A Vari Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas one and all. A trade that is quite appropriate as it is vari focused on variations with TCDB member tucha. As you may )or may not) know, there are a number of different hologram variations for early 1990s sets, and here we are dealing specifically with hockey. It's to the point that, for my Leaf cards in 1990-91 Upper Deck, there are about 4 hologram variations for each card, so a real team set with all variations is about 100 cards. I am still working on the variations, and that's what this trade is focused on. 

It isn't just English, and isn't just 1990-91 as some of the cards here are French and the following year, but much of the same reasoning behind the trade and collecting them here - the mini variations.

I generally don't care, but for the team collecting, I do like having copies of all the different microvariations, so cool to pick more of these up. I don't think it's a necessity to many team collectors - that one variation is good enough, but it does give me something more to "chase" that isn't an expensive pursuit, just the time to find them and trade!

With that short and sweet share - enjoy the day and have some great time with family and friends and see you back here tomorrow I hope!

A Christmas Eve and A Hockey Day

 In the midst of the wintry season and holidays, nothing more appropriate to lead in than hockey cards and why not a one off pack of 2024 National Hockey Card Day.

I have a pack in my unopened pack collection and a few cards from it, but definitely keeping any new to me cards and maybe we will get a Leaf...

Well, solid getting Knies for the Leaf collection as well as getting six cards - I assume the checklist is in every pack, but I count that as a card so 6 instead of 5 - sweet! I can put up with getting Roy in the pack - really didn't need to see him in the set, but that's my own personal grumbling.

Nathan is actually a dupe if anyone needs, but otherwise, another solid one and done pack!

I will post tomorrow as I do every day, but hopefully everyone here will be busy and be reading it well after the fact!

Dollarama 15

 As we get to the holidays for another year, we wind down 2025 and get ready for 2026. One item from years past that isn't around anymore - these Dollarama packs as the price has changed, and number of cards you get adjusted a couple times, but I have this old one to crack today.

You cam see why I picked it up as this first card is not only a Leaf card but is also an uncorrected error card as it's a Series 2 checklist, but the front says Series 1. This means right off the bat, I have a great score for this little pack since Toronto error cards are a big plus!

I wasn't expecting too much else in the pack, but lo and behold, we do have some base helpers with Larionov and Acton - different versions of Score sets from 1990-91 and 1991-92 that I am working on.

The Going For Gold is a keeper too as I have a slow work on the women's national team set going.

The variety is pretty solid on these packs - I mean, you know half will be "junk" year cards, but since I still keep all Leaf's and there are a few sets there I am still working on, even those can be solid for me, and that's what we have here...

Well, with a small sample size of a single pack, I guess this is what happens - ha. Works for me because for what it was, might have been heavily one card, but was definitely a great pick up for me collection wise so - all good!

A quick and separate add on, and a surprise in the mail. Double B from TCDB sent me well wishes and a card for my collection which was on my want list...

I am missing the Stro-show as the last of the Maple Leaf parallels for the 2018 Topps Opening Day set for my Jays. It's a very nice design and I approve of the Canadian content. Many thanks for sending it along!

Pack Attack Package

I don't often make orders for cards for myself for the unopened pack collection, but I was poking around www.pastimesports.ca and with the older packs they sell, and the fact that free shipping is at $200, and as I haven't really spent outside of Magic cards, on the hobby the last number of months....and....Christmas, well, here we are.

The hockey packs I picked up...

With products coming in different packages each year, and with different series, I do have some packs from say more recent years, but with jumbo or retail or hobby, and each being slightly different, there always seems to be something more to find and pick up.

I would have thought I'd have a pack of 1991-92 Parkhurst series 2, but only had the series 1 pack....but no longer!

The 1995-96 Score pack looks so 90s....

With O Pee Chee sets being roughly 500-700 cards, you would think the pack would at least be jumbo sized. When more "premium" packs consist of 5 cards, and these only have 8, I just think of the work it would take to build an O Pee Chee set from packs alone - you'd go broke.

The 2003-04 Parkhurst Original 6 sets were unique, and so nice to pick up these unusual packs 20+ years after the fact.

A nice run of what I consider to be more expensive packs with SP. I never buy these in normal course as I shy away from packs where the cost is anything near a dollar a card for what you get.

