Drumroll Please

*hot coffee, bagel with jalepeno cream cheese, and a box of kleenex and a card and now ready for a new post on cards over coffee*

*starts to type, wipes nose as little under the weather, takes a sip, now keeps typing*

Snow sums up how yesterday went. The weather reports told us possibly 1-3 inches total and didn't even have us in the "watch" section of the state for bigger amounts.

 

Well roughly 6-8 inches later, the roads were slick, schools were closed, and my wife hitched a ride to work.

It was a fun one cleaning off the cars, sidewalk and deck with the heavy wet white stuff.
 

Once again, the only great thing about snow other than having a white Christmas, is the scenery.

Drumroll please......

*takes a sip to soothe the throat*

With the weather being like this, it just furthers my holiday spirit for this time of year. If the snow comes down heavy after Christmas, that's a different feeling. One that can't be typed into words or you may have to hide the children from reading this blog.

With that being said, I recently had a custom card mailed to me for my Chevy Chase collection from @Clarkes1_1Cards.

Drumroll Please!!

 

This one fits perfectly in my Chevy Chase and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation collection. I tried to capture the shine of this card the best I could with my lightbox. But, it's much better looking in person.

I will have to set this up with the rest of my collection and maybe do a post on all of it at some point during my holiday card season.

*takes a sip, covers cough, takes a bite of bagel then another sip before finishing up today's post*

If you liked my custom card, @Clarkes1_1Cards does others as well for sports and non-sports or even ones for yourself. If you are interested, just contact him via Twitter or as you newbies call it, X.

Thanks again @Clarkes1_1Cards for the card!

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday. I am going to take a nap to feel better.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Hats And Sweaters

*sits down, takes a sip, has a stack of cards and is ready for the next holiday card season post*

Today marks Day three of the holiday season. So far, I have only adventured outside the house once into stores and already regret doing so. They weren't quite as packed as I expected, but it still wasn't fun waiting in line even at the self-checkout with one item.

ONE ITEM. 

If that item hadn't been coffee related, I would have left. But nonetheless I stood and waited then ran out the door faster than Speedy Gonzales minus the yellow sombrero.....and the speed. Didn't I mention how I drink decaf now? But, if that had been me six years ago when I was all caffeine, I could have ran it.

*takes another sip, stomach growls, starts to think of something for breakfast. for some reason, tacos came to mind*

To me you can't talk about the holiday card season if you don't mention Ugly Sweater and Santa Hats swatches. 

You simply can't.

These cards are some of my favorite cards of the holiday season as they can produce some pretty unique swatches for some of the cards. I know many who have read my blog in the past know that I have been and still am chasing the Donruss Holiday Rookie Sweaters sets for football. This set chase is a long process that has taken me years to try to complete and I have come a long way with them.

But, I needed a break on and off with them which led to me finding other Ugly Sweater cards and even Santa Hat relics. Which I added because they are simply as cool as coffee.

Here is my current Santa Hat collection,

 

(my favorite of the bunch)

(you don't say many Tom Savage cards are cool, but this one definitely is)

And now onto my "other" Ugly Sweater cards,

\

(yeah, two of the same but different relics)

I hope to add more to these collections at some point. But, I really need to finish up those Donruss Rookie Sweater sets first. Some I am only a couple away from....well that's until Panini pumps out 2023.

Here is a look at my needs, ones on the way and finished sets if you are curious.

2020 Donruss Rookie Sweater Football

2021 Donruss Rookie Sweater Football

2022 Donruss Rookie Sweater Football

Note:these are all up-to-date!

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

I am not sure how many more year's companies will make specific holiday products for, but I hope they continue and continue to pump out more Ugly Sweater and Santa Hat cards because they have this blogger all-in on them.

Hope everyone has a warm coffee filled Sunday!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Just Let It Flow

*sits down, has coffee ready and a card in hand, let's get this Christmas party started*

Today kicks off my holiday card season that I mentioned in my Black Friday post as we are officially one month from Christmas today.

Seems crazy doesn't it?

I wasn't quite sure how I was going to approach this as I went back and forth multiple times with myself, that's how I do all of my blog game planning and personal decisions, and finally just decided it's best not to plan it and just let it flow out.

No need to plan on special phrases, catchy titles or segments, just let the cards post and the words just get typed.

*takes a sip*

Today's post isn't a long one, it's simply just pleading for some assistance.

 

If any of you have any of these collecting dust in your house or in your trade pile, I would be strongly interested. I only own three in my collection, Ivan Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr and Mark McGwire. I would love to add any others from football or baseball I don't have.

I think these are some of the coolest Christmas cards out there. Not that Topps hasn't put a good effort in what they have done recently with their holiday products, but these are just simply at the top.

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

As always, comment below if you have any or just simply send me an email at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com and let me know there.

