April Fools Or Not?1989 Donruss Is Back!

Is this a bad April Fools joke?

Nope, it's not. The iconic late 80's product is back.

Well, it's design at least.

Panini Instant, which is the Topps Now for Panini, recently released a Rated Rookie set for it's line incorporating that blue/purple/black colors we have come to know and sometimes love.

I know for some of us, we at least appreciate it.

For me, its a trip back to the Ken Griffey Jr Rated Rookie. I am sure all of us have this somewhere in our collections. At least one.

So with that card in mind and seeing that Panini made two of my favorite newer Giants in that design, I had to have 'em.

Daniel Jones

 

Darius Slayton

I didn't bother taking a picture of the card backs as they are as bland as can be. They both are just yellow and say 1 of 280.

So at least with this version of '89 Donruss there is a limit on each card and how many are made of them. Unlike, the '89 version where someone could fill a landfill full of just them.

Panini has done this with their year end rookies for Panini Instant for the past few years in bringing back a classic design. Last year they used '89 Score. I think Panini should do what Topps does with Heritage and maybe using some of those designs and bringing them back to life in a product instead of an occasional pop in one.

What classic Donruss/Score/Pinnacle design would you like to see involved if that was to happen?

NYG PC Spotlight 83:1989 Score Joe Morris

 

Joe Morris

Base Card

Card Number 14 

Iconic design for Score. When I think of Score, I think of this set. I also am slowly adding pieces from this set. Still a ways to go!

Commons4Kids Sends More Than Just Commons

@Commons4Kids who has donated millions of cards to to kids over the years, recently held a contest for the most iconic card in trading card history. Yes, most iconic. What other card can you say made such an impression on the hobby than the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey jr rookie? And what other card can you say made a cameo in a music video? (Macklemore)

This card is iconic folks. The most iconic card in history so don't as the new kids call it today, "don't @ me."

I was the fortunate soul who won the contest from @Commons4Kids and I was pretty excited about the score. I have always wanted another one of these for my PC. I mean who wouldn't? I would probably take another ten more of these.

 

Here the beauty is...

Thanks again to @Commons4Kids for their contest generosity and for their generosity to the hobby in general. What you do for kids is amazing and they are the future of the hobby and you are helping keep that foundation going. If any of have any cards laying around that need a new home, I suggest sending them to these guys.  You can find out more information on their project and contact info on commons4kids.org.

Oh and while we are at it...which card do you think is the most iconic card in the trading card industry (this Griffey Jr is the answer I expect by the way)

Do You Have The Heart?

My mother-in-law is always keeping an eye out for me when it comes to sport cards. She checks yard sales, Walmart, Pawn Shops and other places they may exist. When she sees something, she grabs it.

Sometimes that isn't always the best decision.

On Friday of last week, she called me and told me that Christmas had come early for me. I knew immediately what that meant. She must have been somewhere there was cardboard! But, what kind of cardboard? Was it marked down wax from Walmart? Pharmacy? Did she find some at a yard sale? Will it be late 90's? Today? Older 2000's with a mystery Tom Brady card within? Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

That joy got even bigger when she brought this box inside. I love mystery boxes of cards!

She explained to me that she was out at a antique store and found three boxes of cards sitting there and skimmed through them. She saw some Giants in there spent $30, $10 a box,  to get them for me because money didn't matter since I would enjoy them.

I took a quick glimpse inside the first box and felt dead inside. 1989 Topps. 1989 Topps! She just spent $10 on a not full box of stinkin' 1989 Topps baseball.

I used my poker face when she looked for my approval and I said, "Thanks! Really cool! I will go through it all later"

She said, let me know how I did!

I had a bad feeling after that first box and it only got worst as more appearances of the junk wax, yes I will call it that so don't unfollow.

Brands like 1991 Fleer, 1991 Upper Deck, 1989 Donruss, 1991 Donruss and so on. And it wasn't like there aren't some decent cards in those brands, they just weren't in these boxes. They were pulled out.

 Here are some of the highlights or low-lights however you may look at them.

I saw 1989 Upper Deck and got excited, but this was it.

Here was the Giants she was talking about. Wrong sport....

There was an inside look at $30 and here is the outside look.

There was maybe $3's worth of cards here with so much junk and the conditioning on some. I don't have the heart to tell her what they are truly worth when she calls me again. I don't want her to stop picking things up because she has found some incredible things while at the same time I don't want to break her heart since she was so excited about this.

If instead she had given me the $30, I would have found so much to get. Key Rodney Hampton cards, some celebrity autograph and relics I am chasing, Saquon Barkley cards, I mean anything else but this.

She has made a couple other purchases like this before, but nothing this bad. Just like the other ones, I expect to tell her what I usually tell her. "I found some good stuff, key rookie cards I needed and some stars." I can't tell her what my real thoughts were. I just don't have the heart.

