The Lights Go Out, But The Stars Shine

*comes from outside after attempting to start wife's car so she can get to work. don't buy southern cars and try to make them cold northern cars. finally gets coffee ready, laptop is fired up and cards are nearby. time for some #CardsOverCoffee*

As a blogger, there are times you got to make some tweaks along the way with the way you approach your blog. In my 10 years of blogging, I have done plenty of that.

With the start of some new segments on their way here, I need to find a way to cut time on doing posts while also giving you guys a better look at the cards. I feel the lightbox has been great for the shiny cards, but not so great with everything else. The fact I also added in the Cards Over Coffee sign, it has made some pictures seem even more busy and sometimes taking away the actual card.

Looking at this situation, I decided to pull back on using the lightbox and feature the stars of the posts, the cards. Or in today's post, actual cards of stars.

*takes a sip before moving onto today's cards*

In my last trade with @90sNicheFBCard, I acquired some new pieces for my non sport PC of some stars from Hollywood.

One of my favorite relic lines for celebrity relics came from Upper Deck in A Piece Of Hollywood. They had a bunch of big names and big movies featured in this series. You could find these relics one-per-box in 2008 and 2009 Upper Deck Pieces Of History. That product was similar to Allen and Ginter where it mixes baseball, history and pop culture.

I was fortunate to open a box of the 2009 edition back then. I can't remember which celebrity card I pulled at that time, but it was a really good one. I may have to dig through my PC and find it. In the meantime, you can check out my newest ones,

Three Kings featuring a pants relic of George Clooney.

Courage Under Fire jacket swatch of Denzel

Shirt relic of Jamie Foxx from the movie Ray

Jacket Swatch of Demi Moore from GI Jane

Bruce Almighty, funny movie, shirt swatch of Jim Carrey

 

And a cool swatch of Sweater from the movie, The Hurricane featuring Denzel.

Thanks again to Bryan for trading these to me.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I am pretty happy with the way today's photos turned out, but some show some shadowing from the lighting. It will be a work in progress, but I will get there.

Thoughts on today's cards are welcomed in comments or thoughts on your favorite movie from the relics above. Or which actor you think would be fun to have a cup of coffee with.

Have a great Monday. Remember, only YOU can make your Monday great......and a cup of coffee to.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Single Card Mail Day:2015 Topps Fire Forces Of Nature Eli Manning

Occasionally, a NY Giants mail day isn't a loaded mail day, sometimes those mail day enter my mailbox as one-card mail days which is where we begin this new series.

You ever have those moments when you are searching for one card, but it leads you to another. Eli Manning card #826 is that case. I can't quite remember what I was looking for on eBay, but today's card popped up as a suggestion and I had to have it.

2015 Topps Fire included this well-designed insert, Forces Of Nature, two-per hobby box. I hadn't ever seen it before, but it didn't take me very long to chase it down.

There actually were only a couple listings of this card on eBay. So, when I watched it, the seller actually gave me a discount and I pounced for the measly $4.

Thoughts on this newest card is welcomed in comments or comments on if you found cards while looking for others is as well.

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1994-1995 Fleer Pro Visions Dennis Rodman

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1997 Upper Deck Hot Commodities Mo Vaughn

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1999 Topps Chrome Refractor Cecil Collins

GIANT CUP: Taking The Hits

*coooofffeeee.....i neeeeeddd cooooffffeeeee as I drag myself out to the kitchen table sounding like a zombie or frankenstein who needs that first taste*

*takes a sip finally...mmmmmmmm. now I am ready for a new #CardsOverCoffee*

Growing up, I played a lot of sports against my childhood best friend Brian. We played baseball, basketball, soccer and football against each other and occasionally with friends or his family joining in as well. They are memories forever embedded in my brain and my body from some of the hits I took from playing those sports with him.

I remember playing football at his infamous birthday parties and how we had to try and tackle Aaron, who was like trying to get Jerome Bettis, and the hits we took trying to do so. I remember how he and I got into a close basketball matchup, and I went for a three-point shot to end it and he shoved me through his grandmother sliding glass door as I shot it. Nailed it and the win by the way. I also remember how we used to play baseball in the rain and how we unintentionally would hit each other with fast pitches because the ball got slippery. Lots of hits but lots of fun.

