Oh boy, it's an ANNIVERSARY CONTEST !!

There it is : June.

It's a special month because it's been exactly one year that I decided to get back into this hobby. It first started as a whim, to see how it would feel to bust open some packs of 94 products, as a birthday present to myself (I was born on June 26, don't hesitate to send me flowers and candy).

Well, I won't lie, it felt great.
And I was hooked. Again.

There were trials and errors, especially with Ebay and/or shipping charges and the big turning point was when I discovered the blogging community. My first post was on August 13th, I had no idea if anyone would read it, but I kept writing anyway (if you write it, they will come). I haven't looked back since.

I hardly ever have much to say besides 'oooh, looky, cards !', and it can be frustrating not to write in your mother tongue (though technically, this is my mother's language, incidentally), but all in all, I'm having fun, and I actually feel like I'm fitting right in, even though I do realize I live all over there and it's not always simple to send out envelopes to me (ok, it IS really simple, but there are additional costs, and not everybody can afford them on a regular basis).

I'm not the most active when it comes to trading, but I do have great, steady partners who seem to share the same frame of mind as me and who understand that it's precisely about sharing (and caring. Yeah, I'm a real Hallmark card today). According to my spreadsheet, I've sent out about 50 packages, amounting to 1 300 cards. And I've received about 40, with a total of...2600 cards. Which can only mean one thing : you guys are crazy generous (Junior Junkie alone has sent 800 cards). I'll never be able to stress out enough how much it means to me when I receive a well rounded trade package with so much thought put into it. I hope you guys can tell that I always try to reciprocate best I can (not always easy when shopping around takes so much time and there are no dime boxes within a couple thousand miles).

But here I am, getting sentimental.

ANYWAY.

Some of you are mainly here because (or thanks to) of the title.
Because yes, I'dl like to thank the entire community by holding my very first contest (yay !).
Here's how it works :

not long ago, I posted a list of Griffey base cards I needed. The Junior Junkie was kind enough to send me a package with some of those needs (hint : it's not 100% of the list). Anyone who's able to guess how many he sent, will be the winner. I haven't received the package yet, so even I don't know what the answer is, so don't try to bribe me.
In case there's a tie, here's the tie breaker : which card will be at the bottom of the stack he sends ? If you get the correct brand, you'll win. Or if nobody finds the brand, I'll go with the year.

Naturally, TJ has a clear advantage, even though he himself hasn't counted the cards and I doubt he remembers which card is last. But here's a special question just for him, in case he wants to participate : How many different Griffeys do I have in my collection ? (you get a 10% error window).

Here's what you win : as you know, we've been holding box breaks with Matt. Well, the winner gets a slot with the team of his/her choice for the break hosted in the US AND in France (teams can't be Pirates or Blue Jays though) along with other cards that fit your collection.

Simply follow my blog (might as well) and write a comment. And if you feel like promoting the contest on your blog, it's even better !

I'll let it run for a week or so and get back to you.

BIEBS 4 PRESIDENT