Random Wax: 2021 Topps Baseball Blaster

2021 Topps:  A lull in the offseason is all the more reason to look at baseball cards.  This Tatis 1952 Topps Redux is a design I like.  Pulled plenty of these since these came out and I never tire of them.

Anothter Tatis appearance which I'm okay with.  I really like him.  When I purchased this blaster in February, 2021 I had no idea Matt Olsen would be an Atlanta Brave starting in 2022 and breaking team records.  Mike Trout is my favorite player in the league today.  Off to a great start here.

Piazza looking tough on this 1986 Topps Baseball 35th Anniversary insert.  Good photo.  I think I pulled 100 of that Acuna/Guerrero card but I'm happy every time I do.  Tatis hot box I guess.

Nice looking horizonal photo of Juan Soto.  I'd like to see him stay in San Diego but I can see them trading him to save some money and maybe get some pitching help in return.

Daulton Varsho has had a good start to his career but was part of the trade with Toronto that sent Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to Arizona.  Both were big reasons the team made it to the World Series.

Flaherty recently signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent.

Platinum Players Die-Cut

More 1952 Topps Redux.

Team Card

This Jeter relic is pretty cool and was part of a relic lot I sold on eBay.  Fun box of cards.  Goo amount of variety and a really good pull.

BREAKDOWN:

99 – Total Cards

14 – RC

7 – 1952 Topps Redux

5 – Future Stars

4 – League Leaders

4 – Team Cards

2 – Royal Blue Parallel

1 – Rookie Cup  

1 – Rainbow Foil

1 – RC/Rookie Cup

1 – History of Topps

1 – Home Run Challenge

1 – 70th Anniversary Patch

1 - Platinum Players Die-Cuts

1 - 1986 Topps Baseball 35th Anniversary

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Hoops Winter Holiday Blaster

21-22 Winter Hoops:  This is a Hoops Winter Holiday blaster I picked up in March of 2022.  Starting it off with Karl-Anthony Towns whose stats are a bit down, but he and the T-Wolves have embraced defense and doing well.   

While I like the 21-22 Hoops design overall, I'm not a big fan of their Winter design.  The snowflakes are hard to make out on some cards and I don't get a holiday/winter feel at all.  Bah humbug!

One of the seemingly two thousand Cade Cunningham cards I feel I've pulled.  Cunningham is the big name here, but Evan Mobley is a really good big man for the Cavaliers.

Love those Slam inserts.  Great photos on all three of these cards.

I really enjoy Light Camera Actions inserts.  These horizontal photos are a nice change from the vertical look on almost all basketball cards.  

Some big man love.

Tyrese Haliburton has become a force with the Pacers after being traded to Indiana.

Khris Middleton is the only one of these three still on the same team.  James Harden is on his second team since leaving Brooklyn.

These are fun.  Assuming the print run on these is shorter than the standard hoops run.

BREAKDOWN:

88 – Total Cards

22 – RC

3 – Skyview

2 – Purple Parallel

2 – Lights Camera Action

1 – Slam

1 – Pure Players

1 – Arriving Now

1 – Class of 2021

1 – Holo Parallel

 

Random Wax: 2020 Absolute Football (5 Dollar Tree Packs)

 2020 Absolute: More of these Dollar Tree exclusive packs of 2020 Absolute that I purchased in December 2020.  Playoffs kick off today and we'll start with LaMar Jackson whose Ravens I think are the top team in the league this year.  Maybe this is the year Jackson breaks through in the playoffs.  Hopefully the Bills can meet up with them in the AFC title game.

Really good pull in these packs.  Those yellow parallels are exclusive to Dollar Tree packs.

The rookie cards are foil and the design is reversed from what we see with veterans.  I like it.  Peoples-Jones and Edwards-Helaire have been solid players in their careers.

Wow do we look at Jared Goff differently now.  That trade has really worked out for both Detroit and the Rams.  Feels like Goff has been around forever but he's only 29.  Joey Bosa is still a force for the struggling Chargers though injuries have taken a toll on him the last two seasons.  Matt Ryan was still putting up big numbers but he and my Falcons never recovered from the defeat in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.  For that matter I don't think I have either.

