A Legendary Autograph And Follow

I feel really bad for those who didn't grow up in the 80's and 90's, or at least have lived through them, because they have missed out on some legends of every game.

I would say a good 80%, if not higher, players from that time are the Mount Rushmore of their positions/sports.

When I think baseball, I think Ken Griffey Jr. The swing, the home runs, the incredible outfield plays, the no steroids in a steroid era. 

When I think hockey, it's the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Yeah, his goal record was just broken by Alex Ovechkin, but Gretzky was a champion and still owns plenty of other records.

When I think basketball, it's Michael Jordan. I don't think any one player has ever dominated a sport like MJ. Go ahead argue with me on that one. The closest you could come to is Joey Chestnut and the sport of eating isn't a real sport.

And when I think of football, yeah there is Tom Brady but look at some of the controversy that comes with him, but did any player dominate the sport like the one from Detroit? Barry Sanders played on some really bad Lion's teams, but that dude could ball despite what was around him. Who else can take a ten-yard loss and turn it into an 55-yard gain? NOBODY. Find another player that could run like that without turning on your Playstation and using the cheat codes.

There isn't one.

For me, he was the GOAT. 

Some of you may be like, "aren't you a Rodney Hampton fan?". Absolutely and Rodney had some great seasons, but there was nothing like watching the smooth-running style of Barry Sanders. Watching it in slow-motion is even more incredible.

I sometimes imagine what it would have been like if he hadn't retired early. Can you imagine the records he would have broken? But I also get retiring early to protect your body and never having a down season.

It was a GOAT move.

So, when I entered Barry's autograph on Twitter giveaway for the billionth time, I almost had an aneurysm when I found out he not only followed me but also announced me as one of his winners for a signed photo.

 

It's real^^^^^^^Look^^^^^I still can't believe it!!!

And a week later...

 

This arrived! How cool is that?!

Thanks Barry! I appreciate the autograph! This will be hitting the mancave shortly!

This had got to be one of the coolest moments in my life, definitely by far for Twitter. A follow from the legend and his autograph.

If you are reading this today and am like who in the world is Barry Sanders? I would look him up on YouTube if I was you. I promise you won't be disappointed! The only disappointment is the fact you didn't know who he was to begin with and see what you missed out on.

It's getting late but had to keep my ten-day streak alive of posting (which technically is dead now since it's publishing after midnight when I was trying to finish it before). I am dead tired now and going to bed.

Good Night!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Worth The Wait Part 1

It was certainly worth the wait.

My mail day from @90sNicheFBCard was a long time coming, by long time I am talking over a year. I know that sounds bad, but I know he was busy with life and to me, that comes first. Life and family come before hobby, I think some people struggle to understand that, but I go with that philosophy and always will.

So, over that time our trade continued to build, and I sent him stuff on and off throughout that time, so I know on my end, I was all set. Because once again, life can get in the way, so I wanted to make sure I was covered just in case.

We had a lot of fun along the way joking about when he would mail, but he kept telling me by Christmas I would have it. And he didn't break his promise.

A box arrived from him with my name on it and I was immersed in what had been collected over that time. Some I knew about, some I didn't and then there was a big surprise at the end. 

You will have to wait until the Part 2 to see that and the Giants cards in this mail day will be posted on Big Blue Cardboard if you want to see those.

While you wait for those posts, let's check out what I am showing off today.

First up, some new Griffeys,

(say what you want about Panini baseball cards, but this card is stunning)

Then came some new Judges,

(not sure what these are, but this card is thick and heavy)

 

 

A couple new JDoms,

 

(this one makes me think of Austin Powers)

And a cool Babe Ruth,

Check it out. Always like a nice die cut!

And then some set help for my 1997 Fleer Metal Marvel 

 

Huge one here with Sanders. Now I have the best two in the set and am roughly three away from completion.

This wasn't even all of the cards that I could have put into Part 1. I just didn't want to flood the post, but I will say I saved some amazing stuff for Part 2 and for my Giants post.

Stay tuned for more from this mail day.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfinished Cup:1996 Score Dream Team Football

It's Thursday and I haven't missed a beat all week with posts. I can't always promise a new post, but if I can squeeze one in and have time to do so, I will.

However, I don't ever miss a cup of coffee whether I have time to make it or not. I will find a way to have at least one.

Or two.

Sometimes three.

Enough with that....as I take a sip...let's move onto my latest set needs in my today's Unfinished Cup post.

I have lots of nostalgia when it comes to Score football from 1995-1998. The 1995 product is what really got me lured into the hobby so you knew I was going to chase 1996.

