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*

A Dantastic Mail Day

PWE trading continues to be the driving force in my collecting world.

In the real world, it's coffee.

*takes a sip of freshly brewed coffee*

When finances are tight, a stamp or two (sometimes three) is what gets me through and helps me bring in new cards.

My latest trade with @DanPortnov shows how well trading like this helps. Dan is easy going and easy to trade with as I have done multiple deals with him now. He's the kind of person I like trading with.

In my latest haul I got a few cards from each of my favorite and top PC's.

It has been a while since I have added some Griffeys, it's about time that I did.

 

Rookie year Ad Card. May not be flashy, but I don't have it.

(I don't think the hairdresser would be able to do this to my hair, #baldingpride , #baldpeoplematter)

Two generational talents, two players that couldn't stay healthy later in their careers. Can you imagine their numbers if they stayed healthy??!

The shiny stuff always gets me. Plus, I don't have a lot of newer Griffey stuff (hint, hint). Just in case anyone reading this has other Griffeys, you can see my needs HERE.

The next part of my trade brings in some Giants.

 

New NY Giants starting QB Russell Wilson. I am not one for college cards, but I will take them of players I collect. I have collected Russell before he was in NY.  Now that he is a Giant, I look forward to adding Giant cards of him.

Wandale Robinson should thrive even more with better quarterback play. First time in a long time I am excited about the loaded Giants QB room.

Bill Parcells is a legendary coach for many teams, but this is THE TEAM that matters most.

A new Nabers!

I think he fits perfectly with his friends right here.

I don't quite know about this vintage dog card, looks like it was cut out of something, but it's pretty cool even for a cat guy.

Dwier Brown played John Kinsella in Field Of Dreams, but I have also seen him across other movies (horror) and TV shows.

Okay. Here me out. I like these. Yes, I know it's just a swatch of newspaper, but it's cool and is a piece of history.

I also like how they show a little snippet of the item the swatch has been pulled from. I wished sport card companies did this.

Two more Pieces Of The Past document relics. The relics are unique, but the card design to me is well done. I like the layout and the shine.

Thanks to Dan for our latest trade and hope we can do another one soon.

Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday.

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*

The Moment From a $200 Card To A $1 Card

*staring at you through the computer screen wondering why you haven't signed up yet for Fetch or Cashwalk apps*

*proceeds to drink coffee....then stares back at the screen at you* 

They say hangers are bangers so with some gift cards I earned using the Cashwalk app I got to try out this theory.

I was also in shock that I actually found Prizm football in stock at my Walmart.

I am not sure why I ever buy Prizm. I have always had terrible luck with it. My best luck comes with trading for singles I want, but call me Kenny Rogers as I like being a Gambler.

These boxes come with 20 cards with plenty of shiny and costs you roughly $25. Or in Cashwalk terms, five $5 gift cards.

So, I used all of the ones I saved up to try the box hoping for the best.

Was this it...did I hit the motherload? Was this going to be the first time ever Prizm hit it big for me? Did I actually win the gamble and hit a $200 card??

My heart was filled full of excitement. It was the kind of rush you get when you are speeding a little and happen to pass a cop car sitting in the U-turn making you wonder if they will turn their lights on or not.

Well, that thrill didn't last long. The moment went from a $200 card to a $1 card.

Guess the cop car didn't move.

However, finding this as one of the next cards wasn't too bad. It didn't make up for the price of the box, but wasn't a bad find either and probably my best ever Prizm pull.

This kind luck probably won't stop me from opening another down the road. But, will have to get to saving and unlocking gift cards first.

*takes a sip before closing up today's post with some information*

Well, not to sound like a broken record or an infomercial, I just wanted to remind you of the two apps I use to get gift cards. There is a third one I use to get Visa gift cards I will save for another day.

Hey!

Join me on Cashwalk (Walmart Gift cards and others)

This incredible walking app rewards you with coins for every step you take, making your daily walks fun and motivating.

Sign up using my referral link to instantly receive 500 bonus coins!

http://cashwalk.us/i/GEPAM

Let's get moving and start earning! (also earn extra when you watch ads which is what I do)


FETCH (eBay gift cards among tons of others)

FREE GIFT CARDS FOR SCANNING RECEIPTS YOU TOSS OUT!!
Fetch saves me money every time I shop. It gives me personalized offers from my favorite brands, and turns all my receipts into free gift cards. Sign up with code 8TB9M and get a first-receipt bonus. #FetchWithMe

https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralsocial?code=8TB9M

Hope to see some, all, of you signing up and earning some points towards FREE gift cards soon! I swear by these apps!

