What Makes A Good Blog?

*sweat running down face as turns laptop on, looks over at cold drink that was picked up from the errands run and takes a sip. Aww refreshing. It's time for Cards Over Frozen Hot Chocolate*

 

*takes another quick sip*

What Makes A Good Blog? That's what I have been asking myself as I continue to figure out what direction my blogging will head. I have a deep passion for writing and enjoy coming on to show off what I opened or traded for, but how and where I display those writing pieces is still so undecided.

I take a look at other popular blogs I know (popular blogs are ones that have lots of comments and views) and try to see what makes them. Night Owl Cards ,which is probably at the tops of popularity, has great writing which lures the readers right in. Chronicles Of Fuji another one, has a way to connect with his readers through his life of being a teacher and some amazing cards. Baseball Card Breakdown by Gavin features life, cards and his incredible custom cards. 

Which leads me to ask myself, what is my thing? What makes my blog or blogs? (you guys can help me answer these questions if you want in comments)

I really don't have an answer for that myself, which is why I am having such a problem deciding what to do.

I guess I really need to look at my blogs closer and ask myself, what would make them a good blog? Is there a way to improve the foundation I have started?  Which one makes the most sense for some of the ideas I have going forward? Maybe that will help me decide which direction I will head.

While those questions are still burning, I will continue to plug a new post in on here like today's where I am showing off a couple great additions to my collection thanks to my big trade with @90sNicheFBCard.

*takes another sip as the condensation creeps upon the laptop, grabs a towel, wipes it up and continues on with the post*

My baseball card collecting has taken a bit of a turn in the past couple of months. I am not deeply collecting the Yankees anymore and am really only seeking out specific parts for my collection.

I have begun unloading all of my Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres cards along with other Yankees in exchange for cards that mean more for my collection. Football, Non Sports rank far ahead of baseball for me but it doesn't mean I gave up collecting baseball overall.

What I am looking out for now in collecting baseball cards is, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr, 90's inserts from 1995-1999 (any team, players) and 90's Fleer Metal Universe from 1996-1998.

And certain cards that peek my interest from Yankee championship years such as today's two cards, which both happen to be 1/1's and are from 2020 Topps Archives Signature Series.

First up, Johnny Damon. My first auto of Damon is a nice one. Good thing he wasn't feeling a little tipsy before signing these cards or it wouldn't have been signed in a straight line.

 

And the next I was really excited about in Jorge Posada, who my wife always jokes and calls him George Posada. Jorge was one of the final two Yankees autographs that I really needed for my 90's collection of them. The last one I really am seeking out is Mariano Rivera. Not sure how easy that one will come or if it ever will.

Once again, even though I have said it already many times to him, thanks again Bryan for the trade.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post and before it becomes a hot chocolate*

I hopefully will come up with an answer to all of my questions soon. I will admit I have been getting some outside advice and feelings from myself that I need to return to where I started and stay there. It also may be a sign when I found a list today of the Top 25 Sport Card Blogs to follow in 2021 and see that I am on there at number 18 with that said blog. 

But, who knows what I will decide. For now, I just need to catch up on some posts, enjoy some time away from blogging all the time, and catch up on some sorting. Also, enjoy my coffee and right now my Frozen Hot Chocolate that is quickly thawing. I don't know how you guys in the south deal with the heat.

Hope everyone has a great rest of their day and as always comments are welcomed.

*takes a few more sips*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2020 Topps Chrome Baseball Value Pack

*coffee is poured, pack is ready to be open and I am ready for some Cards Over Coffee*

I have stated this many times how much of a fan I am of Topps Chrome. I have been a Chromie since 1996 and don't ever expect to change. I still wished that Topps had a slice of the football action and made Topps Chrome football but for now Prizm will have to do.

I didn't have a lot of success with Topps Chrome up to this point with the little bit I was able to find, but maybe today is the day.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

In every Value Pack of 2020 Topps Chrome baseball, there are 3 packs of 4 cards of Topps Chrome and a 3 card pack of Pink Parallels. Each Value pack currently goes for $35.

Summary: The base set of Topps Chrome is a condensed Flagship set. There are 200 base card of veterans and rookie content led by Luis Robert who I have a Chrome rookie card of in a previous break.

