Reflecting on the past

The prelude before the main topic of today's post...another day of thanking Trevor!

Okay, so a one off that wasn't a Leaf - just where it was in the box...but also a card I didn't know existed even though it was from the "junk wax" era...

That is Wayne Gretzky from a hologram insert from early 90s hockey. This scans a lot better than it looks - you almost can't see anything on the actual card. Very nice insert though nonetheless.

Next some Leafs that'll end up in the error binder...

No surprise to see error cards from 1990-91 Po Set.

As for the Leafs....

Some additional Pro Set Leafs including our pal Al, as well as a start of Upper Deck Leafs from the same year...

and more....

Followed by some O Pee Chee 1991-92 Leafs (again helping for the fact I have a box set I am not removing Leafs from) and some Parkhurst....

more Parkhurst...

and pretty much all the Parkhurst set, and to top off today a last card - 1999-2000 McDonalds Cujo. Another great day of Leafs I'd say!

A lot of what baseball cards represent is a tie to history, to the past, or to current memories which will be looked on later as a happy time in the past (well, hopefully happy). Today a couple cards bring up perfect reasons why we reflect...

Highlight:

1150 is an odd number for serial numbers to go up to in bulk as is done with a number of the base set Reflection Rookies. I'd normally expect say, 999, but not sure what the significance of 1150 is. A more obvious use of "Reflection" given the name of the set.

The rest
Keepers:

Now, we can reflect on the 2005 Retro Rookie card which is reflecting on Cone's rookie year in 1986. This is the 5th of 30 Retro Rookie cards I have, and I will keep the outside hope to see the rest...

Traders:

The rest of the 2005 Classics cards allow further reflection to earlier times (obviously) and the best players of their heyday (as a player or managerial). The good news is, through sports card, you can always take a trip back to a happier time, either for your team, or even just memories of a time in your life.

And some people say they are just pieces of cardboard...

Through 6640 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:

- Complete 2003-04 SP Authentic Basketball (90 card pure base)

- 3 Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Hockey Checklist Subsets (6 cards)

- 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #30 Bobby Orr (All-Star)

- 2004-05 Upper Deck Legends Classics Platinum #64 Marcel Dionne Platinum 06/10

- 2007-08 Topps 1957-58 Variations Basketball  #112 Kevin Durant (Rookie)

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	109	12
Inserts / Var Kept	219	28
Error	15	2
Keep	1413	207
Doubles/Sell	864	116	1144	1956	254	26
Doubles Inserts / Var	76	1	93	105

Pack Attack - PressTine 15 and about 50 Leafs

Before getting to the title subject matter - we are into a BUNCH of Leaf cards from Trevor, so let's see what highlights today:


A bit of a bend in the corner of the 1978-79 Turnbull, but I like it nonetheless. Add in a bunch of 1990-91 O Pee Chee Leafs which include a few new to me - and these are excellent pick ups. My favorite would be the early Felix Potvin card - always enjoted the cat during his time in Toronto.


Wendel and Doug can do no wrong in my book - loved their tandem as Leafs. The 2002-03 O Pee Chee cards are the first such Leafs in my collection. I am not a huge fan of the brown border in hand, but they don't look too bad when scanned.

Lastly for today from Trevor...


Before this package, I didn't have any of the 1992-93 O Pee Chee Leafs....now I have all of them - yes, all 17 are right here above. Nice way to start and end a team set, all in one go like this.

Can't wait to see what else we get tomorrow....but anyway, mo my wife asked me to go to Dollarama - I swear she said something about picking up some cards for myself if I was going anyway. Might have just been the voice in my head, but I'm gonna say she agreed it was a good idea....shhhh....don't tell her that...

Today I'm going to share one of the things I picked up for myself...

You'll never guess what I paid for this...but at 10 cents a card, not bad, even though all you are like getting are commons and maybe one uncommon or possibly a junk rare.

So what are my expectations? I would hope to get at least one artifact for my collection, and if all works well, a rare even if it isn't anything more than a quarter rare. Actually saying that, let's play a quick game and compare what I would have to pau to get these cards individually. Since the cheapest place I know is 401games - I'll use their prices, and expect everything will end up being 15 cents, but we shall see....

Also curious to see how far a spread we get from new to old sets....


$0.25 - a good card to start with being an uncommon, and a bit surprised that it is out of Eldrich Moon which is a set from the last 6 months, so these are fairly new repacks.


$0.25 - A second uncommon in a row - not bad. Not a bad card either for getting a decent sized creature out later in the game. Gatecrash set is about two years out now - so still, not too old.


$0.15 - What I'd call a wall (that is what "defender" basically makes it) and from a bit further back given the Magic 2013 set.


$0.25 - Not bad for a common non-basic land, still newer set with Oath of the Gatewatch.


$0.15 - Dragons of Tarkir (also a newer set) and a fair flyer.


$0.50 - Well, there's the rare. Didn't figure it would show up given the couple uncommons already. So all in, the pack is a success if I can come out with an artifact now...


$0.25 - now we are going back a bit - Judgement came out in 2002 - I was still playing a bit, that's how far back this one goes.


$0.15 - Fom Battle of Zendikar, given the cost, would be much better as an instant.


$0.15 - From Return to Ravnica - definitely a brute.


$0.15 - BINGO! There's the artifact I was looking to get, and being out of Kaladesh which came out just a couple months ago, a bit surprised to see it.


