Topps Diamond Die Cut Experiment: How to Trade Kelly Johnson for Josh Hamilton

A week ago, I set out to see if I could get a 2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut card of my favorite player, Josh Hamilton, using nothing more than the commonest of commons, Kelly Johnson, from that same set. I had a few other cards in my online collection, but just to see if I could do it, I was limiting myself to one-on one trades. Here's how I did it.

Kelly Johnson for Aaron Hill
Aaron Hill for Martin Prado
Martin Prado for Fransisco Liriano
Fransisco Liriano for Brandon Morrow
Brandon Morrow for Colby Rasmus
Colby Rasmus for Aramis Ramirez
Aramis Ramirez for Alexei Ramirez
Alexei Ramirez for Tyler Colvin
Tyler Colvin for Grady Sizemore
Grady Sizemore for Matt Holliday
Matt Holliday for Jose Reyes
Jose Reyes for Robinson Cano
Robinson Cano for Josh Hamilton

I knew, once I got the Matt Holliday, that it was just a matter of time. If I could just keep it withing stars on big-market teams, I knew there would be enough demand for guys like him, that I could quickly move my way up.

With the success that experiment brought, I think my next one will be to try and transform a die cut common into a black diamond die cut. The die cuts I have are all keepers. I finally have the full Cubs set, plus Hamilton, plus 53 other cards beginning in 1961. I'm sure I can pool a couple together for a Brett Anderson or a Danny Valencia. I'll let you all know as soon as round 2 begins.