2024 Adventures in Repacks - Part 38 - Pre-Christmas Gifts

Back when I ordered my latest repack restock, each one had a bonus hit-themed repack included. Since these were gifts, so to speak, I'm covering them both in this pre-Christmas post.

To keep the alternating football/baseball pattern I'm using with the shipments, I'll continue here. And starting with a perfect card for me as the visible one - here's a Bills card! This card of the ill-fated James Hardy is /99. 

And here's a future Bill! Even if Benjamin's time in Buffalo wasn't that memorable, at least there's a nice patch here. The picks that were traded for Benjamin didn't work out that well in return, so I can take that as a small condolence. 

Super high-end for the autograph with Five-Star making an appearance. I don't have very many of those, either from baseball or football in the binders. Like many early 2010s Browns picks, Little didn't quite work out on a long-term basis for Cleveland, but he did spend a few years in the league. That's more than some, especially when it comes to QBs.

Shifting to baseball:

In an odd layout, the autograph was the visible card here. With all respect to Brady's journey to the majors, it was, for me, the least interesting of the three contained hits.

After all how can it compete with a Hall of Famer's pinstripe? Maybe even a hint of game use near the bottom of the window as well?

Or a bat sliver from my favourite player? 

It's like I personally put this baseball repack together myself. You get the opening hit that isn't too interesting, but you still hope for good stuff behind it. And for me, there was better stuff hiding!

There you have it!

2024 Adventures in Repacks - Part 37 - Just Another Value Pack

To be specific, a value pack that contained these items:

All cards, no supplies.

First up, the Superstar pack. Is Kris Letang the promised Superstar? He's one of the better players, but does he really have that status? The Calle Johansson is a 2/14 dupe, since it's the English version and I'm still in need of the French one.

Yes, these are certainly 6 hockey cards.

The Stadium Club pack was the one I was most looking forward to busting. Mainly because I could play the fun game of finding who had the oldest and the most recent rookie card image on the back of the card.

If you guessed Tony McKegney and Brad Dalgarno respectively, you'd be right! The scratch-off puck concept looks just as ridiculous here as in hand.

Finally, the 2010s+ pack. At least there's a mask binder card with Varlamov, but that 2021-22 base design still hasn't got any more interesting with age.

There you have it!

Four if by Sportlots

 I've got a pile of Sportlots cards on the way, so it makes sense to go through a small 4-card envelope that arrived a long time ago before I get to some cards that will likely arrive a long time in the future, given holidays and CP backlog.

First up, a Mets card. Rodney's time with the Mets was short, but incredibly effective. He had 1 plate appearance, and got a hit in that appearance. It was even a game-winning single, but not enough to get him into any games as anything other than a pinch runner. 

Still, he's far more famous for running through the wall during a Triple A game in Portland.

The only thing better than a bunting photo...

is a second bunting photo. Forgettable mid 00's facial hair notwithstanding. At least that being considered a good idea didn't last too long.

Speaking of lasting long, I'm sure nothing bad would ever happen to the Metrodome roof behind Joey Porter in this photo. Nothing at all. 

There you have it! 

2024 Score Box Break - Packs 8, 9 and 10

 Time to end the box. If the scans seem strange this time, I'll just say I was playing around with things, and some came out with a different quality/size than usual. I'd already merged things into the set, and didn't want to hunt down the cards for a re-scan.

Pack 8:

How can I hate a 2024 pack where I end up with both an appearance of Pat Patriot and Bucco Bruce? 

Or a pair of kickers?

I can hate on the fact that a couple of players got the cheesy photoshop treatment. Considering how dreadful the Giants are, even compared to his former team of Carolina, he'd be better off with just the helmet changing and an old photo. Some of the others to get the PS treatment were Zack Moss and Antonio Gibson. All this seems very random.

This pack did contain the lowest numbered parallel of the box, and I have zero complaints with a HOFer numbered out of 10.

Finally, your inserts. A fairly standard make-up.

Pack 9:

Not only can I appreciate the greatness of pulling a card of Flipper Anderson from a 2024 pack, but I can also appreciate that the team employee standing just off the field is sporting Zubaz. That might be even more retro greatness than Anderson himself!

Another fun thing about this pack, pulling a card of both available Frank Gores. Seeing as I already showed them off for a Bills group break post, this is the only Bills card I'm showing off from the box.

Your inserts and parallel. I appreciate the collation providing both Steve Young and Joe Montana's Canton insert back-to-back. They've also re-used Latham's photo from the base card. I know he's an OL player, but he has to have at least one more photo available, right?

It's either this or the Bo Nix /50 that is the big card in the box. And it is kinda nice to have a little debate as to which is the better of the two cards. Now I just need to wait for Kirk Cousins to step or be pushed aside to properly decide which one was the better pull. Even if I'm not keeping the Nix.

Edit: I typed that up about 30 minutes before Penix was annnounced as the starter this Sunday.