It was sort of like my mail day from @90sNicheFBCard. There were a lot of hits, and it was a lot of fun.

*takes another sip...okay I lied. I have been sipping all along for this post, but I will break this up just to tell you I am sipping*

The hits in this mail day trade from Bryan were all Giants this time.

Two Jerrell Jernigan relics, the one on the left is a patch /49

Daniel Jones Air Raid

Kadarius Toney autograph. It appears he could use some help signing his name.

Pro Bowl patch of Saquon. This card is much sharper in person. The lightbox didn't do it justice.

 

And a double dose of Hampton autographs. I already had both, but I think to say I am a super collector, I just got to take all of him I can get.

Thanks again Bryan!

*takes a sip to finish up....I am actually on my second cup sipping away throughout this post*

Sport card hits are a different kind of fun and leave a different type of memory, but the hits I took playing sports with my friend Brian were special memories. If I move just right, sometimes the memory pops up pretty quickly :)

In comments today, thoughts on the cards or if you took any hits when you were younger that gave you memories.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1996-1997 Ex2000 Star Date 2000 Jamal Mashburn

Things Are Great With A Downtown

*the coffee is hot but not as hot as today's card...I promise you that much. takes a sip and gets the mind ready for today's #CardsOverCoffee post*

When you're on a chase and collecting is wanting you to land a cool looking card
You can always go
Downtown
When you've got worries about pulling one with all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know
Downtown

My luck when it comes to pulling or trading for case hits has not been great. However, the past couple of months, my luck has changed. Not only did I pull my first ever Kaboom Insert (gold Russell Wilson /10) which looked even more impressive in-person, but I was able to trade for another case hit I have always wanted to get my hands onto.

That case hit, Downtown.

Things will be great when you're
Downtown

*takes a sip before showing off the coolness of this card*

When I saw on Twitter that my buddy @90sNicheFBCard had been in a break of 2021 Diamond Kings and landed a Downtown card of Christian Yelich, I immediately messaged him asking if he was interested in trading it off. Without much hesitation from him, he said sure, but it would be a little while before he could pass it along my way since the breaker he used liked to mail out a lot of cards at once.

The wait was awhile, but it was so worth it.

Front Of The Card

A closer look at it.

 

And card back. If only the back was as good as the front.

Thanks again to Bryan for this great addition. This will probably be the only one of these I will ever own but at least I can say I have one. I also didn't have to go Downtown to get it.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I think my attention gets drawn towards the case hits because the long odds and the look of the cards brings me back to the 90's when inserts like these mattered. If only companies could make rest of the inserts look as great, but I guess that would take the thrill out of the chase.

The cards look so much better there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and grab some coffee there (I had to add this in)

So go downtown
The cards look great when you're
Downtown
No finer card for sure

Thoughts on Downtowns or case hits welcomed in comments!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1996-1997 Upper Deck Rookie Exclusives Todd Fuller

Random Card Of The Day:2020 Illusions Immortalized Autograph Patch Morten Anderson

Continuing To Grow On Me

*sits down, takes a sip and gets ready for a new Cards Over Coffee post*

I used to despise Project 2020. It's all I saw and heard about for months. I thought the cards were also ugly. But, after seeing a lot of collectors flipping them early on, I went and bought the Shore Griffey in hopes I could use it to trade for something bigger for my collection. I started a dream list aiming for some of my top card wants that I was going to use that Griffey for. The only problem, I was one of ninety-nine thousand thinking the same thought.

Now you can't give the card away. Not that I would want to, it's a piece of hobby history now.

But, something in me the past few months had me actually wanting to collect the P2020 cards and add some when I can.  I guess my glasses became clear and I saw more about the cards than I did before.

In my latest mail day from @90sNicheFBCard, I added a few more of them to my collection.

*takes a sip, continues on with today's post*

@90sNicheFBCard had visited a card shop while he was out and found a good deal on a handful of P2020 cards and picked up a few for our trade knowing I collect Griffey and Jeter.

This Jeter was a pretty cool take on his Topps rookie card.

