Happy and Fun Halloween

 It's Halloween - hope all those who celebrate enjoy and have some fun. Today's Jays definitely touch on the Fun aspect with the continuing look at the cards from the sandyrusty box trade...

I believe I had one Fun Pack set Jays card before these, and as you can see, there is one base design, but a bunch of other base set, subset designs, which all try to stay fun and kid oriented. I mean, looking at Alomar below - I don't recall his head being quite that big.

An unscratched scratch card is always a nice pick up. I think by the mid-90s, I wasn't really scratching any such cards I got either, I just kept them as is, just didn't come across many is all. Collector's Choice SE with the blue border to go with the Blue Jays looking extra sweet on the Guzman card.

Into the mid-90s a bit further, Score, Topps and Ultra sets continue to grow here. I believe Joe Carter may be my most, or second most collected Blue Jay with about 350 cards - maybe 200 different ones though.

Jays from sets I don't really enjoy too much for the look, but still love for my Jays - Finest (some sets look better than others, the brown here doesn't do any favours), and SportFlix - I get the being different approach and thick cards are nice, but these ones specifically don't do as much as an ongoing action shot would.

Getting to the 200s, not too much beyond, but still goodies - even Bowman in all it's not so successful rookie goodness.

Excellent bunch again today, but that's not the end of the package - we still have some Leaf cards and wrestling cards to boot!

Marching On

Sandyrusty continued the barrage on my Jays want list of the 90s with plenty of new to me cards.

I had a full 1993 Donruss team set, but needed duplicates for the set build that is low on my priorities list.

Amazingly, there are still cards from the 90s I haven't even heard of like the Roberto Alomar 1993 Donruss Long Ball Leaders insert card (top middle). I mean, fantastic card, just never ever heard of it until getting it in this trade.

Happy the Guzman Humpty Dumpty is still wrapped up, though it is my second and I need an unwrapped one for my team set as I can't get myself to take him out of the packaging.

This Select set is one I have seen often enough, I would have thought I'd have all the Jays, but alas not true...yet. Love the Joe Carter post swing pose though.

You know when cards are posed just similar enough you do a double take 0 yeah, Alomar and Henderson made me do the double take here. Though, they do remind me of WAMCO - sorry Henderson, you aren't included on the White, Alomar Molitor, Carter, Olerud line up reference.

These Finest Blue Jays have faired well, not the massive curve on the cards that I know they can get over time.

We end in the mid 90s for now...but still have some more Jays to go, though a pause for another thank you to sandyrusty for initiating this big trade - really hope it was as useful to you as it was to me.

Variation Sensation

 Picking up where I left off yesterday, the Jays portion of the sandyrusty trade now takes us into the early 90s, where plenty of variations are to be found.

Yes - I am still not done with all of the 1991 Donruss variations, and also have been tracking down the "jumbo" pack variations out of the 1991 Fleer set too.

I will always highlight excellent Studio cards, just fabulous shots. I will also say, Kittle is obviously not a Jays card, but he is an error card that I missed when separating things out, so he shows up here too!

The variations continue with the 1991 Topps Gruber being a "dark logo" variation on the back, though he is not a glow back variation.

Always liked the 1992 Diet Pepsi set, and now I have all the Jays from it with Henke being the last one I needed.

We also have more 1992 Donruss because apparently there are Inc versus Inc. variations to be had in that set as well.

Oh...and this Leaf set here....same issue regarding that pesky period. I swear it's all because some worker just couldn't be bothered placing the period in some prints or factories.

Best of the bunch for team set completion is Ken Dayley who was that last pesky 1992 Score Jay card I needed for the team, so another one knocked off on the team set front. Honestly, going better than I expected on that front as I have knocked off 6-8 team sets so far and will probably end up around a dozen or so when all is said and done!

Into The 90s

 We continue the box from sandyrusty with more Jays additions, which head through the later 80s and into the 90s!

