Continuing The Quest

 I believe this is one of the sets I started collecting from getting a cheap box at Dave & Adams something like, 5-6 years ago. As it is, I had about 74 of the pure 100 card base set. 2003-04 Pacific Quest For The Cup is one of those "wonderful" products where part of the base set is SN, so for my purposes, I don't count those.

Happily, today's cards bring that pure base set up to 93/100 and puts it on my shorter list of..."I should finish this" set list.

They may not be the best looking cards, but they were different which is what Pacific was after a lot of the time in the early 200s and even late 1990s.

Again, I do wish something more was done with the backs, like more stats. I will say, the playoff stat line is a nice touch as it's not something usually highlighted, so being that bit different helps differentiate the set at least.

We luckily do get a couple Leaf cards too, though I need a couple copies so I can have them in both team and set collections.

Along Came Joes

 Now, I don't usually show off Bruins cards unless I am going to keep then since I pass them off to local collector Jeff, who reads the blog, and I like keeping it fun for him. That said, I am making an exception today to show off about of Joe cards.

Joe Juneau is a name I remember with Boston due to the early 90s NHL Super Nintendo games, but he went on to play with Washington, Ottawa, Buffalo, Phoenix and Montreal. In playing 828 games in his NHL career, he was a good solid Joe, but between the two, Thornton would be the better Joe here.

Thornton's time between Boston and San Jose is most of his career - his career being over twice as many games as Juneau. Thornton, unfortunately didn't win a cup with Toronto in his short stint in the city, but his move to Florida then next year seemed to be a good decision for him.

As he has aged, the beard has grown and lengthened, it's hard to recognize the man today with these cards showing his baby face of years gone past!

Forgetting What You Are Collecting

 Sometimes it's hard to be focused when collecting. I mean, I don't focus on completing specific sets some times, but do have it as a back burner goal. This means, at times, I forget when looking at cards, that I am actually working on completing the set, until I look at my collection on TCDB and have that "oh yeah" moment.

The cards from the COVID lot today, provided such a moment.

2003-04 In The Game Toronto Star 100 card set is one I apparently had 44 cards of before getting these cards pulled today. As it then turns out, I needed 16 of these, so am up to 60% complete. Not bad for thinking they would all be trade fodder.

I still stand by not really loving the set and the look, front and back. I mean, it all starts with the cursive in the game logo for me...yuck. The redeeming quality is that the set was a Toronto Star set - local newspaper of the time, hence the collecting - that and getting a big chunk of it in a lot.

More stats, less words is all I have to say about the backs. Could be worse, they could have just left empty space I guess.

Definitely still missing some players - main goalies, Islanders at times seem to be pulled, and a couple stars left in the 40 cards still needed, but it was a better card day than I was expecting, so all good!

A rudy trade

 Well, I would consider being able to finish off two Toronto base team sets a successful trade, and that is what we have today with a trade with TCDB member rudy1078.

The Blue Jays team set finished is 1994 Triple Play - all of 11 cards, but the last three are here. Also, a handful of Sportflixs in all of their motion goodness. Scan horrible yes, but pretty neat in hand, though sometimes over time, the film can make them feel a little "icky", but these ones are all pretty darn good.

The 2008 Topps cards are not the flagship set, but instead from the Toronto team issue, which will be a bit trickier to cobble together, but here are three more off that list.

Dave Ellett brings the last of the 10 base Maple Leaf cards for that team set of 10, and we also get a couple current Leafs, and my want list for the current year is definitely not up to date as I have to add each manually on TCDB, and that doesn't happen with each release.

A great trade for sure, and as far as single cards, really like adding Marner cards these days.

Insta-PC - Cliff Floyd

 The COVID lot likes to sometimes give a good start to a PC collection, even though it isn't my thing. IN this case, any cards that I don't need for set builds, will all be going to Mike at Not Another Baseball Card Blog, given the Expos connection.

Floyd was only really with the Expos for the first few years of his career, and a short 15 game stint in 2002, but the mass produced sets of the early 90s definitely make me think of the Expos as his team. He also played for Florida, Boston, The Mets, Cubs Tampa Bay Rays, and Padres.

Floyd batter .278 for his career, hit 233 home runs and had 865 RBIs over 17 seasons in the big leagues. He was able to get one World Series as part of the Florida team in 1997 - though could have had a second possibly if it wasn't for the 1994 strike causing the Expos to lose out on what was their best chance at one.

Though he was never a HOF caliber player, he was a solid hand throughout his career, and since playing, has had a number of broadcasting stints so stays around the game which is very nice and shows how much he enjoys the game and wanting to keep around it, as well as having the opportunity.

2018-19 Flagship Adds

 TOday from the COVID lot, we have some adds to a relatively new (especially for me) set I am working on. Sure, it's now about 5 years old, but being as that's about as a new a card as I collect in sports cards, it's a relatively new set on my collecting list.

