Number 3

 Finishing the share on 2020 Topps flagship set and as you can see at the end, it's the third most complete set to come out of this lot which isn't too bad for a 700 card beast.

The set seemed to back end a bunch of the Jays cards for whatever reason. I camnot say why, but only that I noticed.

I swear, I thought Quantril and Lamet were the same player given how identical the photos are. Shows the importantce photo selection and being a bit different in photo selection can matter.

With that, I am over 600 cards on the 700 card set. Yes, many of those may be rookie cards, but lots of "low end" ones (sorry guys). Definitely adds to the success from buying thus lot...and still about 5,000 cards to go!

Yays For Jays

The BASEball lot continues to drive forward my 2020 Topps flagship set, but we can't forget about the Jays!

Okay, so Danny is probably the most "Jay" of the trio, but all three come with enough copies to help the baset set and ensure copies for the team set as well.

Jays weren't the only keeper outside the base growth as we have a single error card too...

Error or not, these team cards keep growing on me.

Oh and base cards represent!

Okay, I like the Braves New World title for that one, very nice. If there are any need for people out there, I do have dupes of series two, just check TCDB. Not nearly in the numbers of series one, but still.

Still one more share to go on this one and should top 80% - sweet!

Something To Marvel At

In 2024, Loblaws of all stores had a promotion and were giving out these cards with purchases for a while - and the prices initially were crazy for these giveaways. Well, my wife picked up some when shopping, I stuck them aside and figured I should open them to see what they are about, and for the trade fodder because, I don't need them. Does mean, this is not going to score much for my collecting goals, but that's fine.

You get four cards with the top being the backs of two, and two facing them, stuck together with the tinies of "glue".

As for the cards...

Stats of Marvel characters and decent enough artistry to the characters so - nice for a giveaway set which was 90 cards all in.

I did get a handful of duplicates, not pictured, but have no interest in keeping any of them. Heck, you can get a complete set now for $10-$20 plus shipping. Again, not bad I guess for what were essentially free cards, but personally - they are just not my thing.

May be bottom of the barrel for me personally, but hopefully a neat share for you out there. Anyone interested in collecting these, happy to find them a home, just send me a shout.

Down To 100 (and five)

 In what is the largest parallel set build I have going, PaulGebauer, TCDB member and trade partner who provided these, helps get me there on the 1993 Topps Gold baseball parallel set.

I believe I got a lot of this set from local collector Jeff, but getting about 2/3 all at once, it was an easy set to put on my backburner build. I like parallels anyway, so there is that as well. Also, the gold parallel back then, really seemed cool and special, and was one of the first ones I really remember being "special".

So to now sit at 720 of 825 for this is really cool. Once I do finish (if I ever do finish) logging new stuff int my collection, this is one I would go through TCDB and actively try and trade to narrow down that missing list.

For now - just happy to share another 10 knocked off in another great TCDB trade!

Three Completes In One

 It may have been a small PWE trade with TCDB member Rick Mackay, but my 2024-25 Timmies set knocked a few items off all at once!

These were the last 5 base cards needed, so I now have the 120 base card set good and done - yay!

Add to that the final couple Frozen Hot Shot cards for the 18 card insert set, and Mitch being the last need for the True North Future 18 card insert set and that makes three pieces of the master set done. Not quite there on the Pure Gold one (15 of 18 now in hand), but then we will start getting into the more rare of the insert cards so progress should start to slow.

I say master set, but I really mean master binder as I would not look for the big hits, just the cards the binder is made for...but even that may be challenging with some of the inserts being a bit pricey.

Still, far ahead now with this amazing trade in the books!

Street Fighting

 Am I the only one who thinks of the video game every time I come across one of his cards...

Some names just become synonymous with certain people or things - even if it isn't amount all people. society, every person will have their own. I mean, Junior for a generation would be Ken Griffey Junior, the Great One Gretzky, number four - Bobby Orr. Heck even, random objects can tie to specific people or memories - red golf shirt means Tiger Woods closing it out in the last round. I guess Ryu isn't a bad connection for Hyun-Jin.

Now, one object I can't say I have a direct tie to, though I may now is this "bomb" below...

I have to admit, it does make for one unique card!

On a last, completely random note - I love this Cespedes card with the diving catch and ball coming down - just a perfect capture of the play.

Building On

 I am liking the 2020 Topps flagship set as we continue through and keep on building it. Sure, it's taken me 5 years to get to it really, and that's fine for me - don't need to be on the cutting edge of card sets - much cheaper not to be these days.

Whether it's just the flagship photography generally getting better, or if this set is a bit more of a stand out, I find there are just more cards I like for it. Then again, I like the unusual or different when it comes to the photography, even as simple as Smith above. I mean, pitchers pitching and batters batting or fielding is your standard, anything else stands out.

More nice team cards don't hurt either.

Also of course picking up some more Jays cards is nice...

May not be the number one Junior on the team, but a nice near dozen additional copies of Gurriel here isn't to bad.

On pace to probably end up near 80% would be my guess when I get done with this one - definitely note shabby for what ends up being a cost of a penny a card or so. Definitely will have to work on moving a lot of the base dupes, but I think that's an awesome project to take on once I catch up on all my "to be discovered" cards....so give me another year or two....

