BBA:We Had It All The 1990's

Back in the 90's, we had it all in the hobby.

We had the most innovative cards. We had lots of legends and Hall Of Fame players to collect, some of which we will never see the likes of again...yes I am talking especially about you Michael Jordan. We had price guides to price our cards. We had checklists inserted in packs to help us set collectors, some of those checklists were even apart of the set. We had coaches, cheerleaders, and even refs in our sets.

We had it all.

Today's cards will have nothing on what I enjoyed then. That's why I am focusing a lot of adding cards from that era. Maybe even finish some long time sets that have been sitting around.

So, I created this Blog Bat Around to see what era of cards you liked, why, and some new additions you may have added from that era.

I have many to show and will let the cards themselves do the talking. Good luck making a case against these. Maybe some of you will even agree and I will get to see even more awesomeness from this era.

Here are my latest additions,

 

 

And I ended this with a Highlight Reel. See what I did there.

These cards I will treasure, despite the players, more than any others. I don't care about the player. It's more about the card, memory and what it means to me.

Now let me see you beat the 90's. Good luck.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Trending This Week In My Hobby

Welcome to Week 2 of Trending This Week In My Hobby.

If you missed Week 1 or am curious what this segment is about if this is your first time seeing it, I will be posting my Top 10 things I have been either adding or seeking the most or in other words what has been trending in my hobby, hence the name. Next week, the list could change and some things could disappear with new things added or move up and down my interests list.

You just never know because I never know here my head will be week to week.

So, the next post will feature the list of stuff for that week and then will compare it to this week for a breakdown of the trending ways and why. If I have an explanation for it.

Hopefully I will.

Without further ado or more rambling, here is the very first list of what's trending in my hobby this week,

1. 90's Inserts Any Team, Any Sport, Any Player specifically 1995-99
2. 2025 Wild Card Splat Eli Manning Cards
3. Disney Lorcana Darkwing Duck Cards
4. Ken Griffey Jr Cards
5. Jaxson Dart Cards
6. NY Giants Cards
7. Eli Manning Cards
8. Rodney Hampton Cards
9. Non Sport Autograph/Relic Cards
10. Allan Houston Cards

And that's it for this weeks updated list. Not too much has changed other than 90's inserts overtaking the number one spot over the very close second place 2025 Wild Card Splat Eli Manning cards. Those are still strongly wanted and I will really have to do a big reveal at some point either on this blog or Big Blue Cardboard (so make sure you are following that blog too) to show you why.

Falling off my list is Mikaela Shiffrin, who is more like at 10B here. However, moving up really strong is Disney Lorcana Darkwing Duck cards. When I found out those existed and with my fandom/nostalgia of the show, those easily became a must want/have and I have added some that I will post about.

So, not much changing so far here overall.

If you were curious about last weeks list and how it changed, here it is again,

1. 2025 Wild Card Splat Eli Manning Cards
2. 90's Inserts Any Team, Any Sport, Any Player specifically 1995-99
3. Ken Griffey Jr Cards
4. Jaxson Dart Cards
5. NY Giants Cards
6. Eli Manning Cards
7. Rodney Hampton Cards
8. Non Sport Autograph/Relic Cards
9. Allan Houston Cards
10. Mikaela Shiffrin Cards

Who knows what next week will bring or where the wind will take me next. I guess you will have to come back and see.

While you wait, let me know what you are collecting this week or what's been trending in your hobby!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Card #300 Of 2026 Has Arrived

 *sits down, has cup of coffee in hand, ready to post*

We have done it again! Another milestone hit in 2026! I skipped right over Card #200 and Card #250 just to show off Card #300!

I decided that maybe I need to spread these minor milestones out a bit more instead of every fifty. So the next one after today may wait until I get to card #500. Who knows how long that will take.

In the meantime, let's take a sip *takes a sip* and get to celebrating the card at hand today.

Card #300 is a 1998 Upper Deck Encore Super Powers insert of Fred Taylor. These inserts weren't terribly tough to pull at 1:11 packs, but I think they look cool. Upper Deck Encore was like the Topps Chrome version of Topps where they took basic the basic Upper Deck, and glorified it with shiny thicker foil board. It worked really well and these inserts look 100x better than the base Upper Deck version.

Fred Taylor was apart of the 90's Jaguars team I really liked to watch. There was just something about them with Mark Brunell, Natrone Means, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. I couldn't get enough of them and if I hadn't already been a Giants fan, I may have been a Jags one.

Well, that does it for Card #300. It will be interesting to see what card this year ends up as Card #500.

Hope everyone has a safe St. Patricks Day. Be smart and make good decisions today. I expect you back here tomorrow to read more Cards Over Coffee.

In comments today, tell me what your favorite Green Card (St. Patty's Day) is your favorite card or comment on my card or let me know how many cards you have so far roughly brought in for 2026.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfinished Cup:1997 Pro Line NFL Gems Gems Of The NFL

The last couple of days sitting at home after surgery has freed up some time that I didn't have before. 

So, guess what...I am putting some of that extra time into getting some posts done.

Hope you're ready.

*takes a sip of fresh brewed afternoon brew*

Yes, this is another set on my set chases. It's a fun one from the 90's.

