It's All Been Fire Recently

The last two months of this blog's stats are hard to ignore. I thought maybe the big 75,000+ view month in June was a fluke until July brought in another huge monthly total of 68,000 + views.

Being someone who loves numbers, these have drawn me back to this blog for some new posts in August. I will be curious if this month can hold up to the past two months and wonder how new posts would do here.

So, let's kick off a new month with a new post with some new cards.

These are all separate mail days I got and for different reasons.

I have been trying to add Prizm rookie cards to my collection and have a list of needs I have been narrowing down the last few months. It started out as roughly 10 needs and now I have narrowed it down to 2 needs. I need a 2020 Prizm Jalen Hurts rookie and a 2022 Prizm Sam Howell rookie. Of course, I would welcome two other guys in Burrow and Herbert but I don't imagine I can touch those guys so I never added them to my list.

I haven't added a new card to my Rueben Randle PC in a while and was able to acquire this quad relic pretty cheap. I think a lot of people forget how great of a back that Doug Martin was.

 

My Kerry Collins PC has been growing steadily this summer so when adding a low numbered parallel for cheap is in the cards, see what I did there, you add it.

This 2002 Fleer Premium Super Rubies is numbered to 100.

Next card, a low numbered GAME WORN relic from 2012 Certified of Amani Toomer. Every Toomer add helps me to try and move up on TCDB.

And my final add, I have a small PC of Jasson Dominguez and have always liked Panini Unleashed inserts, when they added Dominguez to the 2023 lineup, I had to have one.

A bunch of fire mail days in what has been a fire couple of months on this blog. A great way to kick off a new month of new posts.

In comments, let me know your thoughts on my latest additions and if you are excited to see new posts on here!

Christmas Cards Part 2:Dennis

It's time for the second Christmas mail day package I got. This time it's coming from Dennis from Too Many Verlanders blog fame.

Dennis always sends a nice variety with his Christmas packages. He succeeds as nailing every aspect of my PC every time.

Let's start with some 90's refractors. I don't give a hoot who the players are, these hit a sweet spot in my heart and in my collection. Nostalgia rules collecting.

 

I used my lightbox to really show you the impressive nature of these cards.

After the 90's, Dennis found some numbered G-Men for me. The best way to send Giants my way because I have so much base it's hard to find new ones.

Paul Perkins team color match

I can be honest and say I have never seen this die cut before. Cool card!

Odell I hope he comes back Beckham Jr parallel from Topps Fire

 

Back Flips from David Wilson are even cooler in refractor form.

Then came a couple of cards I claimed he had up for trade.

I must apologize but for some reason the front of the Andre Caldwell rookie didn't upload. However, at least the photo of it being a 1/1 did. Dennis found this in a very cheap bin that the seller must have missed. I am still considering chasing the rainbow.

Autographs with inscriptions sometimes catch my attention. This one did.

Unique relic cards are another side PC. This one is a piece of the Goal Post cover. As much as I despise the Patriots, I wanted this one.

Towards the end of my package opening, I found a stack of hits once again aimed towards my main collections.

Andre Williams on card auto I didn't have. That is impressive looking at my numbers.

Sterling Shepard relic

 

Rueben Randle autograph. Can't remember if I have this one as well.

Sweeeeeet Hakeem Nicks rookie dual patch.

Then you can't have a Christmas package without some Christmas cards,

2020 Donruss Rookie Sweaters. Even though I have the entire 2020 set, besides two of the dual relics, I welcome these cards. I just love Christmas and Christmas cards. I did just notice that the 2020 Donruss Rookie Sweater tab I have on here isn't updated to the one my phone has for some reason. I have updated that and added my 2021 needs to that list as well. There are many of those I need still.

Thanks again to Dennis for this awesome mail day. Really appreciate it and you my friend.

Thoughts on my mail day welcomed in comments below!

Keep On Tradin'

One thing I have learned about social media, it never hurts to ask.

If you have a hobby question, reach out.

If you need help selling cards and where to sell them, ask for it.

If you see a card for trade, inquire about it.

I did that recently with @DadStuff11,

Who had this Mark Bavaro autograph up for trade. As you can tell by this post and by the actual picture of the card, I traded for it.

I not only traded for that, but I also traded for some other Gmen while we were at it.

Two more Rueben Randle autographs, I really need to count how many I have now. It's got to be close to 30.

 

New Kadarius Toneys

And then a bonus surprise,

 

The World Famous San Diego Zoo Cardz. I may open this soon, the possibility of a hologram or techchrome card is too tempting to keep it sealed.

Thanks again to @DadsStuff11 for the trade.

I also wanted to point out, it also never hurts to ask someone who has a card for sale if they would be interested in trading. Some get offended by it, some just say "just looking to sell" and others will actually say, sure. 

So next time you question yourself asking any question whether it sounds ridiculous or not, just don't be afraid to ask. Someone will help.

Summer Of Wes Card #38

Summer Of Wes Card #84

Oooops!

