Ending 2020 Right

2020 has been well.....interesting.

I don't need to recap all that happened this year as nobody wants to rehash bad memories. I will however show how I turned negative hobby things into positive ones in terms of my collecting.

1. I LOST SOME SPONSORS AND DIDN'T DO REVIEWS FOR GIVEAWAYS. This was tough on me as blog views dropped because of it, but I added a new sponsor I never thought I would have landed. I also started a successful RAK thread on Twitter and did mini giveaways from my own collection. I am hopeful that next year the reviews will be back again and we can do it up big!
2. ALL RETAIL IS ALWAYS SOLD OUT. Saved me some money and I was able to grab a few boxes on on Black Friday for the first time in years.
3. QUARANTINED AT HOME. This gave me lots of extra time to reorganize my entire collection which has been a ton of fun. It also helped me get going on some new projects and finish up some others.
4. QUARATINED AT HOME 2: When I wasn't sorting, I worked on my Beckett article and was able to launch CARDS OVER COFFEE which has become a fan favorite despite the lack of views.
5. AVOIDING PUBLIC MEANT LESS POST OFFICE RUNS: Made me appreciate the power of a PWE trade. A lot of my big home run trades this year didn't happen as I avoided going out in public and going to the post office so I made a lot of small pwe trades which helped me add to my collection still.
6. NO SUPPLIES: I took the opportunity of this as a gateway to change the way I sort things in a way I may not have tried before. I also learned to use what I already had to its full extent.

This year I may not have added much to my collection, but I still felt good about how my hobby went during the challenging times.

In 2020, the negatives may outweigh the positives in both the hobby and life, but I tried to not let it get me down and it appears many others in the hobby followed that same suit. How do I know? Many took to giving back to help others which makes both yourself and others feel good.

I don't think I have ever seen such a big amount of generosity in the hobby as I have this year. People sending out RAK's to cheer others up. Companies themselves stepping up and doing so as I have seen with Panini and Topps of recent. Bloggers hosting freebie Fridays and free group breaks. It makes you simply smile.

I have even been apart in both giving and receiving ends of this. 

Recently, well in the past month since I am behind on posts, my buddy @ValleyOfCards snagged me this 2020 Phoenix NY Giants parallel lot from @WatchTheBreaks .

These parallels are found in the Fanatics complete set and look even better than I thought they would in person. Wished I could have grabbed a whole set for myself.

Besides the parallel cards in this package, I found a bonus surprise from @WatchTheBreaks at the bottom of the stack..

 

Panini Instant Rated Rookie of RJ Barrett card I didn't have. Very cool!!! That brightened up 2020 a bit more.

Thanks goes out to both @WatchTheBreaks and @ValleyOfCards for their generosity and making a tough year a little better.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Years Eve. Please be safe and make smart decisions, I would like for you to be here tomorrow to read my blog and to interact with. ALSO PLEASE WEAR A MASK FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS!!!!

What positive thing happened to you this year? What are your New Years Eve plans?

And let's hope 2021 is the best year ever!!!!

Giants Cardboard: Eli's Gaining Momentum

As the year creeps closer to the end, I have looked back on my collecting habits and how much they have changed all year long.

First it was hot rookies, then non sport cards, then it was Allan Houston, then it was Kerry Collins then it was 90's inserts again, then Patrick Mahomes cards, then Lamar Jackson cards, then Christmas cards, then Russell Wilson cards, then Mosaic cards, then shiny cards and so on and so forth. There was no straight focus and my collecting habits must look like someone with a bad case of ADHD.

Maybe I should rename this blog, ADHD collector.

Regardless how crazy I must look, there has been one constant throughout my collecting and that is the NY Giants. I have never gone off topic with them. I simply collect all that I don't have regardless of how long the player has been on the team. If they made it even one game, I would take them as long as they are wearing Giants blue or have affiliation of so.

But, that doesn't mean some players I don't prefer more than others.

Take Eli Manning for example. I always talk about Rodney Hampton on here... a lot, but deep down inside my favorite NY Giant of all time is Eli. Rodney is a very-very close second or a 1B in this case.

Eli brought out tons of emotions which you can tell a lot by his "Eli Face".

I felt for him being an underdog but that also made me root him on harder being one myself. He won two Super Bowls for my team against the team I despise most. He was a two time Super Bowl MVP. He went to Pro Bowler. He was a leader on and off the field and handled NY media the way you need to. I couldn't have asked to had watched a better player to play the toughest position in football in the toughest city to play football.

I appreciated everything he did for my Giants and can't wait to see him as a first ballot Hall Of Famer. Yeah I said it.

