Back to Back

Right to it - happily, the first pack today was like the last yesterday...

Leaf content with the now former Leaf captain Tavares. He did very well ad captain, even if from day 1, he was a transitional captain of sorts, waiting for Auston to be ready to be in the captain role.

As for the second pack...

Nice - another Domains card. I don't mind these excessively sparkly cards, though the do look much better in person. I do tend to pull a fair amount of Stamkos cards. Not a good or bad thing, more an observation.

Lots of Blue

First 2022-23 Upper Deck MVP pack today has lots of blue covered...

Jets, Blues, and both NY teams, but none are the Leaf blue I am looking for.

Even the inserts tease me, but the Pin Points insert is about as fancy as MVP set inserts get, and in hand it is definitely much nicer.

Pack two...

Nice - Marner base card, yay. Add in the rookie Samberg card, and another solid pack.

Only made a bit strong with a solid Ice Battles card at the end - fantastic!

The Set Build Continues

Two more MVP packs today as we continue the set build from the retail box.

Not a bad pack, a nice Foligno and the ugly Islanders jersey, but still set helpers!

Hoping I might get a couple Leaf Ice Battles cards as I don't plan on getting a full set, so Leaf set would be great.

Pack number two for today...

Guentzel and Forsberg are good pick ups...

A Drouin silver script to finish.

The MVP parallels and inserts aren't spectacular given its a low end set, but they are solid enough. I have never been one to love the faux signatures on cards, but it is fine enough on these and is a bit of a staple for MVP sets.

Set Got Back

Now that we have had a few days with the fronts of the cards from 2022-23 Upper Deck MVP, let'

s check out some backs too.

I really am not a big fan of the backs because of simply, the lack of stats. I want full stats, but at least give me a most recent year and career lines - or something. A small team logo, no picture, big MVP across the top. I know it's a lower end set, but this could have made a big different on how much I'd like the set by these back fixes.

Okay, getting a one in thirty-six packs 20th anniversary insert makes up for it a bit. Would have been better to be a Leaf, but a nice pick up - even if it's a design I don't have great regard for - it's just middling to me.

Second pack today...

All new today, is good, and the back of the Ice Battles cards - are very basic. Again, a picture if nothing else, would have added plenty - heck, make it from the NHL game even, a headshot, to go with the stats here. I mean, perfect tie in, no?

Same Name Different Team

 Another couple packs of 2022-23 Upper Deck MVP Hockey today and we start with a card that confuses me.

I still don't like seeing Fleury as anything but a Penguin. Maybe it's just me, but that's his team and always will be. First dupe though as I happened to have Farabee already.

Another Ice Battles card, but no Leafs in this pack unfortunately.

Second pack:

Sweet - first Domains insert pick up. These fall one every seven packs, so should be a few in this box, but still a decent design and better looking in hand. Not a surprise it mentions the time played with Canada and leading Canada to gold over the Czech Republic.

Another solid couple packs, hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.

2022-23 Upper Deck MVP Hockey

 I still have the boxes from October free shipping trades that I did with a bunch of goodies, but I also have more new stuff I want to get to, and I also want to get in a position for the start of this coming year, to work through another lot I bought almost a year ago now - though I know how I plan to work quicker through that one, since I have another newer lot I also purchased to go through.

I think I am off buying cards in 2025 and up to just trades and updating what I have with all these cards to share still. Not sure if I will ever be "up to date" with stuff, but that's when I will stop posting daily.

As for the next to share item - a retail box I got on the cheap a while ago from 401games.

I have an unopened pack already, so will be opening all the packs, maybe two a day so we have some cards to really look at. 

As for where we start on this set build before even opening it...22 cards which includes 2 short prints, so I would expect I will get close on the pure base set (hopefully over 80% done) completion, but will be missing some short prints. It is MVP, so those should still be readily available I would think, to trade for, once we are done.

Let's get right to the first couple packs:

Though the front design may take up a bit more real estate than desired, it's a nice looking card, even for a low end product. Good, clear photos, easy to read names, and maybe an MVP logo that's a bit bigger than it needs to be.

The Ice Battles cards which fall just shy of one per pack are a nice vibrant orange and easily discernable from the base set. They make for an interesting enough parallel.

Pack 2:

It may be a Predator hot pack, but I'll take the Leaf pick up with Nylander. Those uniforms are bright though - wow!

Well, if you are going to get a parallel, doesn't hurt to get Sid The Kid out of the way early in this retail box. Definitely my favourite player from the last, near, 20 years, will be a shame to see him retire though we aren't quite there yet!

