You Get In, You Score!

I posted not long ago about my break results from Top Shelf Breaks and mentioned at the end of that post I had gotten a pretty nice pull from 2017 Score football in a break with them, well it's time to show it off!

Since then, I have been in two more Score breaks and all were included in this mail day.

My first Score break I had the Raiders and my second I had the Broncos and Steelers. Both went really well in my opinion landing me low #d cards and an autograph for only $12 a spot. But, I will let you decide that.

Up first, the possible beginning of a Ware rainbow. Got the /20 and /50 here along with Amerson and Osemele gold.

 

Mr. John Conner.  /20 parallel and a gold /50 autograph. This guy could really step in when Bell is down or is off the field.

 

And finally, the biggest pull, a 5/6 Derek Carr End Zone parallel. I consider this the biggest pull of the group.

 

 

If you wanna pull some hits like I did or even bigger "monsters" as they have pulled plenty, check out Top Shelf Breaks, HERE. You can also follow them on Twitter for break updates and for giveaways. Good people who look out for collectors and trying to make breaking affordable and fun.

 

Thoughts on my mail day is welcomed below!

REVIEW:2016-2017 Totally Certified Basketball Box 1

Many of us 90's collectors will remember the Totally Certified brand and how excited we were when Panini announced they were bringing it back.

Well, it back again for another year on the hard-court.

How did my break go in Box 1 review and my thoughts, well, read on!

In every box of 2016-2017 Totally Certified basketball, you will find 8 packs with 5 cards per pack. There should be 1 autograph and 2 memorabilia cards to find per box. Panini has played with the amount of hits per box, packs, etc for years now trying to figure out what's best. I actually liked the one-hit-per-pack deal on these. Boxes this year run you around $80.

The base cards look great. They are silver and embossed with a squiggly background design.The base set is 140 cards deep featuring players also on their new teams. 100 of those will be star players while

40 are rookies. I think you will find about one rookie per pack on average making it not easy to land top stars with only 6-8 per box.

This years parallel cards look absolutely stunning. Not sure how many of you saw have seen a Fleer Metal PMG with the reflective shine it gives, but these do the same. Probably the best mirrors they have ever put in the product.

 

Mine above are red #d to 199, but you can also find Blue #/99, Orange #/60, Camo #/25, Gold #/10, Green #/5, and Holo Blue 1/1.

Staying with the product layout, Franchise Foundations are also embossed and have parallels.I pulled a blue of Leonard and red of Butler. There is also, Orange #/60, Camo #/25, Gold #/10, Green #/5, Holo and Blue 1/1.

Once again, Energizers and Return To Sender stay true to the overall product. They are embossed and have Red #/199, Blue #/99, Orange #/60, Camo #/25, Gold #/10, Green #/5, and Holo Blue 1/1 parallels. I really liked finding the John Starks one and Energizers looks really cool.

  

 

Up next, Calling Cards featuring players and their most known "calling card" in the league. These also have parallels of Mirror #d to 25.

Time for the hits. 

Fabric Of The Game is a staple throughout the Certified brand name. The rookie and veteran designs are different. This is what you will find with the rookie and

this is what you will find with the veteran. Panini has played with the design of Fabric Of The Game over the years as well. I tend to like the words written out with the embedded fabric. These designs aren't bad as they all look good on this surface.

And my autograph hit from the box, a Rookie Roll Call autograph. Another standby autograph set in Totally Certified. These are signed on-card. It's just too bad it's of a player assigned by the Magic to NBA development league and not even a guy currently in the NBA.

Other hits not found in my box are, Draft Day Ink Set, Representatives Autographs Set, Rookie Autographs Set, Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Totally Certified Materials Set. All materials have prime parallels which I bet look really good on this design. 

Overall, my box was a bit of a tough one. I didn't pull any top tier rookies, my hits were a little below par. I only found 4 parallels which were higher numbered ones.  

If just based on design, the product is a winner. However, this box wasn't.

Tomorrow Box 2 will be posted. Will it be better than Box 1, well, come back to see. There will be a giveaway too.

