Blog Bat Around: The Post Without Words (let the picture(s) speak)

 

(join in to thanks to the idea on Cards Over Coffee-click word to see the card on there)

Not A Hockey Card Collector, But....

Normally, when you think of hockey card collectors, you don't think of me.

But there are moments I have where I break down and buy some hockey and there is usually a good reasonable explanation behind it.

So when I saw the latest Metal Universe product release, I had to try some. Despite my wife giving me "the look" when I stuck a box of hockey cards at the register.

 

You know the one.

I still stuck with it despite it and opened up the $30 blaster box that came with 5 packs of 7 cards.

Nostalgia still is the driving force of my hobby.

The base card design is the typical metal look and I like that Upper Deck stuck with the basics.

Each pack that I opened came with a Blue Spectrum parallel. These typically fall 1:2 packs.

I am not complaining about getting one in every pack though. I really like the look of these.

I

When it comes to the nostalgia I mentioned above, It was brought with the 1:4 pack finds of the 1997-98 throwback inserts.

Amped Up insert falls 1:10 packs.

Skybox Premium Prospects fall 1:4 packs. I have no idea if this is a good player or not. 

I also pulled the Sapphire Parallel that falls 1:6 packs (once again not sure how good this player is).

And my final cool card of the box was Big Man On Ice. This was actually my first insert pull of the box and falls 1:8 packs. As a by-far-distant NY Rangers fan, I know this name.

There wasn't a lot of value in the break, but it certainly was a lot of fun and I would love to do it again if I can find the funds and try to avoid getting the look again.

Thoughts on my break welcomed in comments.

Breakin' Wax:2021 Skybox Metal Universe Champions Blaster Box

I think it was roughly two years ago when Upper Deck announced a new Metal Universe product would be releasing. It looked absolutely amazing in the preview images, and I couldn't wait until it released.

Covid hit and all of a sudden this once highly sought product I wanted had disappeared...until recently.

The product finally released hitting hobby shelves at an expensive price that I wasn't going to be able to afford. Luckily for me, a retail version came out and I had to have some and give this product a chance.

 

Each blaster box of 2021 Skybox Metal Universe Champions Blaster Box comes with 5 packs of 7 cards. There are no guarantees, and each blaster is $29.99.

The base design is foil, like you would expect it to be for Metal. It has a space design and each side of the card has a blurb about space.

Here is the one on Mac Jones card.

Without having licenses for any sport but hockey, the sport players are featured in non-team shirts and regular clothing attire.

There are also some non-sport and other mix-ins as well.

Overall, 100 cards in this part of the base set to collect.

Following the base are the Metalized subsets which makes up the next 50 cards.

There are 150 cards overall including base and short printed subsets.

Each blaster also comes with Copper parallels.

Along with those, there are also chances at these other parallels,

Copper and Silver Dots /299 (Blaster).
PMG PARALLELS:Red PMG /150, Orange PMG /100, Pink PMG /75, Blue PMG /25, Green PMG /10, and Purple PMG 1/1.

These other parallels are randomly inserted and are across both inserts and base cards.

 Here are the bronze parallels I found in my break.

Other than the hope of beating the odds on pulling a PMG, my other interest was the inserts. I mean this is based on the 90's product, so these have to be rocking right?

Fresh Foundation has 50 cards to collect. Pretty deep set.

97-98 Retro design has 50 cards and throws it back to the good ole days. Man, this was great stuff. They should have just done the base like this.

Skybox Premium insert. These are shiny, me likey, and include a 50-card set. These fall 1:5 packs.

Blast Furnace has not 50 cards, but 24 and pays homage to the 90's. I pulled Tiget, can't complain. These fall 1:5 packs.

Arc Weld falls 1:12 packs and has 20 cards to collect. Kinda dig this look.

No hits for me in this blaster, I have seen others luck out with autographs, but I don't have that luck.

This was a pretty fun break, I really liked the insert designs. The base were lame duck, but that's okay. I wonder if the PMG's look cool up close or if they don't match the greatness of the 90's.

Let me know your thoughts on this product in comments!

Random Card Of The Day:1995 Skybox Premium Quickstrike Jerry Rice

25 Days Of Cardmas Day 19: All I Want For Christmas Is You

Sorry readers. I know this title will hit your every nerve as we all know that big Mariah Carey hit is the most played Christmas song on the radio. It's not that its a bad song per say, but a lot are sick of hearing it.

Today's card features Jim Kelly getting ready to launch a Christmas present deep. Just hopefully there will be no Dallas Cowboys in his way. Sorry Bills fans.

The back of the card is like reading a Christmas card from the Kelly and Skybox family to us.

I know when it comes to presents this year, I always hope for card boxes and eBay gift cards but it doesn't always translate to that. A gift is a gift though because it comes from the heart. I know that sounds like a corny line from a Hallmark Movie but it's so true.