I have no idea what I will consider a complete set when it comes to the 1988 stickers. I mean, you have the backs where people have taken the stickers off, you have the "un-stuck" stickers, you have the different combination variations. I'll think about it harder when I have more.

I do have all the UK Mini Jays, and I now have a bunch of the 1989 Fire Safety team set now.

The FIre Safety sets are quite basic and on thin cardstock too, so they have a tendency to suffer as they age, though these ones are all pretty darn good.

Poor Jimy, I remember as a kid, asking my grandpa why his parents spelled his name wrong...I mean, why did they forget the second M in Jimmy?

I really like the Best in the AL Donruss set from 1990 because the blue border looks so good. John is the last of my Jays needs for that set - sweet!

We also get a bunch of Fleer - and no, not your regular Fleer, your Fleer Canada set Fleer. One of those variations that people who dislike variations will dislike, though I count this akin to Topps/O Pee Chee really.

We end today just touching in 1991, but most noticeable is how dirty Mookie Wilson is. The man puts in an effort, just like sandyrusty did with putting together his side of this massive trade. A bunch more to share tomorrow!

Early Day Jays

 Today, I want to start going through the Jays cards from sandyrusty - and there are plenty so it will take a few days. I am curious to see if I happen to get some team sets completed. It wouldn't surprise me, but time will tell, and we get to start off in the early days of the Jays.

When thinking of early Jays, I mean, early being before I was old enough to follow them, Alvis Woods is one of those names for sure. A couple 1979 O Pee Chee are an excellent start, and I am about half way there on the Jays for that one.

The Jays Future Stars card does give me the first complete team set out of this bunch of cards - as I can knock 1980 Topps off the list - woohoo!

1981, 1982 Donruss definitely helps, but still a bit of work left to do on those ones.

Getting into the mid-80s, no more full team sets, but some great additions including some stickers!

Sweet - one of my favourite sets, I now have a complete set of Jays for....1984 O Pee Chee. The first cards I ever remember having were some of these cards...which I traded for 1991 Donruss in 1991. Yeah, that wasn't a smart move.

Plenty of help with 1985 O Pee Chee here too, though not enough to get to a full team set, but I'll take it!

I love the fire safety sets, and 1987 is one I have been piecemealing together, and at 29 of 36 now, so not much further to go on that one.

We get another team set completed here with 1988 Leaf and the 18 Jays in the set. Given the mass amount of Jays here, glad to be able to get a few team sets completed, and hoping there will be more tomorrow!

Setting Them Up

 I figure the first items to go through out of the big box from sandyrusty (well, after the nice surprise team set) would be the set helpers. A bunch of help, so I wanted to highlight how much.

First up....1986 Topps.....

It is a set that has grown on me a lot, which is why I started to collect it together in the first place last time a bunch came into my possession. With the additions above, I am not down to just 3 base cards left to complete the set and have added those to my "most wanted" page. I already have dupes of all the Jays, so have my complete team set as well, so all great there. I think I may be missing an error card or two for that collection, but not a big stresser on that one.

1987 Leaf - a lot closer on, well, everything. I need a couple copies of the Ozzie Smith Donruss King card and a Jay or two, and then I will have my full set, by Donruss King set and Jays team set - awesome great help all around though, with a simple 11 cards.

Oh, the joys of variations and the 1989 Donruss set.

I will start by saying, this did complete the 26 card insert MVP set. Okay, there are variations still, but I have one of each so, as much as I will keep one of each variation, I am considering this insert set done.

As for the main set itself, I am down to just two cards - one of any given card, I am not collecting 4 variations of each card (except the Jays of course), and one of those two would be the Griffey rookie of course.

Yes, I am still trying to finish 1991 Bowman, and am now down to just a handful of cards which have also been added to my most wanted page. Getting very close, and should be able to know it out soon.

1991 Classic 1 is a set that I got most of from the COVID lot, so picked up a few helpers on the base set to get up to 90$ done - 10 cards to go.

