Remembering

25 years.

We all have world moments in our lives that impact what the world was to us before and after such events. World wars. COVID pandemics. There have been many over the years, and depending on when you were born, they impact you differently.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and essentially living there, or close to it since then, there have been many significant events in my lifetime, but the one that really, in a moment changed the before and after was the terror attacks in 2001.

As they say, anyone who lived through it, knows where they were and what they were doing when they heard about it. I was in a co-op work term, with the same accounting firm I am a partner in now, and had been at work for half an hour or so when I was checking the news shortly before 9am. It was a habit I got into to see if there were any financial headlines worth noting for work purposes, but of course, the news of the first plane hitting had just started to be in the news, and before the second.

Many at the firm started to watch the news and saw the live feed of the second plane. I remember the firm calling a meeting to let everyone know they could go home if they want, and a few had family in New York, though none directly impacted.

A surreal situation that feels like yesterday, and although not directly impacted - no family or friends with loved ones who passed in the events of 9/11, the dramatic impacts we all know and saw come afterwards rippled through how life was afterwards, changed forever, but necessary to try to avoid a recurrence of the event.

To all those who it impacted, I am sure today is a reminder, and thoughts are with you. For those born afterwards and to which it is but something learned in history - there is a reason to understand and remember.

I don't like getting too somber and "real" on the blog because this should be a place for lighter times and moments, but it is a day worth noting, but I will leave you with a look at some cards.

 The trade with fellow Canadian JBesh helped me finish the 1991-92 Ultimate Original 6 French Leaf base set. Also my first 8 of the 11 1999-2000 Pacific Paramount Leaf cards as well.

Dribbling Additions

This may be a bit of an expensive exercise, but I continue to work through 401games singles online and all sets to pick up any cards that fit my collection, that are in stock, and less than a dollar (most being 50 cents or so). They seem to have picked up enough older stock in the last few months to make this a more worthwhile exercise as I use to do this once a year and not really find much of anything. Not sure if they are just churning through more older cards/collections, but either way, it's a nice way to add cards...while also showing me the number of more expensive cards I don't have and how expensive finishing "sets" is going to be.

A bunch of different Commander sets really the focus of today, and with colourless mana producing lands being a relatively new addition to my collection focus, a solid number of pickups here. As you can see, some lands get repeated in different sets, so I technically do have more than four copies of them if you span across my collection, but I do want one from each set at least - just can't have more than four in a deck if I ever put a deck together again.

Temple of the False Gods is an interest add for a land with the two for one ability if you have enough lands out already. A decent ramp card, but would be too good if it could also just be for one colourless mana as an alternative as well.

The lands do, in some ways, allow a little colour into my collection with some being able to tap for specific colour mana as well, and that being shown in the card like Battlefield Forge.

Speaking of mana, a number of artifact cards actually work on mana production too, and these tend to be for cheap pick up value wise, so here we have cards like the Signets and Ingots.

I haven't checked, but I wonder if Burnished Hart is the artifact card I have from the most different sets. I could just swear I see it so many times, but maybe it's just heavy in repacks I pick up.

As you can see from the symbols, just because a card is a rare (or even a mythic), doesn't mean it is valuable. Bulk rares is definitely a thing in Magic, just like any other CCG. I do wonder if a "bulk rare" means a "fail" by the game producer. I mean, shouldn't all rare cards be good for play in the game? Isn't the point, you would want those cards and be chasing them? Imagine what it would be like for a set if the actual playability of the rares were better than the uncommons, which in turn were better than the commons. It would probably align best for getting people to buy and chase the rare cards (though they do this in droves even when only 10% of those rare cards are good). Maybe it would actually work against Wizards of the Coast as it would make it much harder for players to put together a good deck if the commons and uncommons were drastically below the playability of the rare cards.

I think we are safe though because I think, with all the different formats for playing, it would be impossible for a set to be made which so clearly fit the mold of rarity equals better playability.

A Mini Trade

Alright, it wasn't really a "mini" trade as in, not a lot of cards. Sure, it was a single PWE trade, but the stars of this trade are slightly smaller cards which help me finish off a nice set from the 80s.

The trade was with TCDB member michaeljohnunger and sent me these:

The top row of cards are the last four 1987 Topps Major League Leaders Minis cards I needed for the 77 card set. Not a set I ever thought about collecting or completing, but here we are!

The three Super Star backs add to the one O Pee Chee back I already had to complete that Jays team set.

A 1991 O Pee Chee Carter for the Jays collection along with Carpenter, and another base set helper for the great 2005 Upper Deck Classics set wraps up another great trade!

Hey There, Boo Boo

 Across the street from us, during the summer, there is a small flea market that happens a few times - every month or so for a few months. We go as a family as it's a 5 minute walk, just to see if there is anything much there. Sometimes there's Lego, or the odd trinket, and of course I keep an eye out for cards.

