Dazzled

*only 46 degrees this morning, the feeling of fall is turning more towards the worry of winter and this is only the last day of September. Just gotta hope the temperatures don't dip too much further*

I bet a lot of you when you saw my post yesterday were thinking, why didn't he mention that it was National Coffee Day? How can he be a #CardsOverCoffee blogger and not whisper a word about his National Holiday? Well, to be honest, I forgot it was yesterday until I found out later in the day.  By then, it was too late to save myself on here. However, I can say that I did celebrate it like I always do, by drinking coffee. I guess you can say it's probably National Coffee Day for me everyday.

*takes a sip*

I have poured my heart out on here about my passion of the Donruss Unleashed cards, now it's time to unleash my love for another insert that came out this year, Upper Deck's Dazzlers.

I hadn't seen these cards before, mostly because I don't buy or collect hockey normally, until blog reader Grady M sent me a few in my first mail day from him this year. They immediately made an impact on me and I was even more excited when I found a bunch more in my second mail day from him not too long ago.

The design is simple, a colored background with a firework design and player in the forefront that makes the player jump off the card. It's really sharp, especially when caught in the right lighting.

*takes another sip, trying to make up for lost time on here yesterday from not posting about National Coffee Day*

Upper Deck Dazzlers have four variations and different odds for each. Those offerings are Blue, Green, Orange and Pink.

The Blue falls 1:24 packs.

Orange falls 1:10 Fat Packs

 

And the Green falls 1:7 in Blaster boxes.

I have yet to see a pink version up close yet since they fall 1:144 packs, but I would say between these three, the blue stands out to me the most and not just because blue is my favorite color.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post. thinking some breakfast also sounds good*

I put all of these in a binder and they look stunning together. I hope to add to this collection and if any of you have some available for trade, let me know.

Thanks again to Grady for passing these along.

In comments, let me know how you celebrated National Coffee Day and your thoughts on these inserts and your favorite color of them.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Upper Deck Made Me Happy

*fresh brewed cup of coffee uplifts the spirits on the cool 50 degree fall day. Finding a new box of retail product is also just as uplifting and being able to share my thoughts on this product on my favorite blog is a bonus. It's time for some, #CardsOverCoffee*

I am not a big hockey guy. I don't watch it, don't have any teams or players I follow and I rarely collect it. But, after seeing some previews for Upper Deck's latest hockey product in Metal Universe and knowing my love of the 90's, I was actually hoping to find some to open. 

And guess what.....I found a blaster!

It's just too bad it wasn't at normal blaster price of $20 anymore. I became hesitant after seeing the price of $30 knowing I don't collect hockey that much, but decided in the end the nostalgic me needed to try it. So I did.

Was it worth the gamble? Let's see.

*takes a sip and looks around wondering what should go with this cup. Donuts? Bagel? Toast? Hmm...takes another sip*

I ripped into the first pack and felt the kid in me come back out after seeing the first base card.

Upper Deck absolutely nailed the base card design. This is exactly what I would have expected from Metal Universe and this design is a mix of all three 90's Metal.

Even the back of the card is perfect.

Here are the other base cards I pulled in the break,

And there are even a couple of subsets that still stick with the theme of the product. Both subsets fall 1:2 packs which makes the chase even more fun.

The subset offerings are,

All-Stars keeps the design but adds on Stars to the metal side and the word All-Stars behind the players.

\

And Rookies. I don't collect hockey as I said so I am not sure if any of these guys are good or not, but they still will work great in my rookie card PC.

The rookies don't appear to be any different than the base other than the word rookies behind the players.

*takes another sip and is still indecisive on breakfast*

I found a parallel in every pack, not sure how common that is. Blue Spectrum Parallel for base fall 1:2 packs while rookies and All-Stars fall 1:4 packs.

The cards have a shine and are similar to PMG's (Precious Metal Gems) which aren't in this product sadly.

There is some Skybox Premium add-ins however with these Prospects which fall 1:4 packs.

They also have a superfractor looking parallel in Star Sapphire parallel that falls 1:10 packs.

Upper Deck also had me very excited when I found out they did a throwback to the 97-98 Metal Universe set. These fall 1:4 packs.