When I grew up, I was always disappointed by my presents though I know it was stuff my parents knew I would like. They just couldn't afford to get the stuff I actually really wanted like that Ghostbusters fire house or the entire line of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures. Every year I would get a notebook (I told you I love to write), some form of clothing and maybe one of the toys I asked for. Sometimes they would sign up for a Santa Fund which gives presents out to low income families. I wouldn't always get what I wanted from that either but made due. 

Even though stuff wasn't always what I wanted, I didn't just toss it in the trash. I always put it to full use and always treated and kept my stuff like a gem mint card.

Big or small gifts, its not the gift that counts. It's the thought. I tell myself that all of the time and live by it and hope you do as well.

What was a present you wanted growing up but never got?

Bumping Into The Wrong Setting

 

I despise new technology.

One simple hit of the wrong button can make everything come crashing down or messed up.

Today's photos for example in this post. I hit something on my camera that made these pictures expand the bottom and top showcasing off the background I use to take them on and making them look really odd.

In order to get today's post up without further delay, I had to post these as is. But, I will tell you one thing, my OCD is eating me alive right now.

AT LEAST the trade I made to acquire these cards was much easier than taking the pictures of them.

@Hamscards saw my post about having an extra Buster Posey Topps rookie and asked what I needed for it. Not sure how we got to the cards we got to in exchange for it, but it worked for me.

I was able to add three more MJ's to my collection, bringing me up to roughly 125 different cards.

Shaq and 90's shiny, that's all it takes for me.

And even a bonus at the end in this Big Pippen.

Thanks to Ham's Cards for the trade!

(update: since typing this up I have figured out the camera button I hit by mistake after many tries of doing so. Pictures will be back to normal after this)

Have any of you made any trades recently and what did you get?

Surprises Shep'd To Me

It was an ordinary day in the neighborhood. The sun was in full force. The heat was making me sweat while the slight breeze was trying it's best to help.

I was walking my to the mail box, usually empty of packages in the past month, but this time had an envelope from an address I didn't recognize. Or did I? I swore I had seen that address before but who was it? And who sent me something I wasn't expecting. Was it the heat getting to me? Was I seeing things?

As soon as I walked back to my house carrying the one envelope in my mail box, feeling like I was going to melt, I figured out who it was. It was @BigShep79 and I bet he sent me more Rodney's.

For the first time I was right. Don't tell my wife I was right for once.

Even though none of these Rodney's were new to me, I actually have been hoarding all of my dupes as well. Guess that what makes me a Super Collector. At this point in my Rodney collecting, it's really hard to send me any new without checking my checklist ahead of time.

Let's check em out:

 

This last one will go apart of my 100 Score rookie project. Closing in on 60 of them.

Thanks to @BigShep79 for the mail day. Always appreciate surprise Rodney's in the mail box.

Another BFG Mail Day

Mail days will keep this blog going another week on here as I have many to show off. Some are trades like yesterday's and others were RAK's. Let's check out today's share.

The Sunday NGT Collectibles thread was alive again and @battlebrothersg had a Jerry Rice 1995 Skybox Quickstrike I needed for my set so I asked if it was available and it was!

Thanks @battlebrothersg for the set help. I found someone to hit back on there last week and looking forward to this Sunday.

Johnny's Trading Spot had another BFG and once again I was late to the party. However, with this mail day, I didn't mind after all.

I have always wanted some of these Kellogs 3-D Super Stars after seeing multiple bloggers talk about them and now I finally have a few.

Palmer

Guerrero

Hisle

The backs of those

Thanks again Johnny for the fun in BFG. Hopefully I will be there on time for the next, for real this time! I didn't download Chrome on my phone for nothing.

(WHILE I AM AT IT, GO FOLLOW Cards Over Coffee . FIRST POST IS UP!) 

RJ's Cardboard:A Cheap Mixed Lot

I love a good deal.

Once in awhile I will stumble upon one and win an auction with seconds left.

Today's lot, I won for $1.04. Yes, you read that right. Plus $3 shipping but for under $5 to grab this lot I think is a heck of a deal.

 A mixed group of Knickerbockers including my boy Patrick Ewing. Who I consider the greatest Knick of All-Time though I know they have had some great ones.

RJ Barrett winter Hoops Tribute

Donruss Rated Rookie and Great X-Pectations

 Arriving Now which is a new PC card I didn't have before.

And we finish it up with a solid Kurt Thomas auto. Thomas played 8 seasons for the Knicks, including quite when I used to watch basketball more die-hard. He was a defensive stud.

I am glad to add some more Barretts to the PC, not sure how many I am up to now, but it was also great to add the few extra cards that came in the lot especially the Thomas auto. That's a nice looking card and he has a solid signature.

Til next time!