Pack Attack - 1989 Topps Baseball and some AirPete mail

Here is a pack that I really don't need any of, but still - always nice to open a pack of cards.



Opening the pack, the cards are a little wonky - not quite flat. Still okay enough, but they don't quite sit right. I won't bother keeping or having the gum...probably not a great idea given it is about 30 years old.



Yay - Canadian team content! Tony Fernandez and Tracy Jones. Well, Tracy will likely make his way over to Mike at Not Another Baseball Card Blog for his Million Expos goal, but the rest are up for grabs.



Another expo, but best would be the Dante rookie card - or maybe the Greenwell All-Star depending on your preference.  Actually spoke about Dante a couple blogs ago and his offensive prowess through the 90s. I recall him being a bit underrated at the time.

The only type of cards I may see in these packs that I need are the advertisement cards, but this was not one of the few I needed - maybe next time!

Also, yesterday I received a surprise package from AirPete from the tradingcarddb. He sent a note just saying the cards were a thank you for a few smooth trades we have done. A pleasant surprise, and the cards do well to move a few sets along.




1990-91 Score American is a quiet collection set. Still need about 60 cards, but slowly completing this one. The Willie Stargell puzzle would be the third, but I was only missing a few pieces, and figure, it may be easier to trade away a completed set, so now I just need one last card.

Lastly, the Diamond Kings circa 1989 are both for a subset of them, and working towards the full set - which isn't yet on my radar to do so...but oon enough I am sure I will start really working towards it.

Big thanks Pete, love to be surprised.

Pack Attack - 1988 Donruss Baseball

I only recently completed the set, so not too likely I will get anything worth keeping except a Jay or two, but you never know.

Stan The Man was the puzzle for this year. I don't have the set complete yet, but I don't need this one.

Highlight of the first bunch has to be the Jack Morris mustache - some grade A quality facial hair there.

Here is the rest - highlighted personally by another Ernie Whitt card. Unfortunately, that's it for what I will be keeping.

If you are interested in anything here, just let me know.

Pack Attack - 1995 Panini Baseball Stickers

Time to open some more packs!

With the box opened yesterday, I'll work through opening the packs that "didn't make it" into the unopened pack collection.

I figure this is a good starting point....



I don't go out of my way to collect stickers, but I'd rather open on the chance of finding a Jays sticker, hey, why not?

By 1995, I was out of collecting these stickers. I was big into it in 1988-1990. I remember going to school and giving away the extra stickers that I had (and I remember having a love of duplicates). It's funny because looking back at a time when money was extremely tight for the family, my mom obviously thought enough of putting my want/happiness before things that, as an adult, would have probably been higher priority to her. It's stuff like this that makes me remember how much she put us first growing up, never feeling like we were "poor" or disadvantaged.

Anyway....baseball cards stickers!



Doesn't get much bigger in the 90s as Bonds. Time hasn't treated him well given the steroid issues surrounding the period, but at the time - one of the big stars.



Starting in 1995 and for the next few seasons, Dante averaged about 30 homeruns and 120 RBIs - great power hitter.



Cleveland hot pack! Kenny was a big base stealer - over 50 a year while he lead in that category from 1992 through 1996. Albert Belle on the other hand was the power with averaging over 40 home runs a year from 1995 through 1998. They were the core of the team for a good portion of the 90s.



We end with a couple team stickers!

Not a bad little pack overall with plenty of star power.

3 Years of Craziness

I debated whether I wanted to do this or not. What I am opening today is something I have held onto as is for about 2 years. I bought 6-7 of these from Dave & Adam's Card World on a trip to the US in 2014 or so, along with a few other items.

I opened those before I started this blog, otherwise I would have shared them there. I enjoyed them so much, I held onto one as is for a later time, and to have as is on by shelf.

Well, given how much my collection has grown - big thanks to all the readers here and people I met through TCDB since being back in the hobby - I need the space on my shelf to show other things, and it is really a collection of unopened packs, not boxes which I am working on, so today I share with you a fun treat....

