Monday, March 18, 2024

Winging It!

 Well, since there have been other team specific pull days from the COVID lot, guess not surprising to get another - this one being all Detroit Red Wings


Just means that I don't get any keepers unless I luck out on set build cards (which is the case with 1990-01 Score Probert). The powerhouse team I grew up watching through the 90s and well into the 00s even, isn't the team they have been the last near decade.

Players like Lidstron, Datsyuk, Draper, Yzerman, Shannahan, Fedorov, Fetisov, Hasek, and others, kept the team in the hunt for The Cup regularly, winning in 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2007-08. With Bowman coaching in the 90s and Babcock through most of the 00s, the teams had strong coaches.


How much of the strong team run had to do with the teams generally early introduction of Russian hockey players, I'm not going to get into or debate, but star players are star players wherever they come from, and Detroit was able to sign a number early and they stays for long parts of their careers, made for some great teams, but great challenges for other solid teams in the league.

My Leaf teams didn't keep the longevity of greatness, but when they had good years, the Red Wings were one of the teams that seemed to be in the way and to which Toronto wasn't able to break through.

Times do change, and the Red Wings are at least looking to get back into the playoffs this year for the first time since 2015-16, then the challenge of getting out of the first round which they haven't done since 2012-13.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Baseball Bunch

 As we get into the last 1,000 cards or so of the COVID lot, we just end up with a lot of random baseball / hcokey cards, so not uch of a theme sometimes, but...baseball!


I have never seen these Legends sticker/cards before which are a multi-sport release as Martina sneaks into this otherwise baseball post. Martina was at the end of her great career when I was watching Tennis as a kid. I remember being 10-13 year sold and watching as much of Wimbledon each year as I possibly could. I did the same with soccer World Cups in the 90s too - man I binged some sport events something good as a kid. Lucky to get to watch half a baseball game these days.


Not a lot of keepers for me in the bunch, but a few different set additions with 1992 Triple Play, Pinnacle, and Studio cards above.


Always nice to get a Cliff Floyd sighting - and I have a perfect place to send him. Same with the couple Expos today.


Escobar - a lone Jays addition today, but just shows there is still so good Toronto cards to pull from the lot. Happy that he's a new one for my collection too. I definitely never saw much Stadium Club in the wild in the 90s, but have done a decent job in trading and getting the Jays from some of the sets at least.


This ad insert kind of blows my mind. In the late 90s, you could join the Collector's C;ub for $25 US and would end up getting a BOX of Upper Deck cards? $25 will get you a baseball blaster these days....darn you price increases and inflation!


The Upper Deck and Ultra designs are very millennium looking, but not for me if anyone is up for a trade!

Saturday, March 16, 2024

I Tip My Hat

 Well, touché there COVID lot, touché.


I say something about not wanting just Hab keepers, and the lot does me one better - just a whole freaking bunch of Hab cards. Again, a handful of base set helpers from some 2000s sets that slowly get a little closer to being completed, but "best" keeper is definitely...

I would say it has to be one of my top 10 favourite set designs. I know the die cut cards card be a bit of a gimmick, but with the large logo and cutting around it for each team, I don't know, I just really really love all of the base cards from the McDonald's set. I know it isn't a "classic" design and doesn't have the nostalgia factor, but I'd like seeing a similar set released again now and I'd be all over it.

Below - not so all over, though dupes of the above are okay I guess.



Can I beg anyone to take these unwanted things away from me?

Forgive me COVID lot, but may I have something better next pull?

Friday, March 15, 2024

Happy?

 I don't want to make a habit of this, but pulling cards from the COVID lot and having my set builder keepers all be like this....definitely makes it a bit anti-climactic.


They are all cards I needed - that's good. They are all Montreal Canadiens - that's bad. They are all goalies so their cards stand out a bit more.....*blank stare*....that's good.

Yes, Simpsons reference, sorry.

I personally prefer Jose over Huet.

Remember these 25th anniversary cards...which now are over 30 years old....

THe goalies that don't make the cut...


I will say, John's Florida mask is one of my all time favourites. I love the artistry that started going into the masks more and more, with his being one that caught my eye as a kid. As much as I like the mask insert sets over the years, how about an all mask set with the best of all time. You could have mask piece memorabilia cards and everything.

I loved Jim Carrey in the 90s, so always get a chuckle out of the goaltender cards as he isn't even the most famous Jim Carey in the world (I know, spelled a bit different, but still).

Thursday, March 14, 2024

A Little Decked

 I don't know why we are trying, in the middle of busy season, to get everything lined up for out deck being re-done. I mean, it isn't in dire need / falling apart, but can do with being replaced. The timing isn't key, but we did feel a need to start all the permit work non-sense sooner than later so it wasn't making delays and we could get it done this year. Still, could do with starting that process after April - not fun!

Decks that I do like...Upper Deck cards that I need...


The SP are a little basic, but a good start on that set, so it continued, but Upper Deck flagship stay solid through the years. No Leafs, so just those keepers today, but for trades...


That centre Hull Pacific Paramount is nice though. Pacific did have some unique and quality designs in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Wait...I take back what I said about Upper Deck flagship always being quality - I never liked 2000-01 with the bronzy zig zag.


Retro Zigmund is probably the best of the rest to me. Too bad I didn't have more luck with the Upper Deck flagship, but can't win them all!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Trade With wvcabo

 A trade to recap today which doesn't complete any Jays sets, but brings some nice cards.


I don't think I have been differentiating between Finest cards that still have the protective cover, and those without, but may need to check those at some point. Prefer them having the cover on, so nice to have those above.

The Collector's Choice and the silver autographs are...fine as a parallel set. I mean, could be worse, and at least there weren't 14 different colours for the signature.

The Manoa was in another recent trade, and TCDB does a great job now flagging when cards are in a proposal, but already in another trade which is nice. Being a Jay card, I still went ahead with getting another copy, but it's nice for set builds and working to avoid getting the same cards at the same time, from different people.

A smooth trade overall, and appreciated as always!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Baseball Smattering

 Some baseball cards from the COVID lot today, and a few that hit repeat-peat-peat-peat...


1994 O Pee Chee isn't too bad of a set, but I don't see much of it. Here we do get a nice error card with Raul. The error is that it somehow missed getting the card number on the back. It went uncorrected, so all the cards here have the error, but a pretty nice one.

2003 Upper Deck Sweet Spot is a nice enough set too, but again, I don't see a lot of it, so not going to collect it, and no keepers here for me.


We get some newer baseball cards, and I do like the blue bordered sets from Topps in the early 2000s. I mean, it was after a few years of ugly teal and butt bronze, so it was a step up for sure. I know, Toronto bias in liking the blue border too - so sue me.

We end with some solid stars from Bowman's Best, but not best enough to keep for me.