Random Wax: 2017-2018 Prestige Basketball - BOOM!

Wow.  This was just a random 2017-2018 Prestige basketball pack I grabbed since we are almost to the NBA Finals and this auto happened.  This has been an unreal NBA card season for me.  This is my 5th autograph since November and 2nd of Jayson Tatum.  The other three were of Luke Kennard, Mario Hezonja, and Jake Layman.  I've never experienced anything like this and I'm aware of how lucky I am.  I don't really collect autographs so this one is also up on eBay.  The card itself is a great card especially in light of last night's game and the Eastern Conference Finals as a whole that just finished up.  Tatum posterized LeBron in the game last night and that's a great look (or not) on James' face in this card. 

The rest of the pack wasn't bad either but of course it was just a blur once I saw the Tatum auto.

  Parallels included this Bright Green Micro Etch rookie and a couple of rain parallels.  De-Aaron Fox is a rookie I thought might have a little better first year but I still think he can turn into an excellent player long term.

Quite a few inserts as well.  I like the Stars of the NBA and Rookie Class cards.  

And Tatum once again...

BREAKDOWN:

30 - Total Cards

5 - RC

2 - Rain Parallel

1 - Bright Green Parallel

1 - Stars of the NBA

1 - Rookie Class

1 - Hardcourt Heroes

1 - Hightlight Reel

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trading Cards

Somehow I'd never picked up a pack of the 2017 The Last Jedi trading cards even though they had been staring me in the face forever.  With the Han Solo movie coming out this weekend this is a great time to look at a pack that I picked up last week.  The base cards are OK but it is the Illustrated (left) and Rey Continuity cards that really appeal to me.  The art on the Luke Skywalker card is great.  For these movie sets it really is the inserts that do it for me.  Luckily there are plenty to choose from and I pulled a couple of nice cards. 

     I really like this image with the dark background.  

I'd enjoy more movie scenes on the cards but of course those aren't really an option as Topps doesn't want to spoil anything.  This design is better than some of the past sets and I'm good with it.

You get the normal collection of creatures, characters, droids and ships in this set. Those Praetorian guards are so cool and that card is easily my favorite among the base cards I pulled.  I'll definitely chase some of the different inserts to include the Illustrated and Rey Continuity cards which I like.  I was happy with this pack and while I won't buy more wax the singles will be fun to hunt down.  

BREAKDOWN:

16 – Total Cards

2 – Blue Parallel

1 – Illustrated

1 – Blueprints

1 – Rey Continuity

Cardboard Collections Affordable Break '94 Select Series 1 & 2, and '95 Score Series 2

Cardboard Collections did one of his affordable breaks this month which was a perfect opportunity for me to do my first group break and I really enjoyed it.  I picked Boston as Atlanta was already taken and my random second team was the White Sox.  AND Colbey threw in some Braves cards for me as a huge bonus.  I'll go out of order here because I really like these 1995 Score cards.  

 I had never seen them before and I'm liking the design.  The Tom Glavine and John Smoltz cards are great.  Really nice shots of them pitching.  

I didn't pull a complete Red Sox team set but I'm very happy with my cards.  They look sharp and and I pulled some Red Sox players I really like.  

The White Sox cards included a few nice Frank Thomas cards including a Gold Rush Hitters Inc.  Some other nice players on that team as well but Thomas stands out among the group.  Non-standard base cards included Hitters Inc. and Rookie cards.

I'd seen the 1994 Select before but this is my first time seeing them in hand.  Above are a couple of the Rookie Prospect cards. None of those I pulled really panned out but that is why they are prospects right?  You never know.  These have a landscape design and a unique two picture format on the front.  There are some nice photos here and I also ended up with some duplicates of favorite players.  I pulled a Red Sox team set which was great and will be added to the personal collection.   

This was great fun.  I was able to watch the break live on Facebook and able to interact via the chat with others watching.  Again it was my first experience doing any type of group break and I loved it.  Thanks to Colbey for putting this on.  It was definitely affordable and made for a fun time.   

BREAKDOWN:

TOTAL CARDS = 96

1994 Score Select (Hobby) Series 1 and 2

 20 - Red Sox/20 – White Sox/5 – Braves

  6 – Rookie Prospect

1995 Score Series 2 Jumbo

  19– Red Sox/22 – White Sox/10-Braves

  7 – Rookie

  7 – Hitters Inc. (1 – Gold Rush)

  2 – Base Gold Rush

Team Totals:

White Sox – 42

Red Sox – 39

Braves – 15

  

2018 Bowman Value Pack #2

The second of my two 2018 Bowman value packs was quite a bit more exciting to me.  I grabbed a Shohei Ohtani card and another Ronald Acuna (Top 100 insert). Of course it was a Chrome but with Acuna I'll never complain.  Definitely some veteran star power in this pack as well as a Mike Soroka who is sporting a 3.68 ERA through three starts of his Atlanta Braves rookie campaign.  For me this was definitely the better of the two packs which was a nice surprise after the disappointment of pack one.  Not sure I'll purchase more packs or blasters of the Bowman but it has definitely been fun.  I will also look for those Acuna and Ozzie Albies Bowman base cards.  Sometimes the chase is as fun as the catch.  So Bowman is a set I like (sans Chrome) and look forward to seeing what everyone else pulled. 

