Happy Halloween 15

Wow to a great game 7 and first title for the Nats (or Expos). Fascinating for the away team to win every game, and a series so different that way, but exciting nonetheless. A great season ender. I will leave it at that as I am sure many will go over the details better than I, but a series that was better than most expected.

Hope everyone has a great Halloween this year. I don't really have anything card wise to open or look at that would fit the theme, so I've got a 15 card Dollarama pack of hockey cards, and we shall see if we at least get something colour coordinated for the occasion.

One colour scheme I am always happy to see is the white and blue...



Cujo is one of my favourite Leaf goalies behind (behind Potvin at least). The Bowman I had but both Cujo and Connor Brown were nice new adds. I don't mind seeing current year cards like Connor in these repacks (it was the front card on this package and the reason I picked it up.

For the other keepers, we hit some black and orange schemed cards.



A couple Flyers will fit the mood for today, and Schenn being mid autograph on a Portfolio card is great. One of the reasons I enjoy this set. I have about 130 of the 200 pure base (non-rookie, wire or other special shorter printed subsets) cards, so can see getting it done in the next year or so.



SOme traders including the, what seems to be usual, couple In The Game cards and a Bruins card that I already have another home to send it to, which is out of 2005 and one of the In The Game sets as well.

Have a safe trick or treat evening everyone!

Another box Cuma go

Last pack out of the latest Top Shelf Repack, and here is a spoiler - it's about what I'd expect from these boxes as opposed to the good one I had earlier this year.

Last pack of 2012-13 Score Hockey which does at least contain a couple more base set needs.



Cuma made all of 1 single NHL game in his career. I guess the good news is he did break through to the NHL, but he has spent the last few years playing in Austria, so a single NHL career game will be where his NHL career will stand I gather.



One thing I appreciate about the score design - this gold parallel has all stats listed on the back. Each and every season. It means the different lay out, as shown here, but I always appreciate the full stats appearance.

We end with the dupes, which, given I am just shy of 40% of the base set, more than half dupes in a pack is a bit disappointing.



5 Packs, 99 cards, 243 points

The box ends near the bottom of the pack. Not sure if I will have another box or two for entry on the 2019 list, but regardless, I do know that my Dave & Adam buys this year will allow me to start this same type of posting review of boxes for 2020.

2019 Box Scores
1)	Top Shelf Repack 1	9.8696
2)	2016 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Blaster 2	8.0000
3)	2015-16 Upper Deck Champs Box	7.7130
4)	2016 Topps Allen & Ginter Blaster	5.1220
5)	Chapters / Indigo 2009-10 "Box"	5.0784
6)	2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio Box	3.6067
7)	2018-19 Tim Hortons Chrismas Packs	3.3913
8)	2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Blaster	3.3333
9)	2016 Topps WWE Road To Wrestlemania Blaster 1	3.2222
10)	2017 Topps WWE Blaster 1	3.1905
11)	2017 Topps WWE Blaster 2	3.1389
12)	2015 Topps WWE Heritage Blaster 1	3.1296
13)	2017 Topps Update Baseball Blaster	3.1000
14)	2016 Topps WWE Blaster 1	3.0952
15)	2018 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Blaster 1	3.0476
16)	2016 Topps WWE Then Now Forever Blaster 1	3.0317
17)	2016 Topps Series 2 Baseball Blaster	2.9700
18)	2016 Topps WWE Road To Wrestlemania Blaster 2	2.8194
19)	Top Shelf Repack 2	2.8000
20)	2015 Topps WWE Heritage Blaster 2	2.6923
21)	Championship Collection Box 1	2.5366
22)	Top Shelf Repack 3	2.4545
23)	2016 Topps WWE Blaster 2	2.2917
24)	Gems of the Game Repack 1	2.0851
25)	1996 SkyBox 30 Years of Star Trek Phase Three	1.8963

A bit of everything

Two packs of 2012-13 Score left from this repack box, and this one has a bit of everything in it.

We have a season highlight base subset card that is a keeper...



We have another base card keeper....