Hope everyone has a great Saturday. Be safe out there as I know stores and roads will be packed with shoppers.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

It's The Christmas Season!

*digs out the peppermint mocha creamer, coffee is ready, pours it in, smells the holiday scent from it, gets ready to start today's post*

To me, Black Friday is the kickoff to the holiday season.

So today is my kickoff to the Christmas Card season on Cards Over Coffee where I will spend today until Christmas sharing some of my Christmas card collection. There will be no other card posts in-between that aren't holiday related.

Hope you're ready, especially those of you who may be Scrooges. Those are Christmas' version of Karen.

Just enjoy the sleigh ride and the cards....and the coffee.

*takes another sip hoping that no scrooge is getting upset right now*

*takes another sip*

Black Friday isn't what it used to be. It used to kick off on Thanksgiving night where you would have to arrive to stores in-person by 7pm to score some deals and then every hour after.

Nowadays, stores put "deals" (deals are no longer deals like they once were) online for weeks and then actual in-store Black Friday is on Friday as stores close Thanksgiving night now. 

So, no more lines or people fighting over the last Tickle Me Elmo at midnight.

I only ever attempted Thanksgiving night Black Friday twice just to say I did so. This picture was the view in front of me at the back of our local Walmart store in 2013 waiting two and a half hours to get checked out with my small cart of deals.

This was also my last time going and I think you can see why.

It was an experience I won't ever forget, take that as both bad and good. The good, Dunkin is inside of my Walmart. The bad, fighting people off to get into line and stay in it without being pushed over and them trying to spill my coffee.

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

Black Friday is a thing of the past for me. I do most of my shopping all year long and grab deals when I can. I find it's the better way to shop and you can find better deals that way.

Believe me, give it a try.

Since I haven't posted a card yet for this post, let's kick off the Christmas card season,

Here is a 2015 Panini Black Friday Santa Claus found in their Black Friday packs. I picked this up last year I believe in a trade.

There will be plenty more cards like this to be seen.

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

If you are out shopping today, please make sure to stay safe! The world has turned into a sad, scary place. Also, there are a lot of bad drivers out there when there is a lot of traffic. I am not one if you ask me, though my wife will tell you differently. I just want to say she is wrong and hopefully not reading that I said that as I don't want to kick off the Christmas season on the couch.

Hope everyone enjoys the magic of this season on Cards Over Coffee. There will be plenty more Christmas, Christmas Cards, and coffee on here to come. Not that anyone is surprised by the coffee (maybe some hot cocoa mixed in as well).

Have a great Friday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Thanksgiving 2023

Today is more than turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, though those are amazing, it's about family, friends and being thankful for everything big or small.

There is a lot in my life I am very thankful for. I am thankful for waking up this morning, a roof over my head, food on my table, enough money to cover my bills, my family, a forgiving God, friends from afar (you guys know who you are), and for the hobby and the hobby blessings I have received. I am also thankful for blogging that has brought me many opportunities in the hobby I never would have experienced otherwise. 

Lastly, I am thankful for you guys, the readers for coming by and reading my ramblings. and having a cup of coffee with me.

And it wouldn't be Cards Over Coffee if I wasn't thankful for coffee as well. Had to toss that in.

I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving today. Enjoy family, food and football.

In comments, let me know what you are thankful for and tell me your favorite food for Thanksgiving.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Frozen

*takes a sip on this frozen cold morning. this could be a more than one cup kind of morning*

Before I move on with today's post, I want to reassure you that the blog title is not about me singing Let It Go. Nobody wants to hear that song and especially me singing it.

*takes a sip to try and keep warm*

I know my last few posts haven't really been "Cards" Over Coffee, but I can reassure you some form of coffee was involved (including last night's late-night post when I had a slice of mocha bread) in non-card posts and that we should be going back to some cards soon.

In the meantime, I am trying to be as creative as possible to keep this blog going.

*takes a sip*

This morning marks the coldest morning we have had this fall at 9 degrees. The only positive part about low temps are the pictures I can take. 

Standing up taking a picture.

I took this one on the ground from the grass up angle.

Roses aren't looking rosey today. 

My flower bed wasn't very pleased.

The side of my wooden clothesline.

My lilac trees weren't pleased.

 

My windshield before I started the car to defrost it.

It was definitely a cold one out there this morning but thankfully there is coffee to keep me warm.

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

I do have a plan for future cards and coffee posts after Thanksgiving which you will read about on Friday. Hopefully it will be cards most of you haven't seen yet since they are already coming from my current collection.

Have a great Tuesday and stay warm!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Where Did They Go?

As I sit here tonight, without coffee because it's a little late even for this coffee loving blogger, I have spent the last two hours cleaning out my email since Google claims it was full, when I have kept it cleaned out.

Or thought I did.

