Sets Of My Childood THE SERIES! Part 11:1996-1997 Upper Deck NBA Rookie Exclusives

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES is a spinoff from just a wantlist. I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

Today's set I never really considered putting together before but was quite fond of the cards that gave you "the feels".  I don't have much started towards the set but with your help I may!

  

Found at 1:4 packs of Series 2 1996-1997 Upper Deck basketball, these Rookie Exclusives have a textured background behind the feature player and takes basketball cards to another level in my opinion. 

There are 20 cards in this set to collect, I have two. With one of the more expensive of the group needed in Kobe Bryant. I think this would be a really nice looking set to put together and hopefully I can accomplish doing so.

My current haves are,

13 and 15

How many of you remember or collected these?

Totally Rad Bodacious 90's Post: Going International

 Today's post is brought to you by a treat that became a cereal,

Back in the 90's, there was no better snack when I went to a friend's house than Rice Krispie treats. I could literally eat the whole pan at a time. But, I had to share obviously.

So when they made that special treat into a cereal...I had to try it and it was so stinkin' good.

Saturday Morning cartoons rocked, but Saturday morning cartoons with some Rice Krispie Treats cereal, that's the good life.

The cereal tasted just like the treats and adding milk on it-sometimes I would just eat it out of the box- instead of beside it just helped it even more. It was an all in one snack breakfast cereal extravaganza with ever bite.

I was a little sad when the cereal disappeared off store shelves, but within the last 5 years or so the cereal was revived and can be found on shelves at Walmart. That's the only place I have been able to find it.

And even though I am 20 years older, I still enjoy myself a bowl...or two.

 ***********************************

Back in 1997, Bowman baseball put out International parallels in their product that fell one-per-pack. The only difference between these and the base cards is the background behind the player is a flag that tells what country the pictured player was born in. Simple but distinct parallel to search for. With so many cards in that base set chasing a set of them wouldn't be easy.

For this post I chose this Ricky Ledee because it was the first Bowman International I came across and because of the picture used on the card.

The picture looks like one you would take for your senior photo in high school or one you would use for a dating promotional. Either way, it makes you chuckle some and can even come up with a few captions for.

Here are a few of mine,

"Hey Girl!"
"Whatcha eatin there...wanna share..."
"That face you give when someones talking on and on and your not listening to any of it"

 

Ricky Ledee played 1998-2007 in the MLB for the Yankees, Indians, Rangers, Phillies, Giants, Dodgers, and Mets and won two World Series rings with the 1998 and 1999 Yankee teams. So this card fits perfectly in my 90's PC and Yankees PC.

Card Breakdown:

Brand:1997 Bowman

Insert/Parallel:International Parallel

Player Featured:Ricky Ledee

Card Number:75

By the way, let's hear some of your Ledee captions!

SORTING:The Rest

Last year I tweeted out this photo on Twitter of my desk,

Immediately I had a comment of "wow that's such a disaster someone please help this guy sort things out." 

I responded with, "that's not a mess, that's how I sort. It's a bit complex."

I made a promise to that individual that I would do a segment to explain my sorting and here I am.

It really isn't as complex as it looks, at least to me. But, it is a bit in-depth with as much as I collect and as many sports as I collect.

So I thought I would make this series breaking down everything I collect and how I sort it. I hope this will explain the picture I tweeted and maybe give you some ideas for your own collection on how to sort.

Today I am showing off how I sort the rest of the sports and non sports I collect. Yes, I collect way too much. But, is there really such a thing??

When it comes to non sport, soccer, UFC, NASCAR or any hit I get from the rest of the sports I collect, they get loaded into penny sleeves, toploaders or 10ct boxes depending on how thick of a hit I get.

These hits then get placed into shoe box houses by what they are to make it easier to find something when I need to.

Up next, the base I sort by number. This is a very long process sometimes. Unlike the key four sports, I don't usually pull out an specific players or people so the stacks are bigger.

 and place into boxes marked oddball or non sport depending on what they are.

Finally, the inserts from all and 2015 Americana only get placed into binders by what they are. Every part has a small binder for it.