With all new to me cards in the first two packs, that's a trend I'd like to see continue!

Shut Out

 No base addition for me in the entire blaster - again. Luck is definitely not on my side. We do get an early Uncle Howdy.

Bo, as himself, was a mid-card talent on the main roster, at best. I think he had a better run in NXT, it just didn't translate well with the move to the main roster.

With some maturing and opportunity for a new character through the storytelling and build of his real life brother Bray Wyatt, Uncle Howdy has been a much better character for the man and hopefully provides a great run - Bo is a talented wrestler and just needed to find the character side that works for him.

A shame, not even the 2K card is new for me, though it was a 50/50 shot as I had 4 of the 8.

As for the bonus pack...

The Sting card is a great new addition, and as far as "base" relics go, I could have done much worse than the future Hall of Famer in Charlotte.

Definitely helps the look of the card that the colour of the shirt relic matches the colour if the shirt worn in the picture.

Well, given there were no base additions, the extremely low score isn't much of a surprise. Still, nice to have the Charlotte swatch at least, but not a lot to celebrate on this box. For better or worse, I do have another floating around for another time.

Well Speak Of The Taker

 Funny enough that I wrote about Kane with getting his Now & Then insert, and today we pick up his storyline brother's card.

So much could be said about the great career of the Undertaker, but I am just going to highlight one high and one low that are outside the usual trains of thought.

He may be one of the last who truly acts as a protector of the business - someone who stayed in character outside of the ring, as much as possible, during his active career. He never pulled back the curtain to show the man behind the Taker until his days were over from really being in the ring and it definitely added to the character mystique.

On the other hand, he is a perfect example of the business being too addictive as, from his interviews after retiring, it sounds like he went on too long for the aches and pains he deals with post career, but loved the business too much to stop sooner. I can't imaging how hard it must be to stop once you get to the point on not being able to compete at the high level you want to, and appreciate all he gave to the business, but wish he could have stopped when his post-career health and aches and pains would be better overall. Unfortunately, seems to be the nature of the business.

Charlotte looks so you there, as done even The Miz. Still love The Miz and he is one of my all time favorites.

Just one pack left and the "bonus" for tomorrow.

That's Gotta Be Kane

If you want to talk about wrestlers and characters with longevity, there are a few that stick out, and Kane is definitely one of them.

At Badd Blood on October 5, 1997, Kane was introduced with a screaming commentator by the name of Vince McMahon declaring that it's gotta be Kane - a much better character for Glenn Jacobs compared to Isaac Yankem D.D.S. which was the short lived evil dentist he portrayed prior.

Being the storyline brother to the Undertaker, another character with great longevity, didn't hurt.

Through the years, their characters were greatly intertwined whether fighting each other or working together, and Glenn put his all into it, even if there were some real lows at times...anyone remember Katie Vick?

A legend of a character and from all accounts, played by a great individual in Glenn, definitely a character to remember.

Plenty of other legends in the pack, but again, no base cards to add to my set build. I feel like this is going to be deja vu all over again with a base dupe blaster box from what is in my collection.

Well - Better I Guess

 Another pack, and although it's another back without base card additions for me, at least I beat one of the odds.

A second black border parallel bucks the odds, and a sweet Triple H Then & Now, so not too bad there.

All these WWE cards, I should mention the Netflix limited series Mr. McMahon. It was out a couple months ago and I had watched it early on, but had to let it sit to figure what I really thought of it. Still not really sure how to feel about it, but it's an interesting watch and definitely shines light on Mr. McMahon - the person and the character.

Ultimate Warrior was a subject touched on during the series as he was supposed to be the heir apparent after Hogan, though it didn't work out that way.

Nice to see all the legends here actually, just don't need any of them unfortunately.

Oh - and Dolph looks so young there!

Remembrance Day

With it being Remembrance Day - first and foremost a thank you to all those who served and for those who lost their lives for their country. It's a good time to reflect and remember all that it took to get to the lives we have today.

Speaking of remembering, the pack today brings up a few.

Do you remember when Batista had hair? Definitely been a while.

How about when Roman was the quiet force in The Shield, or when Seth had the blonde and black hair. How about when Baron had all his hair? Times and looks have definitely changed, but one that hasn't changed since this pack - Stone Cold is definitely still a legend!

The Miz

 Okay, maybe not The Miz, but how about his stunt double...