We have a Leaf for keeps....



We have a gold parallel keeper....



We have a different insert keeper (Team Score)....



We have a couple dupes...



So yeah, that is about as good as you can do to touch on pretty much everything in only 7 cards!

4 Packs, 92 cards, 233 points

Also want to share a quick trade with new trade partner John5150 who wanted a few basketball cards. Happy to get rid of those in exchange for some baseball needs (and not so needs in just some other Jays...



1982 Topps is a set I have a long way to go on (only about 20% complete), but that I do want to slowly work on. Here we have 5 more cards needed and now, not so needed.



About 50/50 on these being needs and extra Jays for the collection, but any of the early cards are always welcome, as was the trade with John5150.

Stone Cold

Stone has had a decent NHL career so far, but a bit cold in that - I didn't need this one. I am at about 40% for the set, so kind of disappointing that I run into rookies I have...



As well as gold parallel cards that I already have as well. Though it does beg the question - anyone else out there working on this set and need any base or parallel cards?

Not all bad in the pack though, as the base needs include another Season Highlight subset card.



The Schenn card is great for the perspective - given it is from the winter classic, the view showing a nice view of the stadium and sky in the background adds a nice extra layer to it, than just being Schenn on the ice.

3 Packs, 85 cards, 214 points

Miller Time

Perspective is so important. True in so many ways - be it of specific situations, or life in general - it is important to keep perspective. Sometimes in cards, we are given the same perspective picture, after picture and picture. Though this is to be expected - in hockey, most players are pictured skating or just standing in net, so when an insert like this Net Cam shot comes along with something of a different perspective - it stands out and looks so great.

It also gives something you really don't see, a decent perspective of the inside of the arena.

In baseball, you get stadium cards, though it is rare, they do happen. I can't recall there being many at all for hockey arenas. Heck, for any other sport collectors, like soccer, are there many pitch or stadium cards? Just curious.

Nice to get one of the net cam cards too since they fall every 18 packs.



A golden wWillie - needed it, as well as these base...



Nice star power among them, especially Kane. As for dupes, just one...


One time Leaf Stajan.

2 Packs, 78 cards, 202 points

Not such a Victory

Today, one of the packs from the cube - 2008-09 Upper Deck Victory - so a set I am working on (kinda). The downside of being a set I am working on - half the pack are duplicates...



Decent, and at least Cheechoo I knew I had seen a couple times before from the Santa Lot a couple years ago.

At least a couple additions though...



Always happy that, if I can't get a Leaf, I can get a Pen, and Staal was a solid part of their team early in his career.

We end with...



A rookie card which falls every other pack, but of a pretty solid rookie as McLeod has been in the league for a dozen years with time between Colorado, Nashville and New York. A scrappy, but solid player who has carved out a solid career.

An alright pack, but let's see if the Score packs come up with anything interesting next.

1 Pack, 71 cards, 173 points

Trying my luck with another cube

One of the pick ups from Walmart this last little while was another one of those cubes which comes with, well, as it states here...



65 cards and 7 packs. We will go through the 65 cards in a minute, but let's take a look at those 7 packs to see if there is anything to keep for the unopened pack collection...



Now, being an astute accountant, I can tell that there are 8 packs here instead of 7 - which I am okay with. I figured the clear pack of MVP cards may have been part of the 65 instead, but counted those and there are still 65 cards, so I just ended up with an extra item - yay!

So for new packs, just turned out both the newer Upper Deck packs were new adds as is, and the MVP clear pack would be too, but had to figure out what it was.

I first thought it may be a blaster extra type pack or something, but it is actually a complete base set box exclusive - and the 5 cards is it, so instead of a pack, this is actually a complete insert set.

Let's go through the 65 cards, and though I can't necessarily score this whole box the same way I usually would per se - we can do something close enough...scoring again is...

Base card - 1 point (yes, all cards get a point)
Base card need - 2 points
Base variation card - 20 points
Base card Toronto card - 5 points
Base variation Toronto card - 50 points
Insert Card bonus - points based on odds - if 1 in 4 - worth 4 points, double if a Toronto card

Only difference now is, a base card need is going to have to be a set that I am collecting - so scores may drop a little now that I have narrowed my focus.

