My Top 10 Acquistions Of 2024

Before we get too far into 2025, I wanted to recap my favorite pickups of 2024.

First though, I need my coffee. So, hold on. It's temps in the negatives and the only way out of that ice coldness is coffee.

*coffee brewed. happiness and warmness achieved*

There is no particular order below for my Top 10 acquisitions as they are all equal. I could have added more and made this a Top 20. But I just wanted to narrow it down.

It's cold and I just want my coffee.

*sips*

 

First card up is Kyle Lauletta. I just love the patch on this card. It would have been really tough to leave this one off the list.

Next up, Karen Gillian. This autograph was a need for my Marvel PC and for the newer Jumanji movies I enjoyed. And I may have a little crush to.

Following that up is Coffee Card Hall Of Famer Craig T Nelson.

I think this Griffey could have been Hall worthy, it was by far my favorite Griffey add last year. Die-Cut, space is exactly what I look for in a card.

Another Hall Of Famer made this Top 10 list. One of my favorite shows on TV right now.

 

I added this one in July I think it was. He should be in the Hall, but isn't. That's why it's important to nominate cards! This is my only Nabers auto to. I would like one in a Giants uniform before next season.

It's real turf. Really cool card.

Hall Of Famer in real life, it didn't get a nomination for the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame, for $12 is a win and had to be on this list.

Another Coffee Card Hall Of Famer made this list. I had wanted this card for a few years and now have it.

 

And finally, this card had to make the list. This was one of my Top 5 most sought after cards last year as well.

Well, there you have them. Let me know which card(s) you thought should have made the list I left out or which one is your favorite and why.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Do good for others today and it will be good for you as well.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Call It A Comeback

*takes a sip, grabs stack of cards to discuss about today, gets ready for a new post on cards over coffee*

*smells toaster, remembers bagel is toasting, gets up, gets bagel, butters said bagel, takes a bite, returns to seat, dries hands on nearby napkin to get rid of any butter, takes a sip, gets ready for a new post*

I don't do it too often, but I was about to risk my cup of coffee and toss it at my TV yesterday as the NY Giants approached halftime being down 20-0 to an Arizona Cardinals team that is "ranked" as the worst teams in the NFL. Everything the Cardinals did against the Giants in the first half worked on offense and defense and it appeared my favorite team in blue was heading down an 0-2 start and facing one of the NFL's best teams in San Francisco on Thursday. 

0-3 was right around the corner.

However, the story changed in the second half. The Giants had life in them, and I am not sure what Coach Daboll said to them at halftime, but I wished he gave that speech to me on my worst days because apparently, he can make the darkest moments bright.

In the second half, the Giants scored 31 points to Arizona's 7 and won the game on a field goal with less than a minute left after trailing 28-7 at one point in the half.

The 21-point comeback by the Giants is one of the biggest in team history and hopefully can be the turning point for their season.

 

The comeback mainly fell on the arm of Daniel Jones, but Saquon Barkley had his moments as well and proved why the Gmen gave him a big one-year deal. The only down part was late in the game when the Giants were running down the clock, Saquon's ankle got crushed squished and is being called a sprain even though it looked worse than that. How bad that sprain is or how long he will be out for, time will tell. 

All I know is, they are going to need him.

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

The Giants sit at 1-1 after two games, it's the pace I predicted them at so far. I am hoping they can figure out a few things both on offense and defense and use this game as some momentum heading to San Fran on Thursday.

And hopefully I won't have to think about throwing my mug full of coffee at the TV again.

*takes a final sip and bite of bagel*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2022 Topps Tier One Baseball (solid pull!)

*takes a sip, gets ready for the latest post on cards over coffee*

Even though this week my mind is completely focused on the start of football season, NFL Pick 'Ems and Fantasy football to focus on along with the Giants first game, it is still baseball season and baseball card season. Today I am ripping one of the latest Topps high end product offerings.

*takes a sip, gets ready to show off the box*

In every box of 2022 Topps Tier One baseball there is one pack of three cards. Each card is a hit and each box has 2 autographs and one relic card. Boxes run about $225 which isn't bad for some of the offerings you could find inside. Definitely cheaper than a football option would be. It seems baseball cards don't have as many popular rookie hits to chase in 2022 which is why prices have stayed down. I don't hear people chasing Wander anymore or barely a whisper of O'Neill from Pitt.