By the way, make sure you thank Panini America for this review box and check out their site for products like this one and others. Also thank Tracy Hackler and give him a Twitter follow too!

Nuttin But The Hits:2015 SA-GE Hit High Series Blaster

This has been a tough year financially when it comes to the hobby, so to break a non-buying streak, I saw a markdown blaster box of 2015 Sage Hit High Series for $11.98 with 4 autographs, I said, why not.

Hoping one of those autos would be someone at least good.

Once again, the only problem I have with the SA-GE blasters is the autographs being packed separately. It takes the fun out of busting the other packs as you know they are all base cards. I will touch more on this at a different date.

For now, let's bust open an autograph pack.

While we are at it, since this autograph checklist is so deep, let's score my box per rookie and if they are still playing or not to grade my overall box.

My first autograph was of Dee Hart. Who? Well, I had to Google him. Apparently tried out for the Dolphins and never made it.

0-1 in this box so far.

Up next, Amario Herrera, another one of those Google Search guys. He was drafted by the Colts in the 6th round in 2015. Didn't make it there and then was cut by both the Titans and Redskins.

Make that 0-2 in this box.

Steven Nelson I had to Google as well. However, he is a current KC Chief and was a third round pick. Not bad here.

We will give this one some credit, 1-3 so far.

Shane Carden is the final pull. He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent. Was cut then went to Montreal Alouettes.

 

So will give this one half credit. Not the NFL, but is still playing and a cool looking card. Numbered as well.

So final rookie score, 1 1/2 out of 4. Ouch. Hopefully Carden will find his way back into the NFL, maybe even the Bears who need a QB. 

Overall, I still think $11.98 is a good deal for this. Wished I had enough to picked up the second box I saw, but, hopefully next time it will still be there.

Thoughts on my break are welcomed below!

The Good, The Bad, The USPS

In what has been the oddest trade I have had in terms of the USPS, I finally received one of my two packages a couple of days ago from @JGfan24ever.

Before I go on with my mail day, here is a backstory.

About a week ago, @JGfan24ever had a Giants card (I won't mention what it is so I don't ruin the surprise when it arrives) that I really wanted so we agreed upon a trade. We both mailed out our ends about a day apart and his end was set to arrive for this past Monday and mine was for Tuesday.

Well, USPS had other plans.

While I stared at my phone for him to receive his, it appeared they walked by his house and forgot to deliver it on Monday. But, luckily for him, he got it that Tuesday. That was the first scare. The second one, that still is continuing, was mine as I waited for my Giants card to arrive on Tuesday. Everything looked great til USPS decided to forward my package on for some reason. The last time this happened I waited 17 days for a card. I knew at that moment a new nightmare may begin.

I am currently still waiting on the card since Tuesday with no further updates on where it is. I am not happy and have no idea what to do. I may call them today and check to see if they have any updates.

In the meantime before I rant too much, we pulled off a second trade. @JGfan24ever had picked up some Giants cards for me and had the person he bought from send them my way. In return, I sent him some Colts. Once again I feared the same issue would occur as tracking showed me it arrived at my post office. Luckily this time, they ended up in my mail box and not on the moon somewhere.

 

So let's show off what arrived.

Up first, a Damontre Moore autograph. It's too bad this guy didn't pan out. There was high expectations for him.

 

Andre Brown War Room jersey. He had a few good games but failed to make it as a full time starter. But, a Giants a Giant!

 

A sweet looking Tools Of The Trade Andre Williams. This makes Williams number 88.

 

Up next, an amazing Rueben Randle. Love this addition to my PC. Marks Randle number 103.

 

And finally, a 2/20 Eli Manning memorabilia add. Even though Eli has been around since 2004, this is only like my 5th jersey card of his.

A big thanks goes out to @JGfan24ever for the trade. I really appreciate it! I hope the other package arrives soon so I can show that off as well.

 

Thoughts on my trade mail day are welcomed. Also would be curious if you ever had issues with USPS with forwarding your packages before and having them be lost for weeks. Let me know in comments!