2010 TriStar World's Greatest Card Chase box of 16 unopened packs.

I didn't luck out with getting one of the packs related to the big win, and at this point, it would stay unopened since the "competition" is long over, but would be a really awesome pack to include in my unopened pack collection.

Besides that, just fun getting a bunch of old packs, and the memory of doing so in the others is why I held on to this one for so long.

Well, without further ado, let's take a look at what the 16 packs are that come in this specific box...

Well, seven packs I won't be keeping. Actually, truth be told, the 1988 Topps is an upgrade, so I will open the one I had been keeping aside instead, later.


Wow - 1997 Pinnacle - that's a keeper. The 1990 Score is actually also a keeper - different ad on the back than the one I already had. This one is for a baseball card collecting video...huh....


I have 3 Jimmy Dean cards unopened from one pack I got in these, a second unopened pack in my collection, and this one. I am going to open this one too, but for the 9 card set, I think I have it if you include the one unopened pack....but I'd rather keep the unopened pack.

Stickers, I don't bother keeping, so the rest are for opening later. 16 packs and only two keepers. Not ideal, but hey, can't win them all, and I liked opening this one anyway - love these boxes and having fun as well as love for collecting is what it's all about!

CNE Pack #22 - Continuing to be TNA

As we come up on the three year anniversary of the blog, this will be the last CNE package for a little while, but we do get another TNA wrestling insert which actually makes 4 of the 7 cards for the insert set are now in my collection. Not bad to get just from these packs.



I know, the point card as an insert...but it has an NHL logo, so passable for keeping as such.



Obligatory Toronto content...check...and this is just my second copy.

Keepers...


I really think the Russo card is quite possibly the worst photo I have seen in quite a while. I don't know if done on purpose, but the white background and photo, it is just so washed out. I don't get it.

Traders...



Celebrating three years tomorrow....

CNE Pack #21 - Some 80s Hockey

The pack today surprised me a bit with some of the hockey which was pleasantly included in the small brick.



Not a lot, but getting a few mid to late 80s O Pee Chee is a nice little pick up. These are sets I don't have a ton of - some maybe up to 20% or so, but are nice sets I wouldn't mind getting more of. It also helped, and surprised me to get three 1990-91 O Pee Chee needs since that set I do plan to finish sooner than later and already have about 80% done.

There were just a couple other cards for keeps.


Yeah - Drake being the Toronto card visible on the brick. Another I already had, but better to pick a pack with one than to take chances on one I couldn't see or tell from.

Too many for trade today...


Well - the Front Row is the silver parallel at least. The only difference being the Front Row logo in the top left being in foil instead of just white and red.




Not a strong pack overall, but still, I remind myself, for a buck or less, still can't really complain.

I am just going to tack on one quick Listia win....


Another card from this TNA set - though I never watched Christy in TNA, but know her from her time in WWE.

CNE Pack #20 - Hello Mr. Potter and Mr. Anderson

A couple off the wall cards to talk about in this pack, so let's get right to it.

I don't collect the Americana type cards and sets, just too much other stuff to collect, but I get the appeal, especially from a historical standpoint. I don't have any cards from such sets, or didn't until now.



This one obviously relates to the phenomena that was Harry Potter. I didn't start reading the books until the 4th or so came out, then started. My wife and I finished the last couple together, and because the book store was basically next door, we walked over at midnight when the last book was released in 2007. Yes, there were plenty of younger folk, and a bunch dressed up as well. Amazing that the final book sold 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours.



I was surprised to see this and learn that there are some cards apparently for the Octagon Girls. I guess it is similar to 1990-91 Pro Set having cards for some fo the referees, but I will give the advantage to the Octagon Girls - I think their cards may be a wee bit more, desired.

The pack is ahead of the game on Toronto content as well as odd stuff...


Hello Mr. Anderson! I needed this one, so great add there.


Speaking of Mr. Anderson.....Anderson....

Like yesterday, nice TNA New Era set cards - and any Von Erich in wrestling is a great pick up.

