Panini Panono

As we inch closer to the holiday season, we continue with the gift of trades and what they bring to the collection. Today, a PWE trade with TCDB member George1369 who was kind enough to send along a bunch of Panini cards, which I am appreciative of, but which we can discuss one of my biggest complaints about Panini.

My complaint - all of these cards are in the 2022 Panini Chronicles base set. I can understand having a subset design or a couple different designs. I can understand Archives, which isn't my preference, but using a few different throwback designs for a single base set.

Here, in 13 cards, we have 11 different designs. Thank goodness that the back of each card does reference the set, but man, how many different designs do you need for a single base set? I love when a set has uniformity to it. Put it in a minder and page after page looks similar in design, but different in photo/subject.

The good - there are actually a couple designs here I do like, and wouldn't mind as a full set - See Stone Cold and Queen Zelina, but this mish-mash set for Chronicles - just not my thing. It's still wrestling though, so I still collect it.

As for stars on cards - though I appreciate Stone Cold, Ripley wins as she's become such a great talent these days. Here's to seeing if Roxanne Perez can do the same, though she's built a bit different.

As always, appreciate the trade!

Duskmourn

It has been a couple months since this one was released, but I finally picked up some of the artifact cards and packs for my collection for this expansion. 

A solid October release ahead of Halloween given the "horror" theme, a good fit for MTG.

Some of the cards very much remind me of the Saw movies - why, probably the trap type names like Attack-In0THe-Box ir the Bear Trap, but definitely fitting the theme. The flavour text is pretty on point and cool as well as those two cards specifically are pretty solid in their comments.

Fitting enough that one of the cards is called Saw given my analogy above. None of the cards, from a play perspective, are overwhelming, but solid bunch all around for the theme and look, so I am happy with them. Still a number I didn't pick up as prices are always high on first release for rares, and typically (but not always) come down considerably after.

With that brief 401games related pickup, back to more trade sharing tomorrow, and likely the rest of this month.

Unexpected Giftings

 So once again, local Toronto collector Jeff graciously dumped a bunch of card stuffs on me, and I can only start with a big thank you as there is a lot of useful stuff here and fun stuff too.

Yeah - sideways and I am not going to fix it now - I prefer scans, but for unopened materials like this, it was just easier.

So looking at my needs, my 1991-92 Parkhurst set build is missing 10-20 cards from the second series, so that's good enough reason for me to put this aside as something to open in the future.

For the 1990 Upper Deck set - see discussion below on that one as far as the set build goes, but yeah, that'll be a fun one to open as well so saving it for a future share.

As for the Pro Set Series 1 box - I am missing a handful of error cards in it, and wouldn't mind the opportunity to crack a box of this error filled product for fun and sharing so it goes into the "open me" pile for later.

So from these, definitely a few small set keeps, and I will get to split up my try on builds for 1989 Fleer and 1990 Upper Deck since these are full sealed and excellent condition. Will take some time reorganizing for those, but excellent additions!

I know that the two The Rookies years are ones I don't have, as are the two Topps Traded sets - I have 87, 88, 90 and 91, so almost a full string, save the missing Griffey card.

The 1990 Fleer Update is complete and sealed, as is the 1991 Upper Deck Final Edition, so both additions there. The 1989 Score Rookie & Traded is missing Joel Belle and Junior, but I'll look to get those two cards now to complete it since I have the jazzy box as well.

The other items, will be finding happy new homes at some point.

Loose packs for random opening here and there for fun? Works for me! A couple of the McD packs were needs for the unopened pack collection, but the rest will make for future fun sharing!

There were loose cards as well which I'll get to sharing sooner than later for sure, but off the top, some 1982 Topps helpers, a few "hits" which are amazing, and a dabbling of Toronto cards too.

Definitely made for a great early Christmas exchange, and again leaves me thinking I don't get enough Bruins cards to supply back to Jeff, though I do have another decent pile started at least as I can't thank him enough for the surprise giftings of cards.

The End

 Today, the final of completing Jays team sets from the Shaw Racing trade, so let's go!

The Obsidian card is fantastic, and though I am not a big fan of the newer Donruss sets, I still like completing them 

.I think this is the entire Mosaic base set all picked up in this one transaction.

Not seeing double but the series one and series two Hone Run Derby cards look almost identical - but still are different!

Can I get a full out poster of the Like Father Like Son card - that is a great poster!

I think this may be my first completed Holiday set.

Good old "Mascot". I guess we didn't want to call him Ace for some reason, or it wasn't filled in on the final card that went to print.  

The Bichette Topps Bkack Gold throwback design looks near identical, very cool.

A number of one card sets, and a number of them Vladdy - go figure.

We end nicely with the UK base set complete, and Donruss too.

Definitely made a big dent in my Jays who were MIA, big thanks again to Shaw Racing for the massive trade!

Somethibg Like 50

 Between one and done Jays team "sets" and getting the last pieces of other base sets for my Jays, we have somewhere over 50 covered off in this Shaw Racing trade.

A few smaller sets here, but the Joe Carter acetate card bottom left there is fantastic, especially for a 90s card.

