so, of course it happened that on that day i saw a listing for a steve garvey card i had not seen before.

this is a 1999 stadium giveaway to promote designated drivers (be a dry-er friar!) at padre games. i had heard of the card previously, but had not seen one with the free non-alcoholic beverage tab still attached. however, i could not bring myself to spend $15 on the card when i was questioning bigger issues. by the time i had become comfortable with making hobby related purchases, it was too late as someone else purchased the card.

so back to my favorite card that i have obtained since mid-march? there are a few, but today i think i will go with this 2001 upper deck vintage jackie robinson bat card

it came with a friend, too.

adding jackie and gil hodges to my collection means i have completed the individual bat cards from this release 19 years after it was released. back in 2001, as the game used cards became more widespread, i entered a simple ebay search for "steve garvey bat" and saw that he had a card in this set. it became the first garvey relic i ever purchased, and i quickly set out to obtain the ron cey, bill russell, and (sadly, no davey lopes) dusty baker cards as well, along with a second garvey card for my pc.

it was awesome to see the 1981 dodgers included in the set, and upper deck also included four players from the 1955 brooklyn squad. in addition to jackie and gil, they had cards of roy campanella and don newcombe.  i've had the campy and newk cards for a while, and so decided to finish the set.  both sets of players were also featured on the 'timeless teams' four-player bat cards. i've been able to acquire two copies of the 1981 card (one for the dodger collection and one for the garvey pc), but i am still missing the 1955 team quad bat card, so i can't quite say things are complete.

given the circumstances, i do not regret missing out on that garvey card, although i recently found a forgotten ebay gift card that i had picked up in january that i could have used at the time. ah well, i'm sure i will put that card to good use.