2014 trade package #15: Eric Eckstein sends me a pair of Shoelaces

For tonight's TMV post I showed off one card from a trio reader Eric Eckstein sent me in our first deal.  As I noted over there, he was one of the folks who claimed cards in my giveaway/contest earlier this year, and we made a deal based around an auto I pulled, a Red Wings patch from a prior trade, and a pair of pickups of his choice from COMC.

In return I landed the Verlander in the TMV post, plus a pair of cards that really sparked this deal for me:

Denard Robinson 2013 Crown Royale Crown Royale Signatures Gold auto (#17/25)

Denard Robinson 2013 Topps Inception Rookie Autographs Silver Ink auto (#12/75)

This is an outstanding pair of higher-end autographs of Jacksonville's newly-cemented #2 RB.  Denard may just turn some heads around the league now that he's healthy, especially if his strong pre-season carries over into week 1 and beyond.  A lot of people wrote him off last year after he was a late-round pick and dealt with pre-existing nerve issues, but his speed might be enough to make him a good change-of-pace back for the Jags.

The cards themselves are as high-quality as the player.  Panini did a great job as usual with the Crown Royale set, which features the familiar die-cut design topped by a crown.  The limited numbering adds even more value to a card that couples a beautiful look with Shoelace's auto.

Not as limited but just as high-end, the Inception card looks even better than I thought it would.  Topps has used some very ugly backgrounds for this set in recent memory, but this one doesn't detract from the card.  I love the photo of an intense Robinson churning his way down the field--even if he IS wearing a double-zero jersey instead of his more familiar 16 from Michigan that carried over to the League.  What really makes this design for me, though, is the autograph done up in silver ink, which easily makes it the most desirable version as far as I'm concerned.

This pair of cards is not only special because they look so great, but also because they're the 10th and 11th Denards in my football PC, tying him with two others for 19th in that collection despite only having been around since last year.  I'm happy to be able to claim double-digit hits of one of the most electrifying players Michigan fans ever had the pleasure of watching.

Thanks again for a fantastic deal, Eric, and I look forward to our next one!