In the trading card world, mistakes can be made.

They are made by collectors like us and they are also made by the manufacturers.

Back in 2012, Panini made one of those mistakes and it took me a few years to catch it.

What appeared to be a Rueben Randle autograph pull from a pack I opened turned out to be a mistake.

That mistake was not noticed by me until a few years later when someone sent me a RAK with another copy of the card in it. This is Randle's signature.

Turns out the autograph I pulled was actually of 2012 Giants first round Draft Pick David Wilson and not that of Rueben Randle.

Here are the cards side by side for comparison.

It's an honest mistake and a fun collection piece for myself. Nothing I am going to have fixed or complain about like some collectors would.

I also own the real David Wilson Momentum autograph rookie auto as well and wonder if there is a Randle autograph on a Wilson card. If I ever find one and if it even exists, I would pick it up for this set. I mean that Randle autograph had to go somewhere right?

The Fun Norm

We here all the time the phrase, The New Norm, and that always sounds so negative because it actually is. The New Norm of having to wear masks, bleach yourself when you get home, and avoiding people including your family members at all costs. What part of that sounds like fun?

 I would rather have the The Fun Norm. The fun Norm is a guy on Twitter @NormC61 who has sent me a few packages this year "just because". Every time he sends one it's a new surprise of not knowing what's coming.

Like this one I received last Saturday. I couldn't wait to see what he sent this time.

Inside was a small stack of Knicks and NY Giants cards. I have chosen a few to show off today that caught my eye.

Good ole John Starks right here!

 

Anthony Mason throwing the fire ball.

 

Pippen getting shoved out of the way by a drive by Hubert Davis

Great one here with Oakley slamming it home over MJ while Pippen watches. Bulls and Knicks in the 90's were hated rivals.

 

Rueben!

 

Charles Oakley doing his best boxing out

 

Ewwwwwwing with the slam!

And my favorite base was this MJ flying high but Patrick with the ball. Great photography here.

And finally, a good handful of NYG archives cards including guys like Conerly and Gifford.

A big thanks to Norm for another great mail day. I appreciate it like all of the other mail days you send my way.

Side note, today was the first time I did a post using the new blogger. I am not a fan at all. I am not sure I will stick with blogger much longer if this is what I have to deal with. It took forever to upload posts, the labels took years to select, and the picture re-sizing is not as simple as it used to be. I will be going back to legacy again for future posts until it's gone.

Pancakes and Ruebens

Man, I have no idea why these surprises keep popping up in my mail box, but once again, I was tossed a pancake by the Pancake King, Wes.

This time it was a Rueben Randle Turn Of The Century parallel.

 

Beautiful green shine to this one.

I also didn't have this one which is surprising for a guy who has over 150 of his cards. I wonder if I should turn into a Randle Super Collector after Hampton...maybe not.

One thing I have realized is newer players are not as easy as to collect with so many 1/1's,autographs, patch and jersey cards, manu relics, etc.

Thanks again Wes for the mail day!

Twitter Has Me Piled In Mail Days

It's fun getting mail days and it's fun getting them all at once, but being a blogger and blogging them all in a good time frame, not so much.

I know a lot of bloggers especially are not really fond of the whole Twitter scene, but I really like it. I think it all depends on what type of people you follow on there if you will enjoy it or not. I just don't follow anyone. They have to be specific to what I like. I mean, why wouldn't you follow someone specific to what you collect or have the hobby's best interest in mind?

Recently I was a recipient of some freebies via @NGTCollectibles Sunday giveaway thread. Sadly, unlike most of the ones I have mailed to in the past, I am actually going to thank my givers even though I am a tad late.

@gingersnap4004 had this DK Metcalf up for grabs and I needed this one for my rookie PC, so I asked nicely if I could have it and he sent it. Thanks man!

The next mail day was supposed to be a one card grab from that thread for the EX set I am building but he ended up sending three more towards my set chase. This has gotta be right up there with the greatest looking base sets all time. I may have to do a ranking on that some day.

Thanks @Alindz99 for the set help and especially the bonuses!

The final mail day I need to catch up on from Twitter is my first trade from @goingdeepe who had some NY Giants relics he thought I could use.

Well, he was right. I don't turn down any Giants relics no matter the player.

Really cool die cut jersey number of Rueben Randle

Ron Dayne. Been adding a lot of Daynes recently, not even on purpose.

And another Dayne. I was always back on forth on him whether I was a fan or not because his play was so up and down.

Another Rueben, this time without the number die cut sauerkraut

And we finish it up with another Randle.

Rueben by far is my biggest "hits" PC I have for the Giants. Nobody is even close.

Thanks for the first time trade David. Hope to do more down the road.

As this article shows, Twitter can be a great place. I do understand some of the bloggers that do see the dark side of it, I just flip through or unfollow those types so I don't have to see it. But, Twitter is basically what you make of it and if you use it right, it can be quite a positive experience.