REVIEW:2016 Classics Football

The return of Classics football made me wanting to bust a box. However, with only one hit per box, I was a little hesitant. But, the allure of a..can I say...Classic, was a draw in for sure.

In every box of 2016 Classics football, you will find 14 Packs Per Box with 10 Cards Per Pack. There is one autograph per box as well with a number of parallels and inserts to find too.

The base card design is simple. Veterans have team name lettered across the top, Rookies have Rookies lettered and veterans have veterans. There is a colored player in the forefront and faded players in the back. The base cards have that old school feel like Topps Heritage.

There are 300 cards in the base set including current stars, rookies and legends. You will also find one rookie card per pack on average. By the way, my Jalen Ramsey is the photo variation. More on that soon.

Inserts/Sp/Photo variation time!

Okay. So the base cards need your attention a bit more than usual. There are back parallels, names missing, blank backs and more. It took me a long time to keep checking through it all.

Here are some details on the parallels that you need to know about on Panini's blog, HERE.

These are the ones I got in my box. I did pull other Glossy's, this was just an example.

Breaking it down more below in the words on Panini's Knight Lance blog: 

• Short Prints: Rare versions of 40 cards from the set with a photo variation. The back of the card is also printed with a bolder black ink to make them easier to identify.
• Glossy Parallels of base cards, Legends and Rookies: Bronze foil with the word “Glossy” printed on the front and a distinct glossy finish; there are also Bronze versions of the inserts that is glossy and short printed.
• Red Back Parallels of base cards, Legends and Rookies: The backs of the cards are printed in red ink.
• Blank Back Parallels of base cards, Legends and Rookies: The backs of the cards have only a team logo and legal lines. The rest is blank.
• No Name Parallels of base cards, Legends and Rookies: The player name is missing on the front of the card.

There are also other parallels to. I pulled this Timeless Treasures silver of DeMarco Murray that is a silver parallel and numbered to 25.

Other inserts include...Future Legends that covers both rookies and sophomores. Monday Night Heroes for those players who had a big game last Monday Night Season. Classic Clashes, celebrates the best of the best player match-ups. Team Tributes and Record Breakers are self explanatory.

Classic Moments capture past moments.

Next Level, my favorite of the group. Captures players on both their college and NFL uni's on both sides.

Now onto the hits.

Memorabilia cards will fall once every two boxes on average. I had no idea that these were included as I haven't seen many pulled or bragged about..

There are many options for autographs. From stars of today to the past and for the future. My pull was weak but I have seen some incredible ones.

One of the coolest additions to Classics are the rare hard-signed BuyBack cards featuring the best from Donruss-branded programs of the past; one per case on average. Those autographs look really cool on throwback designs. Some great ones out there.

Overall, Classics comes with a ton of options to find along with one autograph per a box at a decent box price. The variations and short prints are fun to search for and add value. Having a memorabilia card every other box is also a good addition. There are many versions of those to find as well with patch parallels and stars of yesterday. You can see a full gallery of all offerings on Panini's site, HERE.

I feel there is enough value per box and enough to find to warrant a buy here if you are a football collector or just a fan of old school products.

Thoughts on my box break and the product are welcomed below.

Topps Card Of The Week: 2013 Topps Platinum Autograph Jonathan Hankins

PC Mail Day from RatliffsCards

Got this in the mail from a buddy of mine on Twitter who thought the JPP would be a nice addition to my Giants collection, I agree :) So if you are not following him on Twitter, @RatliffsCards, please do, he is a great hobbyist to discuss cards and sports with.

Thanks again goes out to RatliffsCards and let me know what you guys think of my new additions.

Box Break of Panini Basketball 2012-2013

Wanted to give this product another go...this time i got both autographs in my box. I still like the product as a fun break. With a double rookie class, which we got two rookies of each Irving and Lillard now from two breaks this makes for load up on rookie product.