One of the inserts I always wanted to pull from the 1996 product were the tough 1:72 odds Dream Team. Even though I ripped a box worth of packs from our local grocery store, I never once pulled one. As that year went on, I had forgotten about those inserts and moved on to brighter pastures as they say.

Fast forward to last year, I found them again after searching the internet for 90's inserts. I knew then it was destiny that I got one of the cards, so I grabbed one. Then I grabbed another. And another. And guess what, another. 

That's when it became not only a dream of owning one, but became a set chase. Which was another dream.

 

And now I am only 1,2,3,8,and 9 away from fulfilling it.

With it only being a 10-card set and being halfway there, I can't see why this once dream can't be turned into a reality.

If you are reading this today and have any set help for me, drop me an email at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com or comment below.

Thanks again!

Hope you have a coffee filled Thursday.

Coffee Card Blogger Out.

Only Time I Want The Edge

*sits down on this frustrating day so far. cold temps to -30, internet being down for 11 days, and other frustrations have led to a calming moment to do a new cards over coffee post with an afternoon cup of delight*

*takes a sip...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. that hits the spot*

There have been arguments since the beginning of time over the edge piece of any baked goods, especially brownies. For me it's no argument, you go for the gooey center every time. This is not just for brownies and desserts, for me, as it's the same way with pasta dishes and anything else you bake. I just am not a fan of the outer edges. I don't like the crunchiness or over cooked parts. Give me chewy over crunchy any day.

I am anti-edge.

The only time an edge is acceptable to me, is when it's a Collectors Edge which I have plenty to show off of with my recent trade with Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday.

*takes a sip before showing off today's cards*

Shane had gone to a card show to hunt for not only things for himself, but to hunt for things for our trade. He knows how much I am always on the hunt for 90's inserts and parallels and he found plenty for me. 

Today, I am just showing off the Collectors Edge that he found, and I am not going to even comment on each card. I will let the cards do the talking for themselves. So, sit there, scroll slowly, take a sip of coffee (or another beverage if you choose) and enjoy. If it comes to it, grab a snack.

You will quickly see why this is the only time I want the edge.

 

How was that? I bet those made your day. I know they made mine seeing them again, I needed that pick-me-up.

A lot of those cards fit some set chases I had already begun, so when Shane had shown me what he had picked up, I knew it was a double PC find.

Thanks again to Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday for not only having good taste in pickups, but for snagging these for me.

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

Whether you are an edge or a middle of the dish person, I think we can all agree that Collectors Edge brought a lot to the plate. See what I did there. It's too bad they didn't keep on rolling until today. For those of us that collected in the 90's, we were pretty lucky to have brands like Collectors Edge.

If any of you have any of these for my set chases, let me know and I will give you my list of needs.

In the meantime, comment below if you are an edge or middle person and your thoughts on Collectors Edge and the cards I featured today.

Have a great Thursday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

90's Cards Over Coffee:1996 Pinnacle Mint Football Box Break

*watching the snow fall...AGAIN...and I picture myself drinking coffee somewhere warm...and then I come back down to earth and at least my coffee is warm. I could use a distraction so guess it's time for some Coins...I mean Cards Over Coffee*

Every year, Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday fame and myself pull off a fall trade that usually includes some...well..cheap wax.

This past fall we pulled off another one of those massive trades and I have been sitting on some boxes to post about.

First up, a box of 1996 Pinnacle Mint football.

I have already busted a box of this a couple years ago and had so much fun that I wanted to do it again. It's a product that brings two hobbies into one and brings me a lot of nostalgic memories back when I opened some packs at 13 years old.

So now we know what must happen..

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Each box of 1996 Pinnacle Mint football comes with 16 packs. Each pack comes with three cards, two cards with a die cut hole in the middle, one base and two coins in a plastic holder. Box price, I have no idea now. But, with today's hobby, it's gone crazy I am sure.

There are 30 base Bronze cards to collect. Sadly only one NY Giant but the rest of the set is mainly the stars of the 90's. The one Giant isn't even Rodney Hampton, it's Dave "I throw tons of interceptions" Brown.

There are also 30 Silver parallels as well that fall 1:20 packs.

You can also find Gold parallels as well.

I need to gather the die cuts and base to see how far I am on those sets and make a list of needs if so. I don't think at this time I will bother chasing the parallel sets with only a few in-hand.

*takes another sip, then another. The snow continues to fall heavily with an expected amount of 1-3 inches today. Another sip is due and more cups to come after this one is finished*

Also in this product are the die cut cards. These die cut cards are meant to be used for the coins to be inserted into.