These were some of the bigger team sets completed with multiple late 90s Topps flagship sets done and 1997 Pinnacle too.

We do skip forward a way but in part because in newer releases, there are so many more insert sets and only having one card per tteam for an insert set isn't too unusual.

Nice Big Hurt sighting though too!

I am a bit surprised I don't have more Nate Pearson cards than I do...only about 60. Though I do have a number of rookie related one card insert "sets" - examples below...

Amazing variety of cards, and some that are really great looking in hand like that last Vladdy card. Though, still more tomorrow!

Today-ish

 We continue getting closer to current day with more and more Blue Jays 

Here is another mix of Chrone and retro design which just clash a bit much for my liking. I do love that we got a Delgado put in, so bonus marks for that at least.

How do other people feel about the Fire set? I just find them way too busy in their design that they almost hurt to try and focus on. Now, a snow flakes holiday Vladdy, that I can get all over!

Now, I can handle the same photo use when we are dealing with Topps and Topps Chrome, or same for Bowman, as long as it's kept just for those similar sets and not further across the line 

The Ace card is really good, and the Allen & Ginter too - just so many great cards here, and we haven't even looked at the completed team set cards yet...but let's check those tomorrow.

Migh Have These

 Funny enough, I still have a massive baseball card lot for sharing, and it is newer sets, meaning 2018 - 2021 or so. I haven't gone through that lot yet, but it's possible a number of the cards here, will show up when I work through those boxes. Still, these are all new for me now...

Chrome on retro designs make me cringe a but. Obviously will want and collect such cards, but definitely look off.

A couple nice purple parallels, In Action base cards, and bringing some Fire I didn't have.

As you can tell by the little flags, even picking up UK and Japan based sets which have theapplicable flag on the front of the cards. I don't think they otherwise differ.

Another '86 retro Vladdy, though different picture given the different release, but still nice overall effect.

I know I have some of these Bowman cards, but same isn't true for Donruss or Panini sets.

Almost overwhelming with all the cards - a great '87 Vladdy, Bichette Greatest Hits and the Generation Now Vladdy for good measure!

There may be the odd re-use of the same photo, but with all of these cards, not seeing it too much which is fantastic. Always a bit annoying to buy different products and get the same pose on a player's card across the different products.

So Much New!

 So, thanks to this trade, my newer Jays cards have taken a good jump as to what I have. A good example would be my Vladdy cards as I went from having 82 prior to the trade, to now having almost 150.

Now sure, some of the newness of these newer cards is because we have such parallels as stars, red, green, refractor, and 100 other named designs. Some can look great, but there is just so much to collect.

 

Here are some of the new Vladdy cards. A shame Nate, drafted by Toronto in 2017, never really panned out the way I was hoping. He was gone from Torobto in 2024, so we shall see how he does in 2025.

Peizm be Prizm-ing with the green and red/white/blue parallels while Stadium Club be amazing photography as usual. All are great shots!

Nothing screams early 20s cards like sharing some hand sanitizer. I like the '86 looking Vladdy card best in this bunch though.

Speaking of Vladdy, we end with the one oversized card in the bunch.

As amazing as all the cards were - there are still much more to share!

00s and 10s

 Next bunch of Jays today, and we get to run through the 200s and 2010s.

Billy Koch was so hot but for unfortunately, a short period of time. There was a time he looked like he would be the Jays closer for a long while but three seasons in, and then he was out and didn't last too long after.

Shannon Stewart never really clicked with me and I don't know why. He just always seemed below the high standard I expect for a Jays centre field as provided by Devon White.

That middle row looks great as far as the card fronts go, doesn't it?

Yeah, a big skip there in year for whatever reason...but plenty of cards from the last few years for share tomorrow.

Early Day Jays

 Here we are, starting to go through a whole bunch of Jays from Shaw Racing - a few hundred Jays at least...oh, and these are Jays that don't complete teams sets for me - will go through those one I get through all of these.

I still need a last 1986 O Pee Chee Jays cards, and yes, more 1989 Donruss Jays given all of the different variations.

Speaking of variations, 1991 Fleer has variations for some cards which were out in jumbo packs as well as small variance on a dot ending the "U.S.A." in the copyright line. Still missing some of those, buy now at least three less I need.

Spitting incident aside, Roberto Alomar had a great career in Toronto. An All-Star and part of the WAMCO backbone of the Jays line up.

1994 Fleer, I am almost done on with all these additions too.

Remember when Dave Stewart was a Jay? I forget sometimes just how many A's from the late 80s and early 90s ended up playing for Toronto at some point.

I love those Studio credit card designs. I probably like them more than I should! 

Obviously had needed a bunch of Donruss here...

That Roy Halladay definitely will need a better replacement in the future, but one is better than none.

As for Juan Guzman, I always forget how long he stuck around with the Jays. He was with them through into 1998. 

Jose Canseco - another former A that became a Jay...to bad it wasn't the other bash brother.

Those Pinnacle Mint cards were interesting with the design to put the coin inside the card, and I obviously just have the card part here.

Tomorrow...more Jays which aren't team set related.