With these 9 new adds from Burbank Sportscards Beckett Marketplace (also saved 10% by using code 15Burbank which I suggest you try as well), I am creeping towards 700 Eli Manning cards. He marks my second highest Giant in total cards and I hope to be gaining more over the next few weeks. Eli has moved up as my second most sought after player right now behind Rodney Hampton.

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Before closing I wanted to show off another card I snagged, quite cheaply at $4 by the way and even less using the code, was this Darius Slayton auto.

Slayton is one of the up and coming WR's in this league when the Giants have time to throw to him. I look forward to seeing him more next year.

Who is your favorite player on your team All Time and/or Now? Do you have the same situation as I do with a 1A and a 1B?

It's Fun To Win Again

For the second time in a month (this is a tad late of a posting on this win), luck had rolled my way when it came to entering a contest from the great people at @WADC20 on Twitter.

Not only did I score that super attractive Paul Perkins autograph patch for my Giants PC, but also all of these cards that follow.

I don't know a lot about hockey anymore, but any new scores for my rookie collection are welcomed. Especially any from the past few years where my collection is weak.

This is a name I recognize or at least heard.

Same goes for this one.

I don't know this name but great looking insert by Upper Deck

Final card is this autograph. Not sure how good this player is but autograph rookie cards are up my alley regardless.

Big thanks again to @WADC20 for the contest and these sweet additions to my collection. If you are not following them, go do so. They are always giving back to the hobby community.

Let's Talk About Sets Volume 46:Gold Fingers

 

Does today's title draw you right in? Does anything get more setsier than a title that says, Gold Fingers? If you clicked on today's post, I would say I have my answer.

Back in 1996, Fleer Metal created an  12-card set made of 24-karat etcheTd gold foil of the NFL's top receivers at the time. These cards fell 1:8 packs.

To say they look good that would be an understatement. I would prefer to use words such as stunning, marvelous, phenomenal, remarkable, and astonishing.

You also have to take a look at the details and design where you can tell creativity was used. How many of you remember a time when creativity was used in the hobby?

I was able to grab these four cards from Burbank Sportcards Beckett Marketplace where I saved 10% on them by using code 15Burbank. You can check them out yourself by clicking THIS LINK HERE:https://marketplace.beckett.com/burbanksportscards_21/

With these latest adds, I have 7 of the 12 for the set. I hope to add the rest soon as they look impressive on 9 page sheets.

That does it for today's Sets Talk.  Hope you had a golden time and remember, there is more sets to come.

Giants Cardboard:Mosaic Adds!

I didn't think I would be one that fell in love with....Mosaic, but I did.

Recently I was scouring Burbank Sportscards Beckett Marketplace (also saved 10% by using code 15Burbank which you should try as well), I found they had a bunch of NY Giants Mosaic versions for sale and found the cheapest ones to grab. 

My cart looked very shiny by the time I was done.

Daniel Jones base parallels (I have since dropped the silver and damaged the corner badly. I had to toss it in the junk card pile)

Eli Stare Masters insert. Everyone always enjoys the "Eli Face"and now they can see it more up close.

Eli Adds were on fire. Three base card parallels including a pink

3 Old School inserts with 2 parallels

3 touchdown Masters with 2 parallels (which I think the card looks great even without the parallels)

And here is where I currently stand with my parallels for base for Daniel Jones,

Here are my Eli's,

Funny how both came out with 6. That was unintentional.

Fun pickups for my collection. I don't plan on chasing any rainbows with these with the amount of parallels they have and so many others chasing them as well. I am happy with what I got however.

Let's go Giants and hoping for a win against Baltimore today. It won't be easy for sure.

(PS:if this game changes for any reason or any players are not playing, keep in mind this post was typed up on December 1st as I was trying to get a little bit ahead on here with some drafts)

Giants Cardboard: RAK N Trade

 

Could I have saved this post for Giants Cardboard tomorrow, yes, but with myself falling behind on posts with Giants cards, I can't keep pushing these off any longer. I have to get these posted more frequently than once a week.

So to put a stop on the next question about Giants Cardboard that I am sure you are dying to know, yes there will still be another Giants Cardboard tomorrow.

Today's cardboard awesomeness came from a small PWE trade I pulled off along with a RAK I got from someone.

First up, my trade with @nekbone860 which included the Saquon relic above.

Daneil Jones Will To Win Mosaic insert

and Pink Parallel from Mosaic. Which will we be seeing much more on Mosaic tomorrow.

Thanks for the trade @nekbone860!

Up next, a RAK from my weekly RAK thread I host on Twitter. This one came from @Jay_D_Schmidt who said he had some Giants to send me.

Darius Slayton green parallel from 2020 Absolute. My first Absolute card from it.

woo doggy, What a beaut!

