Random Wax: 2024 Topps Stadium Club

2024 Stadium Club:  We're talking playoffs today people!  Bogaerts and the Padres had a really good year and their first-round matchup with the Cubs should be fun.

Dodgers hot pack?  Yes.  The 2024 Stadium Club packs ran that way with teams.  Very out of character for Topps.  But no complaints here.  I like all three of these guys and all three get Pink Foil Parallels.  I don't appreciate the pink as much as others, but I'll survive.  The Dodgers won the NL West.

Nice Jackson Holiday pull and Sheehan had a good year number two with the Dodgers.

Detroit made the playoffs in spite of a historic collapse at the end of the season.  Great photo.

And another Dodger...  Spencer Torkelson had his second 30+ home run season with teh Tiger. 

Love the retired greats.  Ernie Banks on a Red Foil Parallel.  The 2X MVP never got to the playoffs in his 19-year career.  Pretty good-looking Special Forces insert.  Strider struggled for the Braves this season, but he wasn't the only one.  Great pack of cards. 

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
3 - RC
3 – Pink Foil
3 – Retired Greats
1 – Red Foil

Random Wax: 2023 NASCAR Donruss

2023 Donruss:   One-time (1X) NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is currently third in the playoff standings in the Round of 12.  He's not had a great stretch of late but he's always a threat to go on a tear as one of the great drivers in the sport.  This is not my favorite Race Kings design, but I like the look of this Larson card.

I'm a big fan of these 1990 Donruss throwback designs like we see for NASCAR greats Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon.  Great Gordon photo.  The base design is a bit meh to me.  No offense to Kasey Kahne.

Plenty of youngsters in the Donruss sets.  Lawless Alan is doing well this season at one of NASCAR's lower levels (ARCA).  With a name like Lawless I expect great things.

Great representation of ladies in the sport.  Breidinger (Optic) drives in the truck series, Deegan has moved on to the Indy NXT series, and Natalie Decker (Carolina Blue Parallel) recently became the only female driver to drive in NASCAR's Xfinity series after becoming a mom.

I think this is a Bronze Parallel and it looks pretty good.

Here we have a Silver Parallel Mark Martin as well as another Race Kings.  I honestly didn't recognize Richard Petty in that photo.

Some inserts including Royalty which doesn't do a lot for me.  I do like all the color we get on the Metal Masters cards. And Elite Series doesn't exactly feel Elite.

Another good looking Under the Lights card with Daniel Suarez who is looking for a new ride for the 2026 season.

Now that's the iconic Richard Petty look we all know and love.  NASCAR is racing in Kansas today.  We'll see who helps their chances to get into the next round of the playoffs.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

10 – 1990 Donruss

9 – Retired Greats

3 – Carolina Blue Parallel

2 – Optic

2 – Race Kings

2 – Under the Lights

1 – Car

1 - Royalty

1 – Elite Series

1 – Rated Rookie

1 – Silver Parallel

1 – Metal Masters

1 – Bronze Parallel

1 – Checker Parallel

Random Wax: 2024 Topps Baseball

2024 Topps:   As we head into the final weekend of regular season baseball, the Seattle Mariners and Julio Rodriguez have established themselves as one of the best teams in the American League.  Rodriguez is doing his part with over 30 home runs and leading the league in plate appearances and at bats.  He's looking good on this 1989 Topps Baseball insert in that alternative uni.

This is a good design that I like.  The faux neon, color and semi-colored borders works for me.

I pulled the Braves Team Card.  Win!

Plenty of youngsters.  Great photo on that Christopher Morel card.

One of the greatest right handed hitters with Miggy taking a curtain call.  Over 3100 hits, 506 homers and a .306 average for his career.

League Leader cards are always fun.

The back of a Team Card.  No stats for the leaders?  Fail!

I love this photo.

A bit more color on the 2024 Stars of MLB inserts.  Good pull as well.

A really fun Checklist card.

Some solid hitters.

