2022 Chronicles Baseball Box Break #2 - Packs 1 through 3

 I finally get to the second box of the product. The hits are definitely more interesting in this one.

Pack 1:

 Here's the base stuff. While I do like the look of Recon, I might like the Zenith design in this even more, with there being some nice gaudiness there as well, instead of the generic Prizm/Chrome stuff. 

Numbered parallel #1, this time Clearly Donruss provides the first numbered parallel with this blue /50. And it is (kinda) team colours.

Dang! It always feel odd to get a big hit (even if the player isn't a major name) out of the first pack in a box. My first question was what this patch was from, as I didn't recall any sort of green associated with the Phillies, other than their mascot. It looks like it was this Veterans Stadium patch, but that just left me more puzzled as to why a patch that would logically have last been seen 20 years ago is showing up in a 2022 product. Throwback uni?

And the card is, to give it the correct insert set name, a Spectra Rookie Jersey Autographs Splatter, and is /16. At least this feels like a card that should be numbered to that level

Pack 2:

Anything is going to be a letdown after that, but here's the base from the second pack.

Getting the 2-per-box numbered parallels out of the way early it seems. And it is with the coveted ebay 1/1! Last one stamped!

Yes, a plain white swatch is definitely going to be a downer after the first pack. Even if this can cheerfully go on the pile to be sent to the Night Owl sometime in the new year.

Pack 3:

Just base in the final pack today. I'd be happier about the Jays/Mets content in the bottom row if both of them weren't dupes from previous breaks, whether group or retail pack. So the best I can say about this is "Recon! YAY!"

But  it would have to be an amazing box for the remaining not to be a step down from the first pack. Packs 2 and 3 didn't have a chance. Fortunately for this box, there is still a pretty great hit to come in a future pack!

There you have it!

Casual Friday

 

Take it easy!

Incoming Mail! PWEs from Kerry @ Cards on Cards

 I hinted at there being some really solid mailers that showed up recently, where I wrote that I'd really have to fire back well at Kerry with my next mailer after these PWEs.

When Kerry recapped the incoming Prizm content  from a group break, I remarked that I really liked the photo on this. Fortunately, there was an extra one to get thrown onto my trade pile!

Everything else in this was direct additions to my PCs. Let's go from Prizm-to-Prizm with some Raptors content. Thanks to Scottie Barnes' presence, the Raptors cost in group breaks was way too rich for my blood. So I welcome any additions out of 21-22 Prizm.

Speaking of Scottie, here's some of his cards. Luminance may be one of the few 'sets' I had yet to land a card from out of Chronicles. And then there's that gaudy parallel, more accurately described as an 'Orange Laser'. Despite his sophomore jinx, that's still a $20 card over in COMC-land. 

Siakam rookies! I probably already have that Hoops card, but it might be trapped within my set build. But I know for certain that Complete card is new to me.

My player PC of Jamal Murray got a bunch of new additions as well. 

Both in card and sticker form. That puts him at 121 total of the local product. 

The basketball gets sandwiched perfectly between some more baseball. Reese McGuire could have won himself a triple crown in Toronto, but he'd still likely be more remembered for the parking lot incident. Logue was sent to Oakland as part of the Matt Chapman trade, and made his MLB debut this past season with them. So, it is the Kirk that really stands out with an appearance out of Zenith/Chronicles. Is he the catcher of the future? Maybe...since Gabriel Moreno did get some outfield reps this past year. Or they'll just take advantage of their wealth at the position and trade someone. But for now, that remains a great auto of their 2022 All-Star.

There you have it!

2022 Adventures in Repacks - Part 39 - Surprising Football

 

Let's pull one of these out of the ol' repack box!

And here is the contents!

Clock-wise from the top left, I'm starting with the 8000 yard rusher pack. I like the two Arizona Cardinals cards, since they feature two players that you don't first associate with their time with Arizona. And they decide to make that even more obvious with there being a Dallas card of Smith as well.

Yup. These are from the 90's pack, with there being cards from 2017 and 2006 in this bunch. Maybe this was supposed to be one of those 12-card miscellaneous packs instead. It is fun to see the two contrasting Tampa uniforms back-to-back. Creamsicle! And a Bills card too! 