For the baseball packs...

I am sure I overpaid on the 1981 Donruss, but my excuse it, that got me to the free shipping. Not like you see them floating around for cheap anyway. The Ted Williams pack was an interesting one to see, and of course then filling some Topps set holes to add to the collection.

I didn't get the chance to pick up the flagship Topps boxes which were out, so picked up the exclusive pack here as a cool pack to add.

I had to pick up something wrestling related, and the price was fine enough for these. I have 41 of 100 base cards, these three boxes and a blaster so I am hoping this se twill be done when I get around to opening up these.

I'm not one for buying complete sets, but the price was fine for these. I wouldn't pick up the Lindros set otherwise, but a nice little set. As for the Mandalorian set - a decent price, now the question is to open it or not...

That all said, there were a few extras in the pick up too...

I redeemed my "points" on this purchase to get the hangar box. I am trying to finish that Update set, so might come in handy.

They threw in a little bag of candy which didn't last long, and the couple National Hockey Card Day packs - of which I needed the 2025 version, so we get to end with another unopened pack pick up.

All in now, I have945 unopened packs - 284 baseball, 251 Magic, 363 hockey, and 47 wrestling. Not sure how long it will take to hit 1,000. It's not something I am specifically aiming for, but will probably happen in the next year or so...

Wrestling Card Trade

 Not a creative title, but very accurate. A nice trade with TCDB member Orry04 where I was able to use some seasonal magic to turn baseball cards into wrestling cards...

The 2020 Road to Wrestlemania set has the typical 50 card roster insert set and the bunch above bring me to 35 - so getting close. Drew is the only one left with WWE - well, unless you consider the Charlotte we see today the same as Charlotte from 5 years ago. Not to say she looks very different, but....well, I guess I am saying it...and more so if you go back to when she first started in NXT.

A couple Honky Tonk Man inserts. Personally, as a kid, I hater him, but now looking back, respect what he was able to do for the Intercontinental Title. As a kid who wasn't "smart" to things, good guys were good, and bad guys were to be booed. He did his job well, and was entertaining for it - even if I didn't recognize it as such at the time.

The Finest set we continue to gather some base cards for. I don't mind the set, but would rather full action shots than the overlay on the wacky backgrounds.

First Finest Tag Team insert too, even if Cutler and Blake weren't much of a Finest tag team....but I guess WWE gets to call them what they want.

Appreciate the trade - thank you!

PDIZZLE Drizzle

A nice PWE trade to share today as I received a drizzle of cards from TCDB member PDIZZLE.

This is one of the rare trades where I initiate. I am going to try and do more as I can try to move more traders and take back cards I want but may not be on my want list.

The 2022 Topps are copies as are most all the cards here - so not new to my collection, but happy to get duplicates for traders that are just sitting in a box and taking up space.

I picked up some Bruins cards I will re-home, but one I am keeping as it's an insert I didn't have.

The extra Timmies are helpful as I try to get a team set and full set done.

We end with a nice looking foil sticker Tavares. Almost like it was drizzled in diamonds.

Definitely Solid

 A perfect second blaster gives me 71/100 base cards done for the 2022 AEW Upper Deck set, and my fave of the last cards has to be Kris.

I know it fizzled at times before dying out, but the whole "alien" dynamic was a nice call back to the outlandish characters of the 80s through the early 90s, and it was done really well for a long time. I get having to change out and drop it, but I think it ended up being a step back for Kris as she had to work to find herself as a wrestler/character again. May be better long term, but I really did enjoy the work she did with the character before.

A solid way to end with a second gold parallel Main Features insert as that ends this box with...

A couple spots ahead of the first box, which makes sense because all of the cards in both were keepers, but the second box had the better/longer odd hits when all was said and done. Definitely works at being in the top 5 openings for me this year, but we do have a little bit of time remaining, so will have to see if it stays there by time we get to the end of the month.

Still Perfect

 One pack left after this one and this 2022 AEW Upper Deck booster continues to provide all new cards. I am hoping it was right beside the first blaster, and the collation had a hand in this. It might also mean the last booster I have will finish off the base set....I can dream!

