Trail Blazers Mail Day from Cards on Cards

Kerry from Cards on Cards sent me a package full of Portland Trail Blazer cards.  He's one of the few basketball fans/card bloggers I know of and not only that but he is  also a fan of the Trail Blazers.  The cards blew me away and I have to say how much I appreciate them.  They are from every era and were stocked full of stars and variety.  There were plenty of sets I've never seen before. Thanks so much to Kerry for his generosity and I can only show off so many of the cards but believe me there were many more.  This Anfernee Simons card is far and away my favorite.  I really do like it.  The design and his emotion work perfectly for me.

 Arvydas Sabonis is a top 5 all-time Trail Blazer for me while Buck Williams is my #2 all-time favorite NBA player.  Great pickups. I've been way too slow adding to my collections of my favorite players and this mail day helped me quite a bit.

I love that Donruss All-Stars card of Damian Lillard.  That's also a sweet Lillard rookie from the Past and Present set.  This Vortex C.J. McCollum is a nice looking card and my favorite of his from those I received.

Some great guards from Portland's past.  I love the Hall Kings cards and this is my first Drexler card from this set.  Porter was such a good point guard and he could shoot too.  Drazen Petrovic didn't hit his stride until after he was traded to the New Jersey Nets.  Sadly a car accident took his life at the age of 28.

Cliff Robinson was a versatile big man who could play center or either forward spot.  He was very athletic and active on defense as well.  Mychal Thompson is a guy I always liked.  More famous for being Klay's dad nowadays.  It is easy to forget that Otis Thorpe spent time with the team.  He was such a good PF.

I remember Chris Dudley as a very hard working player and one who couldn't hit free throws.  More cards of Porter and Drexler that I really like.

Jusuf Nurkic has been a great pickup for this team.  Jim Paxon is a top 5 all-time Blazer for me.  He was such a good player.  I also love the Star cards and had many of the early sets at one time.  The Claver card does a good job of highlighting the ripcity alternate jersey.

This Jerome Kersey is one of two Jam Session oversized cards.  

This Topps Tall Boy is great.  Dave Twardzik was an underrated player for some of those early Trail Blazer teams.  Great addition to my collection.  

1993 Topps Star Wars Galaxy Trading Cards

These 1993 Topps Star Wars Galaxy cards are a good segue back to cards after looking at a couple of cool Star Wars figures.  Never opened a pack of these so it was fun.  I really liked the variety and art, the majority of which I've never seen before.  I am a Star Wars nerd but it is still fun finding interesting Star Wars sets or products. I've seen posts and reviews about the Galaxy sets from recent years and I'm always wanting to see these in hand.  There just aren't any local stores that have carried them.  I like these cards so I may have to track down some of the more recent Galaxy releases.  This Chewbacca card was my favorite with the head shot and additional foreground art creating a nice looking card that isn't the standard profile.

   This set was centered around art from a variety of artists.  These Han Solo and Chewbacca cards are nice.  While the design isn't anything special the art is solid.  

Cards in this set are based on main characters, concept art, art from promotional items or releases, and new artwork.

The backs have decent write-ups whether it be for movie characters or those who helped shaped the Star Wars universe.

This is the etched foil card I pulled.  These come 1:18 packs so it was a nice pull.

BREAKDOWN:

8 – Total Cards
1 – Etched Foil (1:18 Packs)

Star Wars Black 6" Archive Collection Gamorrean Guard Figure

This Star Wars Black 6" series action figure was a Target exclusive.  Off the shelves for some time I ran across this Gamorrean Guard at the same time I found the Boba Fett I showed off Sunday.  I was excited to run across him.  While his price on the secondary market isn't too bad it is more fun finding one "in the wild".  

  Gamorrean Guards were one of those characters everyone loved from Return of the Jedi even if their screen time was fairly short.

They did a good job on this guy.  From the detail to the cloth, uh, shorts?  

He comes with an axe, a short bladed weapon and maybe a pike or spear.

This piggish brute can guard my place any day.

Star Wars Black 6" Archive Collection Boba Fett Figure

Hasbro first released their Boba Fett Black Series 6" figure in 2013.  Since then the secondary market was the only way to pick one of these up and they aren't cheap.  Listening to fans Hasbro has once again released Boba Fett as part of the Star Black Series Archive Collection. That's a huge win for those of us not lucky enough to pick up this Star Wars icon up the first time around.

  From the review videos I've seen comparing this to the original released figure there is very little that has changed and those differences are minor.  This guy looks great out of the box and I played around a little outside getting photos of him.  It was breezy today so it was nice to see his cape caught in the wind.

A long time favorite of Star Wars fans this guy looks so good in hand.  

The figure includes the jet pack, rifle, and pistol.  The pistol is below the jet pack to the right and is brown in color in the holster.