Intimidation Nation is a throwback insert to the late 90's rare insert. These ones are not as rare, but just as stunning. They fall 1:8 packs.

And now my favorite card from the break,

Net Deposits which falls 1:6 packs. What an amazing card and definitely brought me back to the 90's.

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

Upper Deck made me happy with this break. Was there any big hits? Not really. Was there any "investing"? No. But, was it a trip back in time and the most fun I have had out of a retail rip this year? ABSOLUTELY. I was left wanting more but may not be able to find more.

So I will end with a thank you Upper Deck for making something this much fun. This was better than the time I found a box of Dunkin' Decaf Coffee Pods hidden behind the caffeinated boxes and believe me, I thought that was the greatest thing ever.

Leave your thoughts below on this product!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unleashed Again

  *sits down on this cloudy fall day to get ready for the latest post on Cards Over Coffee. Cup is full, cards are next to me and the time has come*

I don't usually re-visit cards on this blog. I try to aim for new content and new cards every time, but today is an exception.

I enjoy the 2021 Donruss Unleashed cards so much that I wanted to give an update on how far my collection has gone with them so far. 

Thanks to a recent mail day from blog reader Grady M, I have added quite a few more.

*takes a sip before showing off the cards*

Overall there are 26 base inserts to collect in the Unleashed set. 

So far, I have 7 of those.

There are also multiple parallel levels to them as well, Diamond, Pink Fireworks, Rapture, Vector, Silver /349, Blue /249, Red /149, Gold /99, Green /25, and Black 1/1.

 

I can't tell the difference with some of the unnumbered parallels, but I at least can sort them by the design.

So far, I haven't seen a better designed insert this year in baseball. I do challenge you in comments to prove me wrong.

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

Thanks to Grady M for adding to my collection and if any of you have any available for trade that I don't have above, feel free to reach out. We can have some online coffee and do some trading.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

10

 *takes a sip, maybe 10, before sitting down to work on today's latest blog post. Time for some #CardsOverCoffee*

Today is a big day for NY Giants fans, other than a game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Giants are hosting a special halftime ceremony where Eli Manning will be inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor and will have his No. 10 jersey retired. He will be the 43rd member of the Giants Ring Of Honor.

To celebrate my favorite QB in Giants history, I thought it would be fun to show off my Top 10 favorite Eli Manning cards.

*takes a sip before continuing on*

I have well over 600 Eli Manning cards in my collection, so narrowing down a Top 10 list was really tough because a favorite card doesn't have to be an autograph or a relic. It can simply be something that has meaning or eye appeal as you will see from a couple of the cards on today's list.

Let's kick it off!

10. This was given to me as a surprise gift from Wes. One of the coolest cards ever given to me as a gift.

9.I like the dull look in the back against the rainbow foiled Eli, simply brings the card out. I also landed this /25 gem for $30.

8.A nice looking patch against a solid card is always a winner for me.

7.The best pack pulled Eli Manning card I have ever gotten. I bought a box of 2004 Leaf Rookies and Stars and pulled it. Was really excited to had landed it and still am.

6. I have the Red Sage Hit rookie autograph as well, but this one my wife bought for me since I hadn't ever landed a rookie auto of Eli until then.

5.I pulled this card as well. Features 4 great QB's I was fortunate enough to watch.

4.Brotherly love. This is my only Eli and Peyton dual card of anything and its amazing. As soon as I saw someone post this for trade I had to have it. Panini Black is a great looking product to begin with so you top that off with patches like these, oooooh baby.

3.My first Eli Manning autograph was a stunner. This isn't Panini Black, but these Topps Five Star Silver Signatures look just as great.

2. This was the one rookie card, non autographed, that I wanted the most. It took me so many years to finally land it in a trade. This is just a fun Upper Deck flagship rookie that really shows off Eli's personality.

And now the #1 card.....

It has to be Super Bowl related. Eli always was in the shadow of Peyton and I think a lot forget that he won two Super Bowls, has two Super Bowl MVP's and is in the Top 10 all time in passing yards in NFL history among other records he set. Not to mention, his incredible playoff runs and record.

