Pack Attack - 2007-08 Fleer Ultra Hockey

Here for another pack opening - let's see where I am at....out of 271 base cards, I have 13 - so promising I will get some cards I don't have. Of the 9 base card Leafs, I have 4 - so may not get something there I need. Anyway, let's open this up and see what we have....


I guess we can also look for the Rookie cards...the pack says to keep an eye out for them....oh and the one per pack Gold Medallion insert.


A couple nice base cards, but nothing too special.


There is the Gold Medallion for the pack - didn't have it, so one keeper for my collection.


Nice - another Scoring Kings card - I got an Ovechkin from the set not long ago in another pack, and since these inserts are one every six pack - low odds going two for two.


Excellent getting a Leaf given there are only the 5 cards, but it is one I have, so this makes to!

As good a pack as I could really get, definitely a win.

Pack Attack - 1997 Upper Deck Collector's Choice

Here were are with a set I did not get any of at the time, and don't have too many of as it is now. Since there are only 5 cards in a pack, it would take a while to get the 320 card base set. I currently have 6 cards, 3 of which are of the 12 Leafs in the set.

So let;s see if I luck out with an insert or a Leaf among the 5 cards within...



Nice picture of Paul at the All-Star game...


Interesting - the best action shot they could find for Corson for the year?




Awesome card of the eagle playing out of the net...

Overall front design is simple and effective - back design has two problems - all horizontal, and only one year of stats plus a career total line - not sufficient for any card.

With no Leafs and no inserts, a fail for my collection, but nice cards in the Kariya and Belfour, and none of these were duplicates so okay overall in that regard. I still have one or two other packs to go through in the future, and hopefully they come out a bit better than this one.

Eli-Eli-oh!

Last baseball Listia win batch of cards to review today. I picked this one up for the three Jays cards in the lot, didn't really pay much mind to the remaining cards, but I should have. It wasn't until I was entering them when I realized the Skybox cards (which I had never seen before) were two apparent short prints (according to TCDB) which have an interesting background haze effect going on and one parallel to the set which is the Ruby coloured one. So getting 6 real keepers for collections out of 16 cards works in my books!

Highlights:


The rest
Keepers:

The gold border of the Topps set - I'm glad was moved to a parallel design in later years, it just isn't needed on a base card. Also, the 2005 Bowman is a decent basic design - I generally don't like/appreciate Bowman designs, but this one I can take.

Traders:

These just aren't my "thing". I can appreciate that there are people out there that collect minor league cards, especially of people that went on to be stars, but it just isn't for me. In some ways, it just casts the collecting next way to far. Besides, I don't mind a solid base set, but when a card is numbered 2476, that's just ridiculous - oh, and don't worry baseball's 2008 Upper Deck Documentary series - you are unique and it should stay that way....

A couple posts ago, we had a nice McNabb football serial numbered insert. Today we get another card from the same insert set, but this one is of the gold variety - so numbered to only 400 - but also of a better (my opinion) player.

Highlights:


It probably stinks for Eli that at any family gathering, he still isn't the best quarterback at the table, but it does seem like he and Peyton have a good relationship,  so it could be worse I guess.


Three new cards for the 2005 Classics set will be an highlight, as will the nice 2008-09 O Pee Chee insert. Again, have to mention the pictures on the Cliassics cards - so nice with the black and white kept in tact.

The rest
Keepers:

No offense to Joe Thornton who we saw not long ago on the other 2007-08 Upper Deck checklist, but Malkin is a step better (again, to me anyway) but both are nice with the multi photo fronts.

Traders:

Best of the rest will be the additional McDonalds cards - some nice traders for anyone interested!

Through 3360 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:
- Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Checklist Subset (6 cards)
	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	68	5
Inserts / Var Kept	105	7
Error	11	1
Keep	875	99
Doubles/Sell	316	17	686	805	231	19
Doubles Inserts / Var	25	1	42	47

New authentic hockey

Just three different sets touched on today with the Santa Lot 20 - and only one of those I will be keeping, but goof news is, it is a set we haven't seen before.

Highlights:

Definitely had some SP Authentic hockey sets come up with the Santa Lot 20, but these are the first from 2003-04. I get they are trying to be a bit fancy with the front design, but I'd rather just have nice full pictures on the front of the cards instead of the horizontal design they are using interfering with the photos.

The rest
Traders:


A lot of Cavs and Magic in 1999-2000 Basketball Upper Deck MVP coming up as well as a few more classic 1991 Upper Deck football.As far as star power in these cards - Shawn Kemp (who was made as a SuperSonic before becoming a Cav) and Tim Hardaway were stars during the time, though neither team made the playoffs in the 1999-2000 season.

Through 3340 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:
- Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Checklist Subset (6 cards)
	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	68	5
Inserts / Var Kept	104	7
Error	11	1
Keep	870	96
Doubles/Sell	316	17	683	800	231	19
Doubles Inserts / Var	23	1	42	46

Cheer for Fleer, and the king is here

Yet another 16 baseball cards from Listia - here all 1990 Fleer. The reason for the pick up? I didn't have the Stottlemyre card for my Toronto team set.

Highlights:

A kind of blah design, but the pictures are pretty nice (Todd looks so young).

The rest
Keepers:

Nice to get a number of adds for the set, though I am not actively looking to complete the set.