A visual guide of the Star Wars Black 6" series can be seen here.  The Archive first wave hasn't been added yet but also includes Luke Skywalker (in pilot suit), IG-88 and Bossk.  Bounty hunter enthusiasts have been so excited as those last two were also previously released and are now hard to find.  I may pick those up later but my budget limits me to those I'm really a fan of.   Wave 2 of the Archive figures hits the shelves this spring and will include Episode V Yoda, Episode III Anakin Skywalker, and Biker Scout.  I wish I could pick up all the 6" Black Series figures current and past.  They for the most part are really good figures and while they run you $19.97 a piece I think that isn't bad for the size and quality.   For those of you wondering they still make Star Wars figures in 3.75" size which is comparable to the originals released in the 70's and 80's with the original trilogy.  I don't really have the space to display all I have nor the budget to grab them all but I do have a decent collection of 6" figures that I know will only grow.

2018 Rookie and Stars Football Cards

I haven't picked up a pack of Rookies and Stars since the 2016 cards so I was excited to grab a 2018 Rookie and Stars football pack at Target.  I really like the looks of the cards.  It is a clean crisp design with very good photos.  The backs are nice as well though I definitely prefer seeing some stats.  My only beef, though it is a big one, is the price.  It was $3.79 for 10 cards.  The cards seem really nice in hand but I really don't get what I'm paying for.  I guess this is considered a high end brand but at that price point I don't have reason to take it over the other football offerings from this year.  

  Again I'm on board with the design and colors.  My pull was pretty good as well netting some key players from the league.

My understanding is two RC cards per pack is pretty standard.  I like the two inserts I pulled but I won't say they wowed me.  Again I really like the base design but the price tag on these is putting me off.  It's a toss up as to me picking more of these up before they hit a bargain bin. 

BREAKDOWN:

10 – Total Cards

2 – RC

1 – Rookie Rush

1 – Precision Passers  

Random Wax: 2018 Topps Big League Baseball

This Mike Trout Ministers of Mash finally gave me something to be excited for when it comes to Panini's 2018 Big League Baseball.  I really like the card and Trout is my favorite player in the sport today.  Still these cards are touted as entry level cards and I don't get it.  The gray borders don't have much appeal, the price point isn't any better and I haven't seen anything that makes this better than Opening Day which at least has fun elements to their cards.  I've seen worse but I'm just not digging these cards.

 My pull overall was good but not great.  I'm always happy to add future hall of famer  and personal collection guy Adrian Beltre to my cards though.

I also like the nickname variation cards which come one in every three packs.  In the two packs I've opened I've pulled one of these in each.  The Sean Newcomb was also a fun pull as he was a key player for the Braves this year.

Another Atlanta Brave pops up on the National League Hits Leader card in the form of Ender Inciarte.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards
4 – RC
3 – Gold Parallel
2 – Stat Kings
1 – Players Weekend Nickname Variation
1 – Ministers of Mash

Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie

I finally saw Ant-Man and the Wasp.  I still haven't see the original Ant-Man movie but I'm sure I'll get it in someday.  Back to this movie I really enjoyed it.  It was a fun hero adventure that was easy to like.  The foil, Ghost, was a cool character as well.  As always I won't try to over analyze this but it was fun to watch.  It seems as if Ant-Man is going play a role of some importance in the Avengers movie coming out in just a few months so this may be worth watching for that alone.  I say watch this movie no matter.  It is fun and was well done.

2004 Artbox Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Wax Pack

This 2004 Artbox Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wax pack netted me this Hagrid foil card.  It's a cool looking card in hand  I wish it had scanned better but those are the breaks.  The colors and etched design makes it a fun find.  This pack was part of a group of packs I purchased from eBay seller Bob Rewak.  He has a nice assortment of individual packs and singles.     

The fronts have full bleed photos which is great as it lets the pictures shine.  The rest of the design appeals to me as well.  It highlights the movie name and gives a short card name while not taking away from the rest of the card front.  The backs have a nice write-up and a different photo from the front.  I like these backs and they are a good compliment to the fronts.

I really like these cards.  My pull highlight was definitely the Hagrid foil card but I'll probably pick the complete set up at some point as it goes for pretty cheap online.

BREAKDOWN:

5 – Total Card

1 – Foil

2001 Wizards Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Trading Cards

I picked up some random packs of non-sport cards from the eBay seller Bob Rewak and I'll recap those over the next few weeks.  This 2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone pack contains cards I've seen described as widevision but they are just a bit smaller than what we know as widevision.  My daughter was into the Harry Potter books and movies well before me.  I've read all the books and enjoy the movies and consider myself a fan.  She'll be the recipient of these cards.  There aren't any inserts in this set so there'll be none seen here. 

  

The fronts are pretty nice though there seems to be quite a bit of wasted space.  The photos taken from the movie are good but would be better bigger.  I'm good with the basic design but it seems it could have been tweaked a bit to make it look better.

