Listia wins for the week

Want to just share a couple wins from Listia which came in for me this week.


I picked up another Tremblay rookie from 1982-93 O Pee Chee. I got one not too long ago, but condition is a bit better on this one, and I will gladly take having two.



I seem to be getting a number of Mike Richards cards recently from Listia. I picked these up to add the couple insert/parallel cards to my collection. The Panini Select card looks quite yellow (it is a Prizm, and that is just how it scans). The Select card is very nice in hand, and I don't have many Black Diamond cards, let alone 3 or 4 diamond cards, so those were nice pick ups too.

Collective Leafs

Further to last weekend and my trade with GCA, I wanted to look at the Leafs separately because there were so many goodies. The cards span from about 1990 through 2009 and plenty of variety so lets take a look at some highlights.

Back in the day, I had some upper deck cards, but not much past 1992, and didn't get into Collector's Choice at the time it debuted. Looking back, being a kid, Collector's Choice would have been fun to get into. Well, better late than never! As you can see below, GCA was nice enough to include some of each.

All in, a great first trade for me (hopefully he feels the same) and I've already started pulling some other cards aside for the next trade (nice to have somewhere to send some Redskins).

As seen, a good variety of cards. Some of the highlights are a number of cards for Gilmour, Clark and Sundin - Leaf mainstays as well as the Carlo Rookie card which is serial numbered, and the Bryan McCabe parallel.

Wouldn't want to leave out to goalies either - my favourite of which would be Eddie the Eagle.

A big thanks again to GCA again for the trade which added a good jump in the Leaf collection.

When to parallel or not to parallel

Hello, so in this Santa Lot 20 - an interesting name came up on some cards - Gold Reserve. At first I thought these were parallels and I would put in my binder accordingly, but it appears that Gold Reserve for 1999-00 Upper Deck was its own separate release rather than an insert set to the normal 1999-00 Upper Deck set. I am a bit disappointed, but that's life.

Highlights:

Gotta love three all stars. The Wade Boggs card is part of the base set, but I will likely put it in with the "inserts" for the fact it is an All-Star card, and any reason I can give to get a Boggs card into a binder, I'll take it. I will say, from my understanding though, Wade was a standout person and the last guy I would expect to have a big head....

Also, you can add Kariya in a Predator uniform as just looking wrong - no surprise, he is always a Mighty Duck to me.


The rest
Keepers:

I can't say I like the 1999-2000 Upper Deck set, and the gold reserve is about the same. Between the blue back, small font, foil making it difficult to read, just not much I like about it.


Traders:

The 2007 Donruss Gridiron cards are very thick and solid - love the cardstock and decent design. The 2007 Topps retro variation Stoudemire card is nice too, but nothing here to keep.


Summary (through 660 cards):

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	8	1
Inserts / Variations	27	2	5	5
Error
Keep	151	22
Doubles/Sell	42	2	107	70	218

One Tucker of a card

 Another 20 from the Santa Lot - not quite as good as the last couple, but able to add to the Maple Leaf collection, so I cant complain.

Highlights:
 
 Darcy was a decent hand in the early 2000s for Toronto and SPx had a decent run in the mid 00s. I found SPx generally tried to use some holographic work for glitter and shine to stand out, and some years it works better than others. The 2003-04 cards below may go a bit far because of the use in the player headshots, but here on the Tucker card as it is used to accent, it works very well. Nice also as it is the first 2006-07 SPx card I've held in hand. This is mostly, or in large part because the 00s were a period of time I was completely out of the hobby.

The rest
Keepers:
 
 Nothing significant of note (Federov as a Duck is a bit unacceptable as he should always be a Red Wing) but a couple decent sets to which the additions are being made.

Traders:
 
A couple new sets touched on such as the Bowman basketball cards...more variety is always a good thing!

Summary (640 cards in)

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	8	1
Inserts / Variations	25	1	4	5
Error
Keep	143	22
Doubles/Sell	40	2	105	66	218

1972 O Pee Chee hockey stickers

A quick 20 from the Santa Lot with a number of nice inserts...

Highlights:

A couple 1972-73 hockey stickers from O Pee Chee. I love the classic Penguins logo and miss the Sabres logo - I've never liked the newer Sabres logo and generally prefer the "classic" logos.

As for the other inserts/parallels, I almost missed the Pacific one given the placement of the 05/99 and the fact the only difference is the copper colour of the foil at the bottom of the card.

I'd also never complain about a Brett Hull (shown as a Blue, the only team I really recognize him with) or Peter Forsberg card.

The rest
Keepers:

Nothing too special, but adding a few more cards to the 2007-08 Upper Deck set.