Thunder Rosa is a unique talent for the women's division - would be a great WWE add, but she's a bigger star in AEW than I think she'd be in WWE. She's definitely star of the pack though...

Not just the base card, we get the Main Features insert too! At least it's a different photo although it looks like just a slight variation on the same pose. The UD Canvas is a nice pick up, and should always be a wrestling insert set given the canvas moniker.

Things I Get and Don't

 More new 2022 Upper Deck AEW base cards for me to keep in this pack...

I don't get HOOK. Maybe it's just me, but he is not someone I connect with. Maybe I am just getting old, I don't know. I've watched some of his matches and interviews and he is fine, but he doesn't fire me up and seem like someone I can really get behind. I would put all of the following ahead of him for different reasons...

Jade is different and getting there (now). She is being given more mic time and is getting stronger on the mic. She is solid from a power perspective in the ring and has been well handled as an attraction and different, even in WWE.

Jon Moxley has always had a slightly different cadence to his style in ring and on mic, and this separate him from others and makes him stand out. I may not be a fan of the over the top need for blood and violence which seems to be part of what he likes to bring, but it does work for him.

CM Punk can go in the ring, even now and at his age. SummerSlam this year was a great example. A great in ring performance, and a great acting performance on the Seth cash in which sold it all really well.

Don't get me wrong, HOOK can probably get there, and it may be the difference between being in his mid-20s versus when he is in his early 30s, but time will tell.

Powerhouse Express

 We continue to need every card we pull in this blaster which is amazing, and we continue to hit some solid stars...

I talked about Ruby already, so let's talk Bryan. I fully understand why WWE didn't want to take a chance on his health and clearing him, with the forced retirement and inability to clear and come back to compete, I understand his want to go elsewhere and wrestle. I still hope it all goes well, and doesn't end poorly with chronic pain, or injury being the reason Bryan hangs it up. Wrestling is in his blood and it has been hard for him to not wrestle - I can understand that, I just hope it doesn't end up costing him a quality of life. That said, all his "extra" time post that initial retirement, he has put on some great matches, and it's been amazing to see.

Also amazing - Jurassic Express was a great intro and build for Jungle Boy. I think it was the tool to give him the experience to grow as a performed, and post-Jurassic Express days, has helps give him the foundation to grow as a character and in the ring.

We get The Bunny base card and one of the wrestlers she managed, The Blade, in gold parallel - nice.

We also wee another Powerhouse Hobbs - means the box provided the base, the Breakouts insert and this card as well. Man of the blaster I guess!

Legends Now and Then

 When it comes to AEW and stars with the company, MJF is likely the biggest home grown star they have. It would be interesting to see if he would have his legs cut out from under him if he were to end up with WWE, but I would expect that likely isn't going to happen any time soon.

He has a great presence, and I though that his work in Happy Gilmore 2 was solid enough, I could see him doing more in the acting realm, though I would suspect his focus will be mainly wrestling for a period to come. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's a good second career if he would want it to be when done with wrestling (see the transition a la John Cena or maybe Rock, though I think Rock started leaving a bit sooner).

Paul Wight would be a legend and did a fair bit of acting as well, though not nearly to the same level as a Rock or Cena. I will say, his one season show under his name was a nice sitcom, and is well worth the watch. Our family enjoyed it.

We end with a Sting gold parallel Main Features which is a great card, and highlights another legend. I have talked about how his WWE run wasn't anything near what he deserved, but at least he was able to wrap up decently in AEW. May not have been the biggest stage, but with his participation in Wrestlemania already done - whether considered good/bad/ugly, he had the experience, so I don't think Sting has much complaints about his career. I'd hope not - it was a pretty awesome one up and down.

Different Times

On to the next pack of 2022 Upper Deck AEW cards, and we continue the amazing streak of all new base cards - would love that trend to continue through the whole box as I'd get to over 70 cards of the base set in that case.

Just goes to show again, the importance to the individual wrestlers for having another option

 than WWE. It' good to have other employers out there to make for a better job market as we have seen Rey now move to WWE, Black went from WWE and now has gone back, Justin and Taz both had time in WWE.

Wonder where they would be if not for this option - maybe TNA, maybe indies, but AEW is a solid second right now (as WWE tried to help it become TNA instead by the looks of it).