  

 

Once I get everything bindered, they get stacked on shelves. Not standing up of course as that damages cards in the long run as the pages start to fold overtime. They are stacked alternating so one side doesn't get squished and so I can fit many on one shelf. You may notice numbers on the outside of the binders. At one point I used to number them and keep what's in them in a notebook but that got too complicated with the alternating as I can't see all of the numbers now.

 

Another part I failed to mention above, is my giveaway/trade pile. I pull that stuff out and set it aside as I go along for people I normally trade with and which giveaways I run.

Well, that's it for how I sort everything and marks the end of this popular series.

Thanks for reading and your thoughts on my sorting are welcomed in comments. Even toss in how you sort as well.

Sets Of My Childood THE SERIES! Part 10:1995 Skybox Paydirt

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES is a spinoff from just a wantlist. I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

Part 10 already in this series! Still have much much more to go. Today's set I have been chasing since 1995 so it's about time I finish it up already.

 

 

Skybox Paydirt's fell 1:4 packs of 1995 Skybox Premium. A product that stood by it's name that year as the base set looked awesome and so didn't the inserts like this one. These also had very tough colored parallels as well. 

For years I assumed it was the background that decided the parallel when it really was the name printed. Instead of being in the base gold, it was printed in purple, red, blue, green, etc. Those are not easy to come by. I luckily own a red of Rodney Hampton but don't expect to ever find another parallel to it.

But, today's set needs are focused on the regular 30 cards in the base set. I have a good start but still have some gaps to fill.

My current haves are,

1,2,3,4,6, 8,11,13,14,16,20,22, 23,25, 26, and 27,

How many of you remember or collected these?

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict:Baseball Collecting Comes Into Play

Recently I decided it was time to move on from having multiple blogs besides my Snagging Cardboard one and bring those blogs as new segments on here. The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict blog was actually turning out to be more popular than this one but the posts were long and I just didn't have the time to keep it going. But, doing an occasional post to continue my story of collecting on here will be my way of keeping it alive.

So when I last left off on that blog, we were in 1996. I was collecting football cards pretty heavily and dived into baseball collecting some. But, my real collecting of baseball didn't kick off til my love of baseball did. That is when the 1996 World Series Game 4 comes into play.

My father was a die hard NY fan all around and on this cold fall day I was stuck inside with family. That's the easiest way to word it when my mom's side of the family was over. I wasn't a fan as I had nothing in common with them. So I sat there bored to tears until I decided to get up and sit next to my father who was watching baseball.

I had never really watched baseball before that much, just football, but as I sat there I found the game intriguing, but even more so when it came to the 8th inning. That's when a guy named Jim Leyritz hit a three run home run against the Braves to help the Yankees tie the game that they once trailed 6-0 in. Not only did that home run tie the game with the Yankees eventually winning it, but it changed the momentum of the entire series that the Braves led 2 games to 1 as the Yankees went onto be champs. It also gave me the urge to watch more baseball which I did.

If you haven't ever seen the Leyritz home run before, here is your chance. Follow the link to the Youtube video of it. For some reason or another, my blog will not allow me to embed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULCFMb1ymwg

After the World Series ended, I wanted to collect more baseball cards to know the players and learn more about the game. I even started going to my father's softball games. The more I learned, the more I was into it. 

The Leyritz home run not only turned me into a baseball fan, but I was a Yankees fan. I guess eventually that was going to be a given. Just like with the NY Giants it was in my blood. 

The one surprise was how it led me to be a Ken Griffey Jr fan later on. More on that next time.

So I wanna know, what's your backstory to being baseball fan? Let me know in comments!

Sets Of My Childood THE SERIES! Part 9:1995 SportFlix Man 2 Man

We are into the 9th installment of this surprisingly popular series.This time we go back 23 years to 1995 and check out an insert line from 1995 Sportflix football. The lenticular technology is on the list of extinction of today's use. Another sad loss.

So let's check this one out.

For Sets Of My Childhood, I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

My local grocery store carried tons of packs of SportFlix football back in 1995. The fun thing about buying cards from a grocery store was that the display was all the way up front as soon as you entered the store. While my parents shopped, I stood at the display and checked things out. I didn't seem to have a lot of luck pulling good cards from SportFlix, but I really enjoyed how the players moved on the cards when you flipped them just so.

