Tuesday, June 30, 2020

The Grady Bunch 2: More Baseball

When Sport Card Collectors reader and fan Grady M sends a box of goodies, he really sends it.

It's packed with every sport including wrestling. It's got tons of variety and plenty of shiny stuff as he knows I am a fan of.

I know many bloggers and collectors are not fans of Panini's baseball products, but I will emphasize again that I am.

This Rickey Henderson is fire. It's numbered to his career home run total. So shiny!

Good mix of pink players, red and purples

Some insert pinks

Let's sing it together, BABY PUCKETT DOO DOO DOO BABY PUCKETT DOO DOO DOO BABY PUCKETT

SHINY PUCKETT DOO DOO DOO SHINY PUCKETT DOO DOO DOO SHINY PUCKETT

Okay enough with that. One would guess it's stuck in your head by now.
I found two of these 2010's Decades Best inserts in the box and even found an unannounced parallel....

Seems like a fitting parallel.

Well, that does it for Post 2. One more post to go. The final post from this box relates to one player and one player only. Question is, can you guess it?

Monday, June 29, 2020

The Grady Bunch: The Yaaaaaannnkkkeeees

It's time to finally show off the Grady Bunch Box. I mentioned this box a few weeks ago

The next few posts will dig in, but will not, WILL NOT, show the extent of everything he sent or even close to what he sent. There was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much its hard to capture and post it all.

So today, we will tackle the Yankees portion, well some as I said from the box.

There was a base of Tanaka and

then I found the Sp. While I was digging through I thought the photo on this looked different than the base so I compared numbers and there it was. Pretty cool. Think it's actually my first Yankees Sp from the product.

My Yankees PC focus now is mainly on two players. Both of which Grady tackled well.
First up, the big dude as I refer to him as, Aaron Judge as the rest of you refer to him. I don't have much 2020 since I haven't been able to get any, so lots of new Aaron's headed my way.

Donruss base and variation at the bottom.

And a beautiful Dominators insert. This is the pink parallel.

Next up, the second Yankee player I collect
Gleyber Torres continues to grow every year into a big time star. Will be fun to see what he can do when baseball resumes (this was typed up on June 21st in case baseball begins before this publishes)

Always digging these Fortune Teller inserts. One of the few mini cards I enjoy

The third Yankee player I focus on is Derek Jeter. There were a few of those in this box as well, but I stayed more focus on the two players I gained the most traction with.

And the final card is how I feel when I open up a mail day from Grady....
The rainbow foil parallel of this really brings it all out and I was soaking it all in. Just like the contents of the box he sent.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Coffee Break:2020 Score Football Fat Pack

Welcome, this new segment on here will feature new products I review and breakdown during a coffee break. A coffee break is when you take a stop from work and drink coffee. Not when you take a break from coffee, that would be just crazy

*cup of joe ready to go, let's rip this pack*

My father has been very lucky in finding packs at Walmart in the past month while I see many other collectors coming up empty. From new products to even some old ones, his timing is almost perfect.

Almost of course. Even in my area there are those flippers.

In the past month, I have been trading him cards for packs since I haven't gone to Walmart in months and need the occasional rip and he has been more than happy to help me with that.

One of the newest releases I craved, like I do every year, is the first official NFL release in Score football. I like to get the first cards of not only my NY Giants, but of other teams as well and the new incoming rookies. Though I am not a big fan of the rookies still in College uniforms, I will take it for now.

*sniffs coffee, sniffs pack. The sweet, sweet smells tickles my nose*

For Score this year or so far as I hope to think of it, I ended up with a Fat Pack. There are 40 cards in every fat pack and the pack is just under $6. The legend, I won't call him GOAT as that's Eli Manning of course, Tom Brady graces the pack cover this year.

And I believe Tom his own Tribute insert line in the product which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Save that for when he retires and make one for Eli who has retired and has also earned one for this year. Come on Panini.

Here is the back of the pack with breakdown of what could be inside.

That feeling of the unknown within is just as thrilling as that first cup in the morning.