I try to land as many copies of this card as I can. This version I am showing off here is actually the ultra rare Topps Chrome refractor version that I have only ever seen one copy of.

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

Eli requested that the game on Sunday be a sea of #10 jerseys so I will be wearing mine from home. Hopefully it will bring some luck and give the Gmen a very needed first win of the season.

I also wanted to take a minute out to thank Eli Manning, I know he won't read or respond to this but wanted to throw it out there anyways, for everything. The memories, the leadership, what you do off the field for March Of Dimes and other organizations, your personality and of course the Super Bowl wins. No matter what anyone says to me, you are a Hall Of Famer in so many ways and I will defend that until the day I die.

Congrats on the Ring Of Honor, you have certainly earned it. I am only two years younger than you and the only Ring Of Honor I have earned is the coffee ring my cup leaves after I am done drinking it.

*takes another sip, took off the #10 jersey before doing it so I won't stain it before game time*

Leave me your thoughts on Eli Manning in comments. Do you see him as a Hall Of Famer? Have any favorite moments? Do you think I chose wisely on my list or would you have switched a few things around? Let me know!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Disappointment

 *sits down, feels accomplished as this will be the third day in a row with a post on here. Cards Over Coffee is back baby and it feels so good.....and this coffee tastes so good. Let's check out what I have to post about today*

Disappointment is a feeling I, and you, probably experience way too often.  Whether it be in real life or even in the hobby. I try not to get too excited over anything anymore that way I won't be left disappointed. Instead, I just wait it out and let it surprise me.

Usually I am a stickler to my rule, but I made a mistake recently and got excited over a 90's insert that I had never seen before. The eBay listing made the card look spectacular and I couldn't tell if it had a rainbow foil touch or not. The price was right so I snagged it and couldn't wait until I got it.

*takes a sip of not disappointing coffee, continues on. Oof, the power is out now and so isn't the wifi. Great...not sure when I will be able to finish up this post*

*takes a sip*

*typing offline for now. hopefully won't stop me from publishing this one....what did I tell you about disappointment?!*

The card arrived three days later and I couldn't wait to rip open the pwe it came in. Like I said, it was cheap.

 

And apparently looked cheap as well. There was absolutely no foil on this at all and looks like something they would have made today. Yes, that's a large POG Slammer against today's cards. I was hoping for it to have some form of shine that would make me go oooooooooh....ahhhhhhhh. But, instead, it was stacked in a normal card pile to be taken care of when I did some sorting.

Disappointment. Next time, I need to think before I get too excited.

I am sure by the sounds of this post, I probably sound like Eeyore, but no frets, I am more like Tigger. Tigger on lots of coffee. You know that really hyper-always happy person you see occasionally, picture me. Actually, come to think of it, I think I have a trait from each of the Hundred Acre woods friends.

I eat like Pooh, hyper like Tigger, OCD like Rabbit, have disappointment like Eeyore and things worry me quickly like Piglet. 

*hallelujah the power is back on after 20 minutes! Let's finish this post of #CardsOverCoffee*

I will finish up this post by showing you some non disappointments I have had recently.

Such as this eye appealing Moxie jersey card of Saquon Barkley that arrived a day after the card above did.

This sunflower. I planted my sunflowers a little late this year, but they are just starting to bloom and they appear they are going to be marvelous.

This morning my mother-in-law had me over for breakfast and in no shape or form was this disappointing.

And finally, this was dropped off to me to go with my coffee tomorrow...or now while I type. I will let you guess when. One of my favorite treats!

*takes a sip before closing*

I have a few more mail days on the way that I am just waiting until they arrive to decide how I feel about them. I will tell you this much, I am not excited about them. But, that doesn't mean I can't wait until they show up. I just don't want to be disappointed.

In comments below, let me know if you have ever been disappointed in a card that was either too hyped up or one that you thought would have been more than it actually was.

Have a great rest of your Friday and thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate a blog shout out on social media or your blogs as well. Thanks!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee With Emilio Estevez

*after an extremely busy morning, it's time to sit down, enjoy a cup of hot coffee on this warm-muggy fall day. Oh, it's also time for some Cards Over Coffee and a little quacking while I am at it, QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!!!!!!*

It had been well over 20 years since I watched The Mighty Duck movies so last week I figured it was time to re-watch them again. I think as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed them more than I did when I was a kid.