My best pull at the time from the product was the Man 2 Man card of Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. These cards don't move when you flip them like other SportFlix cards, but has a cool 3D appeal especially with the football jumping out at you. These cards fell 1:8 jumbo packs. At the time card I pulled even had a $25 book value so it was at the top of my most valuable cards then. The card has since dipped some along with others in the set but that's okay. This will hopefully make the chase a tad easier for me.

There are only 12 cards in the set. I have 5, one I pulled myself and four added thanks to the help of my good friend Bryan over at 90's Niche Football Card Blog.  So I only have 7 more to go and would love to finish this one up.

My current haves are,

1,4,7,8,12

This project I think can be completed with some help :)

How many of you remember or collected these?

Sets Of My Childood THE SERIES! Part 8:1997 Collectors Choice Turf Champions

The Sets From My Childhood continues today with a new post and it is brought to you today by the year 1997. The year that I was a big 8th grader collector seeking cards and items of all types.

For Sets Of My Childhood, I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

Busting a ton of 1997 Collectors Choice helped me dive right in with collecting this set. They were easy finds at one-per-pack but sometimes that lead to many doubles. There are actually 4-tiers to this set but I am not sure how far my chase will lead me. I want to at least conquer the first 30 which fell 1:1 packs. Tier 2 which is cards 31-60 fell 1:21 packs. I was fortunate enough to pull the Hostetler above (which has the Fx feel to them), Tier 3 is cards 61-80 that fell 1:71 packs, and Tier 4 ends the set with cards 81-90 that fell 1:145. I have never seen Tier 3 or 4 and not sure how many out there even exist.

My current haves are,

2,3,5,8,9,11,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,25,26,27,28,29,30,35

This project can either be easy or tough depending on how far I want to pursue it. The first tier I am not off to a bad start with, however, the other three have miles to go.

How many of you remember or collected these?

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES! Part 7:1997 Upper Deck Hot Coommodities

Welcome to the new series here on Sport Card Collectors!

I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

My current haves are,

5,9

These cards are hot, hot, hot! Well, maybe not so much on the market but on the cardboard with flames they are. There is just something about the black border and fiery flames from behind the players featured that jumps out to me. I busted a ton of 1997 Upper Deck, so much that I completed both series sets. Those I still have today. Sadly, I only had one card from this set but it was a good one. Some guy named Ken Griffey Jr. The Smoltz I have since added in a contest win on Twitter last year.

There are 20 cards in this flaming hot set. They fell 1:13 packs in 1997 UD Series 2. So not overly tough pulls but for some reason I never found them. 
 

So I have many needs to go with only 2 cards out of the 20.

How many of you remember these or collected them?

Mother-In-Law Strikes Again!

It's that time of year again, the time when my mother-in-law keeps an eye out at yard sales, tag sales, auctions and consignment shops for card items for me.

So far she has already snagged a couple items at a recent consignment shop.

Up first this Ken Griffey Jr plaque. She saw it the first time she was in the shop but wasn't sure if I would like it or not so she gave me a call.

"Hey, I see this card plaque in this shop, do you want it?"
"Who is it?"
"It's a guy that plays for Seattle."
I knew pretty much immediately who it was, "Ken Griffey Jr?"
"Yes."
"That's my favorite player in baseball all-time. I would absolutely want that."
"It's yours."
"Thanks!"

And here it is. Even better than I expected it. The Kid Dynamite really brings out the plaque even though at first I thought it was a card and realization hit that it's a piece of paper but that's okay. The card on it however is from 1996 Pinnacle, one I already have, but it blends well on the plaque here.

The second item in the shop she found was this 1992 Upper Deck baseball complete set. Not a lot in the set to be excited about, I have the Griffeys, but it does have the Manny Ramirez rookie so that works for me. Just hoping she didn't overpay for it.

 

Well, here's the first of at least a few I assume she will pick up for me when/if she finds more stuff. Not a bad way to kick off the spring sale season find especially with that Griffey plaque.

I will post as I get them in which isn't as often as it used to be, but hopefully this year will be different.

The Low Budget Collector Part 4:Trading

I cannot stress how important trading has been to my collecting the last few years with my low, low budget. I wouldn't have been able to finish sets, add new Giants cards, add Rodney Hamptons without it. It's probably the biggest part in this series.

