Continued Panini

 Back to football in the 2026 Lot today, and a number of Panini sets dibbled on today...

I will say, it has been nice to see as many star cards come through this lot as there have been - especially guys like Mahomes - as I am usually expecting the big name guys, and any of their cards, to be out of these lots. I don't care from a value standpoint, but it does make it a bit easier for trade purposes to get some stars in the bunch.

There have been a lot of Mosaic set cards in football come up, and a bit of Select, like we have here today, but very few Phoenix set cards. It's not a set I am familiar with - even though it has apparently been around since 2016. Also had to look into where the set "sits" as far as being low, mid or high end, and appears to be mid-tier (feel free to argue), which makes sense as I expect sets like Score and Prestige are lower end. 

These lots allow me to grow my knowledge a little bit each day when it comes to sets and collecting, especially in areas that are not where my main interest lies, so football, definitely in that realm.

Different Optics

 Panini hits us again with the 2026 Lot today and some 2019-20 Panini Donruss Optics cards from the basketball world, and why not start out with some of the big hitters from the 2010s...

Can't go wrong with a Curry Golden State card to start. too bad there wasn't more from that year though, as we then have to skip ahead a few years...

I definitely like the design from the 2019-2020 set over the later one from 2022-23 which seems a bit too boxy for my liking.

The backs are alright, and thinking back to sets from the mid 90s like Upper Deck and Collector's Choice - not that different actually with the picture, blurb and stats. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but it's an observation!

We actually get a rookie card here, and Dalen ended up with most of the time for a few years, suiting up for the Bulls before spending some games on court for Philly in 2025-26. A decent rookie as far as pulling and where he ended up (so far).

Watch Your Language

"Junk Wax" hockey on tap from the 2026 Lot today, and we actually get some help on a set... 

I do not have a complete English bilingual set of 1991-92 Score, so the above all help with that set. There were a number of years and sets that released bilingual and English only versions, so you had to watch whether the cards were for one set or the other and sometimes the only clues were on the back. Easiest being the write up, or it could be the full position name being written out in both languages, but there have been a number of times that I didn't look too closely at first and ended up with a card listed in the wrong set.

We do get some Leaf additions, though most are a bit indirect...

Coach cards are awesome - simple as that.

The rest felt like a...

with a bunch of traders from sets I already have traders for. I guess that's the problem with the high production times of the early 90s, everyone and their mother had these cards!

Those are not even all of them - maybe about half - but gives a good representation of what has been added to my TCDB traders. Anyone needing cards from that period - happy to help if it means moving the cards out of my house!

Childhood SkyBox

 Today's 2026 Lot pulls are basketball, and a ew sets I recall from my childhood get represented. Even as a kid, I didn't collect basketball, but I did have some cross by my hands.

1990-91 SkyBox was THE set as a kid when it came to basketball. I remember these cards were everywhere. Looking back, I don't think the design is great and holds up over time, but it is an iconic set that I have fond memories of for nostalgia reasons alone.

Similar can be said for 1992-93 Fleer, though I like the design more, it's mostly a nostalgic memory that makes me smile seeing those sets.

I definitely wasn't seeing much by the mid 90s, so any 1995-96 Collector's Choice basketball I have seen was from recent years and lot purchases of old cards.

Props to a nice Lowry card, and with more 2023-24 Donruss, I tool a look and I am really only missing about a dozen cards from having a complete pure base set which is pretty cool. I think I'll be trading the cards away here and there and not as a full near set, but still cool to see almost all of it in one go.

Unfortunately the few 1991-92 Fleer cards are a bit beat up so, still nostalgic to see, but nothing worth trading so, packing material they be!

More Updates

Back to being able to keep some of the cards I am pulling from the 2026 Lot, we have baseball today. 

2023 Topps Update is a solid set and I have been working on the build, so happily add 6 more to that work today. Might be the only keepers on the day, but puts the set build over the half way mark, and being a relatively new set, should be one I can push along well with trades on TCDB.

Some solid trade bait came through as well...

Stadium Club cards look amazing and move well in trades, and although I am trying to build the 2023 Topps Holiday set as well, as luck would have it, these three were just not needed. Actually, there was a bunch more 2023 Topps Update as well which just happened to be duplicates...

As were the 2024 Topps flagship cards today...

No Jays to lighten the blow, but a few keepers still works fine for me. Better than the past few days of lot pulls.

Not My Score

 Baseball or hockey and these would be great, but football just leaves these all as trade bait.

Warren Moon sighting - amazing how much we still see of the man since he playing days were decades ago. Goes well with the use of the 90s colour scheme vibe for the lower end Score set.

Similarly can't complain about a Barry Sanders card coming out of the bunch - nice!

The 2022 design is much better than the 2023 design, but the few 2023 cards here are pretty darn solid with McNabb, Purdy in duplicate and Favre. Still, a pass for the cards today from me, but maybe some baseball tomorrow will help change up my luck.

The Word

 Basketball cards from the 2026 Lot today, and all from the 2020-21 Panini Mosaic set. Have had a few cards from the set previously, but about another 40 to add today.

I don't actually have a lot to say about this set - I mean, it's Mosaic, and keeps with the look and feel. The design isn't significantly different from other years of Mosaic. Not a great or underwhelming card or design, just there.

Some throwback stars in the set is fine, and I appreciate that they are trying to spread the word....and what is the word, well the Larry Bird is the word.

Any time I see Larry, I am reminded of two games. I remember playing Dr. J. Vs. Larry Bird as a young child in the 80s. It was released in 1983, and there was a sequel of sorts in 1988 when it became Jordan vs. Bird. These were amount my first video games to have played and were the tip of the iceberg when it came to what video games were to me as a kid. These games were the gateway games, like Atari or Commodore 64 to what became years of Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and on from there.

Fun times. Horrible graphics (great for the time), but fun gameplay regardless.