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Trade Flip: Spencer Jones

The Trade Flip

If the title of this new post caught your attention, I am glad you came to read.....and hopefully you brought your coffee.

With lack of funds, big time trade bait (lots of base, inserts, numbered is what I have) I have turned to trading for items I am hoping that increase in value so I can trade it for bigger items later on.

So basically, the plan is to "trade flip". Instead of investing and selling, I am trading than trading for higher values later on.

This is something I hope works and doesn't bite me in the tush later on.

One of my first "trade flips" will be Spencer Jones who had a solid spring training with the Yankees.

Not only did I acquire the Bowman first chrome and refractor, but I also landed two autographs.

They aren't the highest of end autographs, but I landed both for less than $30 trade value, so I took them.

Now I sit and wait. Hoping he turns out to be a big superstar and these go for two to three times what I landed them for.

I have a list of needs; both my Top Wants and my 12 Cup Needs which is listed off to the right side of the blog.

I will have more players in this series as I go along which includes a few Yankees. I have been downsizing my Yankees collection this year. The only Yankees I will hold onto are Derek Jeter and ANY 90's inserts or any cool looking cards. The rest will be available for those who ask :)

Hope this idea takes off for not only me, but maybe yourself. Especially if you are struggling with collecting like I am.

Have a great Monday and let me know your thoughts on this idea and don't forget your coffee on the counter, it gets cold too quickly.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Some Cards In The Mail

*sits down, coffee in hand to get ready for a long-winded start to this post*

*takes a sip*

It's been a busy month since I joined the world of coaching, so I haven't had much time to catch up on a lot of posts and there are actually some cards sitting in my drafts.

Not that life wasn't already busy before that.

Now I just add extra cups of coffee to my daily regimen.

But it's been a blast coaching this group of girls and we recently added another person. There are now 17 girls, 3 coaches, 2 hours of practice a week and only 5 of those girls have any experience playing basketball. It's probably why they needed another person to join, and I still feel it's hard to jam everything in that needs to be taught. So far, we have only one play in the playbook and our first game is two weeks from today. With the team being so large, we had to split the team in half to create two game day teams (we still practice together as one team) and guess who the game day head coach for one of those teams is, yes, you are reading his writing. 

But don't call me Phil Jackson quite yet. These are just 3rd/4th graders. We are just there to teach the basics and to have fun. Winning isn't the top thing, even though I am a very competitive person.

*takes a competitive sip. yes, I am competing against your sip*

As for regular life, I mentioned I had my yearly doctor appointment in one of my last posts and wanted to leave an update on that. My blood work mostly looked good, and a quick assessment was fine, but my A1C went back up to 6.3 and I can only contribute it to the 12 pounds I have put on since July. 

Everyone knows I have had a rough year, and eating was obviously for stress. It's been extremely tough trying to lose the weight again even with daily exercise, so I asked the doctor for a little help for the first time in my life. I tried to get put onto one of those weekly shots to help with weight loss and wanted just to be on it for six months to get me some momentum again. But, with health insurance companies being health insurance companies, they wouldn't pay for it so that plan went out the door. They refuse to pay for any weight loss help unless I have diabetes. It sounds a little backwards to me, why wouldn't they want to help prevent me from getting diabetes first? With all of my health problems that worsen with weight gain and the fact diabetes runs on both sides of my family, I really could have used the extra help.

I did finally get put on a pill that treats my A1C that has a little underlying weight loss tie in, but not sure how successful it will be overall. Hopefully some help at least.

Now that I have rambled on about the past month, I am sure you are ready to read something about cards. The reason you came here.

Besides giving yourself an excuse to drink coffee.

*takes a sip*

The following cards were all separate mail days I received.

 

For some reason, I felt the need to add this card even though I know Devito will probably never start another game again with his struggles this season.

 

I added the relic because I didn't have one of him yet. I try to add an autograph and relic card of every Giants player I can.

Shiny new Griffeys are always welcomed! Stadium Club has a few Griffeys I would love to add this year.

 

Future Giants QB? Maybe? Will be interesting to see how this upcoming draft goes. I still see them drafting a QB this upcoming draft. But who knows. Everything with the Giants is up in the air.

And that does it for this random mix of cards.

*takes final sip before ending today's post*

I have been posting more recently despite the busy life, but that's only because I am doing it the night before. This won't last forever as I am brushing off the actual art of collecting cards by blogging instead since my time is very limited. I also am skipping out on my occasional relaxing video game doing this.

Hopefully can find a better balance in life to do everything. It's probably why I am still considering retiring in May from blogging.  I will see how things go until then.

Anyways, two days til Christmas! Who's excited?!?!?

I am!