We have a bunch of about 80 cards, and as it works out, about 2 copies of most cards, so I keep one since I didn't really have any of the cards for the set since it is early days on keeping the base cards for this one. Does mean I cam keeping Boston cards when I usually end up shipping them off to Jeff Scott as he collects them. As it goes, I only have a few people/teams I tend to trade this way. Jeff for Bruins, Mike at Not Another Baseball Card Blog gets all my Expos, and those are the only ones top of mind when I go through the lots.

Happy to add anyone one for any other team as I go through as I like having a place to specifically send cards and it means I don't have to hold them long. I don't look for much in return anyway, just happy to move some to a good home. Any of the 4 big sports is fine, though most is hockey or baseball.

The backs are more naked than I would really like...too much white space...but at least with hockey, it reminds of the ice!

Can't even really complain of the horizontal cards are they are fairly well done photography wise. A clean looking set....now I just need another 380 cards to go!

Authentic Adds

 A quick search shows me I could buy a base set (not including the rookie or SN portions...yeah, because those should be part of a base set) for $30 on this set, so not overly expensive. I may have only got about 40% of the 150 cards, so not enough to keep, but priced out, I paid about 35 cents for them....man, I love buying these lots when that happens.

I mean, four cards out of the 60-70 cards are what I end up keeping, so not a lot, but cheaper buying this way than getting them at COMC or elsewhere online. Now, I have the Leaf cards already because of the wonders of TCDB, but dupes work for me, no problem.

Oh, and why is the Steve Mason card a keeper? Error card because it isn't Steve who is pictured...it's Allen York.

I definitely rank SP sets like 2011-12 here, above In The Game and Be A Player sets, as well as pinnacle, but I don't mark it too highly. The designs take away from the photos, I rather full action shots. They do well with sprinkling in stars of the past in the base sets, but then they do SN and short print rookie cards (though the rookie card part is less of a peeve at it's been long done now).

The backs are standard fare, but would rather a different photo and in colour at least. I don't know, I have never been impressed with the SP Authentic or Game Used sets, they are just kind of "there", though usually with really nice card stock. That's not enough to make me want this one more....so no collecting the set for me....how about you?

Around The Globe

 Finally, we get back to the COVID lot...it's been a good while, and we get to go back to a perfect example of why these lots can be so darn interesting.

Here we have a bunch of cards coming from a 1995 hockey set. This is Semic Globe VM, which is a Swedish set. I presume a box or two made it's way over here, were broke, and what I have is odds and sods left overs of it. Being an internationally focused set, we do get a bunch of NHL regular names, but on national teams, and nothing that fits into my collection to keep - but fun to look through.

The about 160 cards here covered about 40% of the base set, and as you can see above, some solid names with international flare, and stats that reflect their international tournament play.

The design does stand out with the bright background, foil logo on the front, and without write ups, lots of stat room on the back. Not a bad design at all for what the cards are.

We even have some subset cards which highlight some Russian stars. Not a bad subset design either.

Overall, a neat set, and the different language base and international flare make it unique. Not collecting it, but expect I should be able to move some cards to people on TCDB, unless English language cards is a criteria for most.

Short Share

 JeffWestlake is back with another small PWE trade which saw me get a grand total of 5 cards, but really nice ones - so less words, since you are probably here more so to see some nice cards...

Since Jeff pretty much started on TCDB, we have had a number of trades. He being a fellow Canadian, and that making the cost of shipping less than when sending across the border, He's been a good source for some wrestling cards, which continue here.

Nothing that really pushes to finish a set or anything, but the Paige and Blaze cards are nice shiny pick ups, and the Jeff Hardy 2019 Road to WrestleMania WrestleMania Roster inserts nice too.

Oh, and wouldn't be a Canadian trade without a Tim Horton's card in the mix! Still slowly working through last year's set build....

Actually, with small trades, let's tack on one other small one today..

This small PWE is with TCDB member doublee919. A nice variety of newer Jays cards, but Vladdy wins my vote here with the insert. This is Vladdy card 44 for me....out of over 10,000 for the man....lol. Hard to imagine back in the 50s, 60s, and even 70s how top guys may have only had 10-20 cards a year....

Any Size Is Sweet

 When completing a team set, doesn't matter if it's a 20-30 card flagship base set or a one card insert, it's always good times.

The baseballcardstore.ca cards included a couple of these, on the smaller scale, with 2000 Topps Traded (Update and Rookies, and whatever other names you want to go with on the changes - all meant the same thing). Also, the one card Turkey Red insert Wells. A great start to these cards for sure.

Add in some early 2000s Fleer related sets which, I don't see enough off, and plenty new for me today.

The Panini Donruss cards are alright for what they are and kind of growing on me a bit. I can get over the airbrushing of logos from helmets, etc, and it's still a bit off not having Blue Jays on the front, but Toronto, though the designs and photos are solid.

These begin the still appreciated, but duplicate Jays - and just a reminder - all Donruss Classics sets are pretty awesome!