BREAKDOWN:

35 – Total Cards

22 –Bowman

  5 – Camo Parallels

  1– 1^st Bowman

  1 – Blue Parallel #/499

13 – Bowman Chrome

  3 – Bowman Scouts’ Top 100

  2 – 1^st Bowman

  2 – ROY Favorites

  1 – Bowman Trending

  1 – Bowman Birthdays

2018 Bowman Value Pack #1

As I said yesterday I was able to grab two value packs of the 2018 Bowman.  This first one really didn't pack much punch though you might argue considering I grabbed an Albert Pujols Blue Parallel #/499.  I like Albert and keep hoping he'll have a good season or two to end his career though that is looking to be a pipe dream.  I was also excited about the Rafael Devers card but that was tempered a bit due to it being a Chrome parallel.  After those two cards there really wasn't anything to write home about especially in the way of veterans.  Of course we have to wait a few years to really figure out if these Bowman cards pan out.  I'm still good but there really wasn't a wow factor here for me.     

BREAKDOWN:

35 – Total Cards

22 –Bowman

  5 – Camo Parallels

  1– 1^st Bowman

  1 – Blue Parallel #/499

13 – Bowman Chrome

  3 – 1^st Bowman

  2 – Bowman Scouts’ Top 100

  2 – ROY Favorites

  1 – Bowman Trending

  1 – Bowman Birthdays

  1 – Talent Pipeline

2018 Bowman Blaster Box

Blaster boxes and value packs showed up on my Wal-Mart's shelves but when I went back the next to grab a blaster the Bowman was completely gone.  So I grabbed a 2018 Bowman blaster box on ebay.  The price was what I considered fair and I was really itching to bust one of these after seeing so much about them online.  I am really chasing the Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna cards here.  I know that applies to almost everyone but as a Braves' fan it's been a while since we've had this much hype over prospects.  Ohtani would be a nice pull too. 

  The fronts have a slick design that I like.  The pictures are good and it hits all the high marks sans the player's position.  Not one Bowman brand insert in the box.  Seemed a bit odd but I'm not complaining.  As is the case with Bowman their main focus is prospects and young players so there were no lack of players you may not have heard of yet.  

Plenty of veteran star power in this box.  I was very happy with that.  The backs aren't bad with stats, player info and write-ups that include Resume`, Skills & Up Close. 

 I scored an Acuna!.  There were three Bowman Chrome parallels per pack which was a big negative for me.  I'm not a fan of chrome/prizm cards.  Of course pulling Acuna game me something positive to take out these cards.  

Plenty of inserts with the Chrome.  I definitely like the Bowman base Card design.  The inserts don't thrill me much and the Chrome cards are a turn off but I still like the 2018 Bowman overall.  I thought this box would scratch my Bowman itch but then my Wal-Mart restocked the value packs (and maybe blasters but they might have been snatched up already).  I couldn't pass up the chance to grab two and I'll show those off over the next two days.

BREAKDOWN:  

80 – Total Cards
59 –Bowman
  12 – RC
  7 – 1st Bowman
21 – Bowman Chrome
  4 – 1st Bowman
  2 – Bowman Scouts’ Top 100
  1 –Bowman Trending
  1 – ROY Favorites
  1 – Bowman Birthdays

2012 Marvel Greatest Heroes Cards

These are from a pack of the 2012 Rittenhouse Marvel Greatest Heroes trading cards.  Five cards came in the pack.  This Loki Villains insert (1:6 packs) is my favorite of the pack.  I really like the art and simplicity of the card.  The art on the base cards is pretty nice as well.  The Ant-Man and Hawkeye cards harken back to some good classic looks.  The backs are simple but ok.  Definitely a set I'd look at getting more cards from.  As always I would have liked to see more than five cards but this is definitely the trend with these cards.        

2018 Score Football (Happy Mother's Day)

I passed on a pack of 2018 Score football at the card shop in Dayton due to the $12.95 price tag but I'm wishing I had grabbed one.  There are four autos per hobby box so the odds don't seem so bad to hit one.  Of course Score is a huge set and it could be an auto of about anyone in the NFL.  On to this pack.  This is my first in hand look at this year's set.  I'm good with the design though the borders could have been a bit smaller and the first name being such a small font is really annoying in person.  It scans well but they can be tough to read.  Score packs tons of inserts so there were plenty of those to enjoy.  Overall I think I like this set but the pack was disappointing.  Not much star power outside of the inserts.  With this being a 440 card set I guess it can happen.