Have a great Monday!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Counting It Down

Coffee is hot, cards are even hotter. 

I have a mail day from blog reader Oren to show off from our latest trade, so, let's do some Cards Over Coffee so I can show it off.

*takes a sip*

We all like countdowns. 

Whether that's a countdown to launch for a spaceship, a countdown til you retire (I bet most people now-a-days don't count this down because nobody can afford to retire), a Top 20 music countdown, maybe a countdown to some big life event such as a wedding or family vacation, or maybe everyone's favorite, a sport card mail day countdown.

Today, I am doing a countdown of my favorite cards in my trade with Oren.

12.

11.

Wild Card created Chrome before Chrome was Chrome. Imagine if these had refractor parallels?!!?

10:

 

Brian Griese Finest Rookie. Griese was one of those sought after rookies in the 1998 class along with Ryan Leaf and of course Peyton Manning.

9.

Topps Chrome inserts whether they are refractors or not, just look good.

8.

7.

 

7 and 8 are set needs. This set had different levels to chase. There was the green base level, the next level was blue and the top was red. I think the reds were a little tougher to chase. Each pack also only came with only one red or one blue.

6.

 

Flair Wave Of The Future design got better by the years. This is probably the weakest design, but I love the blue on it.

5.

Dufex. That's all.

4.

I rank Plax up there as one of my all-time favorite Giants despite not having a long tenure with them. He is teh one that helped create Eli's career and in his early years with the Giants was pretty much unstoppable. Go ahead and YouTube him.

3.

I think a lot of Giants fans forgot what Daniel Jones was like his first year with the Giants. He led a huge comeback in his very first start and made some incredible throws his rookie year. Yes, the mistakes especially the fumbles were there but look at what Coach Daboll did his first year with him. I am still hoping he has a future with the Giants, though I have a feeling his time will end soon.

2.

 

1.

 

Are these really 2 and 1. More like 1A and 1B. I gave the slight edge to Dorsey because he was a Giant and I think the design is slightly better. But, Topps Chrome refractors in the 90's will always trump all. These cards are just stunning and make me want to set chase them both.

Well there you have it. My countdown.

Let me know if you would have made an changes to this.

In the meantime, thanks again to Oren for yet another awesome trade and you guys enjoy your coffee and cards.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Slump Is Over

It's the day after my birthday, of course I have leftover cake with my coffee this morning. 

*takes a sip*

*takes a bite...followed by another sip*

If my mother-in-law was a baseball player and was a hitter, you can say the last few years she has been in a "slump" when it comes to getting me a gift, whether that's for Christmas or for my birthday. She has been buying me junk wax completed sets from a place similar to Goodwill. Even though junk wax sets are my least favorite thing, I don't complain because she is trying, and she doesn't have to get me anything, but she still does. So, I just accept it, smile and say thanks.

But, just like with any hitter, you get yourself out of a slump. 

And she did just that when it came to this year's birthday present.

 

First, she handed me this cheesebox full of cards. This is from the same place she normally buys the complete sets for me. 

I was a little worried at first this was checkerblock full of 1991 Fleer and 1988 Topps, but it wasn't. It had its expected junk moments, but there were some fun surprises hidden within as well. For once, the good outweighed the bad.

Just check them out,

*but first, a sip and another bite of cake*

Now you can see the cards,

This was just a few of the fun finds. There were other baseball parallels and some holiday base cards for my set chase as well. 

Next, she picked up these two packs from Walgreens.

Sweet!! I only recognize the NPB packs. I had wanted to open some so I could try and land a Yamamoto.

Inside of each package came with one pack each of 2021 Topps NPB and a 2023 Topps Series One Pack.

The results weren't too shabby.

These were the key inserts and then came a surprise....

Vlad Jr manu-relic! I didn't expect this or anything from these packs. I thought one felt a little thicker. 

I don't know much about the Topps NPB packs other than searching for the one player.

And, I didn't pull a Yamamoto. I am not sure of any other names in this set, so if you do, let me know.

 

I did pull this gold parallel. These are dope and fall 1:12 packs. Makes me wish Topps did these for their flagship parallels.

Between the decent cheesebox and the packs, I would say this slump ended for my mother-in-law with a homerun.

Thanks Ma!

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

Well, I still have to finish rest of the piece of my cake and my cup of coffee before it gets too cold. I still need to sort these cards all out as well.

Hope all of you have a great Wednesday.

Before I close up today's post, I also wanted to remind you of the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame voting and that it needs you guys to nominate cards in. So far, ONLY 3 cards have been nominated!!

Details on the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame can be found HERE. I may add this to every post from here on out for a reminder as I will forget about this too! Haha!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*