There is plenty of refractors in the product knowing its chrome. There are, Refractor, Prism, Pink, X-Fractor , Negative, Purple /299, Blue /150, Green /99, Green Wave /99, Blue Wave /75, Gold Refractor /50, Gold Wave /50, Orange /25, Orange Wave /25, Red /5, Red Wave /5, SuperFractor 1/1, and Printing Plates 1/1.

There is a half dozen inserts in Chrome but all look spectacular and come with parallels of Green /99, Gold /50, Orange /25, Red /5, and SuperFractor 1/1.

Rookie and veteran content make up the on-card autographs in Topps Chrome.

Let's see how the break goes,

 

*takes a sip, thinks about something sugary for breakfast. Sugar and non caffeinated coffee mix well together.*

I was pretty happy with this break. Two Roberts including an insert and rookie, and a couple other cards I know that I can easily use for trade bait. I would rank this up there pretty high when it comes to retail ripping for me in terms of a value break.

I hope everyone enjoyed a cup during this break, if not, don't let your coffee get cold.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2020-2021 NBA Hoops Fat Pack

*not much sleep last night, lots of tossing and turning despite the cool sleeping temperatures. Guess I will need to hook up the coffee IV and pretend there is caffeine in my coffee*

I apologize I haven't posted in a few days. I am still working through where I want to do all of my blogging when all is said and done. I have three blogs, but, only one blog can survive and get my total focus.

For now it's been this blog, but in the end, who knows. I am up in the air on this decision still and any guidance would be appreciated.

In the meantime, enjoy another coffee break brought to you by NBA Hoops.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

In each 2020-2021 NBA Hoops Fat pack there are 30 cards. I opened this pack up a long time ago so I am not sure what the going point was on these, but now I see they are going for about $15.

Summary: There are 270 cards in the base set with 200 veterans and 70 rookies.

There are plenty of parallel options for Hoops including, Blue, Hyper Blue, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Explosion, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Silver #199, Green /99, Hyper Red /99, Green Explosion /89, Red /75, Teal /70, Blue Explosion /59, Artist Proof /25, Hyper Green /25, Orange /25, Orange Explosion /25, Red Explosion /15, Artist Proof Gold /10, Hyper Gold /10,  and Artist Proof Black 1/1.

Inserts are aplenty with close to 22 different ones, unless I miscounted. That is a ton!! Some of those also have parallels and numbered parallels. The Slam inserts were very popular and still are.

The hits in Hoops are a good mix of veteran and rookie content.

Let's see how my break went,

*takes a sip before closing*

Not a bad break, pulled a Slam insert, LeBron and a Knicks parallel. It was very weak again on the rookie card front but I have no luck in pulling good basketball rookies in the little bit of basketball I have broken.

I hope everyone has a great day.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unleashed

*takes a sip, maybe two,maybe more. It was one of those long nights of no sleep. Coffee is on the agenda, but aren't cards. So let's do some #CardsOverCoffee shall we?*

Every year, I find myself indulging in one newer set that catches my attention. I don't collect as many newer cards as I do 90's, but there usually one set that stands out to me. In 2019, it was Optic Base set(which I still need to finish the last 8 cards to). Last year it was the 2020 Donruss Holiday Sweater Sets (still need 4 duals to master set it all) and this year, I felt a bit Unleashed by Donruss.

Now before you go into complaining about Panini baseball cards, I still stand firm by them. They have some great value and some nice looking cards and guaranteed if they had a license, you would be seeking out more than Topps. At least for a few of the products.

*takes a sip, well, two, okay I lied, a few more*

I have always liked Donruss since Panini revived the brand. Not so much the base and the endless name variations, but the attractive inserts. Those are the big draw.

Donruss is full of shiny/numbered inserts that grab you in like a good book. But, none, NONE of the inserts caught me more than this years Unleashed.

Unleashed features a unique design featuring players from the top of the food chain. Since I can't ever seem to pull a Downtown or Kaboom that features unique art look, these are the closest to cool I can get.

The checklist for Unleashed features 26 cards and also a wide variety of parallels, Diamond, Pink Fireworks, Rapture, Vector, Silver /349, Blue /249, Red /149, Gold /99, Green /25, and Black 1/1. There is still plenty to be unleashed. However, I am just happy collecting what I can of them. I don't see any rainbow chases in the foreseeable future nor can I even tell the difference in most of the cards.

  

Here are all of the ones I have found so far.