The backs have a short description or back story to what we are seeing on the front of the cards.  The design is fine with me.

These movie seem ripe for trading cards.  The visuals of the Harry Potter world are so great and visually cool how can it not work?  This is where I think some larger photos would have added to the appeal here.  There were also vertical cards in the set. They give you a larger photo which I do like a bit more.  Overall not bad cards and it was a fun look back at the movie. 

BREAKDOWN:

7 - Total Cards

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Donruss Basketball

The NBA All-Star Game is tonight so let's look at some 2018-2019 Donruss basketball.  This was a fun pack full of stars.  The Greek Freak on this Franchise Features insert highlights a team captain for tonight's game as one of the top two vote getters.  LeBron is the other captain.  

  All three of these great players will start in tonight's game.  James Harden also has an excellent chance of taking home MVP honors this year. 

A nice shot of Andre Drummond skying towards the rim.  Dwyane Wade was picked, along with Dirk Nowitzki as special All-Stars this year.  They will both retire after this year though Wade may not have made his official announcement yet.  Both are Hall of Famers to be.  Boogie Cousins was an all-star last year and was a great pickup by the Golden State Warriors in the offseason.

The Donruss basketball cards are always fun to rip and this was a great pack.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards
6 – RC
1 – Franchise Features
1 – Rookie Kings

2017 Donruss NASCAR Hobby Box w/Auto and Relics

2017 Donruss NASCAR - ever open a box...like two years ago...and never get around to posting it?  Yeah that is this one.  With NASCAR starting today with the Daytona 500 I couldn't think of anything better to post than this box.  Kyle Busch is my guy so pulling a Rubber Relic is an excellent start.  Jimmie Johnson is an all-time great with 7 championships.  His relic is a  Holo Gold parallel #/25.

  Danica Patrick was always a favorite of mine but couldn't get to the winner's circle and no longer races.  Dale Jr. is one of the most popular all-time racers and retired after the 2017 season.  Bubba Wallace was a 2018 rookie whose highlight was finishing 2nd at last year's Daytona 500.  The base card design got to be a bit dull the more cards I looked at - just no wow factor.  Doesn't mean I don't like them but the inserts really were the highlight here for me.

There are 100 base cards numbered 37 - 136.  The backs are pretty minimal and a bit bland.  Driver stats would work well so I'm not sure why they didn't include them.  

There are 27 Race Kings/Race Queens and I really like these cards.  I'll probably pursue grabbing this subset.  The Call to the Hall cards feature 2017 Hall of Fame inductees and are also nice cards.  I really like the Top Tier insert which has a Top Gun vibe too it and nice colors.  

There are more than a few horizontal offerings.  There's my man Kyle Busch again and I'm a fan of Chase Elliott as well.  He is an excellent young driver and was voted most popular driver last year which is something his dad Bill was known for winning when he raced on the circuit.

Cut to the Chase highlights wins from the 2016 season.  This 1984 Retro variation is one of 44 in the set.  Rusty Wallace is my favorite all-time driver.  The Classics insert fell short for me.  Seems like a lot of wasted space.

I like these Pole Position and Track Masters inserts. Joey Lagano is the reigning NASCAR champion and his card is a Cracked Ice parallel #/999.

Donruss highlights the young drivers as well in this set.  The Christopher Bell is a Gold Press Proof #/99 and the Daniel Hemric card is a Blue Foil Parallel #/299.

Two more nice inserts.  This is Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr.  Truex Jr. is another driver I like though he swapped teams and numbers, now #19, and the new number just doesn't look right.

These two gentlemen, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, won the two Daytona Dual races Thursday night which help determine the field for today's race.

Noah Gragson will run full-time in the Xfinity Series for the first time this year.  That would be the NASCAR "minor leagues".  I really enjoyed my box.  The inserts were great and you get all the stars of the sport.  The design wasn't my favorite but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun.  There were 10 numbered cards too which are always fun to find.  There are plenty of duplicates, drivers I don't collect and extras so if someone has some drivers collect please let me know.

BREAKDOWN:

 240 –Total Cards

6 – 1984 Retro Variations
6 – Retired Greats
4 – Race Kings
4 – Gold Foil Parallels (#/499)
3 - Classics
3 – Base Nickname Variations
3 – Rated Rookie
2 - Speed
2 – Blue Foil Parallels (#/299)
2 – Rubber Relics (1 – Holo Gold #/25)
1 - Phenoms
1 – Green Foil Parallel (#/199)
1 – Gold Press Proof Parallel (#/99)
1 – Track Masters Cracked Ice Parallel (#/999)
1 – Pole Position Cracked Ice Parallel
1 – Cut to the Chase
1 – Top Tier
1 – Call to the Hall
1 – Track Masters
1 – Signature Series Autograph