Oh well. Just means it saves the bigger hits for the rest of us.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

My first hit from the pack was the dual relic card of Kyle Hendricks. One of the swatches on here is a patch, the other is just a regular jersey. Gotta admit that bothers me when both swatches are not patch swatches.

My next pull was this Dustin May autograph. I am not sure what it is with me with pulling Dodger pitcher autographs.

Then finally, a big one! Not a bat knob card like I had hoped but a Buster Posey auto. Not bad at all! This card is also numbered to 25.

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

Normally, I don't hit decent cards from this product. This may be the first time I actually landed back the value of the box. Normally my breaks are loaded with rookie pitcher hits. Guess I was do.

Ratings (ratings based on 1-5 🍵 and on a per box basis. not for overall product)

Design 🍵🍵🍵
Photography 🍵
Inserts: N/A
Hits 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Price 🍵🍵
Value 🍵🍵🍵

Your thoughts on this product welcomed in comments!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Start Of Something New

*laptop, cards and coffee in hand for a new post on Cards Over Coffee. lets do this!*

I can finally say officially this morning that I have reached my first weight loss milestone of a 10-pound loss. Well, technically 10.1 but who is keeping track.....okay, I am. I have been able to do this so far just by starting something new in my life by working out daily and cutting back on how much I eat. Keep that part in mind as I have been able to eat what I want to, but just a lot less of it. I assume this method won't work forever, but for now, it does.

*takes a sip, thinks about what to have for breakfast but not to overdo it*

I also got to start something new in the hobby, my first ever Rodney Hampton relic chase. Up to this point, Rodney hasn't had a series of jersey cards in a product. Technically he has only had one total jersey card until Panini XR released. The only other jersey card he had came from Donruss where it's a Passing The Torch dual with Saquon Barkley.

But in Panini XR, he has seven.

*takes another sip before moving onto the cards*

The first card of the seven is the base relic. This one is numbered to 49. So, to start off, these are not easy to find.

Follow that one up with the blue /25 which I don't have in hand yet but owe a thanks to @CardpocalypseNC for.

That one is followed by the Orange /15 with a nice patch as well.

 

Then as we continue, they get lower numbered as this one is /10. This is a gold parallel.

After this there is a Green /5 (which I will have thanks to my buddy Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday) and two 1/1's which are the last cards I need in the rainbow. One of those 1/1's is a Jersey Tag. That card I want badly but haven't seen any listed yet.

If you see either of the 1/1's listed anywhere, please contact me!

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

I am hopeful my weight loss journey will continue, and I will post updates as I go along on here. Same goes for my Rodney Hampton chase.

For today's question, has anything new started in your life? Let me know in comments today.

Hope everyone has a great Friday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Distraction

*takes a victorious sip on this victory Monday. The Giants season may not be turning out as I had hoped, but at least there is some hope. takes another sip, coffee tastes even better when the Giants win*

1-5 is where the Giants sat yesterday before kickoff against the Carolina Panthers. They had two heartbreaking losses to the Falcons and WFT before coming back to beat the Saints which is where I thought the season would turn around. But no. Two back-to-back blowout losses to the Cowboys and Rams and a injury list longer than my Christmas list and things were getting ugly fast.

The one sport I actually watch and my team I am die hard for was going down the tube early. I needed a distraction and when I need a distraction, I turn to cardboard.....and coffee. Not alcohol like most fans though that probably eases the pain sooner.

*takes another sip before showing off the latest additions*

This time for my distraction, I went to Burbank Sportcards Beckett Marketplace to hope to calm the storm in my head. I looked for pieces that I knew would make me smile.

Such as this Gary Brown Collectors Edge autograph. My second autograph of brown, but I am digging the purple ink and hand numbering on this one. I didn't know they used colored ink in the 90's.

Brown played two season with the Gmen and is currently running backs coach in Wisconsin.

Eli Manning Donruss Elite Gridiron Kings Patch /25.

As most know, I am a huge Eli fan. It's nice to see him do commentary on Monday Night football, especially when he discussed how Eagles fans used to greet him :)

Kadarius Toney Donruss Elite rookie card /999

 

And finally a Prestige rookie autograph gold of Kadarius Toney who is turning into one of my favorite current Giants players every time he is on the field.....and not injured.