Upon deleting as many emails as Hillary Clinton, I noticed some of those blogger comment email notifications in the mix that you get when someone leaves a comment on your blog. Before deleting them, I read some of them for nostalgia's sake. As I read on, I started to see names of commentors I haven't seen comment in many years that used to all of the time.

Which led me to wonder, Where Did They Go?

Names like,

• Madmax,
• SumoMenkoman 
• Collecting Cutch 
• P-Town Tom
• C.erne33 
• Kyle Herring 
• Twitch 
• Trevor P 
• Scribbled Ink 
• Julie Owens 
• Tony Burbs 
• Madding 
• CommishBob 
• Daniel
• GCA 
• JayrCards 
• Trevor Gaffney
• aa8a5804-8a87-11e2-ad83-000bcdcb8a73 (always an odd name, but used to comment a lot)

I am not sure if they all retired from blogging, gave up reading my blog or ran out of time to comment. Whatever the reason, I miss seeing their thoughts, but just hoping overall they are all doing well.

*finishes up thoughts on how to close tonight's post*

*yawn*

It's about time I head to bed, almost 11pm where I am, and I am not a night owl like Night Owl. Yes Greg, I am talking about you :)

I did finish cleaning up my email inbox and hopefully have it cleaned up enough for a while, though I didn't mind taking the stroll down memory lane tonight.

Hope everyone has a great night's sleep and for those of you that still comment, thank you.

*yawn*

*big yawn*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out....like literally*

500th Cup

*sits down and takes a sip on this milestone day*

This post marks the 500th post on Cards Over Coffee or the 500th cup on Cards Over Coffee. Though I know I have had many more cups of coffee on here than posts. 

500 feels like a miniscule amount compared to my other blogs and other blogs I have written in the past in the time I have written this one for. But it's still a big milestone especially since I don't have the time to write like I used to on a daily basis.

*takes another sip*

Cards Over Coffee was created as a new blog outlet for me after feeling that my previous blogs were becoming monotonous. I think this blog has shown off more of my personality, writing ability and has taken an approach that no other blogs has.

And even though this blog is weak in terms of views, it makes up for it with the comments and the interaction is so much more important.

My hope is that after you have read one of my posts that you have enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and got a chuckle or two. Laughter is the best medicine for everything in life. It's my motto and what I strive for on here.

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

Thank you to everyone who has come here and read every post, a few posts or are just checking out Cards Over Coffee for the first time today. I hope you have enjoyed it and hope you will come back for more.

I also enjoy reading every comment and replying to every one of them as well. I want you to know that every comment matters, even if it's just a thumbs up.

Time for another cup before I go on with my day.  You should have another too.

Have a great Thursday and thanks again.

Cheers to another 500 posts. 

Let me know in comments what your favorite segment or posts you like to read on here are or what Cards Over Coffee has meant to you. Or all three as I won't complain.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Chasing The PMG's

*sits down, has a cup of coffee ready and gets ready for a new post on cards over coffee*

As I have stated on here a couple of times now, I have fallen in love with Marvel movies this year and have found myself chasing the cards whenever I can.

This love runs as deep as coffee in my veins.

*looks at veins that still look blue, but really should be brown*

*takes a sip*

With Upper Deck pumping out products for almost every movie, TV show and cartoon, there is plenty to chase. But my main focus is mainly on the movies.

When searching the eBay universe, which is almost like the Marvel universe with plenty of multiverse options, I stumbled upon some impressive looking purple Precious Metal Gems that spread across multiple movies.

After acquiring one in hand for next to nothing, I fell for them. Being a 90's card fanatic, seeing PMG's and my love of Marvel movies, it only made sense that I had to chase.

All in all, from my research, there are 36 of the Purple PMG's to chase. They are not numbered but were special cards for unlocking achievements on Upper Deck's e-pack platform. 

I have a long way to go, but I am roughly 1/3rd of the way done. I don't have all of the ones in-hand yet as I have an ongoing massive trade working out, but I have crossed off the ones I do have in hand.

Here are what the cards look like and what I have in-hand so far and what I need,

 

Doctor Strange

DPMG1Doctor Strange

DPMG2Ancient One
DPMG3Wong
DPMG4Kaecilius
DPMG5Mordo
DPMG6Christine Palmer

Thor Ragnarok

TPMG1Thor
TPMG2Hulk
TPMG3Grandmaster
TPMG4Hela
TPMG5Valkyrie
TPMG6Skurge

Spider-Man Home Coming
PMG1Ned Leeds
PMG2Liz Allan
PMG3Michelle
PMG4Shocker
PMG5Vulture
PMG6Spider-Man

The Avengers: Infinity Wars
IPMG1Iron Man
IPMG2Captain America
IPMG3Doctor Strange
IPMG4Spider-Man
IPMG5Star-Lord
IPMG6Thanos

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
GPMG1Star-Lord
GPMG2Gamora
GPMG3Drax
GPMG4Rocket
GPMG5Groot
GPMG6Yondu

Black Panther

BPMG1Okoye
BPMG2Nakia
BPMG3Killmonger
BPMG4Everett K. Ross
BPMG5Ulysses Klaue
BPMG6Black Panther

As I said above, not all of the ones I have are crossed off yet.