The all new inserts:

 Wish Ruby was able to go the way that Liv did in WWE. If I were to have picked who would be most successful from Riot Squad, I would have hoped it to by Ruby, but Liv has definitely won in that regard as she tore it up the last couple years in WWE. Not a knock on her, or on Ruby, Ruby has been fine, just didn't catch fire the way Liv did.

Another really great pack out of this box - love it!

A Bit More Normal

We get into the second pack of 2022 AEW Upper Deck cards from the blaster today, and another good sign to start as all of these...

Are new base card additions for me. These get me to 41 of 100 - yay, and include Adam Cole Bay-Bay. A shame for the time needed to step away for medical reasons in 2025, but I'd rather see him step away and take care of himself than put him in harm's way in the ring.

Funny to also see Miro and Andrade who have both since made their way back to WWE since these cards came out in 2022.

Inserts, well, we have three of those as we are back to the 8 cards per pack since yesterday had just the seven due to the slightly thicker Powerhouse card in that pack.

Another gold parallel which is new to me, an Outside The Ring insert which fall every 10 packs, so that's likely the one for this box, and the UD Canvas Keith Lee is actually a short print, though the Canvas cards fall every 5 packs in general.

Still wish Keith had a better go in WWE, but it is what it is - I gather he has been happy with his run in AEW.

Definitely a solid second pack here, just hope to keep the momentum!

A Powerhouse Start

This is my second blaster box to open of 2022 AEW Upper Deck and I am hoping we will be able to continue on with the base set build and maybe get a few additional sweet inserts on the way. In the first box, picked up about 1/3 of the 100 card base set, so hopefully over the halfway mark when this one is done.

I must say, the box and pack are very good for the product, I like them, and hopefully will like what's inside as well!

We start with all new for me base cards - a great start, and specifically Powerhouse Hobbs. After spending about a decade on the independents, he came to AEW in 2020, and by 2022 he was a mainstay in the company and his powerhouse style was doing him well. Fast forward to 2025, and he is still with the company and continues to make an impact.

I'd normally focus on the gold Jericho parallel or the MJF Main Features cards as these are both great, new for me inserts, but the Powerhouse Breakouts card is likely the big hit from the box. With the odds for these cards being one per 72 packs, likely not going to top this one. There are some shorter print ones, like CM Punk, which are more rare to pick up, but I'm good with this one - awesome pull and a great first pack from the blaster!

Is Current Better?

Though I still have a couple of the older Dollarama hockey card surprise bags, here is one of the more recent ones.

As you can see, the price is up to $3 when the old bags were $2. Does an increase in price mean an increase in quality? Probably not, but let's see.

Won't complain about the plastic container, but no score for it. As for the cards, let's see...

Nice to see an SP Authentic card, but at least Miller is a base card add.

Here is where we have everything no so good with these products. First, the math isn't matching as there were only 4 cards, not the 5 promised. Put with this the fact that these packs will be where all the high production year cards will show up - it's why the price is high for the cards.

Well, this pack makes it all worthwhile. Not only do I get another base card add, not only do I get a Leaf card with Cujo, we get an on card autograph of Larry Murphy!

It's a great auto, and the gold parallel auto cards in 1998-99 Be A Player is even more rare as they were "randomly inserted" though no specific pack odds. You did get an auto in every pack in the product, and golds were likely one per box or so - every 8 packs, but it was definitely a product I never opened at the price point of almost $10 a pack. Yeah, that use to be expensive.

I don't think I have ever pulled an auto from any version of these packs before so - a great way to end, and that one card at least makes the surprise bag worth the purchase.

Hard to go by any other odds than p[ack odds for the signature card, so suffers a bit being from a higher end product, but a fair score all around and a nice surprise for what it was.

A Trade With Coachnfisher

 As the name suggests, we have a quick PWE trade with TCDB member coachnfisher. He was working on completing 2020 and 2021 Topps flagship sets so we did a flagship Trade and I got these:

They don't all have to be big or flashy trades. This one gets me 3 cards closer on the 2021 set, and that works awesomely for me!

No surprise they were three more missing rookie cards as the last card lot purchase provided almost all the base set save for the Rookies which were generally all plucked out.