Reading the Fine Print Run

 No messing around, we have another bunch of print run or serial numbered cards - or should have been serial numbered cards. Some may not be new, we saw them not too long ago, but more copies, more merrier, right?

Let's first start though with the base card additional as we get some more help in 1994-95 Score hockey.

At this point I am closing in on half way complete on the 275 card set, all of which outside of the Leafs, are cards picked up from this lot, so that's cool. Interesting fact that, the reason this set is only 275 cards is because it was really supposed to be series 1 with series 2 cancelled because of the lock out of 1994, and it was replaced instead by Select on the card release schedule.

Though some stars are missing from this set, probably being saved for series 2, there are still solid stars like Adam Oates here.

I know I've shared a similar photo'd card that was more recent, but can't remember who it was. Can't put my finger (or foot) on it. Still a nice and different shot, but that's going to bother me until I remember the other similar card.

Here we go with some print run keepers, and a Zellers card too. We saw a few of these draft pick cards before, and as I say, kind of my limit for going back to "minor league" level cards. At least these are draft pick recognition to show who they were drafted by, so I can live with keeping those.

As for the Pilote, that is a very cool Zellers card...remember Zellers? Zellers was a store chain that was nationwide in Canada as a kid, though back in 2011, Target bought up most of their leased locations in Canada as the chain essentially liquidated then. In researching now, I found out that parent company, Hudson's Bay actually kept a couple locations open until January of last year as liquidation stores for The Bay whereas I thought they were all gone back in about 2013.

Anyway, Zellers have small Masters of Hockey sets for a few years in the mid 90s - each being less than 10 cards per set, Pilote coming from the 1994-95 version.

Last up....

As I say, have seen some of the pre-auto Dawson football cards, the Bevil ones as well, and Flair keeps adding cards so I may revising collecting 1994 Flair by time this lot is done.

A fun run on the cards today!

Protect and Mail

Mail in sets. I never did any, though I remember fondly seeing the advertisements on packages and inserts through the early 90s. You usually had to send in proof of buying a number of packs or points or similar cards, and maybe have to cover shipping and handling with a small fee in order to get some mail in set. 

Well, with 1997 Collector's Choice, you were able to send 10 series 2 wrappers and $3 shipping and handling in order to receive a 30 card update set. Here, we have at least a portion of that set, including...

the lone Blue Jay from that set.

It is very obviously the similar design as the base cards from the regular 1997, but to denote some of the movers and shakers as they were.

Now of course, an update is cause for a completely new release of 200 or so cards depending. At least the sets are still decent in size, rather than some of the "premium" releases like...

1998-99 Finest which is akin to Chrome, but these have that nice "peel and remove" wording because the surface is so tender, we needs to protects my precious...

The finest set is all of 150 cards, not even the size of a current baseball update set. Still, nice that the cards are all protected still.

The last set, which like Finest, is not currently in the keep pile...

They don't scan that well, but these are SPx Top Prospects hockey cards from that same year. These are interesting in the the SPx gold foil part is actually just on the one layer of card. These are thick cards, and can think of it as one card that is regular size, then the top part with the player picture is the same size, except cut out around the gold foil part.

Very interesting design. There is also a SN part in the bottom left where, for SN cards/parallels, the number is simply stamped on there and looks "boxed".

Interesting pick ups today all around.

Duds

 Well, bound to be days like today - nothing in here for me. Doesn't mean it can't be interesting though, flipping through a random stack of 50 cards. Well, somewhat random as there are "chunks" that show up.

We get a run of NBA Draft subset cards from 1992-93 Upper Deck...not bad.

No border, limited design on the front - alright overall.

We generally stick to Upper Deck and basketball for most of the cards, ending with a bunch out of 1996-97, which we have seen a bit of before, but we end with the first subset cards of "the game in pictures" as it says on the back. Jason Kidd and Avery Johnson. I will say, I did at least recognize Jason Kidd.

I may not have ever been big into basketball but 1994-1998, I at least did follow a little.

Let's end with something I will actually keep with a PWE trade with another new trade partner tucha from TCDB. I send off a bunch of O Pee Chee hockey cards for the cards below...

Some great Leafs add - though the Jonas card between the brown border and green jersey definitely doesn't scream "Maple Leaf". With the MVP cards, I don't mind the faux silver script used with this design, it doesn't take away from the cards.

Wasn't just Lefas - have some help for a set...

2011-12 Victory is not high up on the list of sets I am chasing down to finish, but I do have a solid part of it already, and this helps well on the remaining. The contrast on the Quick card between the old school yellow and purple and the black/grey really makes him pop on the card.