*a couple of sips before opening it*

Once I opened the pack, I am blessed with some great action photography right off the bat. The card, despite being a Giants fan, that caught my eye first was the Michael Gallup. Look at that angle of that photograph.

As for the card backs, yes I do look at the stats and read the write up, I iked what Panini did. I do wished there was more stats of the player however.

Though I do find this Fun Fact add to the back very interesting. I didn't know that I enjoyed, I mean, Matthew Stafford enjoys golfing. (if you don't get this joke, my name is Matthew)

The next four cards show Allen Hurns and Will Fuller making dives into pylons while Ed Oliver celebrates a big play and Olivier Vernon pass rushing. I was curious how he would do with the Browns after the Giants traded him off like Odell, seems he took another step backwards according to his stats. Good move G-Men.

Four more cards and this time we catch T.Y. doing his T.Y. touchdown celebration

Another four base cards and Russell Wilson is making his swift moves. I don't think he gets enough recognition for the great QB he actually is. I doubt Seattle even wins half of their games without Russell.

Final three veteran base cards including Richard Sherman who helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Before I move on, I must mention the base set is a big one built up of 440 cards including 110 rookies which are always last in the pack. We will get to those soon I promise.

Up next in the pack was the three Red parallels that are exclusive to Fat Packs. Every retail level has it's own exclusive parallels. So if you're thinking about building a rainbow, well, you will have to dabble into each or I suppose you could just buy singles but where's the fun in that.

My three reds weren't terrible. Two great defenders in Gary and Suh and then a promising rookie that signed with the 49ers in Hasty. He could be one of those sneaky undrafted picks that turns out to be the next Terrell Davis.

*before diving into the inserts, takes a gulp of coffee, bite of bagel, wipes butter off hand so it doesn't ruin the cards and continues to go back to type*

The next 12 cards in the pack were inserts. So much for the 90's where you would have one or none. It's a guarantee now.


Score 2020 features a variety of inserts that stay the Score course and some exclusive just to retail.

Here is a breakdown of the offerings I found in my Fat Pack. I should also mention each insert has their own set of parallels,

3D offers the best defenders on a team and has 15 cards to collect
Game Face is exactly what it says, a players game face. This insert also has 15 cards to collect
Huddle Up really took a step back this year in terms of size, there is only 10 cards and not the usual every team offering. Which is really disappointing.
In The Zone is all of the best players in the game who are almost unstoppable. There are 25 cards in this set to collect and this one was my favorite design of the group
Next Level Stats has 25 cards in the set and shows the top stats for each player that are quite impressive.

The final six cards in the base set are always the rookies. From top rookies to the bottom of the crop, Score always offers it all especially with 110 of them to collect.

I don't know a lot about this years rookie class so I Googled the ones I didn't know
Anthony Gordon-QB for Seattle who was undrafted (well guess who won't be seeing time to play)
KJ Hamler-Speedy WR got drafted in the 2nd round by the Denver Broncos
Antonio Gandy-Golden-4th round WR drafted by the Redskins
Lynn Bowden Jr was RB drafted in third round by the Las Vegas Raiders (it's so odd not to write LA or Oakland for the Raiders)

And my final two rookies
Chase Claypool was a second round WR pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Trevon Diggs is a 2nd round draft pick by Dallas Cowboys and younger brother of Stephon Diggs

*finishes up the cup of coffee, now onto cup two to finish this Coffee Break*

My thoughts are the usual when it comes to Score, it was a fun cheap rip and gives me my first NFL cards of 2020. I just hope I am able to get more, I need some of the top draft picks rookie cards and the Giants inserts since I have the base now that someone gave to me.

I also hope there is some football this fall. I NEED SOME FOOTBALL. You gotta give me that at least 2020.
 
Ratings (ratings based on 1-5 🍵)

Design 🍵🍵🍵
Photography 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Inserts 🍵🍵🍵
Hits (not applicable)
Price 🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵
Value 🍵🍵🍵🍵

Rodney's Cardboard:2007 Hero Decks Georgia Bulldogs Football Playing Card

Once again, oddities are my favorite pickups for Rodney Hampton. It's what defines me as a Super Collector of the particular player. It helps my collection stand out and makes my numbers go up.

