How to Sucker Me In

Unless they provide an opportunity to add an autograph that fits into my PC that isn't available elsewhere, I'll pass on buyback autograph sets. Even if the only box of it I've ever busted did land me a nice PC card.

But if someone else wants to bust a box of it so I can add an inexpensive Bobby Cox or Pat Borders auto to my Jays collection, then I'll take advantage.

So, how do you get me to buy an autograph outside my player PC?

Add it to an interesting insert! Pressed Into Service was a 2016 insert set that saluted position players pitching. And for less than 6 bucks, I got a certified autograph version of one of them. 

Here's the card back as well. Because why not? 

There you have it!

Delays. Delays. Delays.

 Just call it laziness. I received the results of this Blue Jays GQ group break so long ago, I've already been able to ship the dupes from it to a fellow Jays collector just down the road. (sorta, but still pretty close in the geographic scheme of the planet)

So, here's some scans of the cards that weren't already post over at Crazie Joe's.

What does the crystal ball hold for B. Bichette?

Probably not 25/25 this year, but this prediction conveniently didn't include a time frame.

Of course, there are lots of parallels, although I must admit I don't really get the concept of chromed parallels on a set with this old-timey feel to it (see also Heritage, A&G), but who am I to complain about it when it lands me another Jays card I didn't have.

And even I'll grudgingly admit that they look really, really nice in instances like this where the colour of the parallel match the uniform so nicely. 

Here's something completely different. This is the missing black plate variant, but based on the rest of the design still having a lot of black in it. The name is still missing on this, so you would have to turn this over to recognize it is an Otto Lopez card.

And an auto! Kevin Smith went to Oakland in the Matt Chapman trade. At least he left his initials behind for his signature.

There you have it!

This Post is Full of Ehls

 

For my 2/14 collection, nothing beats going on a small spending spree for cards that, thanks to e-packs, are pretty inexpensive at COMC. And here's a dozen of them. 

There generally are not any base cards available, excepting the higher end releases. But there are lots of parallels, such as this MVP silver signature.

Inserts too! Such as this Series 1 insert - Electromagnetic. Why not throw in a rainbow with a just a single card? There's also a gold parallel sitting in my inventory for a future shipment. 

Speaking of rainbows...

Here's a page worth of parallels! I actually pack-pulled the middle one to complete the page worth of cards. As for the rest, starting from the top left, there's a Red Prizm /199, Violet Pixes /399, Aquamarine /499, Pink Matte, Rainbow, Sunset, Rainbow Color Wheel and a Yellow Traxx /249. It might not be every parallel to be an official rainbow, but a page worth is good enough for me.

And to deviate from the e-pack results, here's a couple pack pulls from when I was building the 21-22 OPC set. I like the retro design this year, but the colour matching the uniform has to give the nod to the blue parallel. It might also do the same for my favourite Ehlers card when I do my annual  2/14 recap next year.

There you have it!

The Night Owl Repack Extravaganza - Part 5 of 5

 The final 50!

The first batch is just typical of this fun repack. Mets content. Jays content, and some randomness. Non-Mets Tom Seaver is still a Tom Seaver. 

I guess if you're going to to salute a card from the 1981 design for an anniversary set, doing so with one that allows for the tri-colour Expos cap to appear is the one I'd go for. Nice choice of a Bo-Flow photo for his card from Big League.

I didn't get a dupe of that Vlad Jr NAP card while busting boxes for the set, so while it isn't a need for the set, it is a nice little Jays addition. Ticket to Stardom was yet another failed attempt from a non-Contenders release to use the ticket motif on a design. The way Ashby's back arm is set up against the top of the wall behind him almost gives the impression that they used a multi-image for this card.

He may not have migrated to the Mets yet in 2017 Topps Fire, but that's still a pretty nice looking Edwin Diaz card, in all its wonderful loudness. That's a Blue Chip parallel. Ramon Martinez is on the front of that Counterparts card, which I should note since I received this from a Dodgers collector and ignored that player completely in the scan. 1/3 of a card featuring a Mets player still counts. But the best of this is the Drake's card, my second '83 Met of the repack.

