Eli's Cardboard:2014 Elite Aspirations Die Cut /90

Welcome to the first Eli's Cardboard post on here.

I have picked up quite a few Eli's recently but wanted to start out with a decent one to kick off this segment on here.

Panini has been known never to put odds on their inserts, parallels or hits like Topps does, so I don't know the odds of pulling today's card, I only know it can't be easy with only 90 of them in existence.

This is a 2014 Elite Aspirations Die Cut numbered to 90. I really like the blue shine it has and any cards that match team color are spectacular.

However, I see I will need to be very careful with the corners on this one when I transition it to my Eli Manning binder.

Back of card shows one-year stats and a write up.

Thoughts on my latest Eli Manning add or the card design always welcomed in comments!

Show Me The WAY!

I told myself I wouldn't TACKLE another Super PC as I did with Rodney Hampton, but, once again, fate hit and here I am.

You can now refer to me as the....CHARLES WAY Super Collector.

Why Charles Way? Well, he was another player I enjoyed watching playing in his five seasons with the Giants. He also has a tie in with Rodney as he was a fullback that blocked for Rodney his first few seasons before taking over for Rodney in 1997 when he was out with an injury. Way went on to rush for 696 yards and had over 1,000 all purpose yards that season. He played okay in 1998 but knee injuries forced him to retire in 2000. Once again a player that had potential and who knows how far he could have gone.

Regardless of that, he ended up in my collection and I have come a long ways in the last few months with it.

Also, been keeping track of my collection and stats on TCDB.

Here was the humble beginnings which put me at 8th place to start.

A few adds moved me up to 5th

Then a huge mail day jumped me up to first.

Then more...

And the domination continued....

 

And finally here is where I am at (since the typing of this four more cards have shown up)

I currently own 31.5% of all Charles Way cards out there. With a minimal 251 to chase, it shouldn't be too hard to find most. However, some are very, very expensive and some others being 90's cards will be even harder to chase down.

Here is a visual of my Way collection thus far,

 

(class 3 Black Label)

1998 Skybox Rubies)

(in-person auto that came via a friend)

(Way only has 3 autographs total)

(My first and only 1/1!)

(Rave and Super Rave!!!!)

(gold parallel /25)

(my favorite cards of them all, Legacy collections /100)

Pretty solid collection I am proud of so far. Still a WAY to go, but I will show any new additions as I go on. Maybe do a segment similar to the Rodney Hampton one.

If any of you have any Charles Way you don't see above, as the Styx sung, SHOW ME THE WAY!!!

Summer Of Wes Card #68

Giants Cardboard:Eli's Incoming

My latest mail day from Burbank Sportcards was full of NY Giants, especially of one guy I have been really focused on grabbing as many cards as I can of.

No this guy isn't a hot prospect or even that respected by a lot of fans, but he bled Giants blue from Day 1 even at the draft when he requested to be traded from the Chargers to the Giants on draft day. 

That man, Eli Manning.

I look back on that trade and don't ever regret the Giants decision to give up all that they did. At the time I didn't either. I knew the last name would lead to some hope for a team needing it and boy did it.

A leader on and off the field. let the Giants to two Super Bowl wins. Both games will forever burn in my mind.

With so much love of the Giants and talk that he is coming to join the staff now as well, I came to realize my next player collection was staring at me the whole time.

So as I drive towards 700 Eli Mannings I have been picking up some fun ones along the way.

Like this lime green parallel from Unparalleled.

I hadn't ever seen this one, but I wanted it and needed it. Great looking card.

Father and son

This one as you can see was rough around the edges when I got it in. My OCD immediately wants this one replaced so I haven't counted it towards my collection and will hopefully land another soon.

This is a Living Legends gold numbered to 299. I can't help it, I have a thing with acetate.

With these 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 as of my typing of this which currently pegs me at 666 of him. A number I hope to not keep around too long.

If you have any Eli Manning cards, DM on Twitter or contact me via email at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com to see if I have them and we can work out a trade!

Thank You Eli

Dear Eli Manning,
Thank you. Thanks for 16 years of being the face of the NY Giants franchise. Thank you for two amazing Super Bowl wins over the hated Patriots. Thank you for your leadership.  Thank you also for that final memorable win vs Miami, a moment that Big Blue fans won't soon forget.

I hope you know how much you meant to me and other Giants fans. Through the good and the bad, we bELIeved in you. Thank you for making me be proud to be a NY Giants fan.

Your biggest fan and friend, 
Matt 

It was another difficult season for the Giants who finished 4-12, even though the record is better than they played, as they had a lot of young players including a new QB in Daniel Jones who stepped in for the 16 year veteran Eli Manning.

It was a moment I knew and could tell the last few years was coming, I wasn't quite ready to let go of Eli, yet. But, I knew it was time with the team struggles including Eli's the last few years. It was time to turn the page on what was an incredible chapter of the Book Of Eli.

Manning was drafted 1st overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and traded for Philip Rivers, and other draft picks, who was drafted 4th overall by the Giants

Let's take a look back quickly on that trade,
The New York Giants received:
Eli Manning, QB

The San Diego Chargers received:
Philip Rivers, QB
2004 3rd-round pick (Nate Kaeding, PK)
2005 1st-round pick (Shawne Merriman, OLB)
2005 5th-round pick (traded to TB for Roman Oben, OT)

Looking back on this trade, I would take this trade again any day. Yes, Rivers has been a solid QB with better numbers than Eli most years and yes Kaeding was a decent kicker and I know that Merriman was a beast LB, but how many rings combined do they have.....wait for it....0. BIG FAT ZERO.

To me Super Bowl wins matter more than stats and it should. Eli has won two and was MVP for both. Giants couldn't have done it without him despite what some critics may say about the Giants defense winning it for them. Yes, they defense played a role, but who escaped the clutches of the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 to throw the helmet catch by to David Tyree that kept that game alive and who threw a sidelines dart to Mario Manningham to keep the drive going in Super Bowl 46? Well, it wasn't the defense that's for sure.

When it comes to my card collection, under my NY Giants PC Breakdown, you would have spotted Eli as my second biggest NY Giants PC to  with 586 total cards vs Rodney Hampton who has close to 700. I have a lot of mad respect for Eli as I have put in this post.

After Eli's last start at home as a NY Giant vs the Miami Dolphins, I decided it was time to add a couple of really nice Eli Manning cards to finish out the season.

One of those cards I have wanted since 2004 and finally acquired thanks to a trade with @Alindz99, the 2004 Upper Deck rookie.

Eli is showing he can have fun as well and not just have an "Eli face"

 

Card back

Then at Christmas time while searching for a Eli/Danny Dimes dual auto which was way out of my pocket, I came across this Passing the Torch auto and watched it. The next day, the seller offered a discount, I got an eBay gift card from my sister in law which ate it up and with a few other extra funds from my $25 a week leftovers, I was able to bring it home.

A stinkin' dual auto of two-Two Time-Super Bowl Winning QB's in

Phil Simms

And Eli Manning

Mind blown. By far the best Eli Manning card I own. Even best Phil Simms card I own.  I was just surprised how cheap it was listed for.

I am not sure what's next for Eli Manning. I assume his future with football on the field is done but will he follow suit with his two brothers and do some kind of pregame shows or commercials? Time will tell. For now, he will just reign as the King Of New York and I hope he will always be treated like one.

 

Thanks again for everything Eli.