Do Damaged Boxes Actually Bring "The Heat"?

*sits down, cup of coffee in hand, box of cards nearby*

*takes a sip, hopes you do the same, sets down mug and gets to blogging*

Is it true?

Rumor has it that boxes that are damaged are the ones holding the best pulls. I guess I can finally put that theory to a test as I got a box in the mail from a trade with Twitter friend Jake (@jake1725).

I gave up some Mike Trout and Ohtani cards to land this blaster. A blaster I had been wanting to rip as the checklist contained a ton of Darkwing Duck cards and some other Disney related nostalgia I wanted.

Before I continue on, I must point out that Jake wasn't the one who crushed the box, you can thank FedEx for that. You got to love the cost of shipping stuff now-a-days and how we receive it. The card box itself and the box it came in looked like the driver was practicing his field goal kicks in my big field before he delivered it.

But at least it arrived and wasn't stolen like some people deal with.

Let's just hope the cards are all good.

So, I have my coffee and cards. It's time to....

*takes a sip, begins the rip*

Each blaster, or what they call now value box comes with 8 packs of 4 cards. So, you get 32 cards for $40. There are no guarantees, but it seems to be one numbered card per box. Each box also offers Ray Wave Parallels, Refractors and one High School Musical 20th-Anniversary card.

 

The base set is 200-cards deep. Here is what I would call an Ashley Tisdale Rookie?

Here is what I found for base refractors,

 

(how I feel about the new wave of hobby somedays)

RayWave Refractors

(my favorite!)

  

(how I also feel about the new wave of hobby some days)

Then my nice hit of the box,

Donald Duck mini diamonds aqua /199

.

Now onto the inserts,

Anyone who watched Disney Channel for what it once was would find these cool. Okay, I find these cool.

My one and only High School Musical Card.

Cars 20th Anniversary insert. Have seen and can probably quote this movie by now. If you haven't, watch Cars and Cars 3. We can pretend the second one didn't exist together.

23-19!!! 23-19!! Monsters Inc 25th anniversary.

Iconic Moments

Alice and Wonderland 75th Anniversary

Disney Ink and Paint

And an insert line we all know and love, Future Stars.

Well, this shows that not all damaged boxes come with "the heat", but I still had a blast opening this up. For me, the designs, refractors were all fun and there is so much nostalgia built in to top it off. Now I want to rip another!

Thanks Jake for the trade, glad both of us are happy with the outcome of our trade.

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

Let me know in comments if you have any luck with damaged boxes and your best hit? Also, what are your thoughts on this Disney product and have you opened any?

Hope everyone has a superb Sunday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Chasing The Gold Medal

 

Mikaela Shiffrin is not only a Gold Medal winning machine, but she is also a local hero.

She wasn't technically born and raised here, but she went to school and ski school within thirty minutes of where I live.

Which is a quick background on why I collect her.

She is by far the biggest known athlete/celebrity here.

So anytime I find her cards and find them affordable, I grab them.

One of the newest chases I did for fun is chase some of the 2026 Topps Chrome Winter Olympics cards. I knew going into this pursuit that I wouldn't be able to land a full rainbow with the cost of her cards, but I thought it would be fun just to make a run of what I could.

Here is what I have added so far or as I call it, chasing the gold medal (though I did get the gold refractor)

• Base
• Refractor
• Red, White & Blue Refractor (Value Exclusive)
• Pink Refractor /250
• Aqua Refractor /199
• Blue Refractor /150
• Green Refractor /99
• USA Flag Refractor /76
• Purple Refractor /75
• Gold Refractor /50
• Orange Refractor /25
• Black Refractor /10
• Red Refractor /5
• Superfractor /1

 

(this is my favorite refractor from the chase, USA-USA-USA)

 

 

And there you have it. I should have taken a group picture because nothing is better than a group picture of shiny things.

I would love to add any of the remaining ones, but that is very doubtful. But, it's been fun just chasing these down and that Topps Now I opened up this post with from her latest Chasing The Gold Medal add to her ever so growing collection of them.

I will need to update my TCDB soon even though I am a long ways from first. Here is what I have so far, SHIFFIN COLLECTION.

Let me know in comments if there are any Gold Medalists that you collect? Do you collect Shiffrin? have any cards of hers I don't? Check my collection above.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday night.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Blogger National 2025

*sits down, takes a sip of coffee. opens keyboard, begins to type today's newest post*

The last three years I have posted a Blogger National for those of us who can't enjoy the experience of actually being at the The National Sport Collectors Convention. That way we can still connect with one another without spending the big bucks to do so. Though I would love to sit down, have a cup of coffee and talk cards with you.