I wanted to save this for the series finale, but knowing I just came off from the PWE post, I think this is an important part to post next.

The only part money becomes a role in a trade is paying for shipping. Shipping costs continue to rise so I think it's very important to find a balance in your trading partners. I have trading partners who both accept PWE and packages. It helps me be able to mail out more at a time and enjoy trading to it's fullest.

 

I can get out seven PWE for the cost of one package. So sometimes I will send out seven trade PWE's  knowing I should be getting seven returns. The more returns, the better, as it keeps your mind busy from the fact you can't afford to add any new cards to your PC without these incoming mail days. So you are focused on that mail box and the mail man coming with all of that built up anticipation.

As for packages, I try to save those only for higher end bigger trades. Those are exciting as well even though less in number vs the PWE because you know those will come packing with lots of goodness. Sometimes these packages I put together for bigger trades can sometimes lead to a $8-$10 shipping range so I try to keep those trades to a minimum of only a few time a year.

A few things to keep in mind when trading,

• Shipping costs outside the U.S. are nuts. I currently only trade with U.S. buddies because I really can't afford otherwise. I feel terrible about it but it's what I gotta do for now.
• Do not ship relic/jersey cards PWE. I have gotten some bent to me before because of the postal machines. If trading relics, make it a worthy trade so you can put them in a package to mail.
• Make sure you tell your trading partner how you are shipping to them ahead of time before discussing a trade
• Make sure to give your trading partner the tracking number. I know I always appreciate getting mine and I am always sending mine to those who are expecting. It helps everyone know the packages location in case of any emergencies
• Trade with people you know and trust. I do add newbies to my trading circle once in awhile but they have to come backed by someone I have already traded with. There are many, many people out there looking to rip you off but also many just looking to trade. Just be safe that's all

I hope Part 4 of this will help you in some way today to keep on collecting no matter the circumstance. This is the point of these posts and even though some may be obvious like this one, it will hopefully still get you in the right direction without wanting to quit the hobby. I am also hoping it may give you a new way to save money and collect. 

Binders Reorganization Update #5

There was a good three month binder tear apart station that spread across my desk, my floor, the kitchen and even on my bed (I had to move that at night) where I completely took apart every binder in my collection to reorganize them.

The project moved a bit faster than even I expected but all is well for now. I may go back and sort my inserts by team or fix my Yankee binders by player. We will see. I would like the Yankee binders fixed at the very least.

Anyways, after the storm all that remains is one tray with assorted cards on it from running out of pages to finish my project. Once I get those, this tray will be empty until I get more cards in hand.

Like my two other sorting trays.

I even found room on my desk once again and was able to finally use those cool custom card stands created by @90sNicheFBCards from our last trade.

After I put the binders back on the shelves, I put index card labels on each shelf letting me know what's in each binder section so I can locate things easier. I would have loved to stand the binders upright but know cards would get ruined over time doing that so flat they lay. Not as pretty, but safe which is more important.

 

There could have been a couple more parts to this series but instead I will be doing sub-series. Sets Of My Childhood and probably something with the shiny stuff I pulled out and made a binder of as well. The Sets Of My Childhood one will be a pretty long series so it's better to be a spinoff instead of dragging this one out over time.

I think a couple of commenters in this series told me I would feel a sense of accomplishment once this was done and I have to agree. I do. But, as we all know, there is never any true end to sorting. We always find a new project or add new cards that need a place to stay.

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES! Part 5:1995-1996 Fleer Flair Hardwood Leader

Welcome to the new series here on Sport Card Collectors!

I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

 

Every time I hold one of these cards, it takes me right back to my childhood. I remember going into the local box store Ames and picking up packs of Fleer basketball and finding one of these per pack. They are thick high gloss elegant looking cards as you would expect from the Flair name. At one point I had a good portion of the set built then came adulthood and it was lost.

Over the years I have added a few, but nowhere near the 27 card set.

My current haves are,

8,10,15,16,17

So I have many needs to go.

How many of you remember these or collected them?

A Few Updates On Here

Over the next month or so, I am trying to get caught up on all of my extra drafts on here. I couldn't stand trying to find a post I was looking for on a specific day and scrolling through about 95 draft posts.