Watching those movies again reminded me about how great Emilio Estevez is. Movies such as Maximum Overdrive, St.Elmo's Fire (great song to by the way), Young Guns and my favorite of his besides The Mighty Ducks in Breakfast Club.

The reminding led to me to searching for an autograph card of his and I found one pretty quickly made by Leaf Pop Century and snatched it up.

*takes a sip before the card reveal*

I was able to grab this card cheaper than the other versions online and for a low budget collector, that is always a win.

 

Nice looking card with the shine. The autograph needs some work, but not the worst I have seen.

Back of card is kinda lame. I wished they would not only put the guarantee, but maybe some information piece on the actor or actress that lets us know what films they were in.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post and turns to a hunt of what lunch will be*

I saw there is a new The Mighty Duck series on Disney+ called The Mighty Ducks:The Game Changers I will have to check out. Though my streaming internet here is terrible so I could probably only watch a few episodes a month.

In comments, let me know your favorite Emilio Estevez movie or television appearance and let me know if you have seen that new Disney+ series.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

First Day Of Fall

*sits down at the table, looks out the window to see the rain falling. First day of fall wouldn't be the same if it wasn't raining. The scent of fall blows in the window....the rain blows in with it soaking my couch...I guess I should shut that....well...that was an enjoyable lead up to today's newest post. Guess I better just get my coffee ready for the latest Cards Over Coffee*

Today marks the official first day of fall, though my fall always starts when September does. As you saw in my last post, it was already Pumpkin Spice and football season, now its the countdown to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Possibly my thoughts have already turned to my favorite holiday Christmas, but, I can feel your glares when you read that part so I won't mention that part yet.

The color of the leaves here have begun to change here and have been for about a week.

They still have a ways to go before they reach their full color, but I am in no hurry to see that still.

When the trees do reach their full color, my wife and I usually drive around and try to take some amazing pictures.

*takes a sip, wonders if the rain has slowed down some to re-open the windows. Walks over, opens window, wind blows rain in on me, nope not quite time yet*

When the trees are full in color, it's looks like a piece of art. Something you just want to paint. Which is what my wife and I recently attempted.

Of course, she is more like Michelangelo and I am more like a preschooler looking for a participation ribbon.

Originally I was going to do a fall picture, but to me nothing says cooler weather in the fall like coffee. Are you at all surprised?

 

So the beginning of the coffee cup painting.

And then the 4 year old me messing up the cup

So I had to fix it the only way I knew how.

And the final piece once I got it together.

Not great, but not my worse. Maybe I will get a white ribbon this time.

Then came my wife's fall painting,

 

Like I said earlier, she earns a blue ribbon every time.

Side by side, there is no comparison.

*takes a sip before moving onto some cards for this post*

It took me a lot of years before I started to appreciate cards with artistic twists. I was always pro photography, but in the past year I have reached the point where some art cards have reached equal status.

A lot of those have come from the 90's, my favorite collecting era.

First it started out with adding some Fleer Metal Universe and then it expanded to other inserts. One of those inserts were these pretty cool 1996-1997 Stadium Club Mega Heroes cards I grabbed a couple of on eBay.

This is the one that caught my attention the most first, THE BEAST Joe Smith with a beast behind him. Card look even more amazing in person.

The other I added was of Charles Oakley who is known as Oak and appears to be guarding a oak tree.

Both cards are made with foil etching and I can't find the odds on these. The baseball version of this insert fell 1:48 odds.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's 2 hour long post*

Fall has begun, there is no turning back to summer at this point. But, I have come to realize that I like September thru December more than I used to. I guess as I age I begin to appreciate things I never did before such as the art cards. If only I could art myself then it would be the best of all worlds. It still makes me happy to try though just like that preschooler who does their first finger painting picture to bring home to their parents.

Hope everyone has a great first day of fall and tell me some of your favorite things to do in the fall or your favorite art cards or even tell me if you paint in your spare time.