*onto cup number two, now to check out the coins*

The coins come together as a two pack in every pack of 1996 Pinnacle Mint. Most of the time will be the brass coins which is the basic ones to find.

The coins feature a picture of a players face on one side and the Pinnacle Mint words on the other. I got a little lazy here and just posted all of my coins in one picture with just the faces. I pulled all of the good ones. I need to see if I finally have this set together.

I also found this Nickle parallel coin of Dan Marino that falls 1:20 packs. Next to it is the base brass so you can see the comparison.

And that does it for the break.

Once again that was a lot of fun. Brought me back to when I was 13 years old and found packs of these in a local craft store that had a solid display of cards. My father and I would volunteer to take my grandmother to the craft store so she could grab yarn and just so we had an excuse for my mother on why we went there. As I have said before, my mother was never and still is not a fan of the hobby. Of course she also didn't know of the packs we would hide in our coat pockets back then either. If she did, we would have become a missing persons case.

This is just Box one of four I have to post. So more to come and more coffee to come as well.

*snow finally slowing down for now, some peaks of sun, not sure how long that will last but I plan to take full advantage of it by signing off from here. Coffee blogger out*

Freshly Perked:Heroes

Freshly Perked is a new series that will be focused on my mail days throughout the week. I will only post this series on the weekend whether it's a Saturday or a Sunday to recap my mail days. Hope you enjoy!

This should be a fun new series on the blog that takes a look at cards I don't always show off on all of my social media reaches or even in a regular blog post on here. Not that they aren't as important, but it's more because they are smaller type mail days that don't require a big long rambling.

*goes over to coffee maker to grab a cup before moving into this post, but realizes the coffee maker didn't brew all the way through. Opens up the cover, sees that the a good chunk of the water is still held up with the grounds. Slams the cover back down, gives it another tap and for some reason or another, coffee maker is going. Being resilient for that need of a fresh cup will help you get what you want*

This weeks mail days come from a trade, a steal of a deal and some generosity.

First up, I saw a buddy of mine post a 2020 Prestige Heroes insert of Patrick Mahomes and instantly fell in love. Kinda of like when you see that big coffee mug you simply need.

So I went and found the checklist to see if any Giants players were on it and discovered that Eli Manning was. This led to a tweet by yours truly looking for that said Eli Manning card.

I ended up getting a pretty quick response after my tweet and the person wanted to do a pwe trade in which they were looking to trade for Braves cards. So I spent a good hour looking for a few of equal value and replied to that person's tweet to never hear back from them. There is nothing worse then not responding to someone. That is my biggest pet peeve in the hobby. Well, besides wasting time looking for stuff in a failed trade. This person hit both but I am not one to shout out there names from a hill top in song.

Remember that the next time you try to trade with me. I am looking at all of you.

*takes a big gulp a little angry, picks up the pile of cards nearby and looks through them again. Be one with the cards. Be one with the cards*

Fortunately, a Jets fan by the Twitter handle @pbasniper said he had a blue parallel version he would happily pwe for free my way before he threw it away. Read that again and catch the key word Jets fan in there to see why he would toss Eli away.

I was very happy to hear that after my first failed attempt to land this card.

The card arrived in a few days and was as spectacular as I expected, maybe even a little more with the Giants blue also involved.

Back of the card showcases more of the fun comic book art creativity.

This would be a fun rainbow chase, but probably a costly one. I will just be happy to own a copy of it.

A well earned thanks to @pbasniper for this mail day.

*takes a sip of coffee feeling better about the missed trade*

Next up, I pulled off a very quick trade with @GarrettAdair who had a couple of Xavier McKinney cards for sale. Yes, I put both trade and for sale in the same sentence. Knowing I couldn't buy, I reached out to Garrett about a trade and he happily obliged knowing they would be going to a good home.

Prestige Blue Extra points parallel /299

 

And autograph. My first Xavier autograph and it accomplishes my biggest want out of this years Giants draft class. His signature though, could use some coaching.

Xavier McKinney was a second round pick by the Giants and fills in a much needed position that has been a gaping whole for some time. With him and Peppers side by side, the Giants secondary got a little bit better. Big expectations are all around for Xavier.

Thanks for the trade Garrett!

*coffee coffee coffee...and cards. Three sips before the finale part of this post*

Finally, my wife could see my disappointment on one of our latest Walmart runs to look for cards and the shelves were so bare I could have set up my blogging station there with laptop and coffee and changed the name to this blog to No Cards Over Coffee.