So for myself, I found it easier to get these all scheduled instead and try to eliminate the clutter. There was also roughly 30 or so I deleted as well that will never be seen.

Up until about July 3rd, all of these posts will be published. So any incoming mail days between now and then, won't be published til after that date. I know it's a long wait, but, it's for the best. Don't fret however for those who send me a mail day in this time frame as I will always post it on here big or small.

Another reason for doing this is trying to eliminate some/all of the segments I have started recently. I feel some of them are too short and some are too long. I think it will be better just to focus and post incoming mail/topics on here instead of diving back into stuff I had already had in the way past. I will also update the tabs section accordingly and try not to have so much clutter again on the interface of the blog.

I feel as a blogger I am always-and I mean always-making changes on here every few months but I think it's just all apart of who I am and apart of being a blogger. I know many of us do this and not just me. Gotta keep things fresh I guess!

So stay tuned for these changes, all of the incoming posts and for the mail day posts afterwards! I know there will be some good ones to see!

***I failed to mention that any incoming reviews of anything between now and then will still be published during that time frame as I don't want to push those off. The days with a review will lead to a double up post day***

Binders Reorganization Update #4

Last year it was the Super Box Attack that took me a year to do. A few weekends ago I started digging into my biggest hobby project in since then and one that may take even longer....The Great Binder Reorganization!

I showed you part 1 of my reorganization of football inserts, football rookie inserts and rookie cards that took me a couple of weeks to do. Part 2 I showed off sorting baseball inserts. Part 3 was about basketball rookie cards which leads us to Part 4, the biggest part of the re-sort, baseball rookies.

I had binders and binders and binders of baseball rookies. So, so many. Most of them were from the so-called "junk wax" era so was a little bit of a pain to sort especially since this is over 20+years of rookies stacked here.

I can say one thing however, not all teams were created equal over the years. There were a lot of teams that had many more rookie cards in products. And I can say some of you who complain about certain teams not having enough cards in a product are wrong. The Brewers I think are a common one that people say don't have enough, well, they were in my Top 10 for most. Some of the other top teams, Yankees (no surprise), Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers, Phillies, Cubs,Astros, Giants, and Braves. Rockies would probably be number 11.

Teams in the bottom with fans that should complain are the Marlins, Rangers, and especially Tigers.

Among my sorting, I also found a few nice gems I pulled out to set aside in toploaders. Including, Pedro:

MJ:

Rhys Hoskins refractor

Corey Seager refractor

and Chase Utley

 

These are just a few gems.

For my rookie sorting I put all of the rookies and the rookie inserts by teams. Players featured in USA or college uniforms had their own binder but not by team. I didn't want to spend time researching what team they played for. 

Well, there you have it. Part 4 is in the books and I believe there will be one more part to this series to come. But, I will also show off other parts in sub-posts such as the Sets Of My Childhood series. I do feel much relief however that the hardest part of this project is done. Onto the finale!

BLOG BAT AROUND:What Are My Collecting Projects The Sequel!

Back in March, I participated in my very first blog bat-around based on My Collecting Projects. Since then, things have changed and some I forgot about the first time around so here is a complete list of projects that I am hoping that some trading buddies of mine can help me with.

As many know, I tend to keep many projects and collections going and going. I think being diverse helps keep me interested in the hobby and helps people trade with me easier. Here are my current collecting projects all put in order.

First off, I remain only 6 autographs away from getting the entire Psych Seasons 1-4 set. But there is only one way I can accomplish this, is with other collectors help.  I can't afford to pick up my remaining cards so I am hoping others can pick them up and then I can trade you stuff for the card or cards. My want list is here for the ones remaining, **there are insert sets and relic sets I would like to finish as well**

http://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Secondly, I am still a ways off from getting my Ghostbusters autograph set done and just like the Psych one, I can't afford to pick up missing pieces. Once again I must rely upon the help of someone else to pick up my missing pieces and then I can trade you something for them. The ones I am missing are on this link, **I also collect the sketch cards, slime cards and film cel cards**

http://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/p/ghostbusters-want-list.html

Thirdly, I am chasing down all of Rodney Hampton's cards. Yes, all. Here are the ones remaining. So far I have tackled 536 out of 816 total cards he has. I am very impressed with how far I have gotten. **I am also trying to track down his Starting Lineups or anything else non card he may have been on**
http://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/p/rodney-hampton-wantlist.html

Fourth, I am trying to collect autographs from all of the players/Hall Of Famers I grew up watching. Guys like Brett Favre, Troy Aikman (yes even for this Giants fan), Steve Young, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Jerry Rice, Bill Parcells, Kurt Warner, and so on. I know these are hard to pry away from some traders, but I thought I could try at least. Someone has gotta have an extra to let go of.

