Summer Of Wes Card #59

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Good Afternoon!

Just wanted to give all of you a heads up that I have switched my email subscription service on here from Feedburner to Follow It. With Feedburner ending on July 7th, I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my subscribers.

The good thing with Follow It is that it gives you more options on the readers end on how you guys want to read my posts. Just look at the pictures below to see them. I am not really that technically advanced, so I cant give you any further details. I was lucky enough to have figured out how to embed the new system.

(I also am typing this on the terrible blogger app because i don't have time to get my laptop out and I am spending the day painting rooms)

Hope everyone has a great rest of the day and if you haven't subscribed or followed this blog yet, please do so. On the right hand side you will see the sign ups to do so!

Cardboard Review:2021 Topps Series 2 Hobby Box Baseball

Topps continues it's 70th birthday celebration in Series 2.

Like most 70 year old's, its invited most of its usual friends (the ones still alive or can still remember) to the party with a few surprise guests.

I showed the offerings from my Series 1 break earlier this year to kickoff the baseball card season, now time to show off the Series 2 offerings to show off the midseason. Hard to think we are almost to July already.

It's breaking time! (it's like the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger phrase but with a cards)

Each Hobby Box of 2021 Topps Series 2 Baseball comes with 24 packs of 14 cards. Each box guarantees one autograph or one relic card and boxes are currently running $90. 

Each box also offers one Silver pack which comes with four cards.

There are 100 cards in the set to chase with multiple parallels and autographs. The parallels you can find are ,Blue /150, Green /99, Purple /75, Gold /50, Orange /25, Red /5, and SuperFractor 1/1.

Here is my rip,

Not too bad! Harper, Lewis and Hayes are not bad finds at all. I still have never been lucky enough to land an autograph from these packs.

BASE CARDS

The base card set carries over the same design as Series 1 as most expect.

The set is 330 cards deep. Consisting of veterans you didn't find in Series one especially those that changed teams in the offseason.

The subsets also continue on with Future Stars, team and showing off baseball fun along with

rookies now found in Series 1 as well.

PARALLELS

There are also plenty of parallels in flagship this year that it will make you think it's Topps Chrome in disguise.

Here are the offerings for Series 2, Royal Blue (Liar,Liar comes to mind with this parallel), Rainbow Foil, Gold Foil, Gold /2021, Green Foil /499, Advanced Stat /300, Orange Foil /299, Red Foil /199, Vintage Stock /99, Independence Day /76, Black /70, Platinum Anniversary /70, Mother’s Day Pink /50, Father’s Day Blue /50, Memorial Day Camo /25, 70th Anniversary 1/1, and Printing Plates 1/1.

Rainbow Foil falls 1:!0 packs

Gold Bordered falls 1:14 packs

Red Foilboard falls 1:135 packs. These are quite stunning in person but reminds me a lot of the Bowman Ice parallels.

INSERTS

As always with Topps, Inserts are aplenty.

I feel like we have had years and years of these '86 Topps inserts, but here they are again. There are 50 more of these to collect falling at 1:8 packs.

70 Years of Topps inserts. These cards revisit former Topps brands and the checklist is you guessed it, 70 cards. These fall 1:8 packs.

Home Run challenge! I haven't ever attempted one and don't plan to because my luck is bad on guessing. I will be giving this code away though so stay tuned for that giveaway. These fall one-per-box on average or 1:24 packs.

Zero to Sixty falls 1:32 packs making it harder to find than other inserts in this break. There are 20 cards to collect.

Significant Statistics fall 1:28 packs but this one is a much tougher black parallel falling 1:1191 packs. Had no idea when I pulled it but did see that it was numbered to /299. There are 25 cards to collect in the set.

More Topps 86....this time in All Star form. Another 50 of these to collect as well falling 1:8 packs.

Platinum Players fall 25 cards and 1:24 packs. This is a continuation set from Series 1 and appears to be the only die cut set in the product. I can't wait to see if these make it as a chrome insert.

DH Debuts makes it debut at 1:65 packs. These have 15 cards in the set to chase.

HITS

Now time to reveal my hit. 9 times out of 10 these hits will be a relic card but my box said...

NOT TODAY! Though it is a pitcher auto which to me is equal to a relic. These 86 autographs fall 1:220 packs.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I will always pick up flagship Topps, it's the centerpiece of any baseball card collection I do however prefer to grab retail of it as I don't care about the hit aspect and it's much of a lesser gamble. I will take one hit, though a manufactured relic, at $20 then spend $90 on a hobby box.

With retail always being sold out though, some collectors may find themselves forking out the extra to find any.

My box landed me a few tough , but despite that, the value to cost ratio is way off. If you're like me though, it's not about the value, it's about the fun.

Your thoughts on Series 2, the 86 inserts or my break are welcomed below. Stay tuned for some giveaways from this break on the blog and on Twitter.

What Makes A Good Blog?