BREAKDOWN:
25 – Total cards
12 – RC
5 Yellow Parallel

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Donruss Basketball

21-22 Donruss:  We'll kick off this pack with CJ McCollum who is now a New Orleans Pelican.  He's having a good year hitting 44% of his threes while New Orleans is also doing well, sitting at 23-15 and in 6th place in the Western Conference.  That card is a Green Yellow Laser Parallel.

Decent pull in this pack.  Paul George's Clippers teammate, Kawhi Leonard, just signed an extension with the team and the expectation is he'll do the same.  Clippers have been on a roll of late.  This design isn't one I like but I know I bought plenty of Donruss cards across the sports that year.

Herbert Jones is the standout amongst these three averaging 10+ points per game for the Pelicans.

Cole Anthony seemed an odd Magic player to showcase on this Frachise Features insert.  There were better options from the 2020-2021 season but I will say Anthony is still around in Orlando while those other players aren't.  Maybe Donruss knew something.  I do like the look of the card.

No complaints anytime I pull the KAT.  Fun pack of cards no matter my thoughts on the design. 

BREAKDOWN:
30 – Total Cards
4 – Rated Rookie
1 – Franchise Players
1 – Great X-Pectations
1 – Green and Yellow Laser Parallel

2021 Chronicles Baseball

2021 Chronicles:  Somehow I don't think I've ever posted 2021 Chronicles and I purchased this pack in November 2021.  We'll kick it off with the 2023 National League MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr. on a Limited card.

Plenty of variety.  You do have the obvious downside of no team logos which is a shame.  I like Chronicles for that variety.  Good pull.  Acuna, Trout, Scherzer, Soto, and the resurgent Bellinger.  That Scherzer card is like three inches thick I swear.  Okay, not that big but it is probably the thickest card I've ever pulled.

Nine of the 15 cards were dedicated to young players as is the norm with Chronicles which highlights youngsters.  Ian Anderson had a hot start to his career but injuries have shut him down at the moment.  He is a 2021 World Series Champion though.

Alec Bohm has had a nice start to his career.

Acetate cards.

Fun pack even without the logos but it's enough of a distraction that I won't pick up more of these.  Nice Crusade card of Juan Soto.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
9 – RC
1 – Pink Pulsar Parallel

Random Wax: 2022 Zenith Football

2022 Zenith:  Joe Burrow is out for the season but I'm hoping he'll come back healthy next season and help the Bengals compete once again.  This guy is too good to not see on the field.

Seems like folk are all over the place on this set. I can't blame them.  This base design is different while rookie and inserts seem to be a hit.  I'm still not 100% on this base design but I still like it.  Nice pull in this pack.  The base set is 200 cards with 100 of those being rookies.

I do like these rookie cards.

Nice looking Behind the Numbers card.

Some nice pass catchers here though Kyle Pitts and the Atlanta offense still haven't figured out the passing game.

Red Zone parallel.  Olave is having a good season as the leading receiver on the Saints.

Z-Stars is a good looking insert.  Fun cards.  Not sure if there is a 2023 release of this set but it is good for what it is.

BREAKDOWN:
30 – Total Cards
7 – RC
3 – Red Zone Parallels
2 – Behind the Numbers
1 – Z-Stars
1 – Behind the Numbers Red Parallel

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Contenders Basketball

21-22 Contenders:   I like Contenders and here's a design I like. Not my favorite but it's good.  Can never go wrong with Dame so we'll kick it off with the now Milwaukee Buck.

Really nice pull.  100 base cards in the set helps.  Jimmy Butler is also a favorite of mine  but you can't go wrong with AD or the KAT.

Corey Kispert has averaged 10 points a game for his career while Cameron "Cam" Thomas is having a breakout year with the Nets averaging 22 a game.  The Joker needs no introduction as maybe the best player in the league.

Nice backs.  Always want more stats but I like the color and big logo.  

None of these three play for the same team but all three are succeeding with Houston, Boston, and Utah, respectively.  Doncic is amazing as ever.  Mavs aren't quite as dominant.  Interesting to see Mark Cuban sell the Mavericks while retaining basketball operations control.

BREAKDOWN:
22 – Total Cards
2 – 2021 Draft Class
1 – International Ticket
1 – Green Parallel Game Ticket