Blog Bat Around- The Last Base Card

John over at John's Big League Baseball Blog came up with a new Blog Bat Around and I was all on board to participate. 

Most of the Blog Bat Arounds I participate in. The ones I don't either I don't see, or they are a bit more challenging, and I am too lazy to dig stuff out for.

John's challenge was to post a last base card of your favorite player. I took this another route as I chose to post one of his first and one of his last. It had to be a base card, no inserts, autographs, relics or any of that fancy stuff.

Which isn't too hard for me as I have plenty of favorite players and base of them.

Choosing a player was pretty simple as the first player that came to my mind for me should be the one that comes to mind first, Rodney Hampton.

This is his 1990 Topps rookie card. I have close to 100 of these. It was a weird challenge to myself if you are curious why.

And one of his final, he has like six with three being different levels from Black Diamond, from 1998 Score.

Rodney played his entire career for the Giants from 1990-1997. He rushed for consecutive 1000-yard seasons from 1991-1995. After the 1995 season, Rodney was offered a Free Agent offer sheet by the 49ers which the Giants quickly and fortunately matched. 1996 season he shared carries season with Tyrone Wheatley and fell short of his usual 1000-yard season. Only to get hurt in the season which costed him most of the 1997 season except two games and one playoff game. He was then cut by the Giants prior to the 1998 season and never was signed so he decided to retire. Which is what I like. I wanted to make sure he was a Giant for life unlike some other running backs I know....

If you haven't joined in yet on this Blog Bat Around, go do so. It was fun.

In the meantime, drink your coffee, and have a happy and safe Memorial Day. 

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Shoebox Delivers Part 2

Coffee is brewed and hot. Cards are ready next to me, and I am ready for a new Cards Over Coffee.

As promised with Part 1 of the magical Shoebox trade I did with my father, I said I would reveal what key/fun cards were in the trade in a series of posts.

I finally took a few minutes this morning just to snap the pictures I wanted for my baseball part of these posts and I am ready to go with this next installment.

So, let's kick it off and see some baseball cards.

*takes a sip*

There were actually a lot of baseball cards as opposed to other sports in the shoebox. I cannot show off everything that was in there as most were incomplete base sets, so I am putting the main focus on the inserts and parallel cards I discovered instead.

There were roughly 100 of these Collectors Choice stickers in there. Not sure if there was a complete set or not, but there were plenty of duplicates of each player including my main man Griffey.

Roughly ten of these were included in the box with Gary being the best player in the group.

There was plenty of Gold Medallions found from a variety of years. This one is from 1998.

1999 (I posted Jay because we have roughly the same kind of hair cut)

2000.

There was probably about 25 cards for each year. I made sure to double check for Platinum medallions, but there were none. Curses!

There was plenty of these though, 1998 Bowman International Parallel. About 50 to be a rough estimate. 

I thought this was a really cool looking insert concept with the black/white and colored side taking a look at the future and the past. We need more creativity like this now-a-days. There was roughly 6 to 8 of these in the box and these fell 1:6 packs.

There were two Big Shots. These fell 1:4 packs and look great. Ultra nailed it with the insert designs.

Double Trouble inserts. These were the only two in there and fell 1:4 packs with 20 cards in the set.

 

And then what I considered the best finds of the baseball cards if not the entire box, 1:8 pack odds Kid Gloves. Embossed insert with a glove background speaks baseball to me. It also speaks that I need to chase this 12-card set now. If any of you have any I don't have pictured here, let me know!

This sums up the baseball cards of the shoebox. I still have NY Giants which I will post on here, Football which had some really cool finds and basketball with some sneaky fun discoveries.

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

I hope all of you come back and see what's coming up next in this series! I am not sure when I will get to posts with so many appointments and possible procedures coming up, but I will get to it when I can. My urology appointment is currently set up for Thursday, but I have PT on my shoulder tomorrow. And if all goes well,I will have surgery Friday on the kidney stone if I cannot pass it before then.

I hope all of you have a great Tuesday. Remember to tell your loved ones that you love them any chance you get.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfinished Cup:1998 Playoff Contenders Leather

*takes a sip. gets ready for the first new post of the new month*

It's October and baseball is still on. But my focus is and always has been football. Not that I still don't root on the Yankees, but football is always my focus.

Which is why looking at all of my set needs, most are football related.

And speaking of those needs, here we are with a NEW Unfinished Cup.

*takes a sip*

Today's set is from the 1998 Contenders product which featured a variety of different base sets including, the base (with autographs), pennants and today's cards printed on leather.

Back in 1998, I was able to open a few packs of the product without a lot of success in pulling the top rookies of Peyton Manning and Randy Moss, but the leather football die cut cards really caught my eye and for years I wanted to chase the set. Now I am.