 Nice photos and I like the design.  Zero quarterback base cards.  I may be making too much of it but seemed a bit odd.

The backs are nice and colorful with the same stats, write-up and repeat photo we are used to from Score.  I think think this is a nice back.

  The Captains inserts are my favorite.  Lots of team color, cool design and I'm digging the font jumping off the card.

That Scorecard is a parallel as is the Red parallel in the center.

I like all three of these inserts.  The designs all pop to me.  

The Scoreboard cards highlight particular games of interest.  I like the concept.  The others here are ok but don't necessarily stand out to me.  Bottom line is I think I like this set.  I'll definitely pick up more and have more chances to help make up my mind.  The inserts in this pack helped make up for what I perceived as a weak base card pull.

BREAKDOWN:

40 – Total Cards (2 –Red Parallel)

6 – RC (1 – Red Parallel)

2 – Signal Callers

2 - Scoreboard

2 – Captains

2 – Draft

1 – Sidelines

1 – Fantasy Stars

1 – Scorecard

1 - Celebration

2013 Women of Marvel Series 2 Trading Cards

Grabbed a pack of the 2013 Women of Marvel Series 2 cards while in Ohio.  I love non-sports cards but the card shows I get to rarely have much to offer from this genre of cards so I grabbed some different packs which I'll show off one at a time.  I was looking forward to breaking this one but was a bit disappointed.  The designs on the front are a bit dark and if some of the detail seems tough to read in the scan that is because they aren't the easiest to read due to the colors/design.  The art is actually pretty nice.  I will also say the design going up the front left side of the card is nice but doesn't show well here.  

The pack contained five cards which is tough when you're used to the higher amounts that come out of the sports packs.  I of course know Scarlet Witch and Mockingbird but I'm not familiar with the other three.  The face on the Scarlet Witch really reminds me of the actress from the Avengers' movies.  I'm still on the fence about this set but doubt I'll have a chance to grab more.  Still it was fun to see these cards for the first time and maybe I'll run across some singles sometime.    

TCI Sports Fan - Dayton, OH Sports Card Shop

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces

I was in Dayton, OH on business this week and stopped at one of their local card shops - TCI Sports Fan.  It was fantastic!  I rarely go into the big cities for cards except to card shows so this was a real treat. Found this shop via Google and man was the real deal.  I was a little limited in time but found some non-sport packs I've never opened before and some cool Yaz cards I'll add to my personal collection.  If I'd had more time I could have been there forever and walked out broke.  The shop had tons of singles running the gamut in price and scope to include NASCAR, non-sports, as well as sports.  There was also a very good selection of NASCAR diecast, McFarlane Figures, signatures and plenty of new wax.  Really friendly folks running the store.  I'll definitely stop in there again if I get a chance.  I recommend everyone stop there if they get the opportunity.  

2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts

Yaz is my second all-time baseball player (after Bob Horner) and I've been horrible at picking up his newer cards so this was a great opportunity.  I grabbed a Topps Gypsy Queen, Topps Archive, Upper Deck Masterpiece, and Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Yaz cards.  All wonderful but I particularly enjoy the Masterpieces card.  Nice artwork that really stuck out to me.  The Legendary Cuts is also pretty sweet.

2011 Gypsy Queen

Gypsy Queen cards are always pretty cool so grabbing a Yaz is never a bad thing.  I may already have this one but having two is just that much better.

2017 Topps Archives

Nice job by Topps on this Archives card.  I like both photos and the retro design.  Very glad to add it to my collection. 

2018 Panini Elite Draft Picks Football Cards

This is my first pack of 2018 Panini Elite Draft Picks football cards.  The 20 card pack came at a steep $9.99.  I did not know that going in and to be honest wouldn't have picked them up had I known that prior to checking out.  These are definitely better in hand than what I thought after first seeing them online.  The design isn't ground breaking but I dig the college uniforms and the way these look.  I'd be shocked if I buy more of these but that is only because of the price tag.  I'll probably track down some of the retired greats and I'm pretty disappointed the only one I grabbed was Barry Switzer. A nice set and again I'll look for singles when I can.

  The Foreman card is maybe an orange parallel but who knows. It isn't numbered so it has to be but since the Longhorns colors are already orange how am I supposed to know?  Very irritating.

The Josh Allen and Saquon Barkley cards are great pulls and the Barkley is a variation though I can't tell that it is any more scarce that the original.

One of the two coach cards and a look at the backs which are above average for me.

BREAKDOWN:

20 - Total Cards (1 - Retired Great)

10 - RC (5 - Variations)

2 -Coaches

1 - Primary Colors

1 - Orange Parallel