As with the Vladdy, bring on the Jays dupes from Heritage! 

And this is the perfect time to show off a pair of 'Did you Know's from the Big League.

What is Greenwell laughing at? Perhaps at how cheap the old Toronto Exhibition stadium looks behind Roger Erickson on his card.

Whether it is 1965 Topps, 2014 Heritage, 2003 Vintage, 2018 Classics (see my wantlist!) or any other set with it - I love the pennant motif! 

Much as I love the pennant, working a baseball into your design is also pretty nice. 

Even if a Met takes up less than 1/4 of the photo space on the card, it still counts as a Mets card. I've busted so little 2022 Topps flagship that I had to make an effort to find what parallel that James McCann card was. 'tis a Royal Blue parallel. I guess Domonic Brown's free agent signing with Toronto was enough to warrant a card, since he never played for their big league team. 

Fin. 

So, thanks for the repack, Night Owl and all the goodies contained within! Lots of PC stuff, but lots of the randomness I love from busting these! I've got a few cards aside to hit you back, but still want to fatten it beforehand. 

There you have it!

3 Downs 3 Boxes

It certainly took a long time for this to finally drop. Nothing beats busting a 2021 product with the 2022 season well underway. But, it is Upper Deck. I'm expecting them to release 20-21 The Cup during the 22-23 NHL season at this rate. (Edit: BINGO!)

But, will it be worth the wait?

The card front? Pretty much a carbon copy of hockey's design, only there's no foil on the front. That's actually better for legibility than with 20-21 flagship NHL. And team colours > generic foil. 

They've ditched all the colour on the backs, going black and white for the base cards. Parallels just change the text and graphics to match the colour of the parallel. That's all. I do like how the LCF is used for the Montreal players, with all the other teams using the anglophone CFL.

At least with the late release, we don't end up with any photos from the previous season in these. At least we don't when it comes to getting Edmonton Elks cards in the set as opposed to any Eskimo uniforms.

With a 200 card base set for a 9-team league, you do get to see cards for positions that don't show up in other releases. Such as kickers/punters.

Offensive line guys also show up, although it does seem their numbers are a fewer in this release compared to previous ones. 

Best of all, there are cards for long snappers in the release. The 2020 release saw 1 player (Jorgen Hus) appear, but this year you get a pair of them. 

But if I had to pick a favourite card in this that wasn't a Hamilton player, it would have to go to the only weather card in the set that I saw. (I ended up 7 short of the 1-200 set, probably the most successful 3 box break for set-building I have had).

Each pack would contain either a hit or a parallel. Reds are the most common, and, as with any release, the ones where the parallel manages to go with the team colours looks really sharp. 

For the rest of the recap, I'm going to group every other hit or <50 parallel by box. Here's the first box. Blank backs make yet another unannounced return, and I'll just assume that the print run for these is in the 10-ish range, which is what that Willie Jefferson is. Those jumbo jerseys are supposed to fall every 10 boxes, but I've read of people busting a case of this and not getting one. I'm probably one of a handful of people that would like to get a kicker-graph, so I'm elated to pull one. Especially when it comes with a nice photo.

I got more than the expected 3 hits, but not an autograph to be seen among them. Still,  if it isn't a Tiger-Cats swatch, a green Riders relic is the second-best get for me, for the same reason a green Boston Celtics is a nice get - you just associate the colour with the team. A double-blue Argos swatch or a red & black...Redblacks swatch would also count. And for those thinking Micah Awe would be a good East-West bowl name, his last name is two syllables. Sorry.