Spencer Strider has shaved off his mustache.  Not sure how I feel about that.  LOL

A horizontal offering with one of my favorite players, Corbin Carroll.  Fun pack of cards.

BREAKDOWN:
36 – Cards
4 – Team Cards
4 – League Leaders
3 – RC
3 – Stars of MLB
2 – Team Cards
1 - Checklist
1 – Future Stars
1 – 1989 Topps Baseball
1 – Topps All-Star Cup Rookie

Random Wax: 2024-2025 Hoops Basketball

24-25 Hoops:   There are so many questions around Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers but there's no denying this man's talent.

Some big man love.  Bam Adebayo and the Heat just don't seem to have it all clicking lately and they'll start the season without All-Star Tyler Hero.  This design is okay and it does feel like Hoops.

Stephon Castle averaged 14 points per game his rookie season and brought home Rookie of the Year honors.

Just a bit blah.

That Hardaway Jr. is my Purple Parallel pull.  Zach Edey had a solid rookie season.  Bogdan Bogdanovic is on a Teal Explosion Parallel.

I'm a fan of Al Horford who is looking good on this Hoops Premium Stock card.  I like Brook Lopez as well.  My Hoops Tribute insert has retired great Yao Ming gracing it.  NBA comes back next month and I can't wait.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

6 – RC

2 – Hoops Tribute

1 – Skyview

1 – Arriving Now

1 – Premium Stock

1 – Purple Parallel

1 – Rookie Greetings

1 – Teal Explosion Parallel

Random Wax: 2024 Score Football

2024 Score:  Not much else you can say about John Elway who is an all-time favorite of mine and my all-time favorite QB.  In a great twist of irony, he's one of two of my all-time favorite players to beat my Falcons in the Super Bowl.  Tom Brady being the other.  SMH

Really good-looking design on the 2024 set.  Pretty good pull in this pack as well including Super Bowl winning QB Jalen Hurts.

I really like what we've seen from Bo Nix.  I can see him developing into one of the top quarterbacks in the league.

Celebration inserts are one I enjoy.

Another Bo Nix appearance as well as Drake Maye who is also showing improvement at quarterback for New England.  Rome Odunze has had a solid start to his career with the Bears.

Joey Bosa has 1 sack through three games for his new team, Buffalo.  The future Hall of Famer has been one of the best at getting to the quarterback as showcased on these Sack Attack inserts.

I always like League Leader cards.  Wouldn't mind a design where maybe we see the #2 and #3 guys on there as well, but these work for me.

The Vikings offense is still figuring it out and will be without JJ McCarthy for a few weeks while he's injured.

I love retired greats on cardboard including these nice Hall of Fame inserts.  That Willis is a Red Parallel.  And we get the nice looking back.  Not enough stats but still looking good.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

9 – RC

5 – Retired Greats

2 – Protential

2 – Celebration

2 – 35th Anniversary Rookie

1 – Sack Attack

1 – League Leader

Random Wax: 2019 Contenders Football

 2019 Contenders:  Patrick Mahomes needs no introduction.  The best quarterback in the NFL today, his accolades will go down in history when he's compared to the best ever to play the position.  He's a Texas Tech alum and I've always been a fan.

I'm a big fan of Luke Kuechly.  He was just such a good smart linebacker in the league.  Mike Evans is still a top receiver in the league and 2025 will be his 12th season in the NFL.  I really like this set and this base design in particular.

Rookie of the Year Contenders have a nice look to them as do the Legendary Contenders that give us retired greats.  The Legendary Contenders is an insert I really like.

The backs are really nice sans having no stats of course.  And wow it seems so long since Goff was a Ram.

Fun pack of cards that I purchased in 2023.  I rarely complain about Contenders.  We'll end it with a Winning Ticket A-A-Ron.

BREAKDOWN:
22 – Total Cards
2 – Rookie of the Year Contenders
1 – Retired Great
1 – Winning Ticket
1 – Legendary Contenders