So How Will These Do?

 I picked up a couple grab bag packs of Pokemon cards when Boxing Day shopping at Pastime Sports on the web, so I figured I'd crack those today to see if they are any better than the Dollarama offerings, and then I could give the cards to my kids since they like to collect them.

Simple enough packs, as you can see $2, and looks like there are 10 cards in each - so a little light, but I get it given prices these days, but a new pack these days can be had for $5.

A couple trainer cards and a bunch of Pokemon I don't know...okay, I heard of Igglybuff at least - I presume related to Jigglypuff somehow.

*Sigh* - nope. Not a fan of lands/energy cards in repacks. I mean, these are penny cards, and make me think I will be seeing a couple lands in the Magic repacks I picked up.

Let's see if the second is any better...

Lucky Charmander is cute, but that's about it for me in this one. Catterpie isn't too bad either, but nothing to write home about in the pack.

The lands finish it off and leave me saying...nah, would pass on these going forward given what I had in the couple packs. Hopefully the other grab bags are a little better....whenever I get to cracking them.

For Me And You

 A small trade for share today with TCDB member melamathman from whom I got a couple cards for me, and a couple for someone else.

The top two cards are for me - Sosa uncorrected error (many cards from the era had a wrong date of birth for him), and one of the variation cards from 1991-92 Stadium Club as some of the cards had variations where the banner on the back for "The Sporting News" was missing.

Bottom two will make their way to Jeff Scott when we get a chance to meet up (if we haven't already). With all the cards he has been nice enough to send my way, I do try to pick up things Bruins when I can here and there to get a couple hundred cards to send his way now and then.

Not sure in the near future how much I will have because, with the COVID lot almost done, my next year ot two is between opening boxes and a purely baseball card lot I picked up, but I guess we shall see. I know he also collects Tony Gwynn...so maybe a few cards there if all works out.

Flashbacks

 Goodies from the COVID lot today as we get some newer cards of older stars....well, relatively newer cards.....well, some are of my collecting period of stars before my collecting period.

Ultimately don't need more Montreal players from the early 90s Ultimate set, but there you go. I did need Arnie Brown for the mid-90s retro Parkhurst set.

A sweet Leaf pick up with Norm, though he did spend more of his NHL career with Detroit, but here shown as a Leaf. I'll take it!

I still haven't finished the Legends Classic set from Upper Deck which is one that I started on a previous lot. I think I am down to under 20 cards to go in the 100 card set, but I will need to prioritize it to finish it.

Young Scotty is a keeper for me as well with the very slow 2006-07 Parkhurst set build. One of the greatest coaches ever from a longevity and accomplishment standpoint.

Small Dupes

Another day with a few different hockey sets represented in the COVID lot. 

I might normally complain about 1990-91 Upper Deck cards - not because they are bad, just I have seen enough of them and don't really need much from the set still, but I will happily take 4 more Leaf cards, even if they are dupes of the basic 90's hockey stick hologram.

I don't think the 2005-06 Parkhurst set gets enough love. I like it and am just stopped at collecting it because of the large size of the set. I'd definitely want to see over half the cards before wanting to take this sucker on for completion.

Newer flagship Upper Deck - yeah, those I have a few on my build list. I mean, I like some of the newer card sets, though maybe not the massive number of insert sets, but the design is nice enough and the cards sleek enough - happy a few helpers here, and some duplicates for trade too! Go Phillies apparently.

Scratch The Surface

 Back with some more COVID lot cards today, and a few different hockey sets to look at.

1995-96 Bowman brings my only keeper today as Stojanov is an uncorrected error card, so cool on that front, but nothing else today, and worst of all...

Whether retail or hobby, as the foil colour may be, the 1996-97 Pinnacle cards are all packing material. I find these cards just tend to get stuck together enough that, pulling them apart leaves damage on the cards - more noticeable on the back. Okay, packing material is fine and all, but not what I was looking for of course. It does stop me from even considering either set for "keeps" as I can't trust getting decent enough quality in the cards.

A shame I can't even really trade them since we have a few solid stars in the bunch. Oh well, at least the next ones were fine...

May not be my set to collect, but at least the cards are nice quality and good card stock.2001-02 Sp Authentic - and Steve Sullivan is almost a Leaf here, he left the team not too long before.

Master of Nozzles

 Apparently that must be this trade partner - TCDB member nozzlemaster who I was able to put together a baseball for baseball card trade with.