Still, a bunch of traders too...

Some more 1990-91 Fleer Basketball to go with the few cards picked up yesterday. As far as basketball goes, at least these are names I generally know from my childhood including Mr. Can I Buy A Vowel - Schrempf.



With the few baseball and hockey dupes to end.

CNE Pack #19 - Canadian Baseball

It's funny, being in Canada, I would have thought I would end up with more O Pee Chee baseball cards growing up. By this, I mean the late 80s when the O Pee Chee set was very much similar to the Topps set and design. As it ended up though, I didn't. It may have been originally O Pee Chee, but somehow ended up trading a bunch away and don't remember they were specifically O Pee Chee instead of Topps, but however it was, for some sets - I just don't have much.

1989 is a good year to show as an example. I have the set completed for Topps purposes, all 792 cards, but for O Pee Chee, only 29 of 396 cards. That's after including the few new ones below...



Also some hockey and wrestling keepers in the one as well.



With the handful of New Era TNA cards, I don't mind the design and the cards have been pretty good too. ODB is definitely a character that over the years, outside of the attitude era, probably isn't going to fly in WWE, but she has done well with it in TNA. I'm not sure how anything related to Hall and Nash could possibly be in something called New Era, but from a quick look at the checklist, I think it is kept to a minimum.

As promised, there is some Toronto content, though again, not a new one...



As well as a bunch of traders as well.




I think cards got a little stuck together given the couple duplicates for the TNA New Era cards, but at this point, building up on wrestling cards, not bad having a few extra duplicates for trading purposes.

On a separate note, I recently received a package that was a well overdue PWE...



My first two 2008 Bowman Chrome Jays for the collection. A nice little PWE, even if it was a good 6 weeks or more later than it should have been.

CNE Pack #18 - For Whom The Bell Tolls

The last 10 packs or so from the CNE, I picked up because there was a Toronto Blue Jay or Toronto Maple Leaf card showing, and that ensured there was at least one card to add to the collection.



Yeah, not a new one, and I have talked before about Derek not quite being all that he was hyped to be, but still a Jay card! The down side, which I knew looking at the pack, was that there was more 1991 Donruss, which I know I didn't need.



What I didn't know was there were some 1991-92 O Pee Chee Premier cards in the bunch. This is a set, not quite on my hit list of things to complete, as I have about two thirds of the set, but still, a few pickups were nice...



The others which I didn't need...



Lastly, there was an insert in the pack! I doubt that was done on purpose, but a glossy parallel works for me...



With the Score hockey sets in the early 2010s, I do appreciate the glossy parallel. It is simple, but definitely I prefer it for the look and feel over the base matte set. I think that's just personal taste though - I feel the same way about photos as well - you know - when people actually print photographs to hang in picture frames...

Quick tangent to end on....I have how hard it is now to print photos. Walmart in Canada use to have the online service which was easy, and could be done quickly at home. That went a couple years ago, now you hae to go in store with a USB key. The other option really is Costco, but I haven't liked their online program for it, though the cost is okay. The result - I haven't printed photos for a couple years....tikes! I am going to hate the bill when I do a catch up!

CNE Pack #17 - The Best There Ever Will Be

Being a wrestling fan, that only means one person...


With the card showing on the pack, it was an easy one to pic up. Can't think of where I would (other than through trade), find it so easily. It does show me how much Bret has aged from his glory days of wrestling in the 90s. Always hard to see superstars age, but better than the alternative for too many wrestlers these days who don't make it into older age.

The pack was otherwise baseball and hockey, and about 2/3 were keepers.



Two more usual runs from what we seen in other CNE packs - a number of new Studio and SP cards out of 1993. As the SP were a straight run in cards, all Royals, Would be nice to get a similar run of Jays in one of these.



In hockey, similarly keepers in Parkhurst and Pro Set Platinum 1991-92.



A bit disappointing to get duplicates within the same pack, but since that can happen with the Dollarama packs, not much I can  really complain about.

Too bad there weren't a few more wrestling cards - those have been really good in some of these...