*takes a sip, tips mug towards computer screen hoping you will return the favor*

I am right on time with posting this year's Blogger National, so I am hoping you all will participate in this blog bat-around.

What is the Blogger National? Well, it's a blog-bat-around where you just take one post (or multiple if you so choose) in the next few days and dedicate it to showing off your coolest cards or your most favorite cards or a recent mail day you hadn't posted yet using the blog post title, The Blogger National 2025.

I want you to try to find the cards that are show worthy to you. You know, the dazzling cards that would attract all of the people over to your table (blog).

For example, I am showing off today all of my recent Ken Griffey Jr additions that I am sure will add a sparkle to your eye.

Come check out my table,

 

Now if these didn't catch your attention, I would tell you to move on to the next table. But, I am sure they made you stand over mine for a while drinking hopefully coffee and talking to me about them.

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

I am hopeful many of you will join in on this. Usually my Blog-Bat-Arounds go nowhere but maybe this one will catch your attention. Last year was no to very little turnout but I am trying again!

And for those of you who read this and don't have a blog, feel free to post your cards on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky, YouTube,) and use the hashtag (and tag me if you want), #TheBloggerNational2025. I will be on the lookout for that hashtag on all social media platforms. Well, except TikTok. I haven't joined that at all yet and don't plan to.

Hope everyone has a great time with this and you can leave your blog link in comments so I can read it as well!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

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.

Grounded

Hey! I am back for my first post of October and it's on a football Sunday. So you know what that means....time to drink some coffee, watch some football and share some football cards.

And don't worry about the title of this post. Grounded doesn't mean my wife took my laptop away and I can't type or that my parents told me to stay in my room or that I went out and about and caused some ruckus or didn't eat my broccoli. Which by the way is my favorite vegetable when it's cooked.

You will see in just a second why the title is the way it is.

*takes a sip*

In my last post I mentioned how both Panini and Topps have flooded the market with Rodney Hamptons. For the first time in awhile, like late 90's, thanks to Topps Composite I am able to chase some Rodney Hampton inserts.

And it wouldn't be today's times if these inserts didn't have a decent amount of parallels.

The insert line is called Grounded. .Makes sense for it to be all running backs which Rodney was.

I spent a good amount of time chasing these first instead of the overpriced autographs,

This is the base.

Refractor

Lazer

Pink Refractor

X-Factor

Green /99

Blue Wave /75

Gold /50

Orange /25

 

Red /5

And I believe I have all of them except the Superfractor. Which I will probably never be able to land if it ever gets pulled.

I am still happy where I am at with this chase however.

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

The non logos on these don't bother me as much as I expected, I think the busy design behind it helps. Hopefully the super will get pulled and by some miracle ends up with me.

As for rest of the product Composite, I do have some of the autographs I will wait to share in my next post. I must apologize for the Rodney influx posts but it's really all I have been getting in the mail and have nothing else to share otherwise.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

9 Cups left.

*takes another sip*

*Coffee card blogger out*

Cards From Pops: The Rest 2

*sits down with the remaining stack of cards, takes a sip of freshly brewed joe, it's time for cards over coffee*

Call me a night owl, not to be confused with the legendary Night Owl Card blog, but I have been taking advantage of later nights to get posts done on this blog, so I am not taking away from family time. Fortunately, since I am forced to drink decaf, I don't miss out on the coffee with my cards.

The blog remains the same as it's always been, except right now I am staying up late to put up a post the night before.

*takes a sip*

Just like with the last post, it's time to just roll out the pictures. This time I am eating a late night Poptart with my coffee.

(USA! USA! USA!)

(1:12 Packs)

(1:14 packs)

(/150)

(1:20 packs)

(Prime 9 1:5 packs)

(1:144 packs! Tough pull!)

(1:36 packs)

(/99, this card I did know was in there as it was a bonus trade)

 

And that does it for my coffee, my Poptart and the cards in this series.

It's time for bed.

*yawns before finishing up today's post*

That was sooooooooooooooooooo much fun. For what I gave up and got in return, I am pretty happy. I will always trade off newer cards for cards like these any day. I am hoping he has more like this so we can do it again.

Overall, I did well with these mystery boxes. May not be a lot of big pulls or valuable ones, but that's not what I am in the hobby for. 

Have a great Sunday. NFL Sunday's are almost here.

Before I close, I also wanted to remind you of the Coffee Card Hall Of Fame voting and that it needs you guys to nominate cards in.

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*