I will also never complain about the second generation Jays of Biggio, Vladdy Jr., and Bichette - definitely my faves of today, and hope they all stick around for their careers, though that's highly unlikely in this day and age.

A fantastic order and extras, do check out the site, they are good people and happy to support them in the hobby!

Speaking of hobby - I went in person to my favourite in person hobby shop, 401games to pick up these...

I am getting a bit torn on these for the unopened pack collection. I mean, it's like an add on to a release, and for the price of a regular 15 card booster, you get 5 cards, and for the price of a regular collector booster, you get six cards. I have a feeling prices on these will tank as there isn't anything like serial numbered cards, in the releases. Just hope this doesn't become the norm or I am going to have to consider getting out on the unopened packs as I'd much rather just get cheap single of what I like instead.

Lotsa Jays

 We continue with the cards from baseballcardstore.ca (do check them out - it's quite amazing what can be found sometimes!).

I always love a good team logo card, and will be just as happy with it in sticker form too. The only real difference in that case is, your don't get use of a back for team leaders, or similar team stats.

Just of note - absolutely all the cards are new today, save the last scan, so again, impressive how many 90s cards of Jays I am still missing from my collection....but great pick ups here and not all base like the Joe Carter Donruss in the middle.

We get a bunch of darker mid-90s cards from sets I wouldn't have seen at all back at the time as I wasn't even really aware of the options for anything beyond flagship sets. Still not a fan of the Bowman's Best designs, while I can maybe get a little bit more behind the Finest offerings.

The Donruss Counterparts cards were...an interesting set, with a player on each side, but for being different, I hate the fact there are no stats or write ups about either player on the cards. Now, there just wasn't the room, so I get it, but not a fan.

These are the last of todays Jays, and are all dupes - except Gary. Gary wasn't a Jay, but is an error card because the Jays card frame treatment. So, a keeper for the error binder!

Tomorrow, we get a skip ahead and go through the rest of the cards - Jays 2000 to present.

A Lot With A Little

 I don't think any of these cards were part of the order I places, but were cards sent along with my order from www.baseballcardstore.ca, and we get some Toronto team sets knocked off today, which is really awesome.

May seem easy enough when there's only one Toronto card on an insert set like some of the redemption point cards, but the first two up were one off team sets - yay! The O Pee Chee and Flair cards also knock the needs for those teams sets down to about one each.

The Flair cards are so very high end for the time, and still feel and look premium, though my only complaint is wanting a bit more going on with the backs, but I digress.

Even the baseball cards here come through with the All Star Team being the last of two Jays for that insert, and the last card is the final of 4 Jays content 1987 Fleer team sticker insert cards.

The Star Stickers are solid too - I mean, all three are classic Jays names from the late 80s.

This much success with the first few, fingers crossed for more team sets with the rest!

The Wrestling Card Order

 So, this was the main reason I picked up cards from www.baseballcardstore.ca - filling a few wrestling card needs, and getting some other random ones that were just cards I didn't have.

The pick part is the 2021 WWE Topps Heritage base set work as I am down to less than 10 cards needed on the set, but since I was picking out cards, I pulled a few cards from earlier sets, like the Topps Chrome. I really like the Victoria heritage throwback form for a wrestling card, though could do without the "Diva" moniker that was still being used.

For whatever reason, it was Smackdown I was missing a bunch of the base cards from, guess I got most of the Raw ones. Zelina Vega can look so different one day to the next. She's part chameleon I swear. She may not be the biggest wrestling, but does have that ability to change her look. A good example would be contrasting the card to her appearance at 2023 Backlash in Puerto Rico.

Some first cards from 2022 Prizm and Select, not sets I love the design for, and Cora Jade's card just looks bad with the washed out pic. Not sure if it's because of lighting the moment the shot was taken, or something else, but they could have picked better.

Other than the base cards, got a few insert pick ups as well...

Can't ever say no to a new Miz insert, and the Ronda inserts were hot at the time though she seems to be back a step since coming back from being off with her first kid.

More to go from the order tomorrow as I picked up some Jays as random guessing at cards I didn't have, but got a bunch more that I was lucky to have passed along to me kindly as well.

To ERR Is Human

 So, the wonderful people behind www.baseballcardstore.ca, I've known for a few years, and are wonderful people, and a great site. They were kind enough to send more cards than I had ordered, including some cards they didn't have listed as some error cards they had (which they know I love and collect), came my way...

Petr is miscut side to side, as you can see a sliver of another card on the right side, while Millen is miscut vertically. As for Wayne and Karl, they have crimping issues, Wayne on top and Karl across the bottom.

Other than Nipper who has a spot on the back, the rest of these are miscuts, with the Stadium Club ones being horrendously, and gloriously done. If anyone wants to play "who dat" for the partial cards not seen, go nuts....lol.

We even get a Topps bottom of the sheet miscut as you see the sheet cut line clearly, and very much off. Amazing gets that people don't necessarily consider keeping, let alone listing or sharing/trading.

What I did order were some wrestling and Jays cards, the wrestling will be up tomorrow!