Daniel Jones base card from Mosaic. I believe it's my first from it.

Thanks to Jay for the mail day!

Tomorrow will be a Mosaic day for my latest Giants Cardboard so come back and enjoy!

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 25: That's Christmas To Me

Decorating one month ahead, putting up the tree on Thanksgiving night, makes me smile all month long, oh why? Because that's Christmas To Me.

Eating Sugar cookies, drinking eggnog for weeks on end, give my stomach so much joy, oh why? Because that's Christmas To Me.

Sharing sport cards about Christmas and posting every day, giving cards to those in need, give my heart all it needs...oh why? Because that's Christmas To Me.

Panantonix Christmas song Because That's Christmas To Me hits you right in the feels about what the season is all about. And with today being THE DAY, I thought this song makes a perfect blog title ending for this series.

I hope all of you have enjoyed this series. I am not sure if it will be back next year or not, probably deeply depends on how many Christmas cards I can accumulate between this year and next since today marks the end of all of the ones I grabbed this year in trades and pickups. Thanks to all of those who helped contribute to this 25 days of fun.

Christmas Day as I have said on here many times is very special to me. It's my grandmother's birthday, the birth of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and just such a happy time to celebrate family, friends, and simple joy....and the food of course. Can't forget the holiday food.

I have had some memorable Christmases in the past from gag gifts, to big gifts, to big breakfasts, to the joy of being around family near and far. Every year a new memory is made and not forgotten. That's what I am hoping for all of you today. I hope you have the happ, happiest Christmas ever.

God bless all of you!

Tell me your favorite Christmas memory whether its from your childhood or as an adult in comments. Would love to hear them.

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 24:The Christmas Song

 

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...Jack Frost nipping at your nose...

It's Christmas Eve. 

The night when the man in the red suit loads up his sleigh and visits all of the good boys and girls to give them gifts of joy. Or in real life terms, it's the day where parents are scrambling to get everything wrapped up in time or for the husband who forgets to get their wife a gift is running out to the shops before they close to make sure he gets a gift so his chestnuts are not hung by an open fire the next day for forgetting.

Don't worry, I already have my wife's gifts well in advanced.

 

Today's also the day I show off rest of my collection of NFL Properties cards, still many more to go before I have them all, and share some memory from Christmas Eve's past.

Christmas Eve used to be more fun for me.

Back before my nephew and sister-in-law moved to Tennessee, we would all go to the Christmas Eve church service, then come back to my house for cookies, cocoa, exchange stocking gifts with the in-laws then watch Christmas Vacation. Those memory-making, hysterical experiences I will never forget that we did annually for years.

Now, when they are able to come up for the holidays since they moved, they come two weeks before Christmas and we do things together at that time such as myself making their favorite foods and watching Christmas Vacation.

So now my Christmas Eves are spent pretty quietly at home and probably even more-so this year being the year 2020 where you must avoid people at all costs. Which is okay, this year I think most of us have become pretty accustomed to being at home.

I wanna know now, what are some of your Christmas Eve traditions? Have they changed over the years? What are your plans this year?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 23:Joy To The World!

 

Joy to the world...Christmas is almost here... Let me continue to sing...

2 days folks! 2 more days of me posting the 25 days posts. 2 more days left to shop. 2 more days of hectic crazy holiday planning.

And 2 cards I am showing off today. The first card is a Walker Buehler base card from 2019 Topps Holiday and the second is an Sp of Buehler with a scarf.

Out of my 37 years of life, I have never once worn a scarf despite facing some pretty cold tempatures where I live. I have on the other hand used them for Power Rangers, TMNT and even Darkwing Duck weapons haha.

Buehler on this card just looks right with a scarf the way he is holding his head, the photoshop was spot on. They chose a perfect person to attempt this on.

Have you guys ever worn a scarf?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 22: Soto Christmas Tree

  

Soto....Christmas Tree...Soto Christmas Tree..how steadfast are your branches?

Only Juan knows.

I think the Christmas tree Sp's are one of the best looking ones out of Topps Holiday. So you add a young slugger into the picture as well, you have an award winning card.

Literally, there is an award on there.

Here is another parallel version of the card. This time there are some lights on the bat.

And you can't see it, but here is the metallic parallel.

The song Oh Christmas Tree brings me back to the days of school holiday concerts. It felt like every year no matter what grade I was in, my class was stuck singing that classic tune while other classes got to have more fun with Frosty The Snowman or Walking In A Winter Wonderland.

What is a song you remember singing from school?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 21:Almost To Victory Lane

I began my search for everything Santa and Christmas cards back in October and November and posted a thread on TCDB just to see if I could get any trades started.

But, not much took off from there, per my usual experience on that website.