A little more normal of a box here in terms of make-up. That's a very solid autograph to get, even with Reilly having since retired. He's a former Most Outstanding Player and a Grey Cup MVP, and still lead the league in passing yards during his final season. It is nice to get that numbered patch card, but its thickness probably caused me to miss out on a couple base cards that would have put me slightly closer to the complete base set. And it did take until the final packs, but I did finally get a Tiger-Cats hit out of the break. 

There you have it!

Change of Plans

 I was originally planning to recap my 3 boxes of 2021 Upper Deck CFL in todays post.

But considering these are hitting the market over a month into the 2022 season, they can afford to wait one more day. 

During the Blue Jays/Red Sox beatdown last night, there were several graphics on screen showing the biggest such blowout, the 30-3 Texas/Baltimore game. I remembered that Wes Littleton pitched 3 innings for the Rangers, and managed to get credited with the save.

And that I also had an autograph of Littleton around somewhere that I got from COMC at some point just because of that quirky appearance.

And here it is!

Bucco Bruce is METAL

 

And even if he didn't use all the available space, this autograph is pretty nice too. Dexter Manley might be better known for his time in Washington, so it is interesting to see him make an appearance with an unexpected team. Much like with Maxie Miner on old-school Denver Nuggets' player cards, that's always a fun logo to see. I like that this card scanned so much better than the scan over at COMC. So bright! The scanner I've been using throughout my blog's life comes through again!

The card is /27, since this is a Cobalt parallel, and since that's Cobalt's atomic number. Sometimes it is the little things. 

There you have it!

Kawhi, and Bounce, and Bounce, and Bounce, and Bounce and Series

 

Although I would have to wait until 2020-21 releases for a pack pullable card that featured a commemoration of that famous 2nd round buzzer beater, it was worth the wait for this shiny beauty. And since most of the photos out there feature the shot usually have the ball either on the way, or in the process of its trip around the rim, seeing one with the ball on its way out of Kawhi's hand it a pretty unique angle for this memorable moment.

Worth the wait.  

The Night Owl Repack Extravaganza - Part 4 of 5

 And another 50!

And a great start it is! Not just a vintage Mets card, but also a vintage Bills card as well. Can I consider the Brooke Hogan to be a wrestling card as well even though it isn't associated with a wrestling company? Certainly! Todd Hundley's photo is pretty Panini friendly.

That Paxton Lynch parallel was probably a great pull in 2016. First-round QB moving into a situation where he'd contend for a starting job with Manning's retirement. Now, he's on the list of first round busts. 

Does a team card that features Joey Votto's back count towards my 'Canadians in MLB' collection? Certainly.  Does a card that is half-dedicated to Lenny Dykstra's stint with the Mets count as a Mets card? That's another yes.

Much as I planned on keeping most of the cards in this, but I think that a Red Wings fan would like that Sillinger autograph more than I. It isn't certified, but I can't imagine someone would forge this. That Jose Fernandez rookie is kinda depressing nowadays.

Can Gregg Jefferies count as a Dream Team member when he looks to be about 15 years old in that picture?

This might be the first grouping I've made in this post that doesn't contain a card that fits into one of my personal collections. But there's still greatness here with the Memorial Day jersey, Orel's camerawork, casual Fernando and a couple HOFers. Who needs PC additions with fun cards like these?

Hey! 1993 Leaf! That means one thing!

I gotta show off the back of the card, too!

I've already got that Tyler Clippard card in my 2/14 collection, but it isn't a dupe in my Mets collection! That's what I want with a dupe! That Kyle Kendrick may have the most purple ever on a baseball card. That Tony Fernandez card is from his third stint with the Jays. I don't think he got that mentioned his 4th stint until post-retirement. 

I think that Lindor is the most recent card in this repack, but I really don't feel like going through release dates to find out how true that is. Derek Fisher will always be remembered, by me at least, as the guy who got hit in the face with a pop fly. And John Buck was an All-Star at one point, and he's got the cardboard to remember it by!

Tom Seaver, wrapping up a short streak of 1984 Donruss, is an ideal way to end this portion of the mailer/repack. 

Just one more left!