Baseball (and a couple) Prospects

 A few baseball cards from the 2026 Lot, so let's see who we have show up today...

I can't really complain with getting prospect cards becasue they are inserts, so I do get to add to my collection that way, though I may not need a handful of each, but traders work too.

Seem to be early 2010s Bowman may have some more "hits" for me as we go. Nice to see these aren't the only sets for baseball showing up as we have a couple more interesting and less widely found...

Newer Bowman, and Finest from the similar early 2010s frame - very nice. Can't complain about a Kershaw pick up. Clayton is one of those players that I remember the start of his career and think of it not being that long ago, so when we get to the end of the career - such a reminder of how old I am getting!

Definitely the winner of the cards today has to be the Kershaw though - may not be an action packed photo, but a very nice pickup for trade if nothing else.

Early 90s Hockey

 The 2026 Lot has had plenty of newer cards so far - 2023-24 Upper Deck Allure being a set there has been a bunch of, but the early 90s has to be represented when buying an assorted sports lot, and we get a few more of such hockey sets represented today.

1991-92 Upper Deck hockey is a great design, and the fact the set had a French equivalent shows just how big collection was at the time. Sports cards were big news!

Easy enough to tell the language difference, but the design was kept the same. A couple Bruins cards to give away which is nice - but no Leafs unfortunately.

1991-92 O Pee Chee I like much less. The set is fine, but I picked up the complete set as a kid and the insert set I have had completed foe a long while, so nothing new to get except Leaf cards, though I have a full tram set already as well. With no real upside, not so excited to see them in lots.

We end with some McD cards which were very cool at the time. I have the complete set so again, Leaf hunting which falls short today. Nice variety in sets though, and at least it's hockey!

More Pro Set Love

 Seems the 2026 Lot has some more Pro Set hockey to share with me, so let's take a look...

Denis Savard, Glenn Anderson, definitely names to go with stars of an era long ago (now), though it still feels like, well, not that long ago. This was the post-Wayne era in Edmonton when the team was very different from the star team it had in the mid 80s.

Kurri, Lowe and Smith, other stars from the time, and doing their best to carry the Oil through the early 90s.

Nice to get some Leaf content again - not the stars of the team at the time really, but definite cogs in the machine.

I do wonder if the set was released 10 or 20 years later, if the base set would have been about 500 cards instead of 700+, with some of the subsets done as insert sets like the coaches, refs, hall of famers and similar cards. Would have given it a different look, but I'm more than happy with it just being a larger base set to chase!

Mets Prospects

Before we get to the Mets, let's share a nice one card Jay I received in a trade with TCDB member mattheinz23.

I may not be a fan of single card trades, if it's a serial numbered card, I'll probably give in, though will always try to beef up the envelope. I also may not be a fan of really long set or insert set names like this being from 2013 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects - Bowman Scout Breakouts Die Cuts X-Fractors insert set.

Andy had a cup of coffee in the majors, finally making it to play 10 games with the Jays in 2016 and after some more time in the minors and moving to another organization....Dodgers....he had 9 more games in the bigs in 2021.

If nothing else, he does have a really sweet looking card here that I'm glad to now have one of only 99 existing copies.

We have a theme to the cards from the 2026 Lot today - Mets baseball prospects - were they hits or misses? Well, chances are that, since they are here in this lot, they are misses, but let's check!

Ben Rowen was able to get to the major leagues in 2015, 2016, and 2021 with Texas, Milwaukee and the Dodgers respectively. A total 20 games and about 23 innings - not a ton, but kudos for making it at three very different points in his career.

Brandon Brown didn't have the same level of luck, just a few minor league years, with Taylor being much the same.

Josh Edgin was able to make typically 30-40 relief appearances for the Mets each year 2012-2017. Nothing Earth shattering, but a solid run for a handful of years in the MLB.

Ike Davis (yes, his isn't a prospect card really, or Duda, but they were stuck in the bunch regardless and well, are kind of close enough) was with the Mets from 2010, into 2014 and then spent time in Pittsburgh, Oakland and back in New York but with the Yanks, before being done in the bigs. He had 32 homers in 2012, though his average suffered that year at just .227.

Hansel was in the majors from 2015 through 2022 with time, in addition to being with the Mets, being with the Angels and Red Sox. A 28-26 career record and ERA of 4.11 with about an equal number of innings as appearances from relief of about 420 each.

So as expected, no superstar here, but better results than I may have expected - I mean usually you end up with never-made-it type players so, not too shabby. As a number of these cards are inserts, I do end up with some keepers too which is nice.

Rap Attack...

 The 2026 Lot provides some 2023-24 Panini Mosaic cards today, and we get a nice sprinkling of Raptors through it - if anyone is of interest.

Nice to see Giannis, and former Raptor Demar. Demar had a great run in Toronto, but understand the move that saw him depart Toronto.

Some back designs to share. A couple more Raptors included with Immanuel and Jakob. Star power definitely remaining in these cards, Irving another nice pickup for anyone who actually collects this set.

For those wondering, yes, another Panini set with the same picture used on the back as on the front, and as you can see, a whopping single year of stats shown and a career total....definitely feels a little lacking there.

Plenty of Raptors indeed as we also get former Raptors OG and VanVleet - apologies for any others I missed, I know I am not a full Raptor encyclopedia so forgive me!

Another Myrke Trade

 I have had a number of trades with TCDB member myrke, and today we get to share another solid one with plenty of goodness for my collection in what came my way.

Right off the bat we start with a few serial numbered cards with Bowman Draft Picks blue and refractor cards, and even the Chronicles Bautista is serial numbered as well.

The Brett Lawrie mini is a one and done Jays insert card, but it isn't the only such one today...

The first three cards here are also one and done Jays insert sets. The blue rave Nate in the bottom right isn't a one and done team set, but sure is a pretty card!

I also picked up a number of 2021 Topps flagship set cards which help close in on completing that set.

Not my favourite Gypsy Queen design with too much green to the cards, but that's okay, new is always good!

Three more one and done team sets from inserts with the Denied, Rookie Class, and A/I/ cards all fitting into that role, so we have SEVEN one and done team sets here, all in a single PWE trade.

Whether framed plum, or rainbow foil, the names may be a little off the wall at times, but the resulting cards are great to have in hand! Many many thanks for the offer and trade!

More Pro Set Love

 Well, for better or worse, the 2025 Lot seems to want to provide some more 1990-91 Pro Set hockey cards. A shame I don't need more of them, but as I keep the Leaf cards, should hopefully still be some in this bunch, but let's take a look.

Trottier is a nice pick up, but lots of Flyers together here.

Nice - a couple Leaf pick ups are always good, even if not new to me. The Nordiques were a good uniform - maybe one that can come back if they were to ever get a team again, which seems to ebb and flow on whether there is enough demand to make it work. Definitely seemed to turn around and work for Winnipeg.

Couldn't go wrong with the traded banner standing out like it did in the top left corner for the applicable cards. I'm not a Rob Dimaio supper collector, so no need for three copies there either.

Another Leaf works, as does another opportunity to see the subset of head coaches - a nice part of having a large set.

Same as the refs getting some love too, and the final of four Leaf card pick ups today with the head coach card for Tom Watt.