I hope to add to this as time goes on with any cards I don't have and will seek out small trades to do so.

*takes a sip before closing up today's post*

My chase came early on this year for a product as its usually a later season product that catches my attention. That's okay, maybe this year I will find more than one to chase. Not that I need anything else to pile on.

Let me know your thoughts on these in comments or if you have any I don't, let me know. I have plenty of trade bait available.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Pops Day

*takes a sip, sits down on his hard kitchen chair. Has laptop sitting in front of him with a stack of cards, cup of coffee. Windows are open, the sun is shining and the sound of birds chirping makes it feel like a scene from Mary Poppins. Takes another sip, time for some Cards Over Coffee*

Today is Father's Day.

My father wasn't your top-of-the-line dad. He didn't teach you life lessons. He was not a role model. He was not someone you bragged about to your friends. But, he did do the one thing that mattered most to me, he spent time with me.

We went fishing, we played basketball, football and baseball against each other. We played video games, mainly football ones while trash talking at the same time. We went to two NY Giants games, the only two we have ever gone to. We watched sports together during bad and good sports years for our teams. 

And yes, we collected sport cards together which was our biggest bonding moment to this day.

*takes a sip*

We started collecting sport cards in 1994 after discovering packs of cards at a grocery store and later on opening them up in the car (I guess that explains why when I am able to find retail I can never make it home with anything sealed). From there, card addicts were born.

So many memories were made while we collected together. There wzx card shows, card shops, sneaking cards past my mother, talking my grandmother into the hobby, visiting her neighbor who had one amazing basketball card collection, to even opening packs while he drove. Which isn't recommended, but had to be done. 

I will never forget any of those moments spent together They are deep within my brain and exist in my collecting today.

Which is the biggest reason why I collect what I collect and explains my recent mail day from Burbank Sportcards.

*takes another sip and moves onto the mail day*

There are so many 90's set projects I am working on from those deep memories of my childhood.

One of the biggest chases has been collecting all of the Spx sets, including parallels and inserts, with the holograms of the 90's. We opened so many packs of those from all sports and I absolutely fell for the holographic goodness. I have come a long ways with this project but still have a few sets I am missing parts of. One of those is the 1996 Spx baseball.

 

I was able to pick up 6 of the final 7 cards I need to complete with only Kirby Puckett remaining for this to be finished.

My next grab is one of my next set chases.

Top Crop is shiny map goodness.

Next part of my mail day, were the very first parallel cards that caught my attention.

1995 Summit Ground Zero cards were inserted in packs at a rate of 1:7 packs and were and are still stunning. I finally was able to knock one of the bigger ones I needed down in Sanders. Still need McNair and Martin as my other two big ones.

Other than Spx, I am also chasing Ex sets of the 90's as well for all sports. 

  

These Fleet Of Foot fell 1:20 packs.

Taking a look at these cards brings me back to those days of collecting with my father. It's amazing what a little piece of cardboard with someone's picture on it can do.

All of these cardboard memories I grabbed from Burbanks Sportscards Beckett Marketplace and saved 10% off by using Code 15BURBANK at checkout. You can also shop their millions of items in inventory now by clicking THIS LINK HERE:

https://marketplace.beckett.com/burbanksportscards_21/

*takes another sip before closing up today's post*

Even though we don't collect together anymore, we still collect apart. We have done trades through the mail and in-person. He also calls me every weekend to discuss the hobby. 

I hope all of the fathers reading this today have a Happy Father's Day and in comments I would love to hear any collecting stories or memories you have with your father.

*takes another sip and thinks about what breakfast to have. Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfiltered Review:2021 Parkside NWSL Trading Card Box

*takes a sip, the smell of coffee and turnovers fill the air with a day of hope. Well, hope that I am fed and coffee filled*

I am a fan of trying new things, well, sometimes. If you want me to try a pizza with anchovies, your out of your mind. But, within reason, I am fairly flexible and will break outside of my normal zone.

Especially when it comes to the hobby. I am always willing to try something new.

That's how I felt about the latest product from Parkside.

The National Women's Soccer League cards came out in May and intrigued me especially when I saw it was headlined by Megan Rapinoe. I really enjoyed the last Parkside product I was able to open in the 2020 Parkside Negro Leagues Centennial Draft Class, so I figured this one would be just as good.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Each of the 2021 Parkside NWSL Trading Card Boxes comes with 25 cards which should break down to the following, 

• 20 Base Cards
• 2 Parallels
• 3 Inserts

And there are also chances at autographs and rare inserts with each box running you about $9.99-$15. They are currently sold out on the Parkside website but should be available on eBay and other retailers.