$0.25 - Onslaught set from 2002...


$0.15 - From Magic 2014 set...


$0.15 - A second artifact from Kaladesh - definite been worth the pick up.


$0.15 - Another from Kaladesh


$0.15 - Last card is from Return to Ravnica

So, a rare, two uncommons and two artifacts - definite win of a pack, and cheaper than the...$2.35 I would have spent to buy them all individually, though I would probably have just got artifacts instead of these cards...

Oh well, still a good pick up!

Pack Attack - 2016-17 Tim Hortons hockey

So, in continuing to go through the package of cards from Trevor, I have worked out that it'll be another 6 days of posts after today. This is more a reflection on how much stuff he sent than anything else. Best part is - all that I believe is left after today....all Leafs! I will go through about 50 cards a day and share accordingly, but today we have the last few tidbits to share before the Leaf parade begins.



Two sets I am not collecting per se, don't have many of each so these are all new for me (some of the Topps cards I do have in O Pee Chee form though). Like the Jagr - Ultra 92-93 was a good design that I think still holds up well.

Now these...

I had not seen these non-sport cards in hand before, but had a guess as to what they were - more so from the backs then from the flags...one of the card has the full picture, but the flags above would have their backs put together to make the picture...

Yeah - no surprise this is 1991 Desert Storm - sticker inserts to be exact.

Very cool all around....now hopefully some cool comes out of these....

Another three pack of Tim Horton cards to open today.

Pack 1:

Although both base cards are new, it is actually the insert which is a duplicate. Hadn't thought about insert duplicates, but I guess that makes sense for these given the one per three pack odds.

Pack 2:

Again, two new base cards, and again a duplicate Game Day Action insert. Unfortunate, but what can you do....I know....trade it away. Any takers?

Pack 3:

Base Zetterberg and insert McDavid - great pack here, and all needs. This would be on par with the Ovechkin/Crosby pack I opened, except that pack completed an insert set.

Overall, really enjoying these cards (as most people did around the end of last year). At 20% of the base set now - so only 80 cards left. Still a little far off to say I'm for sure going to complete the set, but it is nice enough, I'll keep an eye out on Listia and probably pick up cards as they come up. I'll see where that takes me.

Bringing the Power and a bit of a steal

First, continuing to go through the box from Trevor, we have a bunch of 1990-91 Pro Set. It is a set I am passively completing - now over 50% done, but rather than go over the new cards (of more than 50) I'll show off the other cards I got from the set - Leaf and error adds!


It isn't as telling in the scans as it is with the cards in hand, but the colour used for the Blue comes across as almost purple sometimes (compare Kurvers to Thornton). Just part and parcel of the quality control for Pro Set and the early 90s.



Plenty of error cards since there are plenty in the set (I think it is something like 20-30 percent of the set. A couple items specifically to note - even the cutting jobs were sporadic if you look at the size difference between Carpenter and Suter. Another cutting issue - just look at Jim Johnson and the miscut showing part of the card that was on top of it. Love the little errors like this (maybe just as a reminder that no one is perfect...I don't know...).

Sometimesthings can be perfect though...like times I see items on Listia that I expect will go for a lot, and typically that happens last minute, but not always. Other times, they surprisingly go cheap...this pickup went cheap which surprised me as I got these three cards for less than $1, shipping included...

Wow - three great rookie cards (two of which being Leafs) so the only one really missing that I would want is Auston. Can't complain about getting these for the price - would gladly make that purchase any day of the week.

Well rather than Auston, it has been a while since seeing a few Austin cards - Austin Powers circa 1999, not that I missed seeing thm, but they come around again today. At this point, I wouldn't mind seeing the whole set because it would probably be easier to get rid of all the cards if they included a full set. Someone out there may be interested enough to take them off my hands when all is said and done...maybe...possibly...anyone?

Highlights:

These have both entered my collection because of the Santa Lot, though I already have both, they will still make way to the collection of Leafs. When all is done, I should check through on such cards and make sure quality wise, it is my best copy that is actually in my bindered collection.

The rest
Keepers:

That is a pretty Sakic card. He looks as your in this '92-'93 card as Tootoo does in his '05 card.

Traders:

Well, there are the Austin Powers cards...not very exciting...but these cards also include the fist dupe from 2007 Topps Heritage to come out of the Santa Lot.

Last comment - 1991 Upper Deck football is starting to grow on me a bit with the photo work. Between the Webb celebration and Derrick Thomas looking focused with bandanna - the photos are pretty interesting throughout the set.

Through 6620 cards:

Specific Accomplishments:

- Complete 2003-04 SP Authentic Basketball (90 card pure base)

- 3 Complete 2007-08 UD McDonald's Hockey Checklist Subsets (6 cards)

- 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #30 Bobby Orr (All-Star)

- 2004-05 Upper Deck Legends Classics Platinum #64 Marcel Dionne Platinum 06/10

- 2007-08 Topps 1957-58 Variations Basketball  #112 Kevin Durant (Rookie)

	Hockey	Baseball	Basketball	Football	Austin Powers	Other
Toronto	109	12
Inserts / Var Kept	219	28
Error	15	2
Keep	1411	205
Doubles/Sell	858	108	1144	1955	254	26
Doubles Inserts / Var	76	1	93	104