Sure, there have been games already. But the season never really starts until your favourite team has played. For the Raptors, that's tonight. And here's their content both to complete the latest Cards on Cards mailer, and from my latest COMC shipment.
This might not be my most valuable card in my team collection. But it is definitely among the greatest. As best as I can tell (an ebay listing), this is from a 2022-23 card game set released in Europe. I shouldn't be too hard on whichever company released this. Siakam and Markkanen are practically identical twins.
At least Vince Carter gets a nice photo on his, even if the logo doesn't match the era of the pic.
Let's switch to things far more licensed. While there's some players from the championship years here, and I love me some new VanVleet Lowry newness, that Ford Turkey Red gets the nod in this group.
That Brandon Ingram is an awesome opener, as they have chosen from a photo from the post game celebrations. The N in RAPTORS WIN is the big clue, combined with the flag are the major clues. While I do prefer the team logo as the background if they're going to wipe it from the photo, a basketball, or something basketball adjacent, also works.
Opening with Jamal Shead, he got extended this off-season. And deservedly so. Signature Class wins the best design in this group, mainly because they have two images on the front didn't reuse an image in the process. Have my standards fallen that much? The Barnes rookie on the bottom, out of my beloved Chronicles, is a green parallel. Nice!
Stickers!
And the only hit of this post was provided by the final cards in the trade mailer. The photo choice nicely hides the lack of licensing. Martin was a pleasant surprise last season as a 2nd rounder with both the main club and the 905. I've already got one of his autos, so it is nice to have one of each.
I'd normally wrap this with a "Thanks for the trade" type remark, and while do appreciate the cards, there's still some more to show off from other orders.
One final sticker, this one from my COMC order. While I do have one Patrick McCaw as a Raptor in my collection, that one was part of the 2019 Champions Box Set. That one is staying in there, so a sticker will be his representation in the team binder. As of last season, he was affiliated with the team, suiting up in the G-League for the 905.
This was a sportlots addition. One of those situations where I was one card away from the maximum number for shipping on a bunch of cards. Why not make the final one a Raptors card?
CMB appears on a pair of inserts. The Instinct one gives the vibe of something I would have thought was so cool in my youth, especially the claws on a Raptors card. Whether it is as appropriate for a team without a creature motif is left up to you. The Limited Stock Legends gives the vibe of the In Action insert set out of 2024 Bowman. Unlike those, the hook portion of the design isn't die-cut like it was there.
Finally, a nice look at the Vince Carter-inspired City Edition jersey.
There you have it! Bring on the game!