*takes another sip, slowly anticipates the turnovers coming out of the oven*

The base set for 2021 Parkside NWSL Trading Cards is built up of 200 stars of the league.

With most coming with some strong action photography. If I ever tried to do this move by Ashley Sanchez I would probably throw my back out and tear my other ACL.

The back of the card is pretty cool. Gives position, number, team, their social media handle along with a scanner to see their statistics. That's a first for me that I have seen.

Here's rest of the base I found in my break,

There are also tough-to-find base card variations that I don't know how to determine, yet. They are limited to 100 for a group of players. So I may have one and not know it.

*takes a sip before moving onto parallels*

There are a few parallels to find in the product as well. 

You can find the following, Foil limited to 1,400 copies, Black/White limited to 700 copies, and Chromes that are 1/1.

Both of these are the foils which feature a touch of foil over the bottom of the card where their names are.

 

And this is a black and white parallel. I really like the look of this card with the photography as well.

*another sip, turnovers are ready. Now to let them cool*

There are 5 different inserts to find. Some more rare than others.

I pulled Hyped which falls 1:4 boxes. It has a really cool design along with a nice touch of foil.

The next one I found is a Vintage which falls 1 per box.

And yes, it's as magnificent as it looks. It truly feels like a vintage card or one of those you left on your bike spikes too long. It also features one of the best players as well.

There are also tougher pulls in Cityscapes 1:100 boxes and Americana Mini Card which is 1:300 boxes.

*takes a sip before finishing up*

I think the risk/reward factor with these works out pretty well especially if you are a big soccer fan. The base cards look crisp, the parallels especially Black and White are solid and the inserts would make for a fun chase to land the tougher-to-find ones.

Let me know your thoughts in comments below!

*takes one more sip, bite of turnover, Coffee Card Blogger Out!*

Coffee Break:2020 Absolute Football Value Pack

*takes a sip, well after scooping out some sneaky coffee grounds out first that were floating. Hopefully today's pack break goes better than my first cup of coffee is so far*

It's another sunny day and it appears we will be heading towards really warm weather again. For us, really warm weather is in the 80's. The higher the 80's it gets, the more we really start to feel the heat here. Unlike Phoenix, where I see temperatures can reach 117 degrees. Not sure how anyone can live there. If you do and are reading this, tell me how you survive.

Speaking of heat, I haven't had a lot of that recently for these coffee breaks. I am hoping today's pack will turn things around.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Each Value pack of 2020 Absolute football comes with 20 cards and usually a few parallels. Packs run $5.98. So it's a cheap pack risk.

The base set built up of 200 cards split evenly between rookies and veterans.

The base set offers up the following parallels, 

PARALLEL CARDS: Printing Plates 1/1.
SPECTRUM PARALLELS: Base Spectrum, Red /100, Orange /75, Blue /50, Green /25, Gold /10, Purple /5,and Black 1/1.
RETAIL PARALLELS: Blue, Green, Yellow, Red Squares /199, Orange Mosaic /149, Blue Diamonds /75, Green Waves /35, Gold Stars /10, Purple Rain /5, and Black Galaxy 1/1.

I have seen some of those Spectrum parallels and they shine like a new coffee mug. I wonder if they make any refractor looking mugs...hmmm....

Absolute offers a variety of foil inserts for rookies-veterans-legends. There 6 different inserts to chase overall. Of course none bigger than the rare Kabooms that I feel I will never pull. 

Inserts have the following parallels, Red /100, Orange /75, Blue /50, Green /25, Gold /10, Purple /5, and Black 1/1.

When it comes to hits, Absolute has and always been packed. There is always a nice variety of what kind of hits you can find from rookies to legends to swatches of jerseys to swatches of helmets. Absolute has always been a fan favorite of mine.

Let's see how lucky I got with today's break:

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

 

*takes a sip before closing up today's post*

I couldn't really have asked for more with today's break. Found a Burrow, Claypool and a few solid names in base and inserts. Would I call this break as hot as Phoenix? No, not by any means. It was warm though, probably similar to today's temps heading to the 80's.

Until next time, have a great day everyone.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*