Flagship Help

 As per usual, as we wind through April, I find it harder to put full energy into posts as my work gets to longer days which is what happens with taxes all due for 2025, at the end of the month. I don't complain too loudly - I know the US has an earlier deadline of April 15th, and with all the extensions, US accountants can end up dealing with personal tax filings right through to the middle of December - so I am thankful not to have to deal with that.

Oh, but enough of taxes, let's go cards - and today is a bunch of baseball, and about half of it being awesome keepers for me - yay!

Ah yes, the wave design of the 2018 flagship Topps set. Seemed a bit odd at the time, but I actually like it now and looking back. The good for me - about half are great additions for me set build, and honestly, the others, I should be able to move along in trades.

Love that the set had the full photos and no border in the set as well as the team photos - really nice to have them in the set.

A few other cards in the bunch are from 2019 Opening Day which works as it's another set I am working on, and knocked a couple more base needs off the want list.

Excellent day of cards and would love to see a bunch more baseball like this!

I Can't Open It

 I did a trade recently with TCDB member EAudet77 which saw me get mostly Leaf cards from the fellow Canadian.

The Juan Guzman is the last card I am missing from the opened team set - I have an unopened set, but wanted an opened one as well. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the one sent was unopened. So I can either open it and complete the set, or leave it unopened and look for another one that is already without packaging.

Well - I can't do it. For my Toronto collecting, I'll just keep him unopened rather than decrease the unopened population of cards. I am sure I'll be able to find one out in the wild easily enough.

It was a good trade in that this did complete my 17 card 1993-94 Pinnacle Canadian set and the three card Humpty Dumpty II set, all packaged. Nice little pick ups. Also got a one and done with...

I can appreciate when the cutting job leaves plenty of border space so as not to be problematic with damaging the card.

A fantastic trade, well, just another, from EAudet77 - thank you!

Adding Some Platinum

So, I can't say I've ever really opened any of the O Pee Chee Platinum products of late. I don't mind the chrome design and look, but from a price point, it's just expensive for what it is. I guess nothing outrageous in comparison to some of the other offerings, but I just have a hard time spending a dollar a card (or more) on what you get with many new packs these days.

The 2020-21 design here is great, I like it, and the look in hand is solid too.

Full stats on the back is always a great plus, and the excellent card quality gets thumbs up too. This is where I like the different cardstock - I always put O Pee Chee with the cardboard coloured backing and the "brown" colouring and like the idea of Platinum being the different card stock with the nice clean white backs like this.

Unfortunately, not enough here I really want to start collecting this one, and no Leafs either. Can't win them all, even if the cards are pretty nice, though a bit overpriced.

Adding Some Recent Baseball

 Okay - I guess in that one title, I kind of age what I consider to be recent since these cards are really from 2018-2021, and no one need remind me that 2018 is 8 year ago now....

Didn't get these quite scanned in order as you will see, so we start with some more 2019 Donruss which will not be enticing me to start collecting that Panini concoction. I will however happily add a couple 2019 base cards for the 2019 Opening Day Topps set with Iglesias above and...

Realmuto down below.

From the base card lot I got a year or so ago, I have a lot of the prospect inserts from 2020 Bowman, but do need a Beer, and added it here - yay!

Maybe out of order, but five more flagship keepers for 2018 including the celebrating Rangers. and the rest of the bottom row.

Lot the assorted baseball days, and when we get some keepers too!

Ending Different

 The 2026 Lot starts with a single 1991 Upper Deck football card today before heading into a new for it set - 2005 Topps.

As seems to be plastered on every card, it was the 50th anniversary of Topps football cards - go figure. I get the celebration, but it sure made the logo big enough for the cards that it takes away from the design. I mean, you plastered it across the top of every card anyway, did we really need it in the logo too?

That aside, the fade edge photos is nice and a big of a Masterpiece type of look for the card otherwise which is cool.

Hard to believe this is over 20 years ago now.

A nice subset in the base with the Golden Moments and All-Pro cards. Hard to tell that is what they say with the foiling, but it is.

Nice, first 2023 Prestige card too I think, but I definitely know the last card is the first of it's kind I have seen...

2021 Metal Universe Champions brings the first lacrosse card to my traders. I presume this is a set akin to Godwin Champions and covers a plethora of sports and topics, but yeah, lacross.....who knew!

Cover It All

Exciting when we get to go through a bunch of baseball from the 2026 Lot, and we get a nice range in years starting in the 80s and ending in the 20s

1986 Fleer and 1987 O Pee Chee I haven't been collecting, but love to see the older O Pee Chee especially. It may have been highly produced, but 1990 Upper Deck is always nice to see, and with a couple Expos, they already have another home to head to.

Here we get into some keepers as I still need a bunch of cards for my 1991 Topps set and we get a few keepers here. Same can be said about the more recent Topps sets as well.

Nice Jays content too with Sanchez, though a duplicate, it will be needed for the team set.

One of my favourite Jays team cards, love the Vladdy and Bo smiles on the same card. Oh - and an important thing to look for with bought lots like this - the Opening Day version of Torres was with the flagship set copies - an easy way to miss cards from different sets.

Acuna Jr. rookie card from Opening Day isn't too bad a pull either - nice. Not a surprise that both Opening Day cards were needs as I think a bunch of what I am missing on that set build are the rookie cards.

Awesome day of cards though overall!

16 Over 36

I am no fool today, but just a little disappointed that there's nothing for me in the Lot cards today as it's all football! Good news - lots of variety as we have 16 different sets highlighted.

Green Bay starting off with Aaron Rogers. He wasn't quite up to the Brett Favre level but was extremely good for much of his time in the city. It could be argues though that he isn't even the best QB in this scan given Mahomes shows up dead centre. Not, if I pulled a rookie card of his in this lot, that would be something else, but just seeing stars here - very nice.

I had not heard of the Phoenix set before, but with Panini putting out 3,291 sets a year - give or take - I will give myself a pass on not knowing about that one.

Nice - still follow Buffalo a bit, so know Diggs at least. After Contenders, we get some Mosaic which seems to be a popular set in this lot spread between football and basketball.

Such a variety of designs, so at least pumping out all the sets, they do look different enough between them. Not sure it's the most cost effective as there's almost a different set for each football fan.

Think I've heard of that Kelce guy a lot over the last year or so....

In comparison to the Score design - I really do like the Prizm set much better.

Tucked at the end we have an unusual 1997 Fleer Goudey II set square Norton. I have some Jays from similar set/design, but this is the first and only football one I have had in hand. I like the card, but the sizing always makes it easier to drop or mis-organize/store as it can slip being the odd card out.

Love the variety, even if no reason to keep any of the cards today.