The Shoebox Delivers Part 5

My first post of March begins on Day 3 of the month.

It has been a busy week overall and one that was a bit rough for me as well. When hasn't 2024 been rough for me? I ended up with a nasty head cold Wednesday night which carried over to Thursday where it completely knocked me out and I was in bed by 8:30. Friday, I spent 80% of the day in bed with Kidney stent pain followed by another round of kidney stent pain on Saturday.

I am hoping for a better day today.

Guess it all starts with my coffee.

*takes a sip*

Today, I am finally finishing up posting about the shoebox trade with my father. I was going to drag this out a little longer, but I have nothing else to post about as I had no card mail days incoming recently.  I could post the bills I got as there was plenty of those, but I wouldn't want you to be as depressed as I am about it.

So, before I continue with today's finale, if you missed the previous parts of this series, you can check them out here:

Part 1 of the magical Shoebox trade

Part 2, which you can see HERE.

And Part 3 which is HERE.

And Part 4 you can read HERE.

Now onto the cards.

This is a set I was considering chasing, now with the toughest player on the checklist acquired in Jerry Rice, I may have to make this a reality. Really cool design.

 A ton of 1994 Action Packed Warp Speed. There was 7 of the 12 cards in the set found in the box. And before you ask, yes I already had this Rodney Hampton.

Next, I found these Golden Domers subset cards of Rick Mirer. However, what I can't figure out is that one has a shine to it. I don't see a parallel noted for it. If any of you have info, please comment with it. I think it's a pretty cool looking one.

Up next, autograph cards! This was completely unexpected. This is why I questioned if my father even looked through this box before trading it to me.

Not a lot of big names to start out with.

Not too often you find a Basketball Hall Of Famer autograph tucked into the bottom of a shoebox. He was also a former Knick so that's cool as well.

And then Jake the Snake Plummer autograph who also happens to be a side PC player for me. I will never forget when he led the Cardinals to the playoff upset of the Cowboys which I loved every minute of.

I would say in the end I made out pretty well in this trade. It was like the cardboard Gods were blessing me for once.

If you are reading this dad, thanks again for the trade.

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

There were a couple things I didn't mention in my opener. One, I went to see a surgeon on Wednesday before I fell sick with the head cold to discuss options with the hernia, they discovered on my catscan when they gave me one for the kidney stone. Apparently, the surgeon looked at a past catscan from a previous kidney stone in 2020 and saw the hernia then but it has grown bigger over time. Most likely another needed surgery this year that will knock me out for four weeks. UGH. But it will be completely up to me though if I want it done. Knowing that it has been growing, it probably should be taken care of sooner rather than later.

Second thing, I called my urologist on Friday since I was dying in pain, and she wasn't available. The nurse took notes and info from me. I should hear back on Monday if there is anything they can do for me sooner. Prayers on that. I need this stent out as I don't want to wait another three weeks.

I hope this week goes better, hope all of you have a great week as well. 

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Glutton For Punishment

If you look up the definition for glutton on Google, it gives you the following definition, "an excessively greedy eater" and "a person who is excessively fond of or always eager for something".

The first part of that definition covers my coffee addiction. I am glutton for coffee (as I say this and chug down a cup)

The second definition of this, covers my glutton for new football cards. Especially the first product of the new year.

 

Sage Hit is always the first to hit the market and pave the way for the new rookie class. So, it's always the first retail product I grab seeing the 3 autographs for $20 and knowing in the long run I will be a glutton for punishment. Those three autographs are always a draw, but I know those three autographs are always the nobodies.

 

The other part that bugs me about the product is that the autographs are always segregated. So, you know that five of these packs are base cards. I would rather have the surprise and the thrill.

But, yet I am a glutton and still buy it.

 

This years base design simple and easy like it usually is. All images are used without college logos on purpose since they no longer have the license to use them.

Next Level is the main subset in the base set.

New to this year is the Jerry Rice insert set. The product also this year has randomly inserted Rice autographs. But, I don't expect to find any in retail products.

 Speaking of the autographs, lets see my punishment.

Jahfari Harvey. Who?