Traders:

Also lucky there were only a couple of duplicates again in these cards.

On a complete switch of sets/sports/topics, this past NBA season, LeBron did exactly what he had promised - bring a championship home to Cleveland, and did so in dramatic fashion bringing his team back from being down 3-1 in the finals to win in 7. It was nice to see him come full circle - even with how bad a break up his leaving Cleveland.

Highlights:

Getting five inserts, including LeBron - had to make this the highlight of the cards today. Interesting to get the trio of LeBron, Wade and Bosh together too. Definitely quite the pack of stars, and I like the fact that topps used this insert and the design in both their NBA and NFL sets.

The rest
Keepers:

If I'm going to get Victory cards - nice to get some of the rookie cards from the base set.

Traders:

Continuing with the youth movement across these cards - some rookie cards from 2008 Playoff Prestige football, and pre-rookie cards from some 1991 7th Inning Sketch Quebec Major Junior Hockey League cards as well.

Through 3320 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:
- Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Checklist Subset (6 cards)
	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	68	5
Inserts / Var Kept	104	7
Error	11	1
Keep	868	96
Doubles/Sell	316	17	669	796	231	19
Doubles Inserts / Var	23	1	42	46

I Nabb a Goose

First item to share today is a 16 pack of baseball cards from Listia...

Highlights:

Seems I got a Goose out of this lot of cards - second of these for my collection - same as the Fernandez card. This is a set, 1990 Topps people tend to either really lot or really hate - either way - I give it credit for being memorable.

The rest
Keepers:

A couple great Rangers from the early 90s - Palmeiro had decent power, and Pete was an excellent catcher during that time.

Traders:

My fault for getting a pack with this many doubles, but for the cheap price, I wanted to doubles of Jays, so no hard done really I guess.

For the Santa Lot 20, two days in a row we get a nice serial numbered football insert. Would love if they were hockey or baseball, but at least this one is of someone a little more high profile.

Highlights:


A nice McNabb serial numbered insert - even if they used the same picture on the back as the front. Add to that a McDonalds card for good measure.

The rest
Keepers:

I will say, of these cards, this is the first 2009-10 Ultra card to come up - generally, I think this seems to be the latest year, give or take, that has been coming out of the Santa Lot 20. This has been fine as I wasn't collecting through the 00s.

Traders:

I've been Fukudome'd again (Tony, I think you made a comment about possibly wanting the card - now is your chance!) - amd he brought a couple friends from the set which shows it is multi-sport (hadn't looked this up myself yet, but pretty obvious now). I like the look to the Icons cards, though they could have brought the design down a bit and provided for more picture on the front.



Through 3300 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:
- Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Checklist Subset (6 cards)
	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	68	5
Inserts / Var Kept	104	7
Error	11	1
Keep	859	96
Doubles/Sell	314	17	667	794	231	19
Doubles Inserts / Var	23	1	37	46

Football Card Appreciation

Not every "winner" may be something you collect - some times you come across cards that are just nice, pretty, rare, or unique that you can appreciate them for what they are, even with no intent on keeping them. Definitely got one of those today to share.

Highlights:

First, these, which add to the 1991-92 O Pee Chee insert set I apparently have going. One of those "nice to get if it happens" type of sets. I don't have a great affinity for the Sharks or the Russian team spotlighted, but they had their place at the time, so I can understand the insert set.


Now this, so pretty, and scanned so nice. I scanned it before finding out it was the red parallel which is numbered to 200. The red naming may be because of the stripe on the side, having not seen the other parallels in hand, I'm guessing it may also have to do with the shiny red (pink) tinted effect. A very sturdy, beautiful card made nicer from the serial number - even if the player, team, sport do nothing for me - still a nice little card nonetheless.

The rest
Keepers:

Just a couple other keepers from these cards. Joe Thornton is a good player, and generally deserves to be on a checklist, but still a bit surprised given there are only a couple checklist cards, that he made the cut, but not a bad front photo collage.

Traders:

Can't argue with the Aerial Threat - second of these I believe I picked up. Also looks like Kevin Greene was trying to go all "Gangnam Style" well ahead of it's time....

Through 3280 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:
- Completed 2007-08 Upper Deck McDonald's Checklist Subset (6 cards)
	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	68	5
Inserts / Var Kept	103	7
Error	11	1
Keep	853	96
Doubles/Sell	314	17	663	789	231	19
Doubles Inserts / Var	23		37	43

Pack Attack - 2007-08 Upper Deck Victory

Today, a pack of 6 cards...

Wow...I can't believe there is a sticker for $3.99 on a 6 card pack of Victory cards. I can't imagine them being that expensive, but someone must have thought they would be able to get $4 for it. Well - the fact it ended up in a box of mixed packs makes sense if that is what was originally being asked for.

So before we open, let's look at the facts - before the pack, I have 34 of the 345 base cards and of the 11 Leaf base cards, I have 4 so far.




Mark spent some time in the NHL between the Devils and Toronto - not a Leaf, but at least a Leaf connection.




Very nice picture here - prettiest of the pack, good full body/uniform pic.




Always a penguin - always....other than the very very wrong uniform - always a good player to get a card of.

Good news - all 6 cards are new for me which is great, and personal favourite card would have to be the Jagr one - though nice to get the Rookie card as well.

Yeah - never would pay $4 for that pack of cards - nice to have, but No Way Jose!