*sweat running down face as turns laptop on, looks over at cold drink that was picked up from the errands run and takes a sip. Aww refreshing. It's time for Cards Over Frozen Hot Chocolate*

 

*takes another quick sip*

What Makes A Good Blog? That's what I have been asking myself as I continue to figure out what direction my blogging will head. I have a deep passion for writing and enjoy coming on to show off what I opened or traded for, but how and where I display those writing pieces is still so undecided.

I take a look at other popular blogs I know (popular blogs are ones that have lots of comments and views) and try to see what makes them. Night Owl Cards ,which is probably at the tops of popularity, has great writing which lures the readers right in. Chronicles Of Fuji another one, has a way to connect with his readers through his life of being a teacher and some amazing cards. Baseball Card Breakdown by Gavin features life, cards and his incredible custom cards. 

Which leads me to ask myself, what is my thing? What makes my blog or blogs? (you guys can help me answer these questions if you want in comments)

I really don't have an answer for that myself, which is why I am having such a problem deciding what to do.

I guess I really need to look at my blogs closer and ask myself, what would make them a good blog? Is there a way to improve the foundation I have started?  Which one makes the most sense for some of the ideas I have going forward? Maybe that will help me decide which direction I will head.

While those questions are still burning, I will continue to plug a new post in on here like today's where I am showing off a couple great additions to my collection thanks to my big trade with @90sNicheFBCard.

*takes another sip as the condensation creeps upon the laptop, grabs a towel, wipes it up and continues on with the post*

My baseball card collecting has taken a bit of a turn in the past couple of months. I am not deeply collecting the Yankees anymore and am really only seeking out specific parts for my collection.

I have begun unloading all of my Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres cards along with other Yankees in exchange for cards that mean more for my collection. Football, Non Sports rank far ahead of baseball for me but it doesn't mean I gave up collecting baseball overall.

What I am looking out for now in collecting baseball cards is, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr, 90's inserts from 1995-1999 (any team, players) and 90's Fleer Metal Universe from 1996-1998.

And certain cards that peek my interest from Yankee championship years such as today's two cards, which both happen to be 1/1's and are from 2020 Topps Archives Signature Series.

First up, Johnny Damon. My first auto of Damon is a nice one. Good thing he wasn't feeling a little tipsy before signing these cards or it wouldn't have been signed in a straight line.

 

And the next I was really excited about in Jorge Posada, who my wife always jokes and calls him George Posada. Jorge was one of the final two Yankees autographs that I really needed for my 90's collection of them. The last one I really am seeking out is Mariano Rivera. Not sure how easy that one will come or if it ever will.

Once again, even though I have said it already many times to him, thanks again Bryan for the trade.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post and before it becomes a hot chocolate*

I hopefully will come up with an answer to all of my questions soon. I will admit I have been getting some outside advice and feelings from myself that I need to return to where I started and stay there. It also may be a sign when I found a list today of the Top 25 Sport Card Blogs to follow in 2021 and see that I am on there at number 18 with that said blog. 

But, who knows what I will decide. For now, I just need to catch up on some posts, enjoy some time away from blogging all the time, and catch up on some sorting. Also, enjoy my coffee and right now my Frozen Hot Chocolate that is quickly thawing. I don't know how you guys in the south deal with the heat.

Hope everyone has a great rest of their day and as always comments are welcomed.

*takes a few more sips*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Eli Is King

Eli Manning is becoming my second biggest player collection I have and I am not complaining.

With well over 700 cards now, Eli is still a far distant cry from Ken Griffey Jr's over 1,000, but will own sole possession of second soon with today's cards and more on the way soon.

Despite all of my passion for Rodney, Eli is my true blue heart of Giants football.

I didn't know much about the Ole Miss QB when he came out in the 2004 draft other than the fact he was Peyton's brother and what a shadow to live in. Expectations were and the Giants traded for Eli on draft day sending picks and Phillip Rivers who they drafted to San Diego for Eli.

I may have had my complaints about Eli. The turnovers, the fall on the ground take sacks.

But I was glad he was their Signal Caller

 

Their Captain

And Leader.

He was a Hero from living in the shadows of his big brother

To leading his team to two Super Bowl championships. Two memorable games that are forever embedded in my heart.

He is also out-of-this-world person working hand to hand with March Of Dimes and winning a Walter Payton Man Of The Year award.

Not to mention his comedic Brilliance in his commercials and TV spots. Just recently he made a joking reference to how Tom Brady couldn't beat the Giants in the Super Bowl and has been referred to many times as Tom Brady's father.

Eli is the true Giants blue and will forever be the face of the NY Giants for all that he has done on and off the field.

 

And to make that even more-so, about a week ago Eli signed on the dotted line and returned to the Giants in a front office position to help staff in the business development, marketing, and community and corporate relations areas. I also wouldn't be surprise if he didn't make a couple visits with Daniel Jones to help his progression.

This is why Eli will always be the Mann in my collection.

Thanks to @90sNicheFBCard for the trade and the new Eli acquisitions. 

Rodney's Cardboard:2020 Select Maroon Parallel /75

It's Sunday and since I missed last week with Rodney's Cardboard, I wasn't going to miss another especially with more new Rodney's on the way.