Traders:

Another 2007 Topps Football Generation Now insert, and a Dante Culpepper card from the base set highlight the traders. I like that Topps used the same design across sports in 2007, but the design itself I don't particularly like - too dark with the black borders, and with the football the ugly green back colour usage.

Summary so far - 620 cards in:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	7	1
Inserts / Variations	25	1	4	4
Error
Keep	137	22
Doubles/Sell	40	2	101	58	218

Victory of sorts

Been a few goes but finally a small victory in getting a Toronto card!

Highlights:

Jason Blake isn't a big name, and Victory not a high end set, but I'll take it. As for Frank Gore, don't know much about him other than the accomplishment on the card, but an insert is an insert, and if it had to be football, one of the two teams I enjoy is the 49ers and Bills (if I had to pick a 3rd, it would be the Packers).

The rest
Keepers:

These make a further dent into the 2007-08 Upper Deck set which is coming along nicely (40 out of 500 and counting...). As for the Messier card, first from the Be A Player All Star set I have seen. A bit plain for my liking, and I never liked those all star unis, but so be it.

Traders:

At least a few recognizable names - Boomer, Bruce Smith, and Warren Moon that I have a bit of familiarity with through his time in Canada as part of the CFL.

Summary to date:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	7	1
Inserts / Variations	20	1	4	3
Error
Keep	133	22
Doubles/Sell	39	2	100	50	218

Positive thinking...

Okay, so with the 20 pulled today from the Santa Lot - no hockey, no inserts, no Toronto hockey or baseball cards...but not to fret, I will think positively about todays pull nonetheless...

Highlights:

Positive thinking says, these are the best of what I got, and that is a good thing because - well, at least the sets and years are varied. Being in Canada, nice to get 1984 Topps cards rather than O Pee Chee I guess. The Bowman imprinted name/signature look on the metallic background is alright as well I guess.

Lowlights:
Well, just look at the amount of traders unfortunately for me (possibly fortunate for you).

The rest
Keepers:
Um...well...look under the highlights section because, that's it!

Traders:

The attack on basketball Ultra 2004-05 continues as I think I am around 20% of the set now. Even if I were to somehow get a full set, I will not be keeping it. Sorry fellow Canadian Steve Nash....

Summary:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	6	1
Inserts / Variations	20	1	4	2
Error
Keep	124	22
Doubles/Sell	39	2	98	43	218

A collective trade

This will be the first of two posts with regards to a nice trade I did with GCA of The Collective Mind. Given the rather poor quality of some of the 1990-91 O Pee Chee Red Army inserts, he was able to offer some cleaner ones (thank you) some of which can be seen here:

Also, given I collect Leafs and Jays, he was nice enough to send a good chunk of Leafs (which I will save for a post later - probably next weekend) and a sprinkling of Jays cards to me as well. I was able to pass on a few cards to fill some wants of his, but I think I definitely got the better of this first trade so I will have to scavenge hard to get something better out for the next trade. I definitely want there to be a next trade...

With regards to the Jays...


The Kellogg's Bailor card, and couple 1986 Fleer Star Sticker cards were the first from those sets that I have for my collection which is nice, and as Dave Stieb is one of my favorite Jays, nice to get the Baseball's Best card as well. I think Dave must have really let his moustache grow between the two pics because it looks a little faint in the Star Sticker photo by comparison. With the way pitching has gone since the mid-80s, Stieb is a perfect example. What I mean is, 82-85 he had 4 straight years of over 250 innings pitched, and 52 complete games in 4 years. I think these days it would take an excellent pitcher to get 50 complete games in a career...Stieb had 19 in 1982 alone!

Love the additions, and thanks again to GCA - I look forward to more trading in the future, and everyone can look forward to the second post of cards that I received.

Let's talk Legacy

No - not talking about the WWE faction from a decade ago give or take...not talking about Manny Legace - but talking about...


Released in 1999, this was one of the last sets I actively collected and played during the release of as around the time I headed off to University and there just weren't the people playing there at the time.

The Urza block was great - especially for myself who collected and played artifacts.

I was pleasantly surprised to see these packs become available at www.401games.ca, which I am lucky enough to work within a 15 minute walk from in Toronto. As part of my unopened pack collection, I am trying to get one of each booster pack release for Magic (realistically not expecting any before Revised as these are quite costly). Even this booster cost about $25CDN - the most expensive one I bought being Urza's Saga which was about $40CDN. This also means I have covered about 50 sets by way of an unopened booster so I have a nice binder of packs going.

I would also recommend anyone who can, visit www.401games.ca - I have always found their prices to be the best or very close to it, but specifically with Magic Cards - usually about 30-40% cheaper than the Wal-Marts of the world, and a great selection of singles. I know they are also working on reducing shipping costs to be able to order online and send across Canada and the US - definitely worth a peek.