The cards contained within the 65 didn't include a bunch of autographs or serial numbered cards, but did include these...



These are all from the high numbered part of the 2018-19 Upper Deck MVP set (odds are every other hobby pack, or every fourth retail pack - so we will average to a three here). With this portion almost completed taken care of, definitely adding the set to the collection list.

The second set, is already on the list - 2016-17 Upper Deck flagship, and all of these ended up being needed...



Lastly, not so needed, and too big a set to start collecting given these cards - some O Pee Chee...



65 Cards, 164 Points

More of the same

As promised, the second half of the Dollarama pack for today - and similar make up to the first half, which I guess shouldn't be too much of a surprise.



Like yesterday, another 1985 Leaf Donruss King, but just so happens to be the Jays player - so I got me a Willie! Goes along well with another 1990 Topps McGriff.

One thing added today that wasn't in yesterday's pack - an error collection addition...


Sure, it is just a date error that went uncorrected, but still counts to me.

Like yesterday, there were a decent number of keepers to go with sets I continue to collect.



These repacks are usually quite Topps heavy, but a fair bit of Fleer through this pack, in both halves. Worked out well given the specific sets hitting the Fleer ones that made my "collcect it" list.

As for the traders (if you are interested)...



The last couple cards are interesting ones. I hadn't seen any of the 2015 Panini Contenders Baseball cards in hand, and here we have a couple. Not my thing as they deal with the college years and minor league time, but happy to trade them away if anyone is interested in that type of thing.

A drive away winning start

40 of the 80 cards in a Dollarama baseball card repack today, the rest tomorrow. Let's see what's there for me (and maybe for you!). Yeah, some Jays today and one really odd card considering it is a baseball card.



When I first saw the Santiago 1997 Fleer card, I just saw the vehicle and assumed I had ended up with a Nascar or Indy card for some reason. Not really the case obviously, just a really interesting choice for a photo, and one that will stick out among the blue and white uniforms of Blue Jays. It was the "new to me" card for the Jays of the three.

Well, there was at least one Diamond King as well for me to add...



1985 Leaf - a bit outside the usual for Diamond Kings in these repacks, so gladly will take it, along with these other keepers...



A nice bunch, including a good Limcecum as well as a handful, or close to it, for some later 80s Fleer sets.

Traders...



In addition to the typical early 90s sets, some nice 2000s cards including a Bowman Chrome Bryant and Heritage Molina. Also noticed that I ended up with 2 Steve Wilson cards from 1989 Topps Traded - I guess that can happen in these here and there, as much as it really can be avoided when you are only getting 80 cards.

Other half up tomorrow!

15 more from the dollar store and another trade

A nice little repack from the dollar store for today. Again, will be interesting if I end up with more than a card or two for keeps now with the more focused collecting I am doing, but we shall see.

First up, let's look at Toronto content!



Definitely a great pack considering that out of 15 cards, three get to go into the Leaf collection, and of that, two were new to me as well. The Tyler Bozak was basically the last non-young gun from series one that I needed from 2014-15 Upper Deck's base set, and the Parkhurst mid-90s '66-'67 Parkhurst set is a first from that set for me as well.

For the much smaller "set needs"...



Nice - still ended up with a few needs covered here as well.

The trade bait....



So, the difference in this pack is that, if I was keeping everything I didn't have, there would be three more of these cards in the keepers pile (the last three).

Not too shabby, and as I said, 3 Leafs in one of these will always be a winning pack to me.

Another PWE trade came in the other day. This one from a first time trade partner at TCDB - sandd0522.



A bunch of newer Jays for the collection, including some Gypsy Queen cards. Like the design, even if it is on the dark side, it does stand out when there are 100 different sets out each year.

A rookie Stro-Show also is a great one to go with too.

There wasn't tons I needed, but since I am always happy to take dupes, a great way to pick up, not one, but two Jansens!

Great thanks for the great cards!