Here's another card from outside the 90s! If I remember correctly, those Black Gold cards, like the Kelvin Martin, were send-away prizes. That's enough to make it the least-expected card to show up in this repack. Sportflics! Kicker card! CFL alum! Forget the inaccuracy of the header card, this was a really fun grouping of cards!

This was an accurate description, as all of these cards are 2010s. Kurt Warner manages to continue the "Oh yes, he played for Arizona" vibe. Despite playing more games there than with the Rams, I still think of him first for his time with the Greatest Show on Turf. That's a rookie-year card of Watkins, so naturally, that does count as a Bills card. And Bumblebee unis! YES!

First card out of the UD pack brings some OL love, such a  rarity in modern packs. The Rod Woodson greatness continues. It might be a challenge to outdo bumblebee uniforms, but an appearance of a Terrible Towel on cardboard does so. Easily. And I would love for drawn team checklist cards to return. Even if there aren't many opportunities. Perhaps O-Pee-Chee hockey?

Bonus card! WOO-HOO! I needed the Rams checklist card to complete the Jim Everett 1991 UD run.  I like how the pack stated and ended with positions rarely seen in 2022 packs. From the OL to the Special Teams. The Williams and Toon hit one of my favourite photo elements on any cards (except basketball, where they are common), the featured player without their feet touching the ground.

Again, the header card is inaccurate. I guess a 2000's pack can mean from a decade other than the 2000s as part of the millennium, but that generally isn't what is meant by these. Either way, that Curtis Martin is from 1999, so it remains inaccurate.

It may not have been the most accurate repack, but every portion of produced at least one interesting card or element. So that's a worthy break!

There you have it!

2022 Chronicles Value Pack Break

 

I know I should probably start on the second hobby box of this, but I'm not really up to all that scanning and cropping. So, here's the same set, but fewer cards.

There do tend to be a lot more "paper cards" in one of these packs than the hobby packs. Sure, they may be less luxurious than the chrome/prizm/foil cards, but they also don't make my scanner look filthy. My hobby boxes didn't lead to any Suzuki appearances, so that's nice to get out of this. Castillo almost replicates the bat position perfection with the design that Otto Lopez hit earlier this week.

The acetates are one-per-pack, something similar to the hobby packs. And Julio Rodriguez was another big name that didn't show up in my hobby boxes. Maybe I should only have bought retail...

Some foil cards. The Vlad is a dupe from the Jays pick-a-team, and I have no complaints about duping up. Are there any Glen Otto superfans that would have appreciated this portion of the pack more?  

And here's the retail exclusives. Gil is the advertised Pink Pulsar parallels, and Altuve is unadvertised. But, the Revolutions have been retail exclusive for baseball Chronicles for past releases, so it was also expected. This one is the Astro parallel, somewhat less common than the base ones.

Getting a couple names I didn't get in my other breaks makes this an easy winner for the pack. 

There you have it!

Trade Stack: Elevator Action

If you have one of the cards on any of my wantlists, I'll trade the contents of the stack to you, in return for a single card (or sticker) from those lists. I'll throw cards onto the stack at intervals of my choosing (whenever I feel like it).

Card #6 on Stack #1:

I just want to get rid of this card. Given I usually donate my dupes to a home for families escaping violence, I can't donate it. Maybe it will turn a white elephant gift, passed around among bloggers.  

Perhaps the other cards in the pile will entice you?

Want them?

1. You make a comment on the most recent post of the trade stack staking your claim, and say what you're sending. (That's this one!)

2. You send me an e-mail providing your address.

3. I reply, giving you my address.

4. We each drop a PWE in the mail containing the promised card(s).

5. You're shipping to Canada, so remember that!

There you have it! 

Chronicling Jays

More 'team select' group break fun, and a bunch of Blue Jays! Or 'Toronto Baseball Club'.

Given how rookie-centric this set can be, I am a little surprised to see that I did end up with a nice number of Vlads in this break.

Since there is a fact on the back of the card, of course I have to show it off!

As for the rest of the base set, they were a little more rookie centric, with Otto Lopez being the most common of the remainder. But why does Marcus Semien still get listed with Toronto on a late season entry? Even the text on the back of the card mentions he's now with Texas. I guess that's a error in my favour and my team collection's favour. As for Nick Allgeyer, he's pitched 1 inning in the majors, and it was in 2021. It was a 3-up, 3-down inning, so that's still more than I will ever accomplish on the diamond.

