2014 trade package #4: The Angels in Order orders up some Abbott, Maddox, and Roberts

My fourth trade package of the year is the first response to my post soliciting cards for my three new baseball PCs, and it arrived all the way from Texas courtesy of Tom of The Angels in Order.  The Halos collector extraordinaire not only came up with a couple cards each for two of those players, but also a fat stack of another player who's right in his wheelhouse!

First up are 14(!) new additions to my Jim Abbott PC:

Jim Abbott 1990 Leaf

Another great shot of Abbott's pitching motion from his left; if you didn't know better, you might not even notice the way the glove sits on his left arm.

Jim Abbott 1991 Upper Deck

I'm assuming this is spring training?  As I noted before, Jim compiled two hits over 24 plate appearances in in 1999 with the Brewers.

Jim Abbott 1992 Donruss

Jim Abbott 1992 Upper Deck (#86)

Jim Abbott 1992 Upper Deck (#325)

Jim Abbott 1992 Upper Deck (#642)

Abbott got a lot of card love in '92 UD with a bunch of appearances, and this one is his best as the back notes he never pitched in the minors and that he starred at Michigan, among other observations.

Jim Abbott 1993 Stadium Club

Jim Abbott 1993 Upper Deck (#30)

Look at Jim carry that clipboard like a community hero!  Look at all the mullets in this picture!

Jim Abbott 1993 Upper Deck (#31)

"Hey, Jim, what's the average I.Q. of a Buckeye?  Two?  Yeah, that sounds about right."

Jim Abbott 1993 Upper Deck (#53) (with Langston and Finley)

Because I'd seen plenty of multiple exposure cards before I didn't give this much of a second glance until I went to label it and realized that Mark Langston and Chuck Finley also appeared.  More mullet power!

Jim Abbott 1995 Emotion

I'd say this card lived up to its set's name in focusing on Abbott's game face.  It's actually a fairly rare issue that doesn't show enough of his body to highlight his deformity.

Jim Abbott 1995 Ultra

Jim Abbott 1995 Ultra Gold Medallion

This card (and the base version) end up looking very cool thanks to the blurred background with Abbott the obvious focal point.

Jim Abbott 1996 Upper Deck

A nice enough card, but it will always be overshadowed by one of the best insert sets ever made:  the V.J. Lovero Collection.

My new Abbott total is 55, which I'm duly excited about!

With those out of the way, here's the stuff Tom dug up for my new PCs:

Elliott Maddox 1972 Topps

Hey Elliott, whatcha lookin' at up there?  Got a fly on the bill of your hat or something?  Or maybe are you rolling your eyes because you can see into the future and know how Topps will poison the hobby with unfilled redemptions?

Elliott Maddox 1981 Topps

The '72 was a third-year card while this one seals Maddox's swan song--the 1980 season in which he played for the Mets.  Statistically it wasn't much different from the preceding years, but it would be his final season all the same.

This pair represents the first two cards in Maddox's PC, and you know I'll be working hard to nab all 23 before the end of the year!

Leon Roberts 1979 Topps

I'll probably do this in every post featuring Roberts, but just to reiterate, this is NOT Bip!  The 1972 Tigers draftee played for the Mariners from 1978-80 (his most years with any team), and those were easily the best seasons of his career as he hit .276 with 47 HR and 179 RBI.

Leon Roberts 1982 Topps

Leon headed to Texas in 1980 as part of of an 11-player deal that included teammates Willie Horton (released before the following season) and Mario Mendoza, he of the famed "line."

THIS pair gives me a total of three Roberts cards (I already had his '75 Topps RC since the slightly more famous Gary Carter is the featured player), and his 28-card run should be attainable this year, like Maddox.

Thanks again, Tom, for a fantastic and productive trade!  I'll have your return package, Edmonds SLU and all, out tomorrow.  Readers, go wish a warm Ha-lo to the proprietor of The Angels in Order tonight!