We also end with a few newer Leaf cards including more Marner who I enjoy almost as much as Authon.

Another appreciated trade!

Legit Embossed

 Though it may be hard to see...it's cards like these which really make these lots very interesting.

It is hard to see, but if you look below the black of his shorts and between his legs, you can see the embossing which says "trading card" and the word fall above the word expo, beside a '97.

So, I had to do some interwebs digging to figure this out. What would have helped is, this embossing doesn't show the crown in the middle very well, but what I was able to find is that, from 1997-2003, Pacific would make embossing stamps for each major card show that they would be at. You would be able to buy a pack of cards and for a fee, they would emboss one of the cards from the pack.

To be clear, this card is stamped with the Toronto Fall Expo for 1997 - which makes sense as, from what I have found out, the owner of the set was in the Southern Ontario area collecting through his life.

From a collecting and documenting issue, this means no one knows how many of any given card exist that is embossed. Secondly, they apparently destroyed the embossing stamp after the show so that additional cards could not be stamped either.

If you want a detailed read and examples of the different embossing stamps used, I found this thread which does a great job explaining it.

So what does this mean? Well, prices for these cards can be, in relative terms, expensive. In some digging, these regular cards go for standard prices - anywhere from 10 cents to 99 cents depending on where you want to get them, but the embossed versions seem to sell from $15 - $40 depending on the player.

Has to be a market for it, and I am sure the prices fluctuate considerably, but very cool pick up for me out of this lot, and a solid player. I would guess there are a few of these cards out there as Chris is a Hall of Famer and was great at the time people would have been opening the packs.

Other keepers for today...

Still picking up hologram different cards out of early 90s Upper Deck!

Sweet - I found Dave man!

The rest...

I didn't look up how many cards in a pack for the Pacific Crown Collection product out of 1997-98, but I am guessing we may be seeing a single pack all in, minus an insert or two...

A very education pull today...wouldn't mind another, but don't expect to see it.

We can end today with a quick PWE trade from someone new at TCDB - Midnight112x. Traded away some baseball base cards in exchange for mostly the same...

Except for a pretty nice purple parallel TJ and the Smoak Diamond King is pretty sweet. THat design on the Diamond King is very mid-80s and I really like it.

Since I don't get these new cards myself, always appreciate these trades for helping my collection along.

Checking In

 I'll share the cards from today's pull as usual, but then thought I'd do a "where we are at" with the summary below. Specifically, I'm curious where I am at compared to the Santa Lot, and if this is better or worse so far, as I know it is going to be bigger regardless.

The keepers help, always love moving sets, and the 1991-92 Parkhurst set has been long outstanding...since about 1991-92 actually.

Happy to pick up the Hasek card - another one of those I don't expect to see as it appears goalies and Hasek cards otherwise are somewhat depleted in the lot compared to everything else, but looks like one at least got through, and the dual hologram (text and logo) such that I keep it.

Well  if I am going to see much of this set, might as well get some additional dupes. Dimitri wins out of the four, for most copies in my collection as this is the 10th (others are 4, 4, and 7 for Yanic, Mark and Mike respectively).

The rest...

So, in comparison, the Santa Lot was just shy of 13k cards in total, and keeping in mind back then, I would keep one of any baseball or hockey card I didn't have whereas now, I at least have a list of sets I collect rather than "everything".

That said, I had 238 Toronto cards in the Santa Lot, and am already over 220 - so should beat that one.

Inserts and similar, I have blown out of the water compared to the 457 from the Santa Lot - heck, beat that just from the 1992 Topps Gold set keepers.

Error cards, I am already ahead from just the 1991-92 O Pee Chee set alone almost.

As for the overall baseball and hockey keepers - all in - I am just a little short - I'm actually ahead if for the keepers, you include the non-sports stuff I am keeping.

So verdict for this is, the 20 in 20 Lot is a better lot overall in the content and use to me - don't think that can really change, even if most all the rest is stuff I pass on, don't collect, etc.

Still - will continue to be fun to go through!

Hockey Galore

 With today's cards, makes me wonder if this will be the hockey set we see the most of overall in this lot. We have more 1992-93 Upper Deck, which means looking at holograms!

As part of my "why the heck not", let's collect a set of both hologram types with this set, I will keep the above cards with their logo and text holograms, whereas the rest below either are just the logo, or are the higher numbered cards that only come with both, and that I already have.

Still really love the artwork on the team checklist cards. So well done that, if you know the players of the time well at all, you can recognize them all easily enough.

Unlike before which was just a run of cards in order, a bit less order, and some dupes together with these ones. Still some great photo work like the Peter card in bottom right.

We end with another great goalie dupe photo as well.