Never Forget To Say Thanks

I don't know how the rest of you were raised, but I was raised to always say thank you.

I say thank you after any compliment. I say thank you after any gift big, small and sometimes unwanted. I say thank you for anyone holding the door open. I say thank you for someone who just serviced my car I say thank you to nurses, teachers, doctors and people working at a grocery store. I say thank you to anyone offering me coffee. I say thank you to the mail man who delivered a fun pwe to my door and now I am going to say thank you to the person who sent it.

Thanks Jon From A Penny Sleeve For Your Thoughts.

Thank you for the Victor Cruz Topps Tek that is numbered to 50.

Thank you for Eli Manning #1,152.

Thank you for this Russell Wilson that bleeds Giants colors in the background.

Thanks for this really nice Frank Gifford card.

 

 

And thanks for the set help.

Also, thanks for being a good friend Jon.

I sure hope most of you say thank you for as often as you can. Two simple words can mean a lot to someone as it lets them know you appreciate what they just did. Think about how you feel when someone tells you that. Let that sink in.

As always, thank you for coming to read this blog...with coffee hopefully. Thanks for trying to offer me some through the computer screen too.

Don't forget you can start to nominate cards for the 2025 Coffee Card Hall Of Fame!! Cards don't have to be autographs, patch cards, super star cards. It can be whatever you think is Hall Worthy! Find details and current nominations HERE.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Just As Good The Second Time Around

*wakes up way too early, but is ready to go with a cup of coffee. Not surprised at all are you?*

Some things are just as good a second time around as they are the first. Some things are not.

For example, if you brew some coffee and pour yourself a cup, it's pretty good. However, if you leave that coffee maker off for a few hours with leftover coffee and decide that a second cup sounded good so you microwave it hot, well, it's not great. Many like it that way, but it's definitely not as good as the first time.

Another example, Spaghetti. It tastes great the first time around but if you let that sit and eat it again later in the day, it still tastes just as good if not better than the first time.

Or maybe you tried something years ago that you forgot about and then discover it again and it's just as good as the first time. I have had that experience a lot but there has been some things that were not (mainly from companies who changed the formula to the way they make the item)

What am I getting at? Well, recently I had the chance to try some things a second time around that I haven't in many years.

First up, these Goetze's caramel creams.

I haven't eaten one of these in many years, but do remember enjoying them a lot when I was a kid.

So when I was down the candy aisle and saw a bag, I said, hey, why not? So I grabbed the bag and ripped them open when I got home.

My big hope was that they were as good as I remember since it had been awhile.

I slowly opened up the wrapper and the candy fell into my hand. I could smell the sweet caramel and icing center from a distance. I picked up that piece of candy and....

*a sip of coffee*

I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in the backseat of my parent's car. Taking that weekly trip to Ames (local department store), going into the store and heading straight to the card section. The first packs every time I looked for was 1995-1996 Fleer basketball. I thought the base card design was out of this world and my biggest love was the Flair Hardwood Leaders inserts that fell one-per-pack. It was the same love I had for the 1995 Fleer football that had one Flair Preview per pack.

So I would grab a pack or two, carry them throughout the store hoping to land a new set need for my Hardwood Leaders chase and when my parents cashed out, I ran to the car with those packs still in-hand and ripped them open like the chocolate bar that Charlie ripped to find the golden ticket.

The excitement was wild.

So when the Last Dance came on and the excitement of basketball cards returned, I found a four pack lot of of 1995-1996 Fleer basketball on eBay hoping to re-live what I once did. I wanted that ooooey-goooey feeling all over.

*takes another sip of coffee, then another and another in excitement*

When they arrived, I grabbed the package from the mail box and ran back to my house. At least that's what I pictured in my mind. At age 37, being quarantined with a few extra pounds and having not run in many years, I fast paced walked instead. Out of shape I am as Yoda would say.

I got home with said package in hand and opened it.