401games was also the place back almost 20 years that myself and my high school friends would go on weekends to play Magic and hang out - very nerdy, but enjoyed it nonetheless! I'm sure most everyone reading this had or has such a place they go for card collecting or playing purposes...

 

 

Classic George Bell

A quick run through of 20 from the Santa Lot today, though with a touch of classic - though this seems to put into question the subjectivity of the term given it's use here...personally I'd say at least 30 years to be considered classic...

Highlights:

As I mentioned yesterday, really like this Classic set, however it now makes me fee much older since the card is about 10 years old and references George Bell as a classic being from the 80s.  Still, a very nice card that I am glad to add to my collection...however old it makes me feel.

The rest
Keepers:

 Again, really like these cards, especially look nice with the black and white photos.


Traders:



Glad I have no reason to keep these cards - specifically the former Kardashian Kris Humphries...

Here to date is the summary:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	6	1
Inserts / Variations	20	1	4	2
Error
Keep	124	19
Doubles/Sell	39	1	86	39	218

Love serial in the morning...

So one change going forward - lowlights will be used as needed, not necessarily in every post related to the Santa Lot. I take this as a good thing that I don't have much negative to say on these each time.

Highlights:

A couple more McDonald's cards for keeping, and although in football, one black parallel for 2005 Topps, and the first serial numbered card pulled - even if it is to 999. Nice signed of what else can be found in the cards, now if the sport can just be one I plan on keeping as these are for trade.

The rest
Keepers:

I really like this 2005 Classics baseball set - definitely want tosee more as it is good homage to quality players for the next generation, and provide easy access to cards of these players (relative) compared to original run cards during their careers.

Traders:

Nice Dwayne Ware card, even if it is horizontal, but otherwise nothing much here that I care to discuss...

Summary:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	6
Inserts / Variations	20	1	4	2
Error
Keep	124	13
Doubles/Sell	39	1	74	38	218

Preferred medal colours - why?

Let's get to another set of 20 from the Santa Lot...

Highlights:

A couple more McDonald set cards - both pretty in their own bright coloured, flashy fashion.


Lowlights:
To be honest, as much as there are some football and basketball cards which I have as traders - I can't really classify any as real lowlights in this grouping so we will pass on it this time...

The rest
Keepers:

So, this is the first time I looked at the detail of the base set for 1997-98 Donruss Preferred. I did not know that the base set itself is made up of gold, silver and bronze cards. I originally thought these would be base and parallel sets, but I guess it is in the same line as Black Diamond cards. That said, why the different level cards are splattered across the set, I'm not sure. I would have thought it would make sense to have bronze say 1-100, then silvers 101-175 and gold 175-200 - but no, appears to be all over the place. Curious as to what the qualification, if any, there were on who would be a gold versus silver or bronze. I haven't looked closely at this, but if I get a few more such cards, I will take a look and let you know (unless the you out there knows and tells me first).

Traders:

It didn't take much effort here, so I horizontal scanned the couple cards - but won't make it a habit...

Summary:

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	6
Inserts / Variations	18	1	4
Error
Keep	119	10
Doubles/Sell	38	1	71	34	218

21 Cards instead of 20...just going that extra hardcourt mile...

Yup - just because I like round numbers and that will get us to 500 of the supposed 15k cards to go through from the Santa Lot....

Highlights:

I really like how this card scanned - the green aura just so befitting Modano and the stars - I presume similar glow effects would work for other teams based on the colour, though in hand I don't think the aura is as glaring, and the shine takes away a bit from this effect. Another McDonald's card, which as you know, I consider an insert (well, it's inserted into your meal order...close enough...)

Lowlights:

As will be made clear below, these aren't just useless to me, but duplicated of cards I don't need, separate from the traders below. Also, the card layout is so blah to me given there is just hardcourt background...geez, they might as well name the set after it...oh, wait...

The Rest
Keepers:

Yep, as discussed in my last post - these should not be horizontal....just tilt your head if you are really curious - the Al MacInnis may be worth it, nice SPx effects there for 2003-04.

Traders:

Nope - nothing more to add to the plethora of hardcourt seen in this grouping...probably going to be too soon that I see more...

Summary:
Based on the below, out of 500 cards, only about 23 I am really excited about. Seems low, but if you consider 5% of 15,000 - that's still 750 cards and given I spent $70 CDN on the whole shebang, less than 10 cents a card for ones I want in my collection ain't bad...

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers
Toronto	6
Inserts / Variations	16	1	4
Error
Keep	114	9
Doubles/Sell	38	1	64	29	218