If you didn't know, the 90's were ahead of Panini's time with putting jewels into cards. Of course I feel like the late 90's are still ahead in a lot of categories.

Today's set is a really good looking one that I decided to chase out of nowhere after discovering that I had a couple sitting around.

The front of the card features a stud of a player and a stud itself. From my research, these were mail-in redemptions pulled from packs. I am unsure of the odds on these, but can't imagine they were easy pulls.

The odd numbered cards in the set contain emeralds and the even numbered cards have sapphires.

Also, the front of the card is covered in 23K gold.

  

The back of the card features a write up on the player

Overall, there are 16 cards in the set to chase. I have about 5 of them. There are also two bonus Elway variations, but I only plan on collecting the main 16.

Find which ones I need HERE.

I hope everyone is enjoying an afternoon cup with me for today's post, *takes a sip*, and hope you all have a great rest of your Friday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

On The Good List

Every Year, Santa Dennis from Too Many Verlanders brings the joy of Christmas to many different mailboxes of those who have been good little girls and boys. 

I am happy to say I am always on the good list and have been one of those lucky recipients for many years.

By being on the good list and getting one of these mail days, you will find yourself immersed with a little bit of everything from your PC as Santa Dennis keeps track of your "lists".

I was good enough to add some Ken Griffey Jr. Both of us collect Junior so I am sure he sends me his dupes and I reciprocate when I can.

90's inserts were up next.

 

This was one of my favorite designs for Wave Of The Future and is one of my many set chases.

Then there as this Die-Cut, Acetate, wonderful piece of art.

I considered chasing this set, I still might, such a stunner. Feels very American baseball.

The 90's was followed by some non-sport.

Can't touch this.

And never tell me the odds that Santa Dennis knew I needed these.

After these two, well, had me feeling blue. In a good list kind of way.

Well except seeing a new Saquon. I still collect former Giants in blue, but he makes me sad with the season he has had.

90's, new, set material and a Giant. Wow.

 

Team color match-trippy card, love it.

I have wanted this card for a while. We will ignore the player's name and just look at it as the card. I really think the theme and background is where it's at with this one.

  

I was in double shock(ey) with these two. I must have been double good this year.

Not many remember that I collect Paul Perkins as a bigger side Giants PC, but Santa Dennis does.

And finally it wouldn't be Christmas or a gift from Santa Dennis if...

 

there wasn't an ugly sweater involved. Been needing this one for a while as I have been trying to finish up this dual relic set. Now just need the rest of them!

Thanks again Dennis for your generosity around the holidays again.

I will make sure to stay on the good list again for next year.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Buried

Coffee is ready, the snow is coming down (some thunder and lightning to) but I have some cards so let's do a new post, so I don't have to look out the window.

*takes a sip*

I have to admit it's hard not looking out the window. We just had a couple nice 50-degree days, the snow was gone, my spring flowers were arriving and now we are about to buried in 10+ inches of snow. That's along with wind gusts and some freezing rain.

I can think of a lot of other things I would rather be buried in. Coffee beans, cupcakes, those cream filled caramels, and mail days from blog reader Oren.

Fortunately for me, one just arrived from Oren and this one provided enough warmth from the snow.

We kick it off with this Manny Ramirez. Minus the reflection of my hand, this is a pretty cool die-cut.

This card goes along with my very slow set build. I have completed the baseball and football sets, but the basketball is creeping along. Of course, thinking about trying to add the Jordan and Kobe are reasons this has taken so long to attempt to complete.

I will always welcome First Pitch cards. I am sure I have dupes, but I am fine with that. The McGraw I know for certain is new and at some point, I should see what I need to complete the sets.

I wished Topps would have continued this insert line instead of adding more 87 reprint inserts. I wished those were buried in snow.

Two more great looking die-cut cards. I remember chasing cards of both players in the 90's.

I wonder if this design led to the Fleer Metal release a few years later.

This is a Rock Solid add as it is a new one towards this set chase. I know I throw around the word set chase a lot on here, especially in this post, but I can't help my love of the 90's.

Speaking of the Fleer Metal design...here it is. I am not sure how far along I am with my baseball set chase for metal,but I am getting closer to the football one both for 1997 and 1998.

Shiny Marshall Faulk. I would take being buried in anything shiny.

I know, I put a Giants card on here.  Deal with it. Looking and collecting Giants cards are my cup of tea....well coffee. This is a new Daniel Jones for the PC and is /49. How much longer will his tenure with the Giants be? Guess we will find out at the end of this month.

 

And the final card which was a surprise one to make it 12-cards in this trade is this stunning Upper Deck Ice Crystals. I have to admit, some of these hockey cards are really growing on me. This is one of them. You don't have to like or watch hockey to appreciate a card like this. Glad to see that Upper Deck is still putting out nice looking cards. If only they had other licenses.

Thanks again to Oren for our latest trade, hope to get buried by another one of your mail days soon. Instead of more snow.

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

*takes another sip. closes curtain to outside*

Luckily for me today, I don't have to do any form of traveling so it will be a snowed in at home day instead. My wife also has the day off to.

I will have to see how the roads look tomorrow before I decide if I need to reschedule my first physical therapy session for my shoulder since I had the kidney stone.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday and hopefully your weather is better than mine.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*