 

There are 100 cards in the set to chase. I have quite a few but still need quite a few more including the two big ones.

Here is what I have remaining,

18,20,21,23,30,31,33,35,37,48,52,53,69,70,71,72,73,74,78,80,81,82,84,85,86,87,89,90,91,93 and 99.

This set is at the top of the ones I want to complete, so I am hoping some of you out there will have some. If you do, please email me at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com.

I hope everyone has a great Saturday and first day of October.

Thoughts on this set welcomed in comments.

*takes a final sip for the post, not for the day*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

90's On The 9th:1998 Collectors Edge Masters Gold Redemption Matching Set

*sits down to post about today's cards. Let's go!*

*takes a sip*

Welcome back to 90's On The 9th. A segment that comes back every month on the 9th day. 

Before reading on, I want you to put on your board shorts or plaid flannel skirt and sit down with your Orbitz and be ready for today's post in style.

*takes a sip*

Usually with these posts, I can research or already have information about a certain card or set I am discussing and post about it. Today's cards on the other hand, I have no idea on. But, I found them to be unique and maybe not something you see everyday. 

First off, I landed today's cards for $1 plus $1 shipping. That alone is worth posting about. Hall Of Fame running backs should not go for that price especially when they are numbered. This was a steal.

Two, both of these cards from this lot are NUMBERED to the same numbering. I can't recall any cards in my collection that have the same numbering at all. Especially being the same player and basically from the same card set.

Third, did I mention I got these for $1?

*takes a sip before showing off the cards*

The only information that the seller posted was that these were called 1998 Collector's Edge Masters Gold Redemptions and that he pulled them out of his complete set. The seller also posted a picture of the box set that featured the same numbering as the cards.

 

Which was 341/500.

 

And as we already know, the second card was numbered the same.

One can only assume there was some form of redemption cards involved for these. Maybe it was the first card and then the second card is the redemption. Who knows? Maybe one of you do. 

Either way, these will be tucked away for now for safe keeping.

If you have information on these, just comment below.

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

I hope others of you join in on the 90's On The 9th. Post on your blogs, social medias, wherever. Please use the hashtag #90son9th if you are posting on social media and if it's a blog post, remember to link me to it.

Thoughts as always welcomed on the cards I post.

Also, keep in mind to induct cards into the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame.

Have a great Tuesday...at least it's not Monday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

It Pays To Post Them

*sits down with filled cup of coffee, laptop and a stack of fun cards. Guess what time it is, no it's not hump day (referencing the Geico commercial), it's time for some Cards Over Coffee*

I am always on the lookout to try and find ways to fill my many set needs.

Sometimes I am able to make some Twitter trades and other times I pick up a card or two when I have available funds on eBay.

Today, was a first for me as I completed my first ever real TCDB trade.

*takes a sip*

TCDB member Abide has been recently commenting on my posts and on one of my Unfinished Cup posts, a segment that covers my set needs, he stated he had some set help for me and left his email for contact.

So, I took advantage and did so.

We did the trade through email, which is easier for me as I can send pictures of what I have instead of taking time I don't have to input my many boxes of trade bait, and it was completed fairly fast. He absolutely blew me away helping me with a couple of longstanding sets I have been chasing.

The first one of the two sets he assisted with, knocked off 18 of the 37 needs I had for 1998 Ex2001 baseball,

I only posted a few of them here. Such great looking acetate cards and brings back many collecting memories with my dad when we ripped packs of these together.

Abide then almost took down all 5 of my needs for the 1997 Ex2000 set when he sent 3 of my needs,

Only two more to go..well one...if you read on :)

Also, take note that I used my lightbox again just to capture the magic and beauty of these. I may take pictures using that on and off depending on the cards.

On top of set help, he also discovered that I collect Allan Houston and sent along a couple of really nice freebies,

 

Check out this Houston refractor. Beautiful!!!!

Thanks again to Abide for helping me with these sets, the bonus Houstons and for walking me through the TCDB trading set up. I look forward to doing future trades with you.

*takes a sip of fresh brew before finishing up today's post*

I plan to keep posting more set needs in this series which could go on forever with as many sets I am chasing. It appears it helps to post them.

I have updated both sets featured today in their respective Unfinished Cup post. 

You can view them here,

1997 Ex2000 Baseball

1998 Ex2001 Baseball

Earlier I mentioned to read on about the 1997 Ex2000 set as I was able to acquire one of the two pieces on Twitter and only Barry Bonds eludes me from completing it. If you have it, let me know!! Contact me at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com.

Have a great Thursday.

Coffee Card Blogger Out!