So how about you, if someone bought you this stuff, would you have the heart to tell them or would you sweep it under the rug like I will?

Bill Called Me This On My Birthday

I recently pulled off another trade with my father back in March, I will show off the other part of the trade another day, for today I wanted to show off the gift he sent along for my present.

For awhile now I have wanted one of those infamous Bill Ripken cards with some special words on it to go along with the black box version I have owned forever. Now, for those of you who know me, know I don't ever swear. Yes, I am as clean as a whistle as I have never smoked, drank, or anything. But, something about that error card is kind of famous in the hobby so I always wanted a copy just to say I have one despite it's phrase I wouldn't say haha

Come to find out my father had acquired three of them from a friend of his and kept one for himself, passed one along to another friend and sent one to me in our trade package. I was pretty happy.

Here are the two copies of this card I own now side by side,

Black Box

And bad word version

 

Now that I have two of them including the tougher version, I kinda want the "full rainbow" of versions. Maybe I will make that chase at some point not that I don't already have enough to chase. 

Thanks to my pops, who doesn't read my blog...yet, for the birthday gift even though it wasn't very nice of Bill to call me that on my special day.

Trading With Cliff

@oriolesrise was someone in the last couple of months or so I have begun to follow on Twitter. Before that, we would still have conversations about his postings but I never actually had followed til I realized I wasn't. It was shameful I wasn't already.

Anyways, he posts some really cool stuff and as we began to talk a couple of weeks ago, he had posted a few things I really wanted and he nicely set them aside. We quickly, very quickly I thought I was dealing with The Flash, agreed on a trade and a deal was done. The only problem I am having with the deal is that my end hasn't arrived to him yet after almost a week. Gotta love USPS. If it doesn't, I will just have to send another and hope that arrives. But, I am hopeful that USPS will do their jobs and get what I sent to him. I have never had a PWE get lost before and I don't want this to be a first.

In the meantime, @oriolesrise mailed mine right out and I got it in two days.

A cool Fleer Giants schedule sticker for my PC from 1989 I believe.

 

Up next, a cool unopened Pinnacle Cooperstown set that had a Griffey I needed. I am not sure yet if I will open or keep it sealed.

 

 

Look! I am 1 of 200,000 people to own one!

 

 

And finally, the big draw in for me was this Pinnacle The Naturals set. It also has a Griffey I needed and just looks stunning overall. Once again the set is sealed and I am torn on whether I want to open it yet or not.

   

 

A big thanks goes out to @oriolesrise for the mail day. I hope my end arrives to you soon and that we can work out future deals down the road. Go give this guy a follow people if you haven't yet!

Random Card On My Desk:1989 Fleer Baseball's Exciting Stars Mark Grace

$1 Yard Sale Boxes Breakdown Part 5

I showed off a garbage bag containing some cards a couple weeks ago and said I would break down what was in there, well, here we go.

I finally saved the best box for last, well, this one isn't really a box like the rest. It's a boxed set of 1989 Topps. There were some good and bad with this part.

 

The good, well, the gallery of rookies. They were all in there.

Biggio:

 

Smoltz. His face still cracks me up.

 

Johnson:

 

And I pulled this out as I believe it's the error card with the pink on the corner.

The bad, 2 cards from the set were missing. But, with the set only costing new around $5 I guess to lose out on a couple of cards is fine. I like that all of the rookies and error card was still in there and for my PC, that's what matters most. However, with my hobby OCD, I will still need to find a way to fill the set which I am sure I have those cards kicking around somewhere.

Overall, the best $1 box and there is no argument on that. I was a bit disappointed overall hoping to find a hidden gem within the whole lot with so much success in past yard sale finds. But, overall still worth the $5.

I will tell you guys this ahead of time, my mother-in-law did hit up another yard sale a week after with more finds that were much better than these. That first post and parts afterwards coming up soon so stay tuned.

Thoughts on Part 5 are welcomed below!

REVIEW:2016 Topps Archives Signature Series Baseball (1/1 Pulled!)

Today's review comes as a new product to me. This is something I haven't ever busted before so let's see if it left an impression for me...

In every box of 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series baseball is 1 encased autographed card. Every card is hand-signed, numbered and encased and you just never know who will pop up in your box or what classic Topps design will. Boxes run around $50. Some places may be cheaper on this.

Each card has a foil stamped Archives logo on the front and each autographed Buyback card should be of a “retired MLB All-Stars”.  The cards are all from previous releases from Bowman and Topps and in some cases the cards are more than 50 years old. Some are more recent cards.

Cool additions added to this years version are Dual Autographs, Autographed Relics and Autographed Legends, which features some of the sport’s greatest names.

If you are in need to check out the checklist of player, well, here ya go right HERE. There are 102 players to collect.