 

The blue pack immediately stared back at me. I felt like a little kid for half of a second. Until I realized I had adult duties to take care of before I could dig on in.

*few hours later*

Each pack of Fleer basketball came with 11 cards. There were four different insert sets to chase and the base cards had four different designs to build up the base set. None were tougher than any of the others to pull. There were chances at Hot Packs which would be a pack of all inserts. Only ever pulled one once from all of the Fleer I opened. It wasn't easy, but was hoping maybe one of the three I would open would have one. Yup, I plan to save one unopened like I do with every throwback break I do.

The back of the pack had me reminiscing as much as the front.

Would this one be a hot pack? Only one way to tell...

So I slowly ripped it open, the scent of cardboard wafted to my nose. The scent not only jumped out at me, but, the top card was my Hardwood Leader....

(shakes in excitement)

Derrick Coleman. Which actually turned out to be a dupe for me. I have been re-chasing this set for a couple of years now hoping to feel that magic of owning it again.

Rest of pack 1 wasn't too shabby either,

Sir Charles! the front of this card is pretty laid back design for 1995 Fleer

Card back shows a good amount of statistics. I sometimes can't figure out if I want more stats, less stats, a write up or no write up, guess it depends on the card

Mookie was the next card. Little bit more wacky 1995 Fleer

Card in the middle, Total D of Dennis Rodman! Along with the Hardwood Leader, you can also find one insert per pack. For me it's always weird seeing Dennis in anything else but a Bulls uniform.

that's the Fleer I know!

the fourth design

 

if this card doesn't scream 90's,what does?

 

Last card in Pack 1.

Now onto Pack 2. The final two packs I won't show all of the base, just the key highlights from each.

Mitch was a dupe for me again, curses!

Sweet Double Trouble of The Admiral.

Wait what....MJ sighting!!

Pack 3 highlights,

 

Glen Rice, YESSSSS one I could use! I tend to associate Glenn with the Hornets

Shaq All Star weekend insert.

*my closing final sips of coffee, onto cup number two to finish out this post*

My final thoughts on both the rips of Fleer and

caramel I took a bite of

MJ says it best,

They both were drool worthy, terrific, tremendous, mind blowing drive to the basket with your tongue hanging out awesome. 

In easier terms, just as good the second time around.

A Mystery

*sun is already shining, heat/mugginess is building, and here I am sitting down with my first cup of joe to type this*

 

I love a good mystery.

Well, except for my coffee. Don't mess with my coffee. I have one way of liking it so don't mess with it and add some flavored mumbo jumbo or replace it with tea. 

Don't you dare.

Otherwise a good mystery is fun. Whether it's a mystery book, mystery movie, mystery mail day or mystery packs that you can buy. A good mystery keeps us on the edge of our seats.

Just like recently, when I tried my very first mystery pack.

Why is it my first? Well that's not a mystery I will leave you hanging on.

I always worry about buying them not knowing what kind of junk could be within. I assume in order to get the money the sellers are seeking, that the "chase" cards are impossible to find and a lot of it is what we could find in nickel and dime boxes. Which I am running out of places to store that kind of stuff. Yes, I have gotten to the point of collecting where space is becoming an issue. Mainly because my boxes to store stuff in are running low.

Another point to make about these mystery packs is most of these packs cost $10 when I could have turned that into a card or even two for my PC instead of possible junk.

But, this mystery pack was different than the rest I found. It was focused on my favorite era of collecting, late 90's and early 2000's. What made this pack even better, it was cheap. It had my attention.

So for $2.25 plus shipping, you get 30 cards. There are "25 cards" plus 5 cards that are Inserts/Parallels/RC cards. Intriguing.

All of the cards are NBA cards from the late 1990's through early 2000's. The seller put the Inserts/RC's/Parallels/#'d cards in plastic sleeves and each pack was wrapped like the above example.