Which wouldn't be quite as good as this one.

She and I share the same eBay account so she had a notification that one of my cards was ending and landed it for me as a surprise really cheap. I had actually forgotten it was ending.

 

This 1996 Zenith Z-Team Barry Sanders creeps me to only three more cards away from having the set. I am only missing Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders and Dan Marino from completing it. This is a slow moving snail of a 14 year set build. I know someday I will get there but first it would be nice to see a Aikman pop up. None are on eBay from what I can tell.

That does it for the very first Freshly Perked. I will see how this kind of post is received before I do another down the road. As I have said before, mail days for me right now are few and far between so I never know when the next could be!

*takes a sip of coffee, thinks over what breakfast could be today and decides on a bagel.......yes again. *

The Card Pyramid

*woke up too early, sits down turns on the laptop, forgets coffee, goes to get the most important part of the morning, goes back to sit. Realizes he didn't turn the laptop actually on, he hit the caps lock button. Actually turns the laptop on, takes a big chug of coffee and seems ready to go*

It's another Monday morning. Which usually is a drag for most folks but I don't mind them. Except when I get up too early, then it becomes a drag. Like today may be.

Even though I ate a very late supper, I am already hungry this morning so I will grab what I call my complete meal.

What's in a complete meal?

Let's see,

First you start with the bottom of the food pyramid with your bread. In this case, it's a lightly toasted blueberry bagel. Which the blueberry part covers the next part of the pyramid with your fruit.

Up next, the greatest stuff known to man, Philadelphia Veggie Cream Cheese. This gives me both my vegetable and my dairy.

So I spread the veggie cream cheese on the blueberry bagel, top it off with Coffee with Hazelnut creamer (the cup I already poured this morning) which covers both the Meat/Nuts part of the pyramid and the sugar part and we have a complete meal.

I also know now what you are thinking as well, isn't veggie cream cheese gross on a fruit flavored bagel? Well, I will tell you not at all. I have also put it on a Cinnamon Raisin before. Don't gag too much before you give it a try!

It may sound like an odd pairing, but sometimes the most oddest pairings bring out the greatest things.

*sips some more coffee, takes a bite of his bagel, then another, and maybe another. Then moves onto the card portion of this post*

Another odd pairing is thinking about football players being featured on anything but a football field. You know what though, it works and it works marvelously.

My recent 1998 Fleer Metal additions tells me this. The Fleer Metal cards for 1996-1998 are some of the most unique base cards out there.

Especially the 1998 ones.

Let's take some football players, put some unique background scenes that is based off from the teams location or name that sound obscure but makes them a masterpiece. Who would have thought this genius idea would pan out and be as popular as it is today still.

There were 200 cards in this base set that featured a ton of great scenes and included a few Hall Of Fame rookies.

Let's take a look at some of my favorite cards in the base set,

Barry Sanders with a Lion, pure cleverness.

The rookies on the other hand, don't have such unique backgrounds but instead are out of this world. I mean literally out of this world.

I know one thing, the Peyton Manning and Randy Moss were nailed perfectly with their play because it was out of this world. Two of the greatest to ever play their positions.

However, Ryan Leaf should be shown with a pile of money in the background for what the Chargers spent on him to be their leader. Or maybe a watermark of Peyton Manning's head to show what could have been. I will let you guys decide on that one.

Football players and unique scenes, looks like a well balanced card to me that would fill up a Card Pyramid.

What's a Card Pyramid you may ask? I can see the expression on your face.

A Card Pyramid is similar to the food pyramid. Each section of a card set, base-insert-hits, has it's own pyramid and then has an all together pyramid to make up a product.

An individual pyramid, such as these Fleer Metal cards, has base design as the bottom, player checklist as the middle and back design for the top. Which the Fleer Metal has a well balanced pyramid. A full Card Pyramid would have three parts to make it well balanced. First would be a great base set, followed by unshakeable inserts then topped off with hits. Being a 90's collector, hits are like the sugar to a food pyramid. Not necessarily needed, but nice to have once in awhile in small portions. Though I may have more sugar and hits then I need sometimes which adds a little bit more padding around the collection/waistline.

*finishes up first bagel, moves onto second then takes a sip of coffee to finish up this post*

The big stack of Metal cards isn't a full set. I am still lacking roughly 30 or so cards to completion. I hope to have these wants posted soon.

In the meantime, give the veggie cream cheese a try on a fruit bagel and hope you have a well balanced meal and card pickup today.