Fifth, I am trying to land rookie cards of those kind of guys as well ^^^. Some I have accomplished, but not all. You can find my autograph and rookie card wants for those guys here, https://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_5.html

Sixth, I want ALL, yes ALL, Saquon Barkley cards I can get my hands onto. I have never been so stoked about a Giants pick.

Seventh, I want all Aaron Judge cards that I don't have. There are many gaps in my collection, just let me know what you have. Still missing a relic in my collection. *hint hint*

Eighth, NY Giants cards. With trading buddies I try to only focus on rookie cards, numbered cards and hits as it is way to tough to add new base cards. I try to add new base on my own as I try to chase down all of the Giants.

Ninth, I will take any and all Hollywood or TV show hits. I especially want a Chevy Chase Leaf autograph. Have one available FT? Please let me know!!

Tenth, Ken Griffey Jr. The king of sweet swing I will always add as long as I don't have it. I don't collect doubles and usually use those to trade off.

And Finally, toys. Yes, toys, I am mainly looking for pieces I had when I was younger since mine were all sold off. Darkwing Duck, TMNT, Mighty Max and a few other. All of my wants are on my main want list now that you can find, here,
https://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_5.html

Okay one more quickly I just added in late, Gleyber Torres cards. Give em to me!

Well, that's it. Some things changed from last time and some new ones were added I forgot the first time and realized it after the fact.

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES! Part 20:1995 Summit Ground Zero Parallel

Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES is a spinoff from just a want list. I decided not only would I make a want list of each of the sets I am chasing in a tab, but I thought a little breakdown and feature may help get me more set help. I am sure many of the sets I am seeking are nickel and dime type of cards so I am hoping my trader friends can be on the lookout for any I don't have.

 I don't normally chase parallel sets but when one looks as good as these Ground Zero parallels, I say Oh Yeah and I bust through the wall like the Kool-Aid man.

 

How serious am I you ask about collecting the entire 200 card set. I am dead serious. I want them all! 

Ground Zero parallels fell 1:7 packs of 1995 Summit. The product had a high end appeal to it with it's thick base cards and elegant design. The inserts also looked very nice and some appear on this list. But, none I want more than this parallel set. I wished my pictures could have captured their magic a bit more.

I have a long, long, ways to go with this one with only 8/200 so far. So any form of donations or trades for the rest I will welcomed open armed.

My current haves are,

1,23,28,78,82,92,154,164

How many of you remember or collected these? 

Clear Shot At Spending My eBay Bucks!

As you guys know, I am a very low budget collector so when I got my eBay bucks certificate back recently, I didn't get a triple digit return, I didn't even get a double digit return. I got $1.88. Yes, one dollar and eighty-eight cents.

Some of you may laugh and some of you may not even bother using an amount so low, but for me, $1.88 opened up some possibilities and to me, money is money. No matter the amount.

I knew I wasn't going to add to my Psych or Ghostbusters needs with that amount, but since I collect so much the windows were open to many things. First I checked for Rodney Hamptons. Nope, all the ones that cheap I have. Second, I looked at NY Giants in general, nope, got em. So lastly I checked out Sets Of My Childhood cards and knew I could score some kind of help there.

But, I didn't want to spend my big bucks on just any card randomly I needed, I wanted something unique from my needs.

That's when I discovered a 1995 Pinnacle Clear Shots card I needed for my set. These cards fell 1:60 packs and are printed acetate with a touch of silver foil.

 

So far I only had Jerry Rice for the set. Now I have Marshall. So 2 out of 10 done. This set will be featured on Sets Of My Childhood THE SERIES at some point and hopefully I can get some help to finish my set.