Rodney only has so many cards in his career and most are being narrowed down right now and getting tougher to find the ones I need.

This one popped up for $3 and free shipping and that fits right in my budget so I added it.

Card features a caricature front and a note about Rodney and his time with Georgia

Back of the card is a Bulldogs helmet. Pretty slick playing card.

I have also found a NY Giants edition of this I still need to get. Only problem, it's in a deck of cards but it's NY Giants so it won't be too bad to add them all.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Autograph Of The Week:Mark Brunell

The autograph this week is a common one I have and been adding to all year.

However, this one is a really special one which makes it why it's being posted on Autograph Of The Week instead of being featured in a normal post.

This Mark Brunell I have been watching for over a year and the seller finally put it up for a cheap auction and I was the only bidder.

It's a 1997 Collectors Edge 22KT signed autograph helmet.

I had no idea the concept of helmet cards were used that early, well late, 90's. I always thought it was a 2000's idea but I have come to realize that more and more stuff from the 90's I didn't know existed.

Also realized that this cards is a shadowbox (also note the on card auto). The card features a game used helmet swatch and has the 22K gold foil.

Card back.

Side view of card and how thick it actually is, like a shadow box. You can also see the layers.

It's another great autograph, 90's PC add and Brunell side PC add.

The odds of pulling one of these was 1:350 packs so not an easy find. There are 5 others to collect. Wonder if I will chase more..... (really not sure as they don't look cheap and not all 6 are to be found) But being this thick I can only imagine if pack searchers existed in the 90's this would be an easy find.

Next week another new autograph, this time we head back to the world of non sports which is what this series is really about. I have three new ones incoming so will have to decide which one.

Friday, June 26, 2020

June 26 1963

On June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered his greatest speech at the Berlin Wall.

Today, on June 26 2020, I deliver one of my coolest relic cards in my collection.

In 2001, Topps released American Pie product that was a hybrid baseball/non-sports set designed to captured the essence of America at the height of the Baby Boomers Era of the '60's and '70's where a lot happened.

The product covers a lot of events, musicians and athletes of the time. 

There was some big names to chase across the board with relics and autographs as well including this unique relic of the Berlin Wall where John F. Kennedy spoke.

Great design and really cool relic

Here is a closer pic of the relic up close. Just some crumbs from the Berlin Wall. Makes you wonder how you acquire such relic to use for the cards.

The Kennedy is the cheapest of all the relics included and most can be found for well under $10. Which for me owning a piece of American history for that price I will take all day. The other relics are of musicians and those go for $50 and up. Boxes of this product still hold a heavy price of $150 and up.

How many of you have seen or own one of these? What was your favorite moment of the 60's and 70's?

Thursday, June 25, 2020

The Grady Bunch

Grady M has been a long time reader of Sport Card Collectors and follower of my Facebook page. I just recently brought back my Facebook page and renamed it Cards Over Coffee in case you are interested in following it. I post mail days on there you won't see on here. Same goes for Instagram and Twitter for Cards Over Coffee.

Grady recently mailed one of his goodie boxes that he sends my way a few times a year and I couldn't have been happier. These boxes are always loaded with fun/shiny items from a variety of sports. Sometimes there are even some surprises.

I opened the box and placed all of the contents inside of a box lid so I can go through it card by card and sort as I go.

It took me quite awhile to go through all of this and I will start to post some, not all, of the fun discoveries within. I could never get them all up on here. But, the ones I have chosen to show will still take a couple of posts.

You can also check out a few of the cards I wrote about over Cards Over Coffee that you can read, here, Trying The Off Brand

I can't wait to start showing some of this off starting next week. So come back if this kinda thing intrigues you, even if it doesn't, please come back anyways.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

7 Day Trading Card Challenge Day 7:Best Hobby Trend in 2020

My buddy Tim over at Cardpocalypse, has created a 7 day Trading Card Challenge which has taken the blogosphere by storm.

There is a good variety of topics to cover throughout the challenge so are you up for the challenge? I am.

So let's take a look at  the final day of this challenge, Day 7 of the challenge which is Best Hobby Trend to emerge this year.