Off to the parallels! And here's some shininess!

The oddness of Marcus Semien still being with the Jays extends through the parallels as well. And in another bit of strangeness, there's no colour consistency either. This purple is /99.

While these are  /25. I'm not too sure why they didn't make the Limited parallels more obvious as such by adding some to the background instead of just the foil. But here, you can more easily see how perfectly the bat aligns with the design, in comparison to my 6-card scan above. Looking at other scans, it seems Chas McCormick is similarly fortunate. 

All Blue Jays relics should ideally be blue. I'll make an exception for Canada Day reds. Speaking of red, this is a red parallel, where the only way of telling is by the foil of the team city. 

And what goes better with a blue swatch that a second swatch with a nice thicker piece of material AND an on-card autograph? Maybe a photo that matches the swatch used? 

I'm nitpicking.

These are some really fun cards.

There you have it!

For Display Purposes

Dennis @ Too Many Verlanders continues to fire back in my direction for the time I sent an autographed Kyle Connor jersey Michigan-way.

I've received a nice commemorative ticket plaque for the Raptors 2019 championship run. And now, I have this:

A replica of Daniel Alfredsson's plaque from his recent Hall of Fame induction!

I was warned that something was on the way prior to the arrival of this last week, and when it arrived, I guessed that it would have something to do with his enshrinement. Now I just need to figure out how to display it. There are fasteners included that would allow me to put it directly onto a wall, but I might opt for a stand similar to what is used to show off a plate.

But that's a problem that I'm going to enjoy figuring out! Thanks for this special item, Dennis!

There you have it!

If you haven't heard this player's story

 

Just head off to google, or youtube, and be amazed.

The reason behind the change from Jefferson to Danton is only part of the tale.

Enjoy! (I guess...)

And never think someone named "Katie" can successfully hire a hit man. 

2022 Heritage Minors - 2 Box Break

 

The only logical way to follow-up my set-build of regular Heritage is, at least until High Numbers drops, is to bust some boxes of the Minor League version. I ended up with about 8 to go in the regular set, along with a dozen SPs.

The look is exactly what you expect from this set. Heritage design  - minor leaguers. I love how on this one, the bat's position next to a fan makes it seem like he's holding some sort of Flintstones club.

Best name in the boxes: Warming Bernabel. 

Best (cap) logo in the boxes will probably go to the Lake Elsinore Storm as long as it exists.

Naturally, there were cards for Mets and Jays prospects as well, with there being a nice bunch of dupes for both teams to fill out the team collections as well as the set build.

Here's 4 teams that I know for certain are making their first appearances in any of my collections. I only hope that the Space Cowboys do, at some point, have a player named Maurice on their roster. 

Alternate jerseys are also there, to increase the charm of this set.

Sadly, it is hidden among the SPs, but we do get a tribute to the classic Luis Alvarado card with a chain link fence and parking lot card. Favourite base card photo? I haven't seen all of them, but this one will probably end up on top! 

Off to the inserts!

The box toppers in this don't even warrant a simple cello pack. They are just tossed on top of the packs loose. 

The 1973 pack themed inserts are inspired in a "what would it look like if these players had cards in regular Heritage, with its varied pack designs" way. They'd be even better if the backs of the cards had odds and copyright information on it. 

More retro, with a mix of legends and prospects.

It is the alternate uniforms that make the Tarjetas my favourite of the insert set, even if some teams make multiple appearances among a 15 card set.

Parallels! Only one in each box, with the blue being the most common of them, numbered to /99 and the green to /75. That green one is easily my favourite card in the box, with it being both a Blue Jays card, and a 2/14 baby. I was happy enough to get 2 base cards of Moreno over the 2 boxes, but to get a numbered parallel...YES! This one will be near the top of my annual list of 2/14 cards in a couple months.  And it overshadows the listed positions on Chandler's.

Finally, the promised autos! That Holgate has already been set aside for a future mailer to Portland, and that has definitely been worthy of having a return mailer sent following some recent incoming PWE. How do you make a Fort Myers Mighty Mussels debut in the collection even better? Add in an autograph to go alongside the base card content. That Clase is a pretty bland auto in terms of penmanship, but Luis Gonzalez  more than makes up for it in terms of legibility. If the baseball thing doesn't work out, he could always rove through clubhouses teaching cursive to players. And he could start with his namesake. 

There you have it!