BASEball

Before the 2026 Lot - we have a neat trade pick up from TCDB member richardd2764....a complete set of 12 cards and box of the 1991 The Colla Collection which is all about one guy...

A 7,500 print run means there are probable 5,000 of these sets left if you consider the attrition of time. Focused on a star of the early 90s Jays success - just before the big success.

Interestingly, only the first card has a serial number for the set (1921 for me), while the rest do not. We get a number of close ups of Robbie in action and posed form.

I wasn't expecting the box would be flattened and set with the trade, but it was, which makes this even more cool as it is a truly "complete" set. A good start into a day of baseball on the blog.

A nice run of baseball cards today that remind me of the BASEball lot. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Yes, I am still working on 1991 Upper Deck and Junior Felix prior to his Jays days, and Bo's dad are both cards I needed - thank you! I am not worrying about hologram variations for my set....that's too ADHD for me.

Love the park cards, and the fact I needed Atlanta is even better. The middle row actually are all needed for the Opening Day set build too - nice!

The 2022 Topps Chrome offering is one I have some of, but not working on, so these are all nice trade bait...

Except for the maker of the Springer Dinger - George stays with me, a second copy for the collection.

Not too bad so far, but would love to keep on the baseball roll.

The Brighter Side

So, I may have done some retail therapy near the end of April in order to get through. Nothing I had time to get into, but it adds to my stack of stuff to open, and it was a sale online with a Canadian (well, kind of Canadian - it's in Quebec - I kid) store Remi Card Trader. I found them through the Shop app - which I go onto a bit because of 401games, but it does have a few options for cards that I hadn't heard of before. I just share that as a tidbit of information, but do with it as you like if you haven't checked it out before.

Anyway, here is what I picked up...

I don't like the price on hobby boxes, but it's a set I am collecting and have lots of holes to, and the box was over 50% off...

yeah, so was this one....

and these were pretty well discounted too. Hopefully there's a fun rip or two. There were also some loose packs pretty nicely discounted that I picked up...

For $5 a booster now, these Magic boosters are about as cheap as you can get English ones these days. I remember when you could get 3 for $10 at 401games, but that was 15 years ago now.

These I picked up, again, at or over 50% off, though the Ice pack was still expensive to me for a pack. That said, it is a thick pack that does not bend, so something solid in there, but alas, I may never know. He is going to the unopened pack collection!

That shared - for now, where was I....oh yeah! It's May - another year of tax returns are done and behind me. It means today is the longest time until the next busy season, so it is a great day. The celebration will be a day off today and maybe some time with card stuff but this post will be a short PWE share.

TCDB member stbo101 sent along a few hockey cards in the trade...

First is an Honor Roll insert from the 2021-22 Upper Deck offering - my first of the four Leafs in the insert set.

Nylander and McMann are inserts from the 2024-25 flagship Upper Deck set - both firsts in my collection but with other Leafs I need still.

McMann scans much better but Nylander looks better in hand.

Either way, many thanks for the trade - and like the first of May itself, much appreciated!

Seeing A Subset

 Sometimes it's better to just have an insert set instead of a subset in a base set, here is one I'd always prefer as an insert set...prospects.

I like my base sets being current stars, maybe all star subsets or coaches or refs, but leave prospects separate.  Once they are in the NHL, go for it.

I won't have on the design here, it's fine and very 90s Upper Deck.

What, if any, preference do you have between what should be a subset versus an insert set?

Highlighting A Great

 When you think great QBs and throw in the 80s - Joe Montana has to be a main conversation point. One of the first stars in the NFL I remember watching as a kid, drawn to the machine that was the 49ers.

It was his 4 Super Bowls with the 49ers that made him a legend, it was the last two in 88 and 89 that I remember as a kid, which made me a fan.

After 1992 though, Joe wasn't done but San Fran was moving on which saw Joe spend his last two years with the Chiefs.

He played well, though maybe not at the greats he did with San Fran, it was a good couple years before he retired.

A guy who deserves to still show up on cards as an homage to the past, like the Prizm card here, one who deserved his easy way into the HOF.

I find it hard to consider players against each other when they play in such different times. Not sure Joe would stack up to a Brady or what a certain other KC QB may end up as when all is said and done, but a king in the 80s, he was.

Most of the Rest

Before we get to the 2026 Lot, let's throw a quick trade share in, this one being a PWE from dsuave624.

One of these cards is not like the others. Don, missing some sideburns here, keep dwindling down my remaining base cards needed to complete the 1994 Studio base set. Most of it came from purchasing mixed card lots, but I do like these early 90s Studio sets.

The Tiffany Ward from 1989 is very nice. I find the scans pick up the off-white colour of the card, at least my scanners always have, so a good way I have been able to tell the Tiffany version, and the gloss of course.

A solid Springer, and a one and done Bo Bo Jays insert from 2024 Topps Chrome. I still miss Bo...so enough about baseball, how about some hockey!

Another visit from 2000-01 Be A Player Memorabilia's hockey card Rookie and Traded box set, and we start with a win today...

A quad of Leaf cards is a great day for me. McCabe is probably my fave and I forgot about Manson's Leaf stint to be honest, but a solid turn out of keepers.

As it turns out, if just counting the box set, there is only about a dozen cards missing now. I'm still not going to collect this one as I'd then want the whole numbered base set, but it is a good run.

Andreychuk was a better Leaf - didn't like seeing him leave.

A nice take on the back with the by team played against stats. Different and unique.

Scares me just how long ago the Sedin twins started in the NHL as that one feels more like 10-15 years ago.

Speaking of Unexpected

 Only two cards to share from the 2026 Lot today, but that is because they were a bit unusual.

First up...

Not as old as one would have thought since this is really the 2001 Topps Archives release, but the card itself looks like a 1983 release. A neat pick up and one I am not use to seeing in these lots. Partly because the 2000-2010 date range usually is a bit of a dead zone for cards in these lots, or at least fairly minimal. Time will tell how this one goes.

At least I did also get an actual vintage card - though I'm tempted to put it as packaging material given the condition...

This is half of the 1971 Scratch-off insert from Topps. Given it's only half, and someone tried scratching the front, creating a good dig into the card itself, I'm not going to keep the card. Condition definitely matters less with age as far as vintage cards go, but not enough here for me to feel the need to keep it.

Very cool find in the lot though, and nice to see, warts and all as it is.

Premium Base Cards

 A bit of an unusual, and small number of cards from the 2026 Lot today as we get a few high end related base cards. Each of these was in it's own small plastic case - though these are just base cards from the set.

2020-21 Upper Deck Stature is a set whereby boxes go for about $300 and contain eight cards. The base set is 100 veterans/stars and 100 rookie cards - rookie cards SN'd to 399. So, the boxes are all about the hits, but that is a lot to pay for a box. These base cards look really nice, are thick like jersey cards or other memorabilia cards would be, too bad none that fit my collection, and even at just 100 cards - I won't be going for this set. The value of the box is all about the hits, so you can still pick up the base cards fairly cheap, but I don't want to collect by just picking up singles to the base set that way.

Missed opportunity for full stats on retired stars, but nice enough design. Reminds me a bit of Artifacts or a similar release. Either way, a very cool and unexpected pick up for a lot like this as I never expect high end or vintage cards to be anywhere in sight.