Sunday, April 30, 2023

The End-ish

A happy day for a couple reasons. First being the Leafs advancing out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in what feels like forever and the work busy time is about over.

It's the last day of April, and as much as the deadline for taxes is today, it's really tomorrow because today is the weekend, so bumps to the next work day. Also, everything is basically done - just dotting i's and crossing t's that everything we think is filed, is filed.

So, I don't have a bunch of energy right now to go through all the cards I am sharing, so more of a slide show or picture show today. THese are the cards I picked up in the last few random singles purchases from 401games, though tomorrow is a bit more from more recent sets, so enjoy the pics, and maybe a few comments.


Only a handful of older cards - Mirage and 4th edition, to fill a few holes, but mostly sticking to 2017-current with the remainder.





I do even pick up the token cards if they are for artifact cards or related tokens, and we get the entire set of 4 here. Unfortunately the only "artifact set" completion for the day, but that is typical as most sets have at least one expensive artifact card I don't shell out the money for.








Like sports cards, you go back 30-40 years, it's much easier to get a team set (or artifact set as this case may be). Little on inserts, just base cards, rarely any short prints. Now, like sports cards, with foil parallels, extended art, retro frames, even serial numbered cards, it's impossible to collect everything you want.

Speaking of retro frames, some of those tomorrow at least....

Saturday, April 29, 2023

A couple trades

 Yeah, it's near the end of April, so my creativity is pretty zapped, so my apologies if the post title isn't very creative, but let's get to them!

First up, a trade with Rangerfreak94 which hurt my heart. I mean the cards here are great, but the postage he paid was more than it cost me to send my second trade shown further below.


As for the cards, one of the last Stadium Club cards I need for the set build, so it being Wayne isn't a surprise. The rest are Leaf additions are pretty nice, but the Komarov with the great snow effect is my favourite.

As for the best card effect - the HoloGrFX is pretty eye catching!

The second trade was with TCDB member BlackhawkBjorn all the way in Norway. He got my package in less than 2 weeks, and for about $11 CDN which was excellent for what it was. Glad I could send him some cards he needed, and this is what I got in exchange...


A nice single set addition with a Pavel young gun, and then we have 4 Leaf cards which were or completed team sets. Really like the Potvin from Pinnacle Inside, but not my favourite set overall, but happy to have it done for my Leafy Leafs!


We picked up a few uncorrected error cards in the bunch, and then below, a few Jays, and lots more Leafs!


I haven't looked into it, but I keep wondering why the 1980-81 set has a tendency to have the name "puck" design on the front completely blackened like this instead of having the name? Is it a printing issue, an age issue? I have seen it on a number of cards but never spent the time to really look into it myself...maybe after April.


I am getting closer on the 1993-94 Topps gold parallel set. I don't have many parallel sets complete in my Leaf or Jays collection, so that would be a great one for me to focus on and finish up.


The Black Ice parallel for 1995-96 Score was one I didn't have much to, and we got a bunch here. Too bad they scan poorly.


The gold MVP DOuggie is solid (no pun intended). I like the design much better than the silver one.





So, there wasn't anything that I necessarily had to go all the way to Norway to be able to trade and receive, but I was more than happy to send cards where they were needed. Definitely would do it again, though maybe not too many a month or anything because it is much more expensive than a stamp or two.

Thanks again to both for the great trades!

Friday, April 28, 2023

Completing An Insert Set

 A perfect example today, of why TCDB has been such a boost to my collecting. I may have picked up a couple 2021 WWE Topps Heritage blaster boxes, but wasn't able to get far enough on the base or A&G set, so I turn to TCDB to help, and today, with the help of a couple trades, the A&G insert set at least is done.

bklassen52 provided me with the following...


A nice bunch of base cards from the Raw side of things, plus my favourite current wrestler in A&G form. A lot of these cards are great COVID time period reminders with the screen crowd backgrounds. Can't say I miss those.

With The Miz accounted for, we are down to 6 more A&G inserts, and a quick trade with DaveyWavetLT knocked those all out at once...


Don't know why so many were the front part of the 30 card set that I had MIA< but so me it. Everyone is accounted for now - woo hoo!

Thank you both for the great trades, and for the set help!

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Not The Finest Scans

 Okay, so these Finest hockey cards warp something good. I mean, I couldn't even get them anywhere near each other to scan nicely...


