More Super Than Chrome

 I think the COVID lot heard by comments about chrome yesterday, as we have a bunch of insert football cards, which aren't just chrome, but SUPERCHROME!

1993 Wild Card is a 260 card set, and had a number of insert sets including a 50 card Superchrome Rookies insert set. Today, we have a bunch of those cards, many in duplicate, which makes me wonder if this is the leftovers of a couple complete sets, but either way - a bunch of cards I won't be keeping.

Other than the black borders which highlight any little mark you get on the cards, I don't mind the design, front or back, for an insert set.

In hand, the cards are not quite as dark as the scans, but the purple could "pop" a bit more. Definitely a good insert design though.

Going through the cards, no surprise the three biggest draws for the set - Bledsoe, Bettis, are missing in action here. When you pay less than a penny a card, getting all commons is not a problem, getting inserts like this, even if not stars, is a nice pick up regardless. Getting any "star" inserts is a bonus.

Making Finest Finer

 We seem to be hitting chunks of sets with the COVID lot lately, and that continues today with some 1994 Finest baseball. Another set that I don't ever remember seeing out in the wild back in the day. Then again, back in the wild, there was really only one local card store that I visited, so the selection wasn't everything, and for some products, the box option only as a kid didn't work as I was not spending that type of money on cards.

It's one of those designs though that I wish was done without the "chrome effect". I think the set would have looked great without it. Nowadays you get that option where Chrome uses the same design as the flagship set.

I am going to quietly grips at the lack of stats on the back. I mean, I like the big back photo, but not at the loss of all the stats. Good to see a fair representation of the attendance in Minnesota back in the 90s though on that Erickson card.

Would be nice to have a bit more variety in the shots on the front, more action, or a bit further back or different perspective, but at least it's consistent and you know what you are getting with the set.

Not a set I am or plan on collecting, so other than a single error card, everything else is good to trade and on my TCDB listing if you are interested. Just take a peek at my trade list.

Since we are focused on some Finest, why not show a trade which starts there too...

tmcvicar2 was my trade partner here, sending along a bunch of mid-90s through mid-2000 Jays that were on my need list. Took this trade to get a Finest 1994 Jays card today - but that's fine. Not a fan of the 1998 Topps border, or the Jays uniform that year, so....meh....still collecting, but not highlighting my collection.

Appreciate the film still being on the Chrome cards here, always good for ensuring the underlying card is in as good a condition as possible. Star of the trade though, are the 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights cards as we have 6 of the 7 Jays cards here...and I already had the other, so we get a nice complete Jays team set!

Highlighted with a Halladay is a cherry on top too.

Much appreciation for the trade, and hope we can do more soon!

Bowman's (Not So) Best

 I've said before - Bowman has never been one of my favourite sets, and that's true about the Bowman's Best sets. Sure, I am happy to get a Jays card like this...

However, the Chrome like finish to the cards, the curving on these 90s ones, and the metallic and graphically imposed background, just doesn't tie together a good design to me.

You do get hints of the actual baseball playing background, but nothing more than a glimpse. I guess there's a chance the back of the cards are a better design...

Well, better than the fronts, but nothing to write home about. I don't mind the stats lumping as it's an interesting way to split up a career, but the rest of the regular info is there, just not in a design that really pops to me.

About 160-170 cards from the 1997 set release all here today, with dupes and the odd card showing up in triplicate. The set itself is 200 cards and looking at unique individual cards, maybe about 40% of the set shows up here if I care. Happy to take my Carter and go home though.

Well, also sneak off a few Expos cards which I have another home for, but everything else is up for trade.

Next To Vintage

Back into the COVID lot and we get to look at some old stars on newer cards. I've talked before about liking more recent sets which highlight past stars, and though I don't have many cards from these sets, I do have some nice keepers here for long set builds.

Nolan Ryan doesn't really count, I mean, I do have plenty of cards from his actual playing days, but Mays, Spahn, Marichal are all great cards. Not a bad design, and the black and white photos always do well to give it more of the retro feel, though contrasts a bit from the gold foiling.

Happily, not just the base cards, also a couple insert/food issue type cards as well...

Can't go wrong with another Mays and Ernie is no slouch either, though the cards is a bit rough.

Even the cards that don't quite have a place in my collecting are pretty unique today...

Yeah - the Donruss Hall of Famer cards are nice, but dude - it's the San Diego Chicken! Sure, a Whitey Ford...but....chicken! My favourite part of the card - instead of a date of birth, it list's a date "hatched". I mean, if you are going to go all out, go all out.

Definitely an interesting bunch of cards today - love it!

Serial Numbered Edge

 I don't collect football, as you likely know by now, so may not be a surprise, but I didn't know about this set until seeing these cards. I am just showing some highlights, but all in, about 328 cards from the base set and insert/checklists, so a near complete set, which is pretty cool since all of the cards are serial numbered.

1993 Collector's Edge is a 325 card base set, with each card serial numbered on the back. 100,000 of each card made. So, only 32.5M cards made from the set....so about the same as any since card from one of the 7th Inning Sketch sets from 1990-91 if my guess is correct.

A simple front design which works fine and reminds me of the 1990 or 1991 Classic baseball card sets.

As you can see, the serial number is slapped across the middle of the back of the cards. At least they made space for it, but does take out a bit of the real estate. Also as you can see, some of them have the same serial number. Makes me wonder if it was almost a complete set, and then someone tried to complete it, or how this was put together, but it is what it is and about 3 cards missing from the base set.

