Random Wax: 2023-2024 Haunted Hoops Bundle

 23-24 Haunted Hoops: These are just fun, and we'll kick it off with Paolo Banchero.  Sounds like the Magic will acquire Desmond Bane which will help their offense and maybe help them in the Eastern Conference title conversation.  Banchero did his part this season averaging 25 PPG, 7 RPG, and 4 APG.

Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs failed to get past the first round in this year's playoffs.  Will they make big moves to try and get better?  Or with Boston expected to not be as good, just run it back?  Can't wait for the fun of the offseason to start.  Here we see two Orange Parallel cards.  Instead of diamonds, it should have been pumpkins on the border.

The young players get to shine on Rising Stars and RC cards.  All three of these guys have done well in the NBA.  Of course, Chet Holmgren and OKC were stars of the playoffs this year.

The backs are fine with plenty of color and a big logo.  We also get some more Halloween goodness with the pumpkin.

Can't wait to get Jalen Johnson back from injury.  Not sure the Hawks will be a lot better but he's one of the few things they have to cheer about.  These cards come three to a pack with 40 packs in a "bundle" which is what you'll find in the store.

We get a Slime Parallel Cameron Johnson.  I hope we see more of this kind of special set in the future.  I get they are niche and cheap, but they are fun.

BREAKDOWN:
60 – Total Cards (20 Packs)
26 – RC
25 – Orange
6 – Rising Stars
5 – Slime

2022 Upper Deck Marvel Beginnings Vol. 2 Series 1 Blaster

UD Beginnings 2022:   I've always liked Thor and his look.  I liked the first Thor movie or two as well but the franchise fell into nothing but a laugh fest which didn't do his character justice.  It's a shame as they had really set it up for success in my opinion.

The base design isn't bad.  I like the Beginnings logo.  The headshot.  But something seems to be lacking.  Doesn't mean I don't like them.  Just feels lacking.  The art is fine.  Not sure if it's directly out of the comics but I'm good.  That Carnage is a Red Supernova Parallel.

The backs are fairly simple with some milestones laid out.  I wish there was more color to balance all the white we get on the fronts of the base cards.

Deep Lore inserts give us some deep background cuts for characters.  I do like them as a concept and the design.

Plenty to like on these cards.  Many cool characters.  Don't remember seeing Wendigo on cards before.

Feels like there is art of the team together they could have used here.  The individual art laid out isn't bad but feels disconnected.

Dazzler looking like she's part of Captain Marvel's team.  I've had these for almost two years but I'm finally getting around to posting them.

I don't remember what Cosmic Alpha inserts are meant to represent.  A Point in Time cards highlight a specific key moment in a character's past.

These are fun.  I haven't picked any of these up since buying this box in 2023.  I'll pick up singles as I see them but I doubt I'll go back for boxes or packs.

BREAKDOWN:
45 – Total Cards
3 – Deep Lore
3 – Red Supernova
1 – Flipped FX
1 – Red Parallel
1 – Cosmic Alpha
1 – Marvel Knights
1 – A Point in Time
1 – Team Formations

2025 Topps Baseball Series 2

2025 Series 2:  Bryan Reynolds and Pittsburgh are struggling this season, but Reynolds has consistently produced solid numbers for the Pirates in his seven seasons.

As is expected with Series 2, we see some players in the unis of their new teams, like these three, while getting the same flagship design.

Plenty of young players as well with RC and Future Stars offerings.

Fun photos.

Inserts including Stars of MLB showcasing two rookies and a Summer Superstars.  Jackson Chourio is having another solid season with the Brew Crew.

We get Lucas Giolito on a Holo Foil Parallel.  Fun pack even if it doesn't have many of the stars we hope for in a pack of cards.

Love seeing stats like these on the back of the Mark McGwire Topps 1990 All-Star card. Does the stat year (1987) match the design (1990)?  No.  Still a great looking card but Wade Boggs was second in slugging?  Yep.  He hit 24 home runs in his monster 1987 season where he hit a career high 24 home runs, and led the league in WAR, batting average, on base percentage and OPS.

BREAKDOWN:
36 – Total Cards
10 – RC
2 – Future Stars
2 – Stars of MLB
1 – Retired Great
1 – Holo Foil Parallel
1 – Summer Superstars
1 – 1990 Topps All-Star Baseball

2025 Patrick Mahomes Football Tin

Derrick Henry had a monster 2024 first season in Baltimore with 16 touchdowns and almost 2,000 yards.  He's a beast and looks good on this Donruss Optic Light It Up insert.