There are many trends I could pick that were the worst ones sadly, but there were a few good ones I could choose from. I will go offbeat with this one and say, the Best Hobby Trend to emerge this year is.......

THE TOGETHERNESS.

With everything going on this year, I have seen so many collectors lift others up by doing giveaways and RAK's, etc. It's been great to see and be apart of myself. This year has been anything but great but seeing others finding ways to make it better for others not only helps yourself feel better but everyone else. I hope this hobby trend continues as I see the road not getting any smoother for the rest of the year as it appears the trend this year is a full push down of the pedal of bad things. I call it the 2020 Hunger Games.

And yes, of course there are still those bad apples out there but the only thing you can do for them is either pray for them or keep on encouraging them as well to make a change. Or you could do both. You never know what some positivity can do.

I wrote a piece over at Cards Over Coffee on Positivity which you can read here,

A Little Positivity

So I encourage you to do your best to make someones day better, start today. We are all in this together.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

7 Day Trading Card Challenge Day 6:Favorite Non Sport Card

My buddy Tim over at Cardpocalypse, has created a 7 day Trading Card Challenge which has taken the blogosphere by storm.

There is a good variety of topics to cover throughout the challenge so are you up for the challenge? I am.

So let's take a look at Day 6 of the challenge. Favorite non sport card. Man, I could have gone 100 ways with this one as my non sport collection has really grown over the past couple of years. I love adding autographs of my favorite actors and actresses and singers.

But, I will go with cards from a newest non sport chase, my Chevy Chase chase. That doesn't sound right but it's true.

I already showed off my dual relic of Chase and Murray, but there are a couple more I added as well

How about this 6 piece one with lots of super star power from the 70s including one of my wife's used to be crushes in Robert Redford.

Or this 8 piece relic with many legends of comedy all on one card. This one is also a parallel numbered to 25. I had to really talk the seller down on this one and after much back and forth, we agreed on a middle number.

Once again, I am a tad disappointed they didn't use a small face image with the relics when they use most of these people in other parts of the product as actual images.

I am not sure if this is the end of the road with this PC or if I will seek others out. There is still plenty more different ones of these to chase.

Final day of the challenge coming up next time.

Monday, June 22, 2020

7 Day Trading Card Challenge Day 5:Favorite Hockey Card

My buddy Tim over at Cardpocalypse, has created a 7 day Trading Card Challenge which has taken the blogosphere by storm.

There is a good variety of topics to cover throughout the challenge so are you up for the challenge? I am.

So let's take a look at Day 5 of the challenge.One of my least favorite sports and sports to collect is hockey. Even though someday I would love a Mario, Wayne rookie and autograph of each player. I have so far done really well with trading off a good chunk of my hockey cards but there are some that I won't ever let go of despite not collecting the sport.

Most of those cards come from a Panini product called Classics which was released in 2012-2013. I busted about two boxes of the product and even pulled an Sp autograph somewhere in my collection. I was going to show that one off but can't remember where I put it.

So just for an example, I grabbed one of those cards which was my favorite of the group in this Red Kelly. Great photograph, signature and design of this card. Also, notice the on-card autograph appeal.

Card back also looks great including player stats and a small write up.

That does it for Day 5. Only two days left including a non sport one I suggest you come back for tomorrow.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Rodney's Cardboard:1997 Playoff Absolute Leater Quad Gold Redemption

Today's card, I have no description for. I have no idea the odds on it or even how many of these were made. It's not an every day find that's for sure. I would take a guess it's pretty rare.
But what makes it different than the base version of this quad? It's not the back as that looks the same as the base version of this insert.

Here's the front...nothing special with that either...oh...wait...there is a gold star as opposed to

the base version. Well, and the cost was also 6x what I did for the base, hopefully I didn't overpay but I also don't ever expect this one to pop up again.

1997 Absolute had a bunch of cards like this for parallels in the gold/bronze redemptions. Most of those I have and this one was the toughest of the group to find. Glad to finally have it over with even though they are not that special.

But, a need is a need for the PC and my Rodney one continues to be the best out there.