Random Wax: 2024 Topps Baseball

2024 Topps:  Pete Alonso recently passed Darryl Strawberry for first in Mets history in home runs.  He passed him when he hit number 253 of his career.  After a long off season before resigning with New York, Alonso is having another really good season.

Some catcher love.  While all three of these photos are pretty similar, they are still fun.  I like the 2024 Topps design.  Plenty of color and they look good.

O'Hoppe and Schanuel are both solid for the Angels while Hunter Brown is a really good starter with the Astros.

Carroll is leading the league in triples, and he's already tied his career high in homers but still hasn't found the average he was able to hit for early in his career.

Duran was recently traded to the Phillies.  Logan Allen has been really good this season in Cleveland.

Jose Ramirez is killing it again this season in Cleveland.

Nice looking League Leaders cards which include the stats on the front.

Love this photo and I'm a big fan of Witt.

The back of the Philly Team Card.  These are nice but with no stats with the team leaders it really leaves you wanting more.

Great checklist card with Ohtani and Betts to end it.  Fun pack of cards.

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

Random Wax: 2023-2024 Contenders Basketball (2 Packs) with Auto

23-24 Contenders:  Giannis and the Bucks haven't seen the results on the court in recent years but that doesn't take away from this man's greatness.  He's averaged 26+ points per game for eigtht of his 12 NBA seasons including 30+ the last three seasons.  In a league that values the three he still dominates other teams in different ways they can't defend and we don't see with any other players.  Don't forget about him when we talk about greats in today's game.

Contenders is a small set, so you'll always see plenty of stars in your pulls unless you just get really unlucky.  These three are greats in the game. What a difference a year makes.  Doncic traded to the Lakers, Durant to the Rockets and Tatum out for the upcoming season with an injury.

All three of these youngsters are really good players in the league.  I like Draft Class inserts and the look of Rookie Stallions.

Historic Draft Class cards give us a look back at past greats which is a highlight for me.  And Shaq is always a fun pull.

Unfortunately, Leaky Black didn't get a second season in the NBA.  That Chet Holmgren, of the champion Thunder, is on a Green Parallel and we get a Game Night Ticket Kyrie Irving.  That is actually a solid design.

Celtics legend.

Porzingis is now an Atlanta Hawk who've gone all in for the upcoming season with the East up for grabs.  Siakam is now a Pacer and things have changed so much in Indy since they made the Finals.  Haliburton out with an injury and Myles Turner took his game to Milwaukee.

Butler is in Golden State now while Anthony Davis ended up in Dallas in the crazy Luka trade.  I'm not the biggest AD homer but I hope he and the Mavs actually do well together.  Anthony Edwards, Georgia Bulldog alum, is the new hotness in the league.

BREAKDOWN:

44 – Total Cards

7 – RC

2 – Retired Greats

2 – Rookie Stallions

2 – Historic Draft Class

2 – Green Game Ticket Parallels

1 – Draft Class

1 – Game Night Ticket

1 – Rookie Ticket Autograph

Random Wax: 2021 Chronicles Draft Picks Football

2021 Draft Picks:  I really thought Trevor Lawrence was going to be more of a thing in the NFL.  It hasn't worked out so far.  I hope they can get him figured out.  He's only 25.

This set has tons of variety while concentrating on young players.  And a couple more quarterbacks who haven't panned out in the NFL.  Lance is now with the Chargers and Wilson is in Miami.  I really like the look of the Score design.

Bateman has been solid has a Ravens wideout.  Finally getting around to posting this pack.  Fun to let them "age" and see how it went.

At least Justin Fields...wow this wasn't the most exciting pack of rookies.  I purchased it in August of 2021, but it has not aged well.  It looked a lot more exciting back then.  I do like the Illusions look.

BREAKDOWN:
15 – Total Cards
5 – Playbook
2 – Donruss
2 – Prestige
1 – Score
1 – Recon
1 – Illusions
1 – Chronicles
1 – Bronze Prestige Parallel

Random Wax: 2024 Topps Archives Blaster

 2024 Archives: I'm a fan of Bobby Witt Jr. and he's having another really good year hitting .288 with 16 home runs while leading the league in doubles.

Great Albies photo on that 1970 design.  These designs, which also include 1961 and 1994, aren't exactly favorites of mine.  Of these three the '70 look is my favorite.  And I'm always happy with an Ohtani pull.

The backs are lots of fun.  Here we have a 1994 back of all-time great Justin Verlander.  I love being able to see all these stats.  He is a San Francisco Giant now.  If not for basically almost two total lost seasons, Verlander would have had a realistic shot at 300 wins.  He sits at 263 now.  Wouldn't have been easy but still. 

Youngsters seen across all three designs.

I wasn't sure about the Alex Bregman signing but he's been really good in Boston.  One more reason I'm not a GM somewhere.