Probably what Damien was best known for during his WWE run was being the stunt double for The Miz. It may not have been the greatest character to be saddled with, but he sure was able to get it over. I mean, copying what The Miz was doing, and throwing himself outside the ring when Miz was thrown out for example - not great wrestling, but great entertainment. It's a shame he wasn't going to be given a real shot get any higher up the card, but did great with what he was given.

That's the only keeper again here as the rest of the base, dupe cards again...

Seems to be an Emma hot pack with not only her base card, but her NXT Call Up insert as well. The awkward dance thing got her over, but never really found herself on the main roster. I will say, I'm glad the diva terms were in their last days at this point as it definitely needed to go.

Fingers crossed the packs get better fr completing this base set though.

2015 WWE Topps Heritage Blaster

Finally getting around to another of the wrestling blasters I picked up a while ago from www.pastimesports.ca almost or about a year ago.

Hard to believe this was almost 10 years ago that it was released. Of the guys on the cover, the only one really still wrestling and it isn't in WWE, is Dean Ambrose - or Jon Moxley.

I do have unopened packs aside already, so will be able to open the bonus pack at the end, but this is what they look like, very much like the box.

Let's loo at the first pack...

The good news is we have three keepers. THe black border cards fall one every six packs, so may not see another one. The NXT Call Ups and Then and Now cards are inserts - I guess, but fall one per pack so more like sub-base sets. Still a good start there, but....

All the base cards are dupes. I do have 78 of the 110 base cards already, but when I get all dupes on base, does always make me worry it's going to be the entire blaster, but I guess time will tell.

Also, as for the base cards, one is definitely smokin' and I don't think it's Taker...

Not A stoobid Trade

 A quick PWE trade to share today with TCDB member stoob and though it didn't complete any Jays team sets, it did provide some cards to sets I don't usually see.

I like Flair Showcase cards. Not enough to try and complete sets, but they are really nicely done cards which feel high end, as I know that is what they were going for. I am not a fan of the base set having different finishes on different cards in the base set, similar to how Archives uses multiple past designs in a single base set.

The gold reserve cards, I haven't seen much of from baseball so nice t get those as well, and same can be said with the Fleer Focus cards, so all around - cards that are a little bit off the beaten path.

In separate card news - I recently picked up another big lot of cards which are mostly newer (last couple years) but a good sprinkling of older cards and a variety of sets so it'll be a fun go through, whenever I can get through everything else on tap - but enough to keep me busy!

Signing Off

 I did save the best for last, as it were, for the cards in the package from Oren and we get some autos, memorabilia cards and serial numbered goodness today. Not a bad way to end it!

Two great cards which happen to be minor league ones, so not going to be cards I keep, however I have a great home to pass these along to. Billy was a great player for just a short period of time, and Paul had a few good years with Toronto. Being a serial numbered card, which is hand written, on top of the autograph does make for a great card.

Wowzers - some great cards here. I don't think I had a Shannon Stewart auto yet, and it's a great card. The Inception cards are great cardstock and solid cards, while the Bautista serial numbered relic has a good look, even if it is an orange parallel.

Last card of the bunch is another serial numbered one - a Sepia parallel from 2013. Dickey was a really good pitcher for the team and was one of the stars of the time for sure. The cards don't look as good when done all in Sepia like this (my opinion), but I'll take it for the great serial number!

A big thank you again to Oren for the package, and hope he enjoyed what I sent his way. I will have some October trade boxes to share as well soon, but a few other things to work through first.

Newer Jays

 As promised - some newer Jays from Oren.

I am always happy to get more Vladdy cards - with the ones today, I am up to 82 cards of the star. Seems a nice start, put considering there are now over 14,000 cards of his - it seems like nothing. Doesn't hurt that the Icons card is the sole Jays one in the insert set so completes that team set for me.

The Chrome Lourdes and mini A&G back card are great new additions for me as well. The 2022 A&G base cards are great short prints, but ones I do already have so nice dupes.

Greatest looking of the bunch of cards but the Martinez with the Atomic parallel look is fantastic scanned. I could argue about names as I think it's ridiculous how many different names for looks we get, but it doesn't change the card - still snazzy. 

The 2006 Opening Day card is another one and done insert for the Jays from the 2006 Topps set while the Chrome cards are almost all now for me, especially the black and white - first of that parallel I've been able to get.

Oren also beat any one to getting me 2024 Topps base Jays cards, and we get a few to boot!

We definitely don't see enough team cards in base sets, and the blue parallel for the Jays, superb!

I was able to already get a bunch of the Heritage cards, but more is always better, and it's a great take on the old design.

As great as all of these have been....there's still more....but for tomorrow!