We start with a nice 1985 Fleer Limited Edition Willie Upshaw, and then the second of two Jays Toys' R Us Rookie cards from 1990 to finish the small team set.

1993 Barry Colla, which was a set I didn't know about until starting to trade on TCDB, but pick up the new to me Carter and Olerud for it.

We then end with some 2000 Upper Deck Victory base cards. Getting closer to finishing that base set, but still a few to go. Not a fan of the duplicate picture design front, but Victory wasn't the only set to try and pull that off as being "cool".

Mastering your nozzle - very cool, and thank you!

Fellow Canadian

 A fellow Canadian offered up a little trade, and who am I to say no when it means getting more Timmies cards for my hocky collection?

I have to say, the Leaf players for the set are all lights out great players...now if they can just play that way in the playoffs....

Not only did nordiques24 (from Quebec, of course), send along 3 2023-24 Timmies Leafs - one of which is for the base set build, the others for the team set, but a 1994-95 Parkhurst Tall Boy Tim card as well.

I try to throw in an extra card or two when I can, and if I think it fits the collection of who I am trading with, always a nice touch, and I also like getting rid of the extra cards these days too.

The Tall Boy wasn't a need as I happened to have it, but it still has a home with my additional Leaf cards.

Always appreciate the trades, many thanks!

No Dollar Store Surprise

 Dollarama pick up to share today. I picked this up about a year ago, and now to see if I did better buying this way, or would have done better getting the cards at 401games.

At $2.50 for 4 cards, I expect rares, mythics, or at least foil cards for the "premium" labelling, but those can still be pretty cheap.

So nothing for me to keep regardless. Looking up the prices they are $0.50, $0.25, $0.50 and $0.50 respectively for a total of $1.75 so, no, I would have done better getting these at 401games.

Still, not a horrible pack if you don't have an alternative, but if you play at all, you are going to be better off spending the money on singles you need instead of a luck of the draw situation.

Wouldn't recommend them....but still fun to open now and then if you have no (lr at least very low) expectations.

BLWinborn40 Trade

A quick trade for today. I don't usually do trades for only a card or two, but if they help fill a need for my trade partner, I'll go ahead with it. That's what happened here and why I have just two cards coming my way, but a nice two. 

Topps Gallery cards do generally look really really nice and rank high on my sets for designs I like. It's probably the artistic aspect to them that I like, here with Tellez, a good close in with the name and bat - looks like it should be in an art gallery - I know, hence the set name.

Then we have Topps Stickers. I don't mind collecting them, but I haven't had an album in a decade, and haven't looked to actually collect the stickers for one since 1990.

Personally, I prefer the stickers that have the current year stats at least on the sticker instead of in the album, but I get saving space and not bothering.

Appreciate the trade, and hope to do more in the future!

Be Pacific

Hockey cards from the COVID lot today...

Some nice star power here. I actually need the Sundin 1994-95 Score base card for that set build, and the Sundin Euro French Upper Deck card is an insert and, though French, I'll keep it for now.

Nice Jagr card - in triplicate, which goes nicely in the same scan with the Pittsburgh team kissing of the Stanley Cup.

I am not collecting the 2000-01 Pacific set, but am collecting the 1999-00 one, so happy to end up with more than a handful of base set helpers on that one.

Sorry to keep it on the quick side, but things are busy enough work wise, I don't have the benefit of much down time to do more than pull and share cards....after enjoying them for a few minutes myself.

Oops I Did It Again

 Even though I haven't even really opened any of the purchased products from boxing day that I picked up from www.pastimesports.ca, I already places and received a second order, which I placed for two reasons which are....silly....

I literally only need a single card from the 2017 Topps WWE set - #1 The Rock, but as the single card doesn't seem to be in anyone's TCDB collection, and is a few dollars online - I figure, why not try my luck at a booster. These boosters I can't find at a decent price elsewhere, and will be nice for my wrestling fix, and hopefully resolve my Rock problem.

Second, they had a couple Minion baggie figures for less than a dollar each, so I picked up the two remaining...

I also picked up a pack of 1989-90 O Pee CHee hockey cards for the unopened pack collection, and in the two orders, had enough points for a set of dice for free....so....TA DA!

As for the minions - they squeeze and light up, so the material yellow skin is easy to see through. Let's see how they scan...

Funny enough as you don't see the skin, but can see the battery inside which makes them light up when squeezed.