Now onto my pull. It's a 1989 Bowman 1/1 buyback auto of Carlton Fisk:

Overall, I actually like the concept. The price isn't too bad once you take a gander at the autographed checklist. It's obviously a gamble, but it offers plenty of names and definitely plenty of low numbered cards that it's actually worth rolling the dice for. Like how often can you buy a $50 box and get a 1/1? Not too often. It also looks like sales appear to be good on the singles.

This product obviously won't be for everyone as I think the price vs one-card will scare some away. 

It would also be really hard to put a set together of (unless you got the money and patience) but that's not to me the key point of Topps Archives Signature Series is. It's that fun nostalgic feel with the players and the classic designs over the years that make you (if born after these releases) smile and feel young again.

So yes, to answer my earlier question as many of you know I dig nostalgia, this product for sure left an impression.

Please make sure to take a minute out to thank Topps for providing this box for me to review and look for a giveaway from.a previous product coming up this weekend. Follow them on all social media sites and visit their site, http://www.topps.com/, as well.

Now time for a contest (everyone who has commented already are entered but you can still do the bonus entries)

You are entering to win this...

RANDOM UNCLAIMED TOPPS PRIZE. IT'S EITHER AN AUTOGRAPH OR A JERSEY CARD!

Read the rules that follows...

1. Please make sure to take a minute out to thank Topps for providing this box for me to review and to host this/these nice giveaways with. Follow them on all social media sites and visit their site I listed above as well.
2. ***VERY IMPORTANT***MUST BE A U.S. RESIDENT to enter or have a shipping address in the U.S. Shipping costs have gone haywire and I can't afford to ship everywhere.This is always hard to do as I appreciate all readers but I hope you all understand non-U.S. readers.
3. Random winner will be chosen after 7 randoms.Card may be shipped PWE. I like to forewarn on this.
4. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW telling me ONE PRO AND ONE CON OF THE PRODUCT. PLEASE ALSO KEEP IN MIND I AM HOPING FOR GOOD PRO/CON FEEDBACK.EARN AN EXTRA ENTRY FOR SHARING THIS CONTEST ON YOUR BLOG AND/OR ON TWITTER. Make sure to leave your link in comments too so I can count it. If not, I won't be able to give you the credit. Commenting with it is very important or you WILL LOSE OUT an extra entry!
5. Sport Card Collectors or it's owner (person who runs the blog), WILL NOT be held responsible for lost, stolen or damaged mail. Sorry had to add this in since someone tried to scam me once about this.
6. Contest starts today, ends on September 22nd 2016. Winner will be announced in a separate post on September 23rd 2016
7. Don't forget to thank the above sponsor of this contest and I won't mind a thank you as well :)

Good luck to all that enter and thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday Junior

Today marks Ken Griffey Jr's 46th birthday! No better way to celebrate then showcasing a PC card. This is my one and only copy of this spectacular and most iconic Griffey Jr and Upper Deck card, the 1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr

Breakin Wax:1989 Donruss Baseball 1-Pack Break

Kickin off my week of Jammin JDcard retro breaks, is the one and only pack that wasn't from the 90's but is an iconic one and definitely an overproduced one. Time to rip open a pack of 1989 Donruss baseball.

In every pack of 1989 Donruss baseball, you get 15 cards and 3 Puzzle pieces. Jammin JDcards currently has them for .50 per pack. You can't go wrong with the rookies you could land, especially my boy Griffey. You can find this one and all retro packs HERE.

Here are my three puzzle pieces:

Now it's time to roll out the cards!

Brett and Fisk great finds!

And the rest of the best.

Overall, not a great pack and no Griffey, but for 50 cents, I still find it a great bargain with some of the players I pulled.

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TOPIC:
Easy, what are your thoughts on '89 Donruss?

Have You Ever Seen One Of These From Topps?

I am back at it again with a new post from the lot I bought off my former teacher's son. Today's post is based around a unique find I never knew existed....a remake of a 1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr card made out of porcelain.

Since I had found the card I did a little research to see what I could find out about it. For one, they are pretty much worthless. But to me, it's pretty stinkin cool and isn't about the value. Two, they were produced back in the early 90's by R&N China that had acquired a license with Topps to produce porcelain versions of many of Topps' iconic cards from the previous 50 years. Three, those iconic cards would be spread out over many years and many series and players. From what I understand this Griffey is from 1993 and the Series, "Tomorrow Hall of Famers".

Here is what the outside of the box looks like it came in. I was surprised how great the condition the outside of the box was. Seems her son or someone had also picked it up at a reasonable price.

Here is what lies within the box. A wooden stand, the official Limited Edition certificate and card at the bottom.

Here is what the porcelain card looks like..

The back and limited edition number.

And the card set up on it's display.

 The overall item is pretty sweet, the stand is a little cheesy, so I will probably keep mine stored within the box or find a solid toploader to protect it in. Either way, a unique addition to my #MissionGriffey collection.

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Topic:
So what are your thoughts on this find? Have you seen one before? Do you own one and who? Do you have more info then I do on these? Let me hear your thoughts!