These tins almost always look cool and pull me in.  About the only thing I can do with them is put things like stickers or other randomness in them.  Still, I fall for these more than I should.  You'll get variety in the form of shiny card brands like Select, Mosaic and Donruss Optic.

Georgia Bulldogs alum Brock Bowers had a great rookie season with the Raiders despite their issues at quarterback.  He had 5 touchdowns and almost 1,200 receiving yards.

Here's the tin.  I like the look and the photo. It's black on the sides with Mahomes name and number in jersey lettering.

The downside to the cards is you won't get many.  I wish there was at least one fat pack or add in some smaller packs of Donruss and Score to give us a bit more.

Always some downsides to tins but I did enjoy this one.  It looks pretty nice, and I pulled a few good cards like this nice-looking Josh Allen My House insert.

BREAKDOWN:

21 – Total Cards

2 – 2024 Donruss Optic Packs (8)

1 – 2023 Select Pack (7)

1 – 2024 Mosaic Pack (6)

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

I did watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier some time ago, but it looks like I didn't post anything here.  It was good.  The series is set six months after Sam Wilson became Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame.  Pretty good character development, plot and we get to see some familiar characters from the Marvel universe.  Sam and Bucky team up.  Fight a global threat.  All the while we see the government's involvement in overseeing heroes and Captain America, specifically.  I'm a huge Falcon fan and while I liked this series, I don't think it wowed folks and I get that.  Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Bruhl, really stood out to me.  I like that character.  I think it's a good watch.  There are six episodes.  I do think the pacing may not be what some would hope for, but it is a good story with good characters.      

Random Wax: 2024-2025 Donruss Basketball

24-25 Donruss:  Anthony Edwards just finished his 5th NBA season and is talked about as a future face of the league.  He's gotten better every year and has a tenacity to his game and personality that lends itself to fans.

Jarrett Allen had another excellent season for the Cavs defending the rim and led the league hitting 70% of his shots.  The Cavs won 64 games this season, best in the East before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Zaccharie Risacher averaged 12 points a game in his rookie campaign and made the All-Rookie Team.  That Klintman is a Holo Green Laser Parallel.

Lots of rumors of the Celtics making moves as Boston looks at not having the injured Jayson Tatum next year.  They have new owners, were number three in payroll this season and are projected to have the biggest payroll next year.

James Harden surprised many with another good year in LA.  The former 3X scoring champ averaged 22 pints and almost 9 assists per game for the Clippers at age 35.  

BREAKDOWN:
30 – Total Cards
5 – Rated Rookie
2 – Holo Green Laser Parallel
1 – Bomb Squad

2024-2025 Upper Deck MVP Hockey

24-25 UD Hockey:  Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals is tonight with Florida up on Edmonton 2-1.  Leon Draisaitl has 4 points in the series.

I'm not a big hockey fan but I do enjoy hockey cards.  My daughter got me these as a gift and they are fun.  I think this is a solid design.  I do wish the team logo was in either of the corners on the bottom.

I'm never a fan of cards with no stats but these have a different take with highlights from the player's season.

Jason Polin hasn't made it in the NHL yet but does show up on this Rookies card.  Small pack but it is a fun one.

BREAKDOWN:
6 – Total Cards
1 – Rookies

Random Wax: 1994 Donruss Baseball

1994 Donruss: The Big Hurt averaged .301 across 19 seasons.  The 2X MVP also hit 521 home runs.  Such a great hitter.

That "Sweet" Lou Whitacker is a Gold Special Edition card.  He played 19 seasons in Detroit and is a Tigers legend.  He was Rookie of the Year, World Series Champion, 4X Silver Slugger, 3X Gold Glover, and 5X All-Star.  I'm a big fan of this set and picked up a few packs off eBay last fall.

The backs of these are fun with a different photo including this really good one of Mark Grace.  

Just a really good look.

Not just a masher, Dave Winfield batted .283 and had 3110 hits over a 22-season career.  He also collected 7 Gold Glove awards.  Man, did he have an arm.

BREAKDOWN:
13 – Total Cards
1 – Special Edition (Gold)