I should get through the rest of the COVID lot in the next month, and I figure by the start of May - the next fun project as I plan to start working through and ranking the various boxes I have purchased and back logged for opening. At a glance, it looks like about 40-50 various blaster, blister, box, repack or similar products across baseball, hockey and wrestling. Fun times ahead!

E-Xcellent

Baseball through the 90s from the COVID lot today... 

1993 Fleer is one of the sets I am working on, but only a couple cards helping here, even though I am well under half way complete. Oh well, can't win them all.

Same with the Flair set - no keepers though I am working on it as well.

Bazooka cards are nice - I don't see many of them. Maybe about as much as Topps Total sets for hockey - I know of them, see them here and there, but not very much.

The E-X sets - they almost always look REALLY nice. I don't see enough to collect any given set, but the cards have a great look and feel - very premium, especially for 90s / early 2000s cards. Does mean they are up for grabs, and would love to get more Jays from the sets.

Not Junk Hockey

 A round of 90s hockey cards which some may call junk, but I prefer overproduced...and that still has a couple pick ups for me, so why complain?

I will say, I have seen more than enough 1990-91 Bowman hockey, and have a complete set, and would be fine not seeing again for a good long while.

Here is why it's important to look at every card in a lot. I mean, I could see missing it going through, but that Stadium Club error card with the missed foil for Adam Graves is great! Is it worth big bucks? Not at all, but the errors are something I really enjoy collecting, and even if just missed foil, glad to spot it here. May not need all the extra Graves 1991-92 Pro Set cards, but an error....absolutely!

When I think early Young Gun cards, this is the design I think. Back then though, I don't remember it being the big deal it is now - it was just a subset in the base set for Upper Deck products. Might be a little harder to get (well - kind of, but again, mass production made any kind of "hard to get" cards, not so hard to get. A couple keepers for me given I am collecting the different hologram variations, but that's it for this one!

Winging It!

 Well, since there have been other team specific pull days from the COVID lot, guess not surprising to get another - this one being all Detroit Red Wings

Just means that I don't get any keepers unless I luck out on set build cards (which is the case with 1990-01 Score Probert). The powerhouse team I grew up watching through the 90s and well into the 00s even, isn't the team they have been the last near decade.

Players like Lidstron, Datsyuk, Draper, Yzerman, Shannahan, Fedorov, Fetisov, Hasek, and others, kept the team in the hunt for The Cup regularly, winning in 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2007-08. With Bowman coaching in the 90s and Babcock through most of the 00s, the teams had strong coaches.

How much of the strong team run had to do with the teams generally early introduction of Russian hockey players, I'm not going to get into or debate, but star players are star players wherever they come from, and Detroit was able to sign a number early and they stays for long parts of their careers, made for some great teams, but great challenges for other solid teams in the league.

My Leaf teams didn't keep the longevity of greatness, but when they had good years, the Red Wings were one of the teams that seemed to be in the way and to which Toronto wasn't able to break through.

Times do change, and the Red Wings are at least looking to get back into the playoffs this year for the first time since 2015-16, then the challenge of getting out of the first round which they haven't done since 2012-13.

Baseball Bunch

 As we get into the last 1,000 cards or so of the COVID lot, we just end up with a lot of random baseball / hcokey cards, so not uch of a theme sometimes, but...baseball!

I have never seen these Legends sticker/cards before which are a multi-sport release as Martina sneaks into this otherwise baseball post. Martina was at the end of her great career when I was watching Tennis as a kid. I remember being 10-13 year sold and watching as much of Wimbledon each year as I possibly could. I did the same with soccer World Cups in the 90s too - man I binged some sport events something good as a kid. Lucky to get to watch half a baseball game these days.

Not a lot of keepers for me in the bunch, but a few different set additions with 1992 Triple Play, Pinnacle, and Studio cards above.

Always nice to get a Cliff Floyd sighting - and I have a perfect place to send him. Same with the couple Expos today.

Escobar - a lone Jays addition today, but just shows there is still so good Toronto cards to pull from the lot. Happy that he's a new one for my collection too. I definitely never saw much Stadium Club in the wild in the 90s, but have done a decent job in trading and getting the Jays from some of the sets at least.

This ad insert kind of blows my mind. In the late 90s, you could join the Collector's C;ub for $25 US and would end up getting a BOX of Upper Deck cards? $25 will get you a baseball blaster these days....darn you price increases and inflation!

The Upper Deck and Ultra designs are very millennium looking, but not for me if anyone is up for a trade!