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

If any of you have any of these that I don't, please let me know in comments or at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com and I will confirm if I need them. I will trade for any I don't have!! I want to chase them all or as many as I can. I do know there are some I will never be able to touch since the prices are crazy, but I would like to own what I can.

Stay tuned for further updates and pictures on this chase.

In comments, let me know your thoughts on my latest chase and if you have ever attempted anything like this.

In the meantime, have a great Wednesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Allen And Ginter 2023

Yesterday I got a package from Oren I wasn't expecting yet, but pretty much knew the contents of.

 

It was a package full of Allen and Ginter non-sport and my first look at this year's product since I haven't opened any for the first time in a while. Allen and Ginter is my favorite Topps product and it's because of the non-sport factor.

As I was looking through the pile of the base he sent, I saw a lot of names that I didn't even know. It appears either I am too old or Topps has just downgraded the product to social media stars. I miss the days of actual actors, Presidents, famous people in history, oddball things like The Egg, announcers and singers I recognize. That's what made Allen and Ginter fun and I am sure I am not the only one feeling this way.

With that being said, there were a few names I did know.

The legendary NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, who I watch every morning on Good Morning Football and the Insiders on NFL Network. Kind of want his autograph from this product.

 

Eric Stonestreet who is a huge Chiefs fan and was on the comedy series Modern Family. I have watched a good chunk of the episodes, but need to really go back and watch it all.

Casey Webb who now hosts Man Vs Food after Adam Richman left and has one of the greatest jobs ever in eating food and lots of it. He is on my autograph/relic needs list along with Richman. Maybe there is a swatch of some wing sauce on the shirt.

 

Robert De Niro who many know from his mafia type movies, I know him from comedies. Especially how he taught a cat to use the toilet. If you don't get this reference, go watch Meet The Parents. I wished I could teach one of my cats to make my coffee, then on the other hand, maybe not.

I didn't know anything about Bella Rausmussen until I read the back of the card and found out she was the very first female football player to score two touchdowns in a game and the first to sign a name, image and likeness deal. That's pretty cool. I tip my coffee mug to her!

Along with the big stack of base and minis, Oren also passed along some other fun.

I don't have any idea who he is, but I always welcome any form of non-sport relics.

Fun In The Sun...this may be the closest to the sun I see in a while. I feel the clouds have taken over until next year.

 

Music To Your Ears, they picture everything except a coffee maker that is music to mine.

Thanks again goes out to Oren for the mail day. I plan to send you something in return soon!

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday full of laughter and coffee.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

I Got A Card In The Mail

 

*gets out of car holding a Dunkin' cup. gets inside, grabs the card for today's post, sits down, opens up cover on drink, takes a sip, gets laptop open and ready for a new post on Cards Over Coffee*

I spoiled myself this morning. The snow is on the ground, and I was in the Christmas spirit, so I went and had my very first Dunkin' Peppermint Mocha of the year.

I don't normally like to spend the money, but today was an exception. You have to treat yourself occasionally, right? Of course, if any of you wanted to treat me to a coffee my email is sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com :) Have to try right?

*takes a sip*

I know yesterday's post might have come across as a filler, but I haven't gotten any cards in the mail all week until yesterday afternoon. Why didn't I use it in yesterday's post? Well, that was done early, the card came late so it made for a post today instead which I hope you guys are excited about.

I made a trade last week for a player that I think will make a big impact in the NFL someday.

Shedeur Sanders is the youngest son of Hall Of Famer and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders who Shedeur coincidentally plays quarterback for.

 

Sanders has put up good numbers this season despite the team starting to slip as of recent. Sometimes it's not all about wins and losses when a player stands out.

I think Sanders will be a 1st round draft pick, maybe a NY Giant, so I wanted his 1st Bowman Chrome to have the first card of him. I don't think the Bowman Chrome 1sts have quite the impact for the football market like the baseball ones do, but it's still fun.

Thanks for the card and trade @slxmie! Looking forward to our next.

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

Before closing up today's post, with Christmas coming soon, I wanted to remind you or let you know if you are in need of any card supplies or buying any for someone for Christmas, I can save you some money.

I even linked you to BCW for quicker ordering once you click on this image. Make sure to remember the code at checkout to save your 10% off.

I know how much supplies it can take for a collection.

*takes another sip*

I hope everyone has a great Sunday. I know mine will be making pizza for another disappointing NY Giants game. And of course coffee.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*