You can even see a few of the cards have a gleam because the card warped so far away from the scanner glass that it reflected. Most of these 1995-96 Finest cards have multiple copies, and all are up for trade if anyone is interested, just be aware of the curve.


Even with the scanner top closed, some of the curve is enough to make the scan not such a good one because the text of the card is so far off the glass. I really don't have much want to do anything with this set. I am not even going to bother looking up the different card numbering and "common" labelling - I mean, it's too much effort for a set I am not that interested in - other than an interest to trade!


I will say, like other Finest sets in this COVID lot, the protective film is still on all the cards, so that's a good thing at least.

The front designs are similar enough to each other, but the colours are just so mid 90s...I don't think they aged well.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Why Does It Matter

 Okay - right into it...


You know there must be a reason I am scanning the backs of these cards. Not sure why I started to collect the hologram variation versions of 1992-93 Upper Deck hockey, but I did. Accordingly, I am stuck looking at the little holograms on the back and searching for "UPPER DECK" being written along with the logo, depending on which way the card tilts.


Sure, might look like some success with this bunch of keepers, but there were over 100 cards with the logo only version, of which I have the complete set so....still better than nothing, but I have a long way to go. At least it isn't the whole 640 cards that have the text version, but only the first 440 as the high numbered series didn't get the double hologram treatment.

At least the Leafs weren't pulled out of the bunch, as I get a few Toronto keepers, and actually now have more Leafs than Jays out of this lot...but will that hold up? A while still to go!

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

2006 Topps Baseball

 As the title suggests, another baseball Topps set to share today, and another I am collecting ever so slowly as a back burner build.


Again, the foil kind of works against the design to me, but I do like the team colour design bands as a nice accent. Again, some solid photography - as I do wonder if Grady Sizemore is going to make a catch or have a run in.


Now, unfortunately, no Jays in the bunch of cards, but all in today, 100 new additions to my base set, so a solid day and no complaints. 


The backs are pretty solid too. You don't get another photo, but again, that is compensated with a nice factoid / comic, and full stats with potentially a write up. The only wasted space seems to be the little strip of colour on the left side just above the Topps logo.


Definitely some staged shots, but not the norm for the set, lot's of action shots.


Along with the "normal" base cards, we get some subset cards as well...


Love those team cards. You may need a microscope to see each individual face, but really like when they include these in the base set.

You then end with highlights of stars from each team. We see more of this in more recent sets I think, as a good way to include stars and Hall of Famers with more than one base card.

All in - a very successful day!

Monday, April 24, 2023

Grew On Me

 Todays' COVID lot cards are of a set that has grown on me quite a lot the last few years - 1986 Topps baseball.


It's a set I think people will either love, or hate, but likely have strong feelings about either way. I didn't like it when collecting as a kid, but the last handful of years when I have had the cards in my hands more in these lot purchases, I kinda started liking it, then really liking it. As it stands, I believe I am only a card or two short - once busy season is over, I am going to pin down a few sets that are close and try and get them done, like this one.

Only keeper from today is the Jays leaders cards there, dead centre.


The black and white border design and to team name on the cards being - well - large and in chanrge, stand out and define the set at a glance.

No big cards in the bunch today, but that's okay - not any big money cards in the set. I mean, the big cards are probably your Nolan Ryan's and Ryne Sandberg's, but nothing that sets you out big dollars to pick up.





Sunday, April 23, 2023

Some Shine

 Another day of some random COVID lot hockey cards...but will there be anything I am really wanting/keeping?


We start heavy with some Flyers, though 2006-07 Upper Deck is not a set for me, so nothing here for keep.


We get a binder page worth of 1999-2000Millenium Signature Series. A bit Black Diamond-esque in look, but nothing here for me...though I spy a Bruin for someone else.


1997-98 Donruss Preferred is a set I really REALLY like, but don't have much of, so glad to pick up Iginla here. Meanwhile, getting to the Gold Label cards - if anyone can tell me a good way to tell the difference between the base and the black parallel, that would be great. Is one a rainbow shine and the other not? Do they scan different? I am having a hard time telling the difference reviewing in TCDB, so appreciate any input.

Oh, and meanwhile, we get some Leaf content that is new to me too, yay!

A decent show all around, though maybe not much to keep, lots of fun traders up for grabs now.