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

These cards had arrived prior to yesterday's game so I was already feeling good before kickoff. But, I felt even better when yesterdays game ended and the Giants came out on top 25-3. It was probably the best overall performance by the team in years.

The question now is, was yesterday's game a turning point or just a fluke. Next week is Kansas City on Monday Night football on the road. If, IF, they can pull out a win there, maybe things can be turned around and get better. If not and it turns out really bad, well, may need another cardboard and coffee pick-me-up.

Hope everyone has a great Monday. and in comments, let me know what you do when your team is letting you down. Do you go to cardboard? Alcohol? Shutting your TV off?

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Redeemed!

*its a dreary Monday morning where I am but the sun has got to be shining somewhere right? Or does everyone's Monday always look like this. despite the weather, I still have my coffee, a card to show off and a NY Giants victory to celebrate*

It was 21-10 Saints halfway through the 4th quarter of yesterday's game against my Giants and the Saints had the ball. I was about ready to grab a paper bag out from underneath the sink and cut eye holes out of it and draw a sad face to watch the rest of the season with as it appeared the Giants were heading to 0-4 with the Cowboys and Rams up next.

'

But, then something magical happened.

It was like one of those football movies you would go to the theater to watch. The coaches pumped up the players on the sidelines and somehow or another you could feel the momentum shift. The Giants forced the Saints to punt, got the ball and Daniel Jones threw a pass to Saquon Barkley who took it 54 yards for a touchdown. Giants followed that up with a two point conversion on a Jones run. After that, another stop of the Saints and the Giants drove down the field and got a game tying field goal with 30 or so seconds left. Saints got the ball for those final seconds and attempted to thr\w one pass that fell incomplete before deciding they should run out the clock to bring the game to overtime.

Something about the coin toss in overtime made me believe this team was going to win as Jabrill Peppers called heads on the coin toss and yells out after the coin landed on heads,"We Want That Ball, **** Em." Motivational words I suppose. Mine would have been, We Want The Ball, Coffee is ready at home. Let's get this done.

And as the story in a movie would unfold, the Giants drove down the field with the leadership of Daniel Jones and won on a 6 yard TD run by Saquon Barkley who by far had his best game of the season. 

Giants 27 Saints 21. There is some hope to this season.

*takes a sip, feeling good for at least one game*

Hope is a great thing. The Giants have given me some for the season for now but with a tough schedule ahead, who knows how long that will last. They have at least redeemed themselves for the time being after two straight games of disappointing endings.

The hobby has also given me some hope recently as well as I have been able to find retail almost every time at Walmart now and was able to finally get my redemption cards replaced from Panini I have waited months on. I requested my replacements in November of 2020.

I am not one to wait on redemptions longer than the four months unless it's something I really want. Since the three I needed to replace were not something I desperately wanted, I took the replacement on a Robert Woods rookie autograph, a Cody Bellinger second year autograph and a /10 Barry Larkin autograph. In return, I requested to get a NY Giants card instead....

Think I did pretty well,

 

A 2018 Panini One rookie patch autograph of Saquon Barkley. Would say that it's at least equal value then add on the PC part and it's over the value.

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

Great game and great card.

All I can hope is that the Giants can continue to trend upwards and hopefully I will continue to find more cards at retail. Just wished they were the original retail price. The only thing worse would be knowing that each retail box had a redemption for your "hit". 

*takes another sip*

Tell me your best redemption replacement, thoughts on my return and how your NFL team did yesterday in comments below!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

10

 *takes a sip, maybe 10, before sitting down to work on today's latest blog post. Time for some #CardsOverCoffee*

Today is a big day for NY Giants fans, other than a game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Giants are hosting a special halftime ceremony where Eli Manning will be inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor and will have his No. 10 jersey retired. He will be the 43rd member of the Giants Ring Of Honor.

To celebrate my favorite QB in Giants history, I thought it would be fun to show off my Top 10 favorite Eli Manning cards.

*takes a sip before continuing on*

I have well over 600 Eli Manning cards in my collection, so narrowing down a Top 10 list was really tough because a favorite card doesn't have to be an autograph or a relic. It can simply be something that has meaning or eye appeal as you will see from a couple of the cards on today's list.

Let's kick it off!

10. This was given to me as a surprise gift from Wes. One of the coolest cards ever given to me as a gift.

9.I like the dull look in the back against the rainbow foiled Eli, simply brings the card out. I also landed this /25 gem for $30.