Three Black Parallels.  Not bad.  Not great.  A bit of a foil thing going there.  Nice Mets alt uni.

Another fun back.

The inserts really feel out of place.  I can't believe they couldn't come up with more retro looking designs. New Breed is the most palatable to me.  But just say no to inserts in Archives that don't have a retro feel.

Love retired greats and Beltre is a guy I am a fan of.  Hard to argue with either Munson or with The Big Unit rocking the nice Arizona jersey.

Fun box of cards with a great pull.  These are always fun.  Plenty of variety and great players.

BREAKDOWN:
56 – Total Cards
18 – 1970
18 - 1994
17 – 1961
13 – RC
5 – Retired Greats
4 – Black Parallels
1 – New Breed
1 – Own the Game
1 – Wrecking Crew

Random Wax: 1990-1991 SkyBox Basketball (3 Packs)

90-91 SkyBox:  I don't want to go over the top with how good Tom Chambers was, but he was really good.  He was very athletic for a big man and fun to watch.  He topped 20 points per game five times in his career (2X over 25) and topped out at just over 8 rebounds per game one season for Phoenix.

Vlade Divac will forever be remembered as the guy who was traded for Kobe Bryant but he was a solid big man who averaged 11 points per game and 8 rebounds per game over his career.  All three of these would move into the front office (Vlade and Dumars) or coach (Doc) after their playing years.

Sean Elliott was an underrated shooter and embraced the three-point shot, shooting 37% for his career.

Great photos as always on the backs of the cards.  Mugsy looks like some player's kid who the team is letting play with a ball.

Some little man love.  I misspoke.  While Bogues was 5-3, Webb was 5-7, which is NBA short, but Michael Adams was 5-10.  While not tall in the NBA that isn't short.  He didn't look 5-10.  Just saying.

Cliff Robinson played all three positions in the front court during his career.  He played 18 seasons winning 6th Man of the Year once and was named to the All-Defensive team twice.  As always, these cards are great and the memories so much fun.

BREAKDOWN:
45 – Total Cards
2 – Checklist

Random Wax: 2024 Donruss Football

2024 Donruss:  I'm really hoping Michigan alum Aidan Hutchinson is healthy this season.  Detroit will need him after their offense lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.  Aidan only played 5 games but registered 7.5 sacks last year.

This design is very solid.  Not an all-time great but I'm good with it.  I'm a big Jonathan Taylor guy and he had another amazing year with 1400+ yards even though Indy couldn't figure out quarterback.

One of my blue parallels.

Retired greats and Curt Warner is a guy I always loved when I was young.  He twice rushed for over 1400 yards including his rookie season.

Fun pack of cards even if Taysom Hill is a curious option for Elite Series inserts.  

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

4 – Rated Rookie

4 – Blue Parallels

3 – Retired Greats

1 – Elite Series

Random Wax: 2025 Topps Baseball Hanger Box

2025 Topps:  You don't have to like the Yankees or Aaron Judge, and I don't, but dang that guy can hit.  I can't believe he's already 33.  His Rookie of the Year was 2017 when he blasted 52 home runs.  And it's not all about the long ball.  Judge has a career .297 average and is batting ~.340 this year.  Amazing.

Devers was shockingly traded to the Giants this year after things went south in a hurry.  Crazy how things work out.  Boston is actually doing alright and are third in the wild card standings.

Bogaerts and Altuve are favorites of mine, so this is a fun pull for me.

Great photo on youngster Elly De La Cruz's horizontal card.  The speedster is having a great sophomore season.

Plenty of young players in these boxes.

My Pink Diamante Foil Parallel which drops 1:12 hanger boxes.  

I do like the All-Topps Team inserts.  I really like that look.  Anthony Rizzo on a Diamante Foil Parallel which is another good look.  And my 1990 Topps card which looks better on new cardboard.  Back in the day it didn't work for me for an entire set.

Fun checklist cad.

Some great photos.

I love League Leaders cards and this season we see the return of the actual numbers (stats) on the front as well.  Good job Topps, good job.

I really went all in on the hanger boxes for 2025 Topps.  It really felt like I had a solid pull each box and a good variety with the inserts and parallels.

Some more horizontal offerings.  Fun Luis Castillo card.

Corbin Carroll has found some extra power this season and still has speed, but he has work to do on his average.  He's a favorite of mine and I'm rooting for him.  We'll end it with this Stars of MLB grouping.

BREAKDOWN:
59 – Total Cards
11 – RC
125 – Future Stars
4 – Stars of MLB
3 – Checklist
1 - Diamante Foil
1 – All Topps Team
1 – League Leaders
1 - Pink Diamante Foil (1:12 Hanger Boxes)
1 – 1990 Topps Baseball
1 – Topps All-Star Rookie Cup