Random Wax: 2023-2024 Hoops Blaster

23-24 Hoops:  AD is in what could be a MVP season.  He's averaging over 30 points per game and 11 rebounds per game.  Hopefully he'll stay healthy and maybe he and the surprising Lakers can be real contenders this season.

I do like the design for this set.  Good looking photos and lots of room for them to shine while still giving us the basics on the front.

I pulled a Wemby which is always the goal with 2023-2024 sets.  Gradey Dick is off to a great sophomore year in the NBA averaging ~18 points per game.  GG Jackson had a good rookie year but is out with a foot injury until January.

Anthony Black is having a good season averaging but 8 points per game, but it's that great hair that shines on this card.

Players who changed teams prior to the 2023-2024 season.

Some of my inserts.  Still not that big a fan of Dynamos.  Skyview is alright in my books though.  That Zion is a Rookie Remembrance relic.

I'm hoping former Trail Blazer, CJ McCollum is back from injury by the time this is published.  Cade Cunningham has continued to get better each of his four seasons and is again the star of the Detroit Pistons.

Chet Holmgren, of that Purple Parallel, is out with injury right now.

Hoops Tribute cards are always fun, and I got some great pulls in this box between these four.  Enjoying another fun year of NBA and these cards always help.  

BREAKDOWN:

90 – Total Cards
15 – RC
6 – Hoops Tribute
3 – Blue Parallel
2 – Arriving Now
2 – Purple Parallel
2 – Rookie Greetings
1 – Skyview
1 – Dynamos
1 – Retired Great
1 – Rookie Remembrance Relic

Random Wax: Panini Harry Potter Welcome to Hogwarts Trading Cards (4 Packs)

 Welcome to Hogwarts: Happy Thanksgiving!  We'll kick off this post with the stars of one of the most popular book series and movies ever.  Cards like this is one reason I really like this set.  The visuals between the borders and photos really work for a Harry Potter set in my opinion.

Harry Potter is something I tend to associate with the holidays and cold weather.  It is set during the school year for the most part so it makes some sense.  The great hall with the floating candles, abundance of food and festive atmosphere fits perfect for days like today and Christmas.  I am a fan thanks to my daughter's extreme fandom rubbing off on me.

Picked up some boxes in January of this year.  They came from eBay with the listings being in German.  I get licensing is different overseas, but this is a Panini set so I'm not sure why there wasn't a US release.  And I'd think it'd do well in the US.

Overall the set really hits the marks for me.  We see the characters we love, lots of visuals associated with the movies and important moments from the series.

The base set is 216 cards with two insert sets having nine cards each.  Those inserts aren't named.  A couple of checklists are here and here.  I wish it was easier to find out information on sets like these Panini overseas sets, but it really isn't.

Whether the photos are scene grabs or promotional pics they are good.

The art visuals like that last card are cool.  I assume they were part of promotional products for the movies.

That center card is one of the inserts which aren't named.  I still don't have a complete set but I'm working on it.

BREAKDOWN:

24 – Total Cards

4 – Holgraphic

3 – Rainbow

1 – XXL

Random Wax: 2022 Topps Heritage

2022 Heritage:  Pete Alonso will be one of the bigger free agents on the market this offseason.  The man can hit long balls.  I've always liked him, but I forgot he hit 53 as a rookie in 2019.

German Marquez is a 1X All-Star and has also won a Silver Slugger award.  Jazz Chisholm stole a career high 40 bases this season for the Marlins and Yankees.

These three didn't make a mark in the majors.  I think this was a hobby pack but I'm not sure where I would have picked it up.  This pack was scanned two years ago but I'm just now posting it.

Not the strongest pull in a pack of cards but always fun.  Nice action photo of Swanson to finish it off.

BREAKDOWN:
9 – Total Cards
1 – Rookie Outfielders
1 – New Age Performers

Random Wax: 2022 Score Football

 2022 Score: Big fan of the design of these First Ballot inserts.  Color, photos, logo.  It all works for me.  Joe Montana never hurts either.