One of my other favourite teams of the time - behind Buffalo - the 49ers. You have Rice and Young here, and all the names you would expect.

The way the set was done, the base was 250 and a rookie update of 75 cards was tacked on, and here are some of those rookie cards.

There is also a card 326 for the expansion Panthers which apparently had a smaller print run but were not serial numbered. Here we have the Panthers card...

Then we have some of the checklist cards too, and I will consider them inserts since they weren't part of the numbered base set.

Not a bad set, and nice to have most of it, but since it's football, will hopefully be able to find homes to someone looking to build the set (or two, or three, or more people...however many I can help).

All in though, good enough to add this to the accomplishment pile since it's a SN set, even if 100,000, with only 3 missing cards.

Well, since we were speaking about Edge, we can discuss a major edge - Home Team Advantage. This specifically comes up in a recent PWE trade with first time partner BubbaV304 and a bunch of 2001 Topps cards of the Home Field Advantage variety.

The circular gold foil stamp is what shows these as the Home Team Advantage cards. Well, you know, the foil 50 years of Topps stamp wasn't enough foilage of course. I won't complain about a Joe Carter celebratory World Series home run card tho0ugh.

Still a bunch needed for the team set, but this gets me more than half way there!

Ending On A High Note

 Last pack to share from the Magic prerelease for Dominaria United, and we end pretty darn well.

Another couple of the multi mana lands....just consistently sprinkled through the packs.

Boom - a great colourless mana land with Plaza of Heroes which is in the foil form. Price is about $15-$17 CDN, so between this and the Karn card, as well as the kept unopened packs, definitely got my money worth on the prerelease pack, though the bonus 2 Set Boosters definitely assisted with that.

A bit surprised I didn't end up with a couple more artifact cards for the collection, but a blast to go through the packs.

Tomorrow-  let's head back into the COVID lot for a while and see what comes our way there....

Planeswalking

 An interesting pack today...though still not exactly what I am hoping for.

I mentioned the common lands last time, and we get another couple today. I think they may have overdone it a bit with these lands. Heck, I'd rather see them placed in the "basic land" spot of these packs rather than taking up a spot in the common cards.

Not too shabby on getting a Planeswalker with Jaya, and also hitting a foil card with the Apparition, even if it is a common.

Planeswalkers are usually worth a few dollars, which Jaya appears to be here - about $4-5 CDN, so nothing earth shattering, but alright for now. Will have to see if prices stabilize, or drop further.

One more pack to go - hopefully having saved the best for last!

One Keeper

 Another draft pack of Dominara United today, and we get one keeper at least!

I like the Impulse card. It's a good chance to potentially pull something you need since you get to look and choose from 4 cards. May also be helpful with the three not chosen, going to the bottom of the deck so you get to something else.

Actually, a lot of instants in this pack.

We get a keeper with the Automatic Librarian. Three mana for a 3/2 isn't too bad, and the scry on casting is alright. Not to much to it, and it is common, but still a plus as it goes into the collection.

Unfortunately, that's about it as none of the more rare cards fit for me. Yesterday, we defiled dreams and today's rare, we defile instinct. I gather there are other defilers - one for each colour - if I look at the card list. All having one similar ability, and one which is more fitting to the colour.

Not the greatest pack, but I have hopes with two left to go!

A quick trade to share, though I don't usually do trades for a card or two as I like to at least fill a PWE, I did a small PWE with RJeng at TCDB and picked up the following - both of which are second Jays cards from the respective 1997 Metal and 2000 Fleer Focus sets...

Not a bad scan for a Metal card, and a nice couple new Jays all around.

In Your Dreams

 Another pack from the Dominaria United Prerelease kit, and another chance for maybe finding something to add to the artifact card collection.

I get the multi mana lands are common, but already seen a few - wonder if we will see even more.

I have to say, the Bone Splinters card artwork reminds me a bit of the old school art work which was a bit more cartoony in style. Not sure exactly what caused it, but definitely looks a bit different than the rest of the cards.

The usual "normal" land and token - though not an artifact token unfortunately. As for the uncommons, and rare/mythic...

I guess we have a dream....with a couple interesting side effects. The mana reduction can be useful to pay life instead of the blue mana, and the additional card pick up when casting a permanent s good to - but 5 mana to cast in total, is a bit hefty. Not a bad pack, but nothing really here for me.

Try The Draft

 Yesterday was a pack of Dominaria United Set Booster, today we have a draft booster which comes with a few more cards, but much more common.

No common card artifacts here...though the Benalish Faithbonder is an interesting card with the Enlist ability.

These come with a land card and an ad card, no surprises there, as for the "best" of the pack...

This would have been a solid pack for someone who plays green, but that hasn't been my jam since the first year I started playing back in 1994-95 when I was all about getting out my Force of Nature beasts, Craw and Scaled Wurms....all big baddies.

Let's end today with a nice PWE trade with first time trade partner BNWallgren1220 bringing some Jays home to roost.

1995 Leaf Limited cards to start which, may not be serial numbered, but are print run to 37,500. Decent design with the sparkly.

We keep in 1995 with the nice blue border Select, and the shine of the SP red as well. Really like the Alomar headband look.

We keep in the mid-90s for most of the cards including a bunch of 1996 Donruss, but do get a few newer cards.

Not a big fan of the Fire sets, but still like getting the Jays cards, however Ace wins for best card from the pile as it's the Jays Mascot card, and only Jays insert card from the set of course, so always like the one and done!