Here's an example of some of the sets that were to be included into these mystery packs,

• 1997-1998 Topps Chrome
• 1997-1998 Bowman's Best
• 1998-1999 Fleer Mystique
• 1998-1999 Fleer Brilliants
• 1998-1999 Topps Finest
• 1998-1999 Skybox Thunder
• 1998-1999 Fleer Ultra
• 1998-1999 Upper Deck Black Diamond
• 1998-1999 Upper Deck Ionix
• 1999-2000 Skybox EX
• 1999-2000 Topps Gold Label

And the list of players that are in it as well,

• Kevin Garnett
• Vince Carter
• Grant Hill
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Anfernee Hardaway
• Tim Duncan
• David Robinson
• Jason Kidd
• Steve Nash
• Paul Pierce
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Richard Hamilton
• Chris Webber
• Kobe Bryant
• Michael Jordan
• Scottie Pippen
• Reggie Miller
• Karl Malone

Combine all of that with the price, the BIG NOSTALGIA FACTOR, how could I say no? So I grabbed two of these packs and paid under $10 for them both. After getting the packs and seeing how I did, I wished I had gotten more as they sold out almost immediately.

*smiles during my next sip*

Time to show you why they sold out so fast after opening them,

PACK 1:

We kick off the pack with a Topps Finest Felipe Lopez rookie card in old school Grizz uni. I would love a pair of those shorts to wear.

(no that's not an extra Lopez, that's the same one) I found John Stockton and a Karl Malone. Man I wished that Jazz team could had won a title. But, those darn Bulls...

Tim Hardaway, Payton, Garrity Finest rookie

Marbury (I wonder if my buddy still collects anymore who was a big time fan), another Payton and a Barkley

Shaq, Garnett, Penny Hardaway (forgot he played for the Suns)

And now onto what's supposed to be the good stuff. I thought I had already seen all of that up to this point.

Grant Hill Wing Men

Charles Barkley NBA All Stars

Elton Brand Topps Gold Label rookie. Imagine how hot this card must have been back then? For me it's about the Gold Label

Kobe! Great photo to. I never busted any of this Fleer Genuine

Cummings Topps Chrome rookie

And a Larry Hughes Black Diamond rookie. If I remember right, the rookies in this product were Sp's.

That was just pack number one folks. I was feeling like I had drank the best cup of coffee I had ever had after opening that one. Well, the cup I have right now isn't too shabby either nor is Pack 2.

*takes another sip*

PACK 2

I remember Mcleod and how hot his cards were supposed to be.....

Here we go some more. Fleer Mystique was another great looking product, PC guy Allan Houston Topps Chrome, Shawn Kemp, Spreeeeeeeeeeewelllll or as MSG called it out

Jamal Mashburn, Ewing, my first dupe with the Stockton, Kittles

A few Gary Paytons, Barkley another Hakeem Olajuwon

Marbury peeled Finest parallel, The Admiral, Hakeem again, Ray Allen

The sleeved cards including Webber, Tom Gugliotta nice die cut insert

Tim Duncan insert. I think it's either rookie year or year after. I can't remember now. I opened this awhile back.

And I believe I can fllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy wooooooooooooo. An MJ spotting. Very cool especially being a side PC card and the way his cards have been moving. Fleer Ultra was also the bomb back then

 

It was the back of the card that caught my attention. I am not sure if you can read it, but the Did You Know? was "four hours before every game, Michael eats a 23-ounce New York Steak, either a baked potato or mashed potatoes, a salad and ginger ale."

That's crazy. Can you imagine running around for three hours with that in your system? That's just another reason why he is the GOAT.

*cup one down, next one coming up*

I contacted the seller afterwards and thanked them for a trip back in time and told them how much I enjoyed their mystery pack. They mentioned to me that they may make a second series seeing how this one went, if they could find the rest of their cards.

A week later, guess what they found and made and even contacted me about.

And guess what I did

And guess how I did...

A mystery isn't it....

Too bad that's for another cup of coffee, or two, another day.