However, one member known as zachbobalu1 messaged me and told me he had a Santa card from Press Pass he would like to send me. So I jumped on the chance and within a week or two the card above arrived.

The card itself is pretty stinkin' cool with  foil covering the surface. The picture of Santa riding his snowmobile sleigh to victory lane was fitting for a company known for it's NASCAR products. I wished they were still around. They made some great products.

It wasn't just the card that made me smile, it's the giving that did. The fact this person didn't even know me on TCDB and sent me this card just because. That to me is what the holiday season is all about.

My wife and I every year send baby outfits to a local hospital for families who may need a kick off help. We also almost every year choose a family in need to give gifts to. Usually my wife does the leg work on that stuff as in picking the family, the gifts and picking it all out. It always warms my heart to do this annual tradition.

Thanks again to member zachbobalu1 for the card, it means a lot and will always have a place in my collection.

Have any of you ever received a card from someone you didn't know around Christmas time?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 20:Let It Snow

Let it snow..let it snow..let it snow....

I don't mind singing that up until Christmas, I need a white Christmas, but once it's past Christmas, I like to sing let it melt...let it melt...let it melt.

I can deal however with cards that feature snow on them and thanks to @KempTribe I was able to add a few more to my collection.

Not sure how these guys can see to pitch with snow in their face.

Only one year can I remember having a green Christmas where I live and it was weird as it gets. I am not sure how everyone in the south can celebrate Christmas in the warm and green grass. There is only way to celebrate the season and that's with snow.

How do you feel about snow?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 19: All I Want For Christmas Is You

Sorry readers. I know this title will hit your every nerve as we all know that big Mariah Carey hit is the most played Christmas song on the radio. It's not that its a bad song per say, but a lot are sick of hearing it.

Today's card features Jim Kelly getting ready to launch a Christmas present deep. Just hopefully there will be no Dallas Cowboys in his way. Sorry Bills fans.

The back of the card is like reading a Christmas card from the Kelly and Skybox family to us.

I know when it comes to presents this year, I always hope for card boxes and eBay gift cards but it doesn't always translate to that. A gift is a gift though because it comes from the heart. I know that sounds like a corny line from a Hallmark Movie but it's so true.

When I grew up, I was always disappointed by my presents though I know it was stuff my parents knew I would like. They just couldn't afford to get the stuff I actually really wanted like that Ghostbusters fire house or the entire line of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures. Every year I would get a notebook (I told you I love to write), some form of clothing and maybe one of the toys I asked for. Sometimes they would sign up for a Santa Fund which gives presents out to low income families. I wouldn't always get what I wanted from that either but made due. 

Even though stuff wasn't always what I wanted, I didn't just toss it in the trash. I always put it to full use and always treated and kept my stuff like a gem mint card.

Big or small gifts, its not the gift that counts. It's the thought. I tell myself that all of the time and live by it and hope you do as well.

What was a present you wanted growing up but never got?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 18: Happy Holidays To You!

 

The holidays are just around the corner with only 1 week remaining. I hope most of you either have your shopping done or almost done.

My wife and I are early shoppers meaning we did our shopping back in October long before all of the specials, etc. Though we may jump on a couple of deals just to add to what we had already finished. Can't argue with a good deal.

Today's card features Santa with a beautifully NFL decorated Christmas tree from the NFL Properties line of of 1995. The design used for this one is from Collectors Edge.

Next to that card is another Scentsy holder, yes my wife grabs one every year for a new Christmas decoration, this time a present one that says Happy Holidays. Not my favorite holder of the ones I have but still has the colors of green and red for the season so it works.

How far have you guys gotten on Christmas shopping?

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 17: Ugly Sweaters

 

I mentioned on the first day of running this 25 Day promo, that I would bring back more of the ugly sweaters, well, here they are.

What was a fun chase of a couple, turned into a possible set run. However, there are 42 cards in the single relic set. That's a bit steep and I am in need of top guys like Burrow, Tua, and Herbert which won't make it any easier.

 

But I am pretty happy where I am at with it so far. Roughly half of the set is in my hands now. Not sure how far I will keep chasing this but will do my best to continue. I will say though, the more color the swatch has on these, the cooler they are.

Also in this set, there are 8 double Rookie Sweaters featuring two players from each team.

There are only 8 in this set and I have 3 of them. For some reason or another, not all of my pictures uploaded for today's post. But, I will keep you all updated on my chase even long after the holidays. Maybe by next Christmas I will have it filled.

As for ugly sweaters themselves, I don't own a single one or ever wore one. Though I am tempted sometimes to try and get a Christmas Vacation occasionally. Maybe one day.

How about you? Do you own or wear any ugly sweaters?