Cards That Only I Care About

*does morning blog reading in open windows, yes, I read other sport card blogs and will occasionally comment when there is time. remembers an article on Night Owl Cards that is an idea for today's post. clicks link, reads article again, takes a sip and gets stack of cards ready for the latest #CardsOverCoffee post*

The legendary Night Owl Cards put up a post on June 13th that I thought would make for a great Blog-Bat-Around. He posted some cards that only mattered to him and that's the way it should be as a card blogger. Sometimes I feel like I play reading the field and want people to read my posts and not ignore them because I posted something that may not interest them.

Well, today. I took on my inner Night Owl cards and I am posting cards that only I care about or seem to. So, if you don't want to see or read about them, there will be other posts for you another day.

*takes a sip*

The good thing about what I collect is that a lot of people are not chasing it. Even though there are a lot of NY Giants collectors out there, many are only after the star players and rare cards. Not myself, I take the low road because it's fun and sometimes nostalgic.

I am also the only one that card blogs about the Giants that I have found.

For example, my latest Kerry Collins additions. There are other collectors out there, some on TCDB, that have Collins cards in their collections because of Penn State, but I haven't yet met another actual Collins collector such as myself.

I am okay with being the only one liking cards like these,

(Flair Legacy)

And then there is Charles Way. The average collector/person may ask "who is this guy?" and I will just respond, he was a fullback for the NY Giants in the 90's.

With today's NFL and lack of Fullbacks, they may also ask what a fullback is.

 

Of course, I will sometimes mention that he was primarily used as a fullback to block for my Super Collection player Rodney Hampton.

I don't keep track of Kerry Collins collection on TCDB, but I do keep track of my Charles Way where I am way out front as the top collector. 

*takes a sip and gets ready to finish up today's post*

It's okay that you may not care about the cards I posted today, I am sure some of you collect stuff that I don't care about either. Which is okay to. That is the fun thing about collecting, we collect what makes us happy and not others. Though some cards may make others jealous whether it fits their collection or not.

Hope everyone has a Wonderful Wednesday.

Thoughts on my cards and if you will continue this blog bat around welcomed in comments.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Spiderman Skills

*takes a sip, listens to the cold wind howling outside and glad to not have to go anywhere today and be able to sit down and focus on a new Cards Over Coffee post. takes another sip and gets ready for today's latest installment*

I always wondered what it would be like to be a superhero. I would guess many have. Imagine having the skill set of Superman being the strong, having laser eyes, super speed and flying. Or having the  gadgets and smarts like Batman OR having Hulk's ability to super leap or his incredible strength OR what about Spiderman. Shooting webs to swing your way across a city and the ability to use your spider senses to know when something is wrong. The only problem I have with his powers is how he acquired them. The fact a spider, a radioactive one at that, has to be near you at all (not to mention bite you) may make his power not worth acquiring at all.

Spiders equal the phrase, "oh heck no".

*picks up mug to take a sip, makes sure there was no spider underneath the mug before getting it close to the mouth. safe for another day*

I may never be Spiderman, or any superhero at all, but I have watched some freakish athletes that would appear to have superhero abilities.

That's where I start to discuss the Superheroes insert from 1998 Skybox Dugout Axcess. It is a 10-card insert set that fell 1:20 packs. The cards feature an MLB player with their Marvel counterpart.

I bought a Hideo Nomo a few months ago just to see what the cards looked like up close, but deep in my heart the one I really wanted was the Ken Griffey Jr one. However, the price was a bit out of my range.

Thankfully I have some good friends in the hobby and my buddy @ShaneSalmonson was able to acquire one for our latest trade.

The card features Griffey with his Marvel Counterpart Spiderman.

 

As many of us who watched Griffey growing up can attest, he had Spiderman abilities in the outfield especially. He used his spider senses to know when a ball was coming and climbed the walls to get them.

I think there is so much talk in today's baseball about Mike Trout, that many forget the greatness that Griffey was. If he hadn't gotten hurt a few times, he would have broken every record.

Thanks again to Shane for today's card.

*picks up mug carefully again, no spider is going to get me today. takes a sip, puts mug back down to finish today's post*

As I was typing this, I began to think that maybe I do have a super power after all....

COFFEE BLOG MAN! The unstoppable power of drinking lots of coffee and blogging at the same time. How does that sound? Maybe I should acquire the ability to give you a cup to read this blog with as well. I am focusing really hard staring at this screen...please tell me when a cup appears in front of you made the way you like it. And.......now!

Thoughts on today's card or a superhero comparison you would make in baseball is welcomed in comments below. Also let me know if you are drinking coffee while you are reading this.

Have a great Tuesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*