Just Flyin'

A small PWE trade with Bengals818821 which happened to be for three wrestling cards coming my way, but all cards of Brian Pillman

Brian went the somewhat typical route of being a football player turned wrestler. Some others the have done this include Goldberg, Roman Reigns and The Rock. He spent time in WCW, which I saw little of as I was fully WWF at that point. Once he jumped over to WWF, at the time, I remember him for standing out as different and being more "real" than many of the other characters, though a little over the top given his "loose cannon" approach.

Unfortunately his WWF run, and life, were cut short when he passed away in October 1997 and really stopped his career before he got the chance to reach the heights he seemed capable of.

Jays A-Plenty

Next 100 into the 2020 Topps flagship set, and there may not be a surprise short print or serial numbered cards, but Jays dupes a plenty.

Do I NEED this many copies of each...no...but am I upset about it? Absolutely not. I'm just glad that, if there are 8-10 of the cards I am not planning to keep, that there is at least as many for the ones I do.

The team cards are fast becoming my favourite cards of the base set. No matter the tram, they all seem to be really well done.

The growth at least on series one, continue to be great. I don't think there is as much of series two, but we will start seeing that next time as we go 300-399 and the first series is to 350.

So far, so good!

A Couple Surprises

 Working through more of the nice 2020 flagship Topps set from the BASEball lot...

I will share a smattering of cards for each 100 base numbers I go through. I got another 85 or so, and some highlights of the base cards above and below.

However, let's focus on my real "wins" in this bunch....first the Jays...

I always figure Vladdy's a big enough star that his cards may be pulled before I get the lots, but we get a few copies of his base card here. Sure, it's not in the same numbers as many of the other base cards, but I'll take the few no problem!

Still, those are regular old base cards, but these couple snuck in...

Carpenter is an alternative stats card which, as you can see, are serial numbered to 300. The front is exactly the same as the pure base, so I can absolutely see why this would have been missed by anyone quickly shuffling through the lot. It's a first such card for my collection and a nice surprise.

The other, the Bauer, is a short printed base card and the second such flagship Topps short print to come out of this lot - sweet! Just another part of these lot purchases that I find so fun as, even when you think you know what you are going to get - a whole lot of base cards - it doesn't always turn out that way!

20 Years

 Today, my wife and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage and are not doing anything special about it! Our children, we love them, make trips / going away difficult, and ditching them for a night, problematic. We will probably just leave them off to do their own things this evening (ie. video games) and at least have a quiet dinner or something together and then plan a night out once the school year is over. It's important to focus of course on "us", but still, even with kids aged 14 and 11, a lot of time and effort is directed their way first. Definitely a different time than before kids, but we were smart to enjoy a few years of just the two of us, and we were on the younger side (married when I was 24, she was 22, both just really finished our schooling, me getting through the CPA exams, her teacher's college). Regardless, there are trying times, and times it's been tough being on the same page with the kids, but we get through and work things out, sometimes a bit louder than others - lol, but we end up stronger for it.

I love my children, but definitely seeing the end of the tunnel and not totally upset about it. They may always be our children, but that self-sufficiency is definitely looking like something I am not sad to have happen for them, and see them succeed on their own...even if they aren't looking forward to the "own their own" part the same way.

Now, let's tie back to the hobby...my wife doesn't participate in the  hobby, but is fine with me doing whatever I like with it. She knows I won't spend big dollars on it, and that' sit's fun to me, so she's good about it. Another benefit to the kids (eventually) growing up, is I will have more of the basement to decorate with my collection!

How I do that is, in part, trades at TCDB, including this one with refmichel.

I picked up some Toronto cards, a few inserts of the Bruins persuasion (they fit my collection so staying with me, though others in the trade will make their way to local collector/friend Jeff.

These help on the insert sets for the 2025-26 Timmies set, so big thumbs up there. Very cool and keeps me closing in on some of the insert sets....hope I can keep it up before I get too far removed from the set and start focusing on next year!

2020 Topps Flagship

First a quick "boo" as the Leafs couldn't manage to get past Florida and it's another year of wondering whether this core can put it together in a meaningful way to get them to the finals, let alone win it all. Not much more to say about it than that.

Today, a start on what is likely about 4,000 cards with what is here from the 2020 Topps flagship base set, and I am definitely going to be breaking it out over a few days.

I do break it down because some o the cards should get a spotlight on them, and it forces me to slow down a bit and enjoy the set. I mean, sure Trout is a star and the first card out in the 700 card base set, but it's 700 cards. There are others to pay attention to here also, or at least to see.

I like the design better than the offering the following year, but not as good as the 2015-2018 stretch, and some of the teammate type cards I do like their addition, even if it is gratuitously done to just put stars in more times.

Though my preference is a horizontal name plate on the front, the vertical doesn't overly offend me here, and the photograph, as usual, is solid.

Not too shabby for the first 100 cards to be over 80% done in the group - would love to keep that up for the rest, but we shall see.

Luckily, I am not boring you with the almost 1,000 dupes in the first 100 cards, but it does mean I can help a few people get a good start on the set or fill some holes if needed! Just check TCDB and see if there's anything I have that you need.

Most important of course is, whether there are any Jays cards and yes, there are two....so how many copies of each did I get?

Not going to complain about that kind of number when it comes to dupes and Jays cards - sweet!

Will definitely update the line as we go through more cards from the set!