Here...

We have just a few 1993 Stadium CLub cards. I don't have much, though have a decent start now with about 80 cards from the set, and the bit I already had. Didn't bother scanning all here, but wanted to mention the great addition. Still a while to go before I really work on this one as I do have many others ahead in line to finish, but I do really like the look of the set.

A couple hockey sets too - down to just a few for 1991-92 Stadium Club, and finished off 2000-01 McDonalds finally with that Hackett card - yay! One of the many McDonalds sets I enjoy.

Wow - lots of great set help, and that doesn't even get into the Toronto content, which we can start in on tomorrow!

We Have To Talk About Bruno

 My kids really enjoy the Encanto movie by Disney, what can I say. It's pretty good and a worthwhile watch if you have any interest in kids movies.

The Bruno I want to talk about is TCDB member sandyrusty. With the Canada Post free ship Tuesday for an item in Canada with Expedited Parcel, we sent each other a box of about 500 cards. Bruno was really nice to reach out with it, and also just go through my traders and pull cards he doesn't have, but wasn't necessarily looking for, compared to a huge list of cards of his that are on my want list.

One way or another, we get the big trade done, and now I have a bunch of cards to pull through, share, and see what I was able to complete or get close to completing with the trade.

First up was the "bonus" which wasn't in the trade, but which he sent - a full 2011 Toronto Blue Jays Fire Safety set!

Ace has a pretty good signature for a bird!

Though the logo itself isn't my favourite, the design on these cards is pretty excellent. Easy to read, blue contrasting blue, good photos, and even the Bowman style faux signatures add and don't detract from the cards.

Of course you get the full team so EE, Bautista, are great to see...

however it's getting the coaches that is pretty cool on these sets as well, including former Jays player, Pat Hentgen.

Definitely an amazing surprise for the trade, and a good way to start off the box of goodies. Not sure how much I will split it up or not, but probably depends on how much there is to highlight, which may be a lot.

Another Pause For Trades

 Yeah, going to have to pause the COVID lot for a bit, gain, and for good reason....more trades! I have a couple to share today and then I have a box which will take a few days to really go through, share, see what it may have completed or got near completions, etc, etc, etc.

For today though, two PWE trades with TCDB members to share...

First one being from OfficerZero.

I am getting closer on 1986 Topps - will have to check and see what is left but I think it's a small list. As for the Bell - it was supposed to be the dark Topps logo variant, but wasn't. With such small issues, and that I still keep the dupes, I don't bother advising the trade partner for any kind of adjustment, more just an FYI to ensure their collection is right going forward. I then just update my collection accordingly. I mean, doesn't come with any big value premium or anything so no big deal.

Wrestling cards are always a plus and here we have a promo card from a late 90s release and Sable was THE woman at the time. A great wrestler? No, but at the time it was looks that sold. I mean, she sold it to Brock and that's a relationship that I wouldn't have expected to work in real life, but just goes to show we don't really know the underlying people.

We then get my first cards from the 2019 Summerslam set release. I always really like the roster cards from the set, and an Eddie IC insert is just extra awesom!

Since that trade happened to cover some baseball and wrestling, the second trade is all hockey with TCDB member doogie_13.

The MVP cards are inserts from the 1996-97 Collector's Choice offering, and given there are 3 Leaf cards in the 45 card insert set, just speaks to the star power of the team at the time. These two get to join Doug Gilmour to complete the small team set - woohoo!

The Berezin is my first Gold Medallion parallel from the 1996-97 Ultra offering - though I am not a fan, I did like the years when the gold medallions were just bathed in gold foil - background or otherwise.

The rest of the trade helps to bolster the work on some of the more recent O Pee Chee Leaf team sets. As much as I enjoy Auston, Marner is probably my fave current Leaf - and still miss Kadri being a Leaf, though happy with his success in Colorado.

Thanks again to both traders, as it's much appreciated and love the additions to my collection - thank you!