I have been crazy busy with cleaning and organizing projects around the house (and with cards) while also keeping up with gardening, that I really haven't had time to come on here much to do real posts. Hopefully, things will slow down soon so I can return to full time on here again. In the meantime, enjoy the Summer Of Wes Countdown.

As for today's Rodney, we go back into Select Football 2020 with the first card I acquired in my rainbow chase for Select.

The Maroon parallel, scratches are on the 1-touch not the card, is the third level parallel in the autograph rainbow right behind the silver /199 and the one I featured first in the blue /99.

The Maroon is /75.

Here is the complete chase below. With each card I reveal, I will be crossing it off on this list. You can find my complete haves and needs HERE. (if you want to blow the fun )

57 Signatures Black Prizm 1/1
57 Signatures Black Prizm Die-Cut 1/1
57 Signatures Green Prizm /5
57 Signatures Green Prizm Die-Cut /5
57 Signatures Gold Prizm /10
57 Signatures Gold Prizm Die-Cut /10
57 Signatures Tie-Dye Prizm /25
57 Signatures Tie-Dye Prizm Die-Cut /25
57 Signatures White Prizm /35
57 Signatures Light Blue Prizm /50
57 Signatures Maroon Prizm /75
57 Signatures Blue Prizm /99
57 Signatures Prizm /199

Next week, I will be featuring one of the more rarer parallels in this chase.

So come back next week for another new Rodney's Cardboard!

Hope everyone has a magnificent Sunday and God Bless!

Summer Of Wes Card #60

Coffee Break:2020 Topps Chrome Baseball Value Pack

*coffee is poured, pack is ready to be open and I am ready for some Cards Over Coffee*

I have stated this many times how much of a fan I am of Topps Chrome. I have been a Chromie since 1996 and don't ever expect to change. I still wished that Topps had a slice of the football action and made Topps Chrome football but for now Prizm will have to do.

I didn't have a lot of success with Topps Chrome up to this point with the little bit I was able to find, but maybe today is the day.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

In every Value Pack of 2020 Topps Chrome baseball, there are 3 packs of 4 cards of Topps Chrome and a 3 card pack of Pink Parallels. Each Value pack currently goes for $35.

Summary: The base set of Topps Chrome is a condensed Flagship set. There are 200 base card of veterans and rookie content led by Luis Robert who I have a Chrome rookie card of in a previous break.

There is plenty of refractors in the product knowing its chrome. There are, Refractor, Prism, Pink, X-Fractor , Negative, Purple /299, Blue /150, Green /99, Green Wave /99, Blue Wave /75, Gold Refractor /50, Gold Wave /50, Orange /25, Orange Wave /25, Red /5, Red Wave /5, SuperFractor 1/1, and Printing Plates 1/1.

There is a half dozen inserts in Chrome but all look spectacular and come with parallels of Green /99, Gold /50, Orange /25, Red /5, and SuperFractor 1/1.

Rookie and veteran content make up the on-card autographs in Topps Chrome.

Let's see how the break goes,

 

*takes a sip, thinks about something sugary for breakfast. Sugar and non caffeinated coffee mix well together.*

I was pretty happy with this break. Two Roberts including an insert and rookie, and a couple other cards I know that I can easily use for trade bait. I would rank this up there pretty high when it comes to retail ripping for me in terms of a value break.

I hope everyone enjoyed a cup during this break, if not, don't let your coffee get cold.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Summer Of Wes Card #61

Coffee Break:2020-2021 NBA Hoops Fat Pack

*not much sleep last night, lots of tossing and turning despite the cool sleeping temperatures. Guess I will need to hook up the coffee IV and pretend there is caffeine in my coffee*

I apologize I haven't posted in a few days. I am still working through where I want to do all of my blogging when all is said and done. I have three blogs, but, only one blog can survive and get my total focus.

For now it's been this blog, but in the end, who knows. I am up in the air on this decision still and any guidance would be appreciated.

In the meantime, enjoy another coffee break brought to you by NBA Hoops.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

In each 2020-2021 NBA Hoops Fat pack there are 30 cards. I opened this pack up a long time ago so I am not sure what the going point was on these, but now I see they are going for about $15.

Summary: There are 270 cards in the base set with 200 veterans and 70 rookies.

There are plenty of parallel options for Hoops including, Blue, Hyper Blue, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Explosion, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Silver #199, Green /99, Hyper Red /99, Green Explosion /89, Red /75, Teal /70, Blue Explosion /59, Artist Proof /25, Hyper Green /25, Orange /25, Orange Explosion /25, Red Explosion /15, Artist Proof Gold /10, Hyper Gold /10,  and Artist Proof Black 1/1.

Inserts are aplenty with close to 22 different ones, unless I miscounted. That is a ton!! Some of those also have parallels and numbered parallels. The Slam inserts were very popular and still are.

The hits in Hoops are a good mix of veteran and rookie content.

Let's see how my break went,

*takes a sip before closing*

Not a bad break, pulled a Slam insert, LeBron and a Knicks parallel. It was very weak again on the rookie card front but I have no luck in pulling good basketball rookies in the little bit of basketball I have broken.

I hope everyone has a great day.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*