But, not so much on this Griffey. I could have handled doing this one with most of my art being stick figures.

 

This Griffey on the other hand, really sharp.

Thanks again to Bryan for these additions.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I have actually added some Project 2020 and now Project 70 cards to my want list now and would take any that nobody else wants as well. Even if I have them.

Your thoughts on today's additions and the Project series is welcomed in comments. (also throw in any you may have on your want list)

Have a great Wednesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1995-1996 Spx Holoview Heroes Joe Smith

Wes Sends Some Giants

 This past Christmas, Wes sent a box packed with so many treasures it was always hard to post them all. So for today, I wanted to sum up most of the NY Giants he sent. Well, at least most of the hits he passed along.

The first card was one on my want list and my first relic card of Greg Comella.

The back of the card features Packers FB William Henderson.

The next ones I will try not to wipe my sweat on,

Davis Webb Towel Swatch cards. It made me look further into possibly adding more of these. How cool would a lot of these look together? By the way, Webb recently was signed back to the Giants to play 3rd, possibly 2nd string QB. Interesting.

Another Andre Williams auto for that massive PC.

Hefty Lefty QB! RIP!

Tiki Barber relic. I don't own a ton of Barber hits so any I get in is always a nice add.

Plax. If only he hadn't had the leg incident, that 2009 Giants team could have repeated as champs.

Always like a cool patch card.

Jesse Palmer is another one of those Giants draft picks that was supposed to be the future of the organization. NOt so much.

Another nice Webb swatch, this time a patch one.

Don't get in his way! Brandon Jacobs could run over anyone.

My first relic card of Super Bowl hero Kevin Boss. Many forget about his momentum changing catch.

Ike Hilliard relic. I don't have a lot of Hilliard either, really need to get his auto at some point.

Thanks again to my buddy Wes for the mail day. Hope to post the rest soon.

Thoughts on my mail day welcomed in comment.

GIANT CUP: The First Post

 

*coffee is ready as you can see, a stack of cards and a new segment is on the agenda with this cup as I prepare for a new Cards Over Coffee*

I have stated this before on here, this blog is very temperamental when it comes to what I can post. I always feel I hold this blog to very high standards and not every card can make the cut. It's like the Ms. America pageant. Can't just accept any card into the top spot to be shown off and paraded around for the world to see.

The problem with that is I am unable to post all of the great cards in the mail I get as I have to sift through. The other issue is that I can't just post a "I got this" mail day post. Everything on here must stay to the degree of perfection I have it set at, or I would probably get upset and tear it all down. Which is great for you all of you reading but makes things very tough on me.

Over the past couple of months, I have been getting some New York Giants card mail days in and didn't post any of them. Most of the cards got a private messaged thank you or a quick tweet. They didn't even make it onto a blog for all of you to see. I recently sat down with myself and of course a cup of coffee and tried to hammer out how I can add more cards to this blog including my favorite team cards and came up with a new segment to try in Giant Cup. Get it? Sure, you do.

*takes a sip before continuing on*

I am not going to go back in time and repost all of the Giants cards that came in, but I will post the new ones from here on out in this segment.

My recent trade mail day with @90'sNicheFBCard landed me a good stack of guys in blue.

Gold parallels of Martinez and Toney from 2021 Score.

Red 2021 Score parallels of Jones and Engram.

Same here.

A couple of really sharp cards from Absolute. Engram is a parallel /100 and the Saquon has a great photo and is a Red Zone insert parallel /50.

I don't know the name of the Tate parallel but that is numbered and there is also a gold 3D Giants insert parallel.

A couple more Toneys

A Red Hot Rookies Toney I have been wanting.

Shiny Saquons

 

And two more numbered Giants to close in Jones and LT.

Thanks to Bryan for this trade mail day.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I hope this segment doesn't take away from what I have built on here. This blog hasn't really been one for segments in the past couple of years so attempting to do one I am iffy about should be interesting. Just hope it's something you guys will want to check out and read. That may help me decide if I continue it.

Have a great Tuesday, drink a cup of coffee for me.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Random Cardboard Of The Day:1997-1998 Ex2001 Michael Finley