I was pretty happy with my choice and finding a set need under $2. Most of these in the set are over that price even for a non Hall Of Famer.

Nuttin But The Hits:2018 Donruss Baseball Rack Pack

I sometimes feel alone in the blogging world when it comes to liking Panini baseball products. Yes, I know there are no logos but sometimes you have to look past that. I struggle with it, but mainly when it comes to products from completely unlicensed companies like Sage and Leaf.

One of my favorite Panini baseball products is Donruss. It's affordable and can pack a punch. Maybe not so much retail wise, but hobby wise, the stuff is pretty solid in my opinion.

Since I couldn't afford a hobby box and missed out on 2017 Donruss completely, I said, I am so digging in for 2018 and picked up a rack pack.

Each rack pack comes with 30 cards for the $4.98.

I pulled three Yankees for my PC including Mickey Mantle. Panini included a ton of name variations this year. For those of you who complain about Topps doing that, Panini said hold my glass for that one. I liked how they did the name variations in the past making them actual tough pulls, but this year there is simply too much.

Here is another nickname. I believe this is a sepia parallel but couldn't read my wrapper once I tore it.

My two Rated Rookies. Pitchers. Ugh. I am not a fan of pitchers. But, the design isn't too shabby.

Diamond Kings has taken a facelift change every year. I am not too much of a fan of this design however.

This, this is what Donruss baseball is all about. Throwback design. I think Panini should use the throwback designs for the base cards. They could throw it back like Topps does with Archives.

I hit this blue parallel of the throwback. It's a very similar parallel to the ones found in 2015 Panini Americana. A tiny bit shiny but right to my liking.

 

I found a few things with this years Donruss I wasn't completely a fan of , but I still like the product. The hobby boxes from what I see still pack plenty of fun and are reasonably priced. I may still try to get my hands onto a box.

What do you guys think about 2018 Donruss?

TMNT Episode 3: League Licensing

Deep in the sewers of NYC, lived the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Most have forgotten about them living there. Some remember and shrug it off. Others still recognize them as heroes that saved their city from the foot-clan.

What have the turtles been doing all of these years in hiding.....

Sorting sports cards.

Does it truly ever end?

Nobody knew of the turtles and their collecting sports cards except for Casey Jones who would bring the turtles packs to open and card supplies to store their items.

Once in awhile the turtles run into a card-related problem that could use some help solving before it got messy.

Today Donatello and Leonardo were comparing cards from today to cards from the 90's. That's when an interesting topic came out.

Leo: Hey Donnie, I was just looking through these cards from the 90's and noticing brands like Score, Pro Line, Upper Deck, Fleer for a variety of sports. I don't believe we have those kind of cards today.

Donnie: Nah brah. All I got is Panini, Panini, Topps, Panini, Panini, Panini, Panini, Topps, Upper Deck.

 

Leo: Wonder what happened.

Donnie: Not sure. It just appears this Panini place bought out everything and left a few scraps behind for Topps and Upper Deck.

Leo: That doesn't give us much variety.

Donnie:No it doesn't. It's quite saddening looking at everything overall on the market right now. A lot of it looks the same. Where's the creativity?

SHREDDER: What do you mean there is no variety and creativity? We have Leaf and Sage cards as well.

 

Shredder threw down some Sage Hit cards in front of his enemies. That Shredder always is stirring things up.

Leo: SHREDDER!!!!

*Leo draws his weapon*

Donnie: Wait Leo. Let's hear what he has to say.

SHREDDER: Look at these. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these cards

Leo:Where are the logos?

SHREDDER: Well, we can't get everything we want. Can we Turtles?

Donnie: Those cards look okay, but without logos they don't interest me that much.

Leo:Me neither. Those 90's cards had all the products with all the logos.

The conversation between the three continued on. The Shredder seemed to think what we had today was great and the unlicensed cards were just as good as licensed ones. Leo and Donnie agreed the 90's with all of that variety was the way to go and that unlicensed cards were ugly. This could be a very long day/night for all of them.

The Turtles need your help to solve this problem. Let them know in comments your thoughts on the league licensing and unlicensed cards. Hopefully by the time the next episode happens there will be a solution.