Pack 10:

A big autograph and a /10 parallel. I don't like these closing pack beating either of those.

Back-to-back kicker cards were the most interesting thing here, and that won't do it.

I often show off the first card of a box break. Here, I'm also highlighting the last card of the box. 

If you're going to proclaim Barkley as "The Franchise" for the Eagles, maybe choose a photo were the Giants logo isn't so prominent?

The final parallel is a Joe Burrow,  but at least there's Bills content in the background. That's probably as close as I'm getting to anything commemorating Shaq Lawson's second stint with the Bills.

There you have it! I ended up 25-ish cards short of finishing the set. I should have the remainder sitting in my sportlots/COMC inventory awaiting shipment, so my next incoming mailers should put it to bed. 

Resume Fire!

 The postal strike is over, and things should be normal until at least until May. 

Please do not resume fire using Shotzi's TCB tank.

Stealth 2/14ness

 For the second time this year, I learned of a card I already had in hand that counts as a 2/14 card.

All the way back from 1991 Pro Set.

Since the game saluted here, the first NHL All-Star Game/Ace Bailey Benefit Game, took place on Valentine's Day back in 1934.

It qualifies as an event taking place that day. So, the card with the image commemorating it, like ones with Michael Jordan wearing #12, count towards it.

I've got the English version in my COMC inventory, so at least that completes the cardboard history, as I don't think this photo is on any cards.

Will cards saluting the 2016 NBA All-Star game, in Toronto on 2/14 count? Not yet, but I might call an audible and add them.

But there you have it!

2024 Adventures in Repacks - Part 36 - Blah Baseball

 They can't all be winners.

At least there's a somewhat interesting horizontal entry to start.

This grouping might be the most interesting of the lot. I like the close cropping on Smiley. Tomlin, with the red jersey and the empty seats, just screams that its either a spring training shot, or a photoshop special. Probably the former. And the Beaulac is easily my favourite card here. Even if he never made it above AA for the Mets, it is still a super interesting Mets card. Probably for that very reason.

Here's the auto. I have absolutely zero memory of Lambo aside from maybe seeing the name on a card I've pulled. At least it is an on-card auto.

Ah, Alex Sanchez. Not just a Future Star, but a two-time Rated Rookie. The latter is more accurate, as even someone who didn't live up to expectations still had to be rated, no matter how high or low. The oddly-colored Winfield is from a 1987 Donruss Opening Day box-set release.

A 2/14 dupe is most noteworthy here, alongside a "moment of impact" Guerrero.

And your finale, my third Mets card. Certainly a dupe, but still a Mets card.

Definitely not the most interesting repack I've busted. But there you have it!

2024 Adventures in Repacks - Part 35 - Shrinkflation

 The $1.25 hangers have been reduced in size again at the Dollarama. They've gone from 12...

To 4.

On the upside, at least this means I won't drown in 1990 Score/Bowman commons, and it will be easier to scan the entire repack. In fact, I can combine two repacks in their entirety in one scan!

The first 2:

I might not drown in Bowmans or Score, but there still might be some junk wax stuff lurking in there. But at least one is a Hall of Famer and one is of someone who didn't get any pro cards, so it is an interesting addition. At least compared to the alternative. Even then, there's a pretty cool Luongo that I'm sure I picked up by adding to a sportlots/COMC order.

The next 2:

The third pack is probably the dullest of the bunch. Raffi Torres was still a few seasons away from getting his first suspension, although the crumpled player behind him might mean that he was making an effort to speed up the arrival of his first. 

The second one might be the best of all 4. Some shininess with a couple base cards, and even a parallel. That's a strong grouping! Even the generic base card opener looks different with the happy zoom-in as opposed to a generic skating shot. 

And no early 90s Bowman or Score anywhere to be seen.

More Dollars, Less Sense

I'm sure everybody has a set that they'd love to complete, but realize that the cost and complications will prevent it. Seeing as the sets of my youth fall into the 80s, it wouldn't be too much of a challenge for me. So, I'll lean towards to a more modern set, and pick 2010 Pinnacle's City Lights insert set.

All the joy of 1993 Leaf, but with the city image on the front of the card. Usually.

And a factoid on the back that has nothing to do with the player, but the city.

At least if I do decide to go for it, at least I've got the biggest name in the set, if not the scarcest part of the print run.

And here's your Pittsburgh factoid.

If my TCDB checklist can be believed, I've got 15 of the 100 cards.

At least that can be considered progress. Somehow.

Brain Damage

 When you're wearing your helmet like that, you might have some.

I had a theory that the Czech company Stadion didn't use the best photos for Slovak players on their cards. But Jiri is Czech, so there goes that theory. As a bonus, he's not even pictured in Red Wings attire on the back.

But instead is shown as a Thrasher. 

Also, how has it been 6+ years since my last Stadion card here?