There hasn't been too much, and what was there, wasn't really priced for a Flea Market, so I hadn't picked up anything until the most recent go where I spent a big $2 on one little insert set...

Hard to go wrong with a toonie spent on the 1990 Leaf Yogi Berra Puzzle. I only had three of the pieces before, so getting the set in one go was a no brainer. There were a coupe other puzzles, but ones that I had completed already, so I passed on those.

Always enjoy these puzzles and would pick up any I don't already have for a couple bucks. I don't think they are going to be a regular thing as the table they were on didn't have anything card related except the few little puzzles, but I'd call the trip across a win.

Help From A Codhead

TCDB member Canadian Codhead lives close enough we have been able to do a few trades with saved postage, meeting up in Burlington. Helps to make a bigger trade happen, which we did a number of weeks ago but I am just getting to sharing it now. There weren't a lot of "needs" as far as Jays go, but I delved into some set builds to plump it up, and here is what we got...

A trickle of base set helpers for Upper Deck in the early 90s, a couple others. Some Jays dotted through the trade too, though some were not necessarily new for me, the copies are greatly appreciated for the collection nonetheless.

2011 Topps probably had the most help in this trade. I have about 20% of the base set, so plenty needed and this trade did some work on it.

A few Jays dupes in the mix as I will need the extra copies for the base set build anyway.

2012 Topps pick ups are all of the pitcher error variety as all the pitcher cards in the first series were first printed with some incorrect total headers on the back.

We continue through the 10s with a few more base sets getting help, and a few more Jays pick ups below...

Top two weren't new to me, but the bottom pair are.

I'm hoping to pluck through and see what else I can pull in from a trade and moreso work to get the 800 or so cards that are matches for Canadian Codhead with my traders, out to him.

More Olerud

In trying to step up my trade offering game a bit this year, I found TCDB member olerud363 and I have a bunch of cards we could trade each way, so I have been chipping away with a few deals to move some cards, and today we share another such trade which brings many a Jay to me in exchange for my work in helping to get a 2020 Topps flagship set complete.

I definitely never collected any baseball related playing cards, so those are few and far between in my collection, but I also have no idea how many such products are really out there. I do have one more today than I did before.

Then we get into the early 2000s and you can see a whole bunch of cards adding into what is becoming less of a "dead zone" in my collection than it was a few years ago.

In my mind, the late 90s is when the proliferation of manufacturers really pushing out to different sets and starting to touch more on inserts and parallels really started to take off a bit.

2000 Upper Deck here has Pros & Prospects, Ovation, and Victory, for example.

We do get a couple team set completions in the trade with 2001 SP Authentic and 2001 Upper Deck Ovation.

I don't mind sets like Archives which take designs as inspiration rather than having them seem like part of the original set.

2002 Donruss Originals is a good example - the design is very much the retro, but at least splashing Originals across the front to ensure it is different enough. Though most would know the difference even without, I always wonder about those who don't know and buy for those they love as gifts etc, and wanting to ensure they know what they are getting.

2002 Topps Total - A fine set with a not so fine Jays uniform design and logo - not my favourite time in that regard. At all.

I still don't know how to feel about 205 - it's different, but with the design taking up so much of the front, I like the A&G style back but not so much care about the front.

Upper Deck's Vintage set to be along the Topps Archive set lines had a good set for 2003.

Not everything was from the 2000s, we do have a few 2010 decade related cards.

A fantastic trade and at least will have another one or two more we should be able to do to keep adding the new to me Blue Jays into the collection.

Trade With myrke

We keep the trade trend going, in posts and also with myrke who I have done half a dozen trades with over the years, all through TCDB. The trades usually revolve around baseball, and that's what we have here as well.

Though mostly Jays related, I did get another 1982 Topps card knocked off the need list. Still have about 150 or so to go in the near 800 card set. A far cry from done, but considering I didn't have a whole ton when I started, I'm doing pretty well.

A good variety of 2000s Jays, but I am a sucker for the die cut Alomar, and the blue for the Jays Drabek is a really good looking parallel. I think I have a few of them now, and wouldn't mind getting the rest.

The Fantasy Zeuch is a one and done Jays insert - nice - and the 2020 gold parallel serial numbered due of Drury and Borucki are fabulous pick ups! 

I still need a couple more base 2018 Topps Heritage Jays to finish the team set, but getting close as I think it's just short prints left.

I am getting close to having the remaining 2020 Topps set listed on my most wanted as were are under 20 left to go before I can say that set's done. It would be my most recent base set I have completed I believe.

Speaking of blue parallels looking good with Blue Jays - Ryu gets to chime in with a great looking card to end the lot.

I'd say my trade sharing is done, but I have at least one more I can share for tomorrow too!