Football Foray

A smattering of cards and sets of the football variety from the 2026 lot today, so let's see what we have for trade bait... 

Have to love to have the microvariations that seem to be fraught through the high production era of the late 80s and early 90s. The 1991 Ultra set has two different size NFLPA logos on the back apparently. Something I found out trying to log Randall in. Nice to get a card from back then that isn't 1991 Upper Deck, so I'll take that as a win anyway.

Still not a fan of Chronicles, but I'll take the variety of Panini card lines here to provide a mix of traders. I find it's not too bad finding people to trade football for baseball. Definitely don't see a football/hockey mix nearly as much.

Even a few Draft Picks cards in the bunch, and the Kittle card is a card from the 2021 Panini NFL Stickers and Cards set - an interest cross combo there I guess, rather than having them as completely different product runs I guess.

Chark Jr tries to sneak by with the Kickoff parallel pretending to be a base card, but I caught him before I scanned this time! Warren Moon wins for the group though, I did enjoy watch him play back in the day.

Snow Vladdy!

Before we get to some snow from the lot - a quick PWE trade to share with TCDB member boucher33 who sent some double sided cards my way.

1997-98 Donruss Limited had these double sided cards which highlights a picture of a player on each side with no write ups, just great picture and a graphic background/ Still need some more for the team set, and with two people on each card, does make for more real estate to include more players in the set.

Appreciate the trade, but onto the snow!

Baseball cards abound from the 2026 Lot today, and we get some tempt from summer snow.

I have a bit of a loathing for this set, just because it's such a gimmick to make a winter looking set for baseball. I guess it's to help fans keep the sport top of mind in the middle of winter, but with the World Series stretching into November and spring training being less than 150 days later, there isn't too much down time as there is.

If you are going to do a holiday/winter theme, I don't mind the years where the design is around the edge with maybe snow or snowflakes, but the snow spattered all over the card - it's too much for my liking.

That said, I'll happily take a great Vladdy card. According to TCDB, this is my 280th Vladdy card, with 174 different unique ones. This isn't unique, I did have one already, but I always laugh because if I had 280 cards of a player in 1988, I probably had close to all the cards that were ever made. Now, Vladdy has over 16,000 different unique cards, and that's just what is in TCDB, and of course growing every day. I'd guess it may be close to 50,000 if he play through his entire contract with the Jays.

A single Update series card joins the fun from 2023 before we get to some cards from a set I am collecting...

A fair enough bunch of 2024 Topps flagship base series two, and I needed more than I didn't, so solid pick ups there.

Still just starting out on the set build for 2024...only about 12% done so far, so hoping for more in the lot before starting to trade for more.

2002 Bowman Chrome Football

 Another interesting day today from the 2026 Lot as we have a new set I have never had cards in hand for before, 2002 Bowman Chrome football - I know, hard to guess given my title.

This was a few years into the Bowman Chrome football sets coming into existence, with 1998 being the first year. Not unusual that the scans come out darker than having the cards in hand, but the border is black and the background colour on the name along the side, is a dark blue. Even in hand then, these are pretty dark.

Playing the game of names I recognize, I do recognize Shannon Sharpe at least.

Kerry Collins and Kordell also. Of course I also know Jake "The Snake" Plumber as I remember, even from sports highlights, that nickname inspired by the WWF wrestler from the 1980s.

Tomlinson - nice card too.

Drew Bledsoe - alright, but fave card of the day has to be an NFL card of CFL legend, Doug Flutie!

The backs remind me very much of Bowman baseball cards - not really a surprise there I guess. Also, Ricky Williams - how are we supposed to feel about him at this point? I don't remember all the details, and will not bother looking it up, but I recall he had some troubling times during his playing career which impacted it. Either way, he has a card here at least.

A Little More

The 2026 Lot can't help but dabble just a little more of 2023-24 Upper Deck Allure my way, and most will head into the trade boxes, but I did get these...

Three more so up to six of them now I think, so that's all good.

For the rest, backs instead of fronts since we saw enough of them already...

Funny that Ovechkin was the last base I needed, but here we get four more out of it so guess it was just luck of the draw.

Guess we were filling in the middle of the base set here...but hopefully that's the last run of it...I'm all good on the pure base set now. Actually looking over the bunch now, I have 4 full sets of the pure base. Only keeping one and splitting up the others, but still pretty cool.

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.