Base Cards

Knights Lance Parallel

Inserts (got more also)

Don't forget about the bonus Kobe pack

 

  

What are your thoughts on this break now that you have seen two of them?

Review: 2011 Rookie and Stars Longevity Football

Busted a box of this to earn myself some of the Father's Day packs. Here is how I did. Wasn't spectacular, but the cards looked nice.

Box/Pack: Threw away the box and wrapper before taking pics. Not bad looking though. A draw with Adrian Peterson and Blaine Gabbert on the front. However my one complaint  would be there is no amount of hits listed on it. I found out it had 4 auto/memorabilia only because I searched it online before purchasing it.

Base: Love the silver shine. Nice design as well! Usually not one for thick borders..but it does look good in this product!

Inserts: We got a few parallels such as this red one. They are numbered as well. The card looks great in red as it does in the silver/black.

Memorabilia: Thank goodness we got an Andy Dalton, our first memorabilia hit of him and only hit of him of the 2011 season. But if it wasn't for him...this box would have been a poor break. Just like the base cards, the jersey cards have a shine to them as well! They look great here and even better in person. We also seem to have a nack for pulling Austin Pettis in 2011 products.

Autographs: Love the Longevity shiny writing in the background. Very poor player pull. But a nice looking card.

Overall: Nice looking product. Boxes can be found for $60 or lower. 4 hits. Great amount of hits for the price. Very much worth the risk.

Ratings:  Bloggers Note: Our ratings are based specifically on the blaster, box or packs we opened and do not express what the overall product could bring.
                Packaging: 4
                Base Design: 5
                Insert Design: 4
                Memorablila/Autographs: 4
                Blaster, Hobby Box, or Pack Value: 4

FANdom Card Of The Day: Justin Blackmon Rookies And Stars Jersey auto rookie

2012 Rookies and Stars #219 Justin Blackmon JSY AU RC

Thanks to Jammin JDcards for sharing this card with us today. Follow them on Twitter for giveaways and to see some great box breaks. 

if you would like to share a card for us to post, send us an email at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com with a pic and a writeup on the card. 

Review: Sage Hit Football Low Series Blaster 2013

Every year I got to get my hands onto some cards of the new crop of NFL rookies. This is always my starting point.

Box Break Down:

• 14 Packs Per Box, 7 Card Per Pack
• Two Autographs
• $20 a Box

  

   

 

BASE CARDS: Last year I complained about the design of these. Not so much this year. Sage is doing the best they can without licensing on the helmets. I do wish they did more photos without any helmets then it wouldn't bother me as much. Its really hard to see a product with helmet decal removal but most of these photos are well done without team helmets which excites me and tells me to give Sage two thumbs up. The Spotlight subset card is very nicely done and I think a lot of people will enjoy this design. I also like to use these base cards to get rookie autos TTM (Through The Mail) on. They are low to none on the gloss and are great to be signed on.

INSERTS: N/A (Hobby Only)

 

AUTOGRAPHS: The product states 2 autos per box and thats what we got. I really dig the design on these. The autographs are enclosed with a gold foil and the sticker or whatever they seem to be signed on jumps off the card at you. Alex Okafor's auto is awesome. Very good job here by Sage in terms of design. I like the landscape layout as a switch up of getting the autographs done portrait style

JERSEY/PATCH CARDS:N/A

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Not a bad base card design. A ton of base in a box so you really get to load up on the new rookies. My only negative would be having the two autographs packed separately in the box. Though I love collecting rookie cards, opening the packs for just base cards takes away a little bit of the excitement when you already know what your autographs are. I wished the autos were inserted into the packs. Other than that, with a good amount of cards and two autographs its $20 well spent. I would also assume that a hobby box might also be a decent rout to go as well.

RATINGS:  Bloggers Note: Our ratings are based specifically on the blaster, box or packs we opened and do not express what the overall product could bring. Ratings based on a 1-5. 1 Being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
                Packaging: 4
                Base Design: 4
                Insert Design: NA
                Memorablila/Autographs: 4
                Blaster, Hobby Box, or Pack Value: 4