8.A nice looking patch against a solid card is always a winner for me.

7.The best pack pulled Eli Manning card I have ever gotten. I bought a box of 2004 Leaf Rookies and Stars and pulled it. Was really excited to had landed it and still am.

6. I have the Red Sage Hit rookie autograph as well, but this one my wife bought for me since I hadn't ever landed a rookie auto of Eli until then.

5.I pulled this card as well. Features 4 great QB's I was fortunate enough to watch.

4.Brotherly love. This is my only Eli and Peyton dual card of anything and its amazing. As soon as I saw someone post this for trade I had to have it. Panini Black is a great looking product to begin with so you top that off with patches like these, oooooh baby.

3.My first Eli Manning autograph was a stunner. This isn't Panini Black, but these Topps Five Star Silver Signatures look just as great.

2. This was the one rookie card, non autographed, that I wanted the most. It took me so many years to finally land it in a trade. This is just a fun Upper Deck flagship rookie that really shows off Eli's personality.

And now the #1 card.....

It has to be Super Bowl related. Eli always was in the shadow of Peyton and I think a lot forget that he won two Super Bowls, has two Super Bowl MVP's and is in the Top 10 all time in passing yards in NFL history among other records he set. Not to mention, his incredible playoff runs and record.

I try to land as many copies of this card as I can. This version I am showing off here is actually the ultra rare Topps Chrome refractor version that I have only ever seen one copy of.

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

Eli requested that the game on Sunday be a sea of #10 jerseys so I will be wearing mine from home. Hopefully it will bring some luck and give the Gmen a very needed first win of the season.

I also wanted to take a minute out to thank Eli Manning, I know he won't read or respond to this but wanted to throw it out there anyways, for everything. The memories, the leadership, what you do off the field for March Of Dimes and other organizations, your personality and of course the Super Bowl wins. No matter what anyone says to me, you are a Hall Of Famer in so many ways and I will defend that until the day I die.

Congrats on the Ring Of Honor, you have certainly earned it. I am only two years younger than you and the only Ring Of Honor I have earned is the coffee ring my cup leaves after I am done drinking it.

*takes another sip, took off the #10 jersey before doing it so I won't stain it before game time*

Leave me your thoughts on Eli Manning in comments. Do you see him as a Hall Of Famer? Have any favorite moments? Do you think I chose wisely on my list or would you have switched a few things around? Let me know!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Freshly Brewed:Avant A Shockey

*pours hot cup of Dunkin Donuts decaf, yep its my brew of choice today, sits down for a very short mail day post*

(side note, when I came up with today's post title, I could only relate back to Austin Powers with their word play of peoples names)

Thanks to a tip by Dennis @TooManyVerlanders, I was able to acquire a nice two card lot from someone I hadn't traded with before.

*takes the first few sips*

@flywheels does Affordable Group Breaks and nobody claimed the Giants (or a few other teams) in his break which means he ends up with anything pulled by those teams. Dennis mentioned to me that a Jeremy Shockey patch /25 was pulled in the break and I wasn't going to just let that slip by. So I contacted @flywheels and we worked out a trade faster than I am drinking this cup of coffee.

The mail day arrived a few short days later.

@flywheels also included the Shockey base card which looks spectacular.

 

And here was the big card in trade. You can see the stitching on the patch. Avant was a great looking set. I just wished Upper Deck, who holds the Fleer license, had more licenses to be able to produce great products like that.

A fast quick post and quick trade with @flywheels.

Now it's time to plan on breakfast,

(drooling over this already)

 
(lightly toasted, the only way to eat a bagel)

I think I am going with the fruit and veggie combo again today. Of course these blueberry bagels I grabbed from Price Chopper are not the best despite coming from their bakery section which is the only way I will buy bagels to eat. I won't eat the Thomas or Lender's versions as they just don't taste that great and I feel they tend to shrink in the toaster especially the ones from the freezer section.

So I try to stick with my local bakery ones, but this time was only able to get to Price Chopper so bought theirs instead. They aren't un-edible, just not as good as my local bakery ones. That's why when it comes to the Price Chopper ones, I like to hide them in cream cheese, especially the veggie cream cheese.

*takes a bite of bagel, chug of coffee and gets to finishing up this post*

It's a sunny, warm Labor Day. Hope everyone has a great day, hopefully off, and enjoys some cards over coffee.