A QB auto!!! Oh wait, Quincy Patterson. Who?

And we finish it up with a WR that is actually a TE autograph. And a terrible signature at that.

I actually got offensive playmakers for once so my punishment wasn't as bad, but, still, there was no CJ Stroud in here nor will there ever be.

Should have I not bought this and invested my money elsewhere including maybe a box of coffee? Most likely. But, will I? Probably not. I will continue to be a glutton for punishment.

Thoughts below on this product.

Have a great Monday!

*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*

My Favorite Subset

*the long days of summer are officially gone and the dreary dark mornings of fall have kicked in. It's the same thing for today, guess I need to brighten up my day and anyone else's day with some #CardsOverCoffee*

With my baseball season officially over last night with the Boston Red Sox defeating the NY Yankess 6-2, it's time to focus directly onto football. Not that my mind wasn't already there and not that I watch much baseball anyways including last nights game which I caught up on NCIS instead, but I can officially rule out any care I had left. Except my hatred for the Red Sox, hope they lose. Other than that, don't care who wins.

With my mind completely focused onto football, it got me to thinking back to one of my favorite NFL subsets all time. I have mentioned this 10-card subset before, but have never shown it all off card by card to let you see why I enjoy this set so much.

*takes a sip, begins to wonder what breakfast may be*

The subset is called Mirror Image and was included in the 1995 Skybox Premium base set. Hence, a subset. The cards covered numbers 149-158 in the set and had NFL Stars on one side and top picks of the 1994 NFL Draft on the other. The stars and the top picks were compared to each other as Mirror Images. Looking back at some of the comparisons now you can say most didn't pan out.

Let's take a look at those comparisons in picture form below, (NOTE:I have a few drafts such as this one kicking around with pictures I took the old fashion way before my light box. I have got to publish these first before the upgrade)

Up first, Emmitt Smith and Errict Rhett.

While Rhett ran for a little over 4,000 yards in his career, Smith broke records, won multiple Super Bowls and has a career full of achievements.

Both Sanders and Faulk had MVP and Hall Of Fame careers. Probably one of the best comparisons on here though both players game was much different. There will never be another Barry Sanders I promise you that.

While Jerry Rice broke records that may never be broken, Darnay Scott played for the Bengals. But, he is known for being one of their greatest WR's ever to play if that counts for something.

Both Floyd and Johnston were bruising full backs, but despite a ring on Floyds finger, the other guy that led the way for Emmitt Smith has multiple rings.

Even though Trent Dilfer did something that Dan Marino couldn't do, win a Super Bowl but that was because of that Ravens defense, there is no other comparison. Dan was the Man.

While Shuler had a short and unnoticed NFL Career, John Elway went onto win Super Bowls and had an amazing career both as a passer and running QB.

Bam Bam had close to 4,000 yards in his career but Means had a little over 5,000. I would say this is a pretty close comparison, though Bam Morris had some terrific angry runs.

Though Wilkinson had a solid career with multiple teams and 54.5 sacks, White was dominant. He is apart of the 100 Sack club, won a Super Bowl, Hall Of Famer and all around good guy.

Rodney led the Giants in rushing and rushing records for many years until the injury bug hit, while Mario Bates rushed for over 3,000 yards in his career.

And finally, Marvin Jones was the 4th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft but didn't live up to expectations despite a 10+ career in the NFL. Junior Seau though, Hall Of Famer, All-Pro and big time Pro-Bowler.

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

*gets up from seat to hunt down breakfast food as post cannot be finished without something in the tummy as it's rumbling.*

*grabs a cookie for now, takes a seat. takes a sip, a bite and gets ready to finish up the post*

What I enjoy most about the cards above is the jersey background of the opposite player on the other side. It just stands out and this lack of creativity is simply lacking today. This is why nothing will ever beat this subset for me.

Also, as I was typing this, I got to thinking, do any of us Mirror Image our collecting with anyone? Do we have any similarities to other bloggers or collectors we know or are we our own brand? What about blogging in general, do we try to Mirror Image ourselves from someone else's blog? I would be curious to see your thoughts in the comments below.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*