I may like the First Ballot designs but this Score base card design is not one that wows me.  It's fine but just not a favorite.  Good pull though, so I have that going for me in this pack.

But here we go with another design I like.  Sack Attack and those laces are a winner for me.

Breece Hall and Jameson Williams have been really good runnings backs in the league.

More retired greats.  It would really help if the border colors matched the team colors.  That greenish yellow on the Rice and Smith cards just really doesn't work.

I like Huddle Up and this design is good to me.  Simple but it works,  Especially the matching colors.

Aidan Hutchinson has been a beast since being drafted #2 overall in the 2022 draft.  Unfortunately he's out the rest of the season with an injury.

These are okay but I'm still figuring out how much I like The Top 100.

That Chase Edmonds is an Ellipse Parallel #/299.  

Celebration are always fun.  That Clowney is one of Purple Parallels.

BREAKDOWN:

60 – Total Cards

13 – RC

10 – Retired Greats

7 – PROtential

5 – Purple Parallel

4 - Celebration

3 – Huddle Up

3 – Sack Attack

2 – First Ballot

1 – Top 100

1 – Ellipse #/299

1 – Throwback Rookie

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018-2023)

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan:  Pop and I recently watched Jack Ryan which has four seasons.  The series stars John Krasinski as Jack Ryan and Wendell Pierce as James Greer.  Each season is a standalone as Ryan takes on another international threat.  While Ryan is our hero and the center point of the show, James Greer appears in all episodes as well.  The casting was good and Michael Kelly as Mike November really stood out to me.  We really enjoyed Jack Ryan.  It was a popular show and I get why now.  The Jack Ryan TV series was created by Amazon.

2023-2024 Panini Revolution Basketball Winter Tin

 23-24 Revolution: These tins have been on the shelves for some time, but I didn't bite until now.  We'll kick it off with Steph Curry.  He and the Warriors are having a great year.  His points per game are down a bit this season but as good as Golden State is playing nobody is complaining.  And a great photo.

The cards aren't this dark in hand, but my scanner doesn't do them justice.  They are pretty good-looking cards but probably not my thing.  They put the players name in dark blue on a black background in the bottom right-hand corner.  No clue why they thought that was a good idea.  Just as you can't read the name on the screen, nor can I in hand without getting it to just the right angle.

Four rookies in the tin.  That Jordan Hawkins is one of the three Avalanche Parallels I pulled which all scan entirely different.  Good on Panini for labeling them on the back.  Sometimes, figuring out which parallel Panini cards are is the hardest thing to do.

The backs are pretty good.  Color, logo, photo.  I'm okay with it.

The actual tin the cards came in.  Nothing spectacular but I do have a use for it which helps.  The tin probably increases the price point as well so I'm not sure it's worth it.  I like the Panini tins that are specific to one player more.

You can see some of the winter elements in the scans which is good.

I don't think I'll pick up more of these.  The overall price isn't bad at ~$15 but with only 15 cards in the tin I'll probably stick to picking up singles.

BREAKDOWN:

15 – Total Cards

12 – Winter

4 – RC

3 – Avalanche Parallel

2024 Allen & Ginter

2024 A&G:  These hit our local shelves last week.  We'll kick it off with Red Sox great Wade Boggs.  He never played for the Yankees, just saying.  Okay maybe he did but I won't recognize that. He retired with a .328 career batting average and 3010 hits.  His last hit was in a Tampa Bay uniform.

The design is fine.  Not outstanding but it works for this brand.  

My rookie card pull.  Same basic design.

The back talks more to the dog show as opposed to Josh himself which was a bit disappointing.

I pulled two retired greats on my minis.  Pops is on a Gold Border Mini Parallel.

The backs are what we are used to.

That Jackie Robison is my Chrome insert.

For the Oregon Zoo inserts we get X-Rays of their animals.  These are actually pretty cool.  The front of the cards is made of plastic which work into the X-Ray theme.  I like them.  Was glad to see A&G hit the shelves.  Always fun.  

BREAKDOWN:

14 – Total Cards

6 – Retired Greats

3 – RC

2 – Mini

1 - Chrome

1 – Gold Border Mini