Unfinished Cup:1997 Spx Basketball

If I had to put a ranking of my favorite base set designs of the 90's, someday I really hope to do that, 1997 Spx is EASY Top 5.

The die-cut design. The touch of foil and color. The hologram that smiles at you with a single turn. There isn't anything to hate about it.

That's why I have finished the football, NASCAR, baseball and almost hockey sets of it.

I am also ever so-so close to finishing up the basketball one after I was RAK'd a Kobe which is the hardest card in the set. I promised the person who sent that I would finally finish this up.

All that remains is,

19,24,29.30,32,34,37,38,42,43,and 47.

That's 11 cards out of 50. This one has been a slow build but being this close, I have to do this!!

Do you have any of my remaining needs? Comment below or hit me up at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com . Thanks in advance!

Well, this makes three posts in three days and this is just the beginning. I have packed a lot of posts coming up and some new ones on Sport Card Collectors and Big Blue Cardboard too so make sure you are following those as well. There is a reason I am doing this and that will be revealed at some point.

Hope everyone has a great end of April! Hopefully all of those showers bring on May flowers!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfinished Cup:1997 Spx Basketball

 I had almost given up, but one tweet changed the momentum towards today's Unfinished Cup set chase.

That one tweet helped me land the biggest card in the set with this Kobe Bryant and now I actually have a chance at finally finishing this set chase.

This is the last Spx set I need to complete my hologram Spx set chases of baseball, football, basketball, and NASCAR! Hockey still has some to go before that makes the list but the basketball would be a huge one to finally complete.

Kobe was the last major piece I needed as I acquired MJ a while ago.

Here are the remaining needs if any of you have any help for me to finish up this set,

6,16,19,24,29,30,32,34,37,38,41,42,43,47,

I am soooooooooooo close. Would love to finish this one up.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Pinky up, coffee up.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Finished Cup:1996 Spx Baseball

New segments are always fun to install into a blog.

It can bring new life to the blog and to the person writing the blog. I have introduced a few this year on Cards Over Coffee and hopefully everyone has enjoyed reading them as much as I have been writing them.

Today's newest segment bounces off from another segment on here, Unfinished Cup.

The difference, one is unfinished sets I am chasing, the other, guess what, I finished a set!

That's exactly what today's post will be about.

*takes a sip*

Some people think that a rollercoaster is the greatest thrill ride you can go on, but I guess those people haven't ever finished a long time set chase before.

As soon as I got this final card for my 1996 Spx baseball base set from @gingersnap4004, I was already on the thrill ride of a lifetime.

Now after twenty-plus years it is finally complete!

Only one thing left, a brag gallery,

 

And there it is. All 60 cards in the set.

I don't know about you, but I am on an all-time high. 

Like Snoop Dogg level.

Thanks again for the final piece @gingersnap4004. Now onto chasing the parallel, inserts sets and autographs.

Thoughts on my latest segment and this set completion welcomed in comments.

Coffee Card Blogger Out.

Write Your Story

*takes a sip, sets down mug next to laptop. grabs a handful of cards off from the counter and gets ready for a new Cards Over Coffee*

Some people tell me I have lived an incredible story from those knowing where I came from and what I had to deal with and where I am today. It's something I take pride in as I continue to write my story and move forward every day. 

I am sure my story doesn't even come close to what some others may have gone through, could go through or are going through right now. Everybody's story is different.

Just like the story of today's athlete who went from a nobody to a Super Bowl champ and Hall Of Famer. Let me introduce you to, Mr. Kurt Warner.

*takes a sip before moving onto the card portion of today's post.*

*stomach starts to growl sounding like cookie monster when he is munching on a handful of cookies*

*gets up, grabs a handful of trail mix to make the tummy happy until breakfast is cooked*

 

*sits back down, continues on with the post*

Kurt Warner dreamed of being an NFL QB but his journey wasn't easy. He had to write his own story of never giving up. He went from practice squad releasee with the Packers to working at a grocery store then played in the AFL, signed a futures contract with the Rams and played in the NFL Europe league, and was given his once in a lifetime opportunity due to an injury to the Rams starting QB Trent Green in 1999. Now Kurt knew it was showtime and he put on a show that season. He actually put on the Greatest Show...On Turf. He was league MVP, led the Rams to a Super Bowl win and was the Super Bowl MVP. Kurt wrote his own story and his perseverance and God led life brought him this moment.

Of course, Kurt's story didn't end there. It was just the beginning.

Kurt had a rough 2000 season before leading the Rams back to the Super Bowl in 2001 vs the Patriots where Tom Brady's Super Bowl winning ways began.

2002 and 2003 were terrible seasons for Kurt and he was even replaced as the Rams starting QB and was cut in 2004 where two days later, he became a member of the NY Giants. Kurt started the season as the team's starting QB and led the team to a 5-2 start. After losing the next two games, Kurt was replaced by some guy named Eli Manning and there began his career while Kurts was about to take another turn.

Warner signed with the Cardinals in 2005, led them to the post season twice with up and down performances but helped them reach the Super Bowl where they lost to the Steelers.

Despite the ups and downs, Kurt never gave up. He wrote his NFL story all the way to the Hall Of Fame. He also showed his faith in God along the way as well.

I have always been a fan of Kurt's story and recently added some cards from Burbank Sportcards Marketplace of him.

*takes a sip before showing off the cards*

*grabs another handful of trail mix before cookie monster continues to grumble*

My Giants collection has always been a little lacking in the Kurt Warner department so I found some to add.

Career Colors showcasing Kurt across his multiple teams

A couple Upper Deck cards.

It says Cardinals on the card, but clearly he is wearing blue.

A couple more

Can't go wrong with Ultra photography and a Gold Medallion parallel

Shiny!

And my favorite add, this Spectra

Don't forget you too can score cards from Burbank Sportcards Marketplace and save 10% by using code 15BURBANK at checkout to do so! Also spend $50 and you will get free shipping. Link is in this paragraph.

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

We are the only ones that can write our own story. If our story is not going the way we want it to, make a change, say a prayer and write it the way you want it. 

By the way, the story of Kurt's life can be seen on the big screen with the movie, American Underdog.

In comments, say something about your story, or about Kurt Warner or today's cards.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The Griffey 5

*the sun is shining so bright that I actually had to shut the curtain to see my laptop for today's post. the sun is warm but not warm enough to distract the -5 temps. coffee is in hand and breakfast is cooking, I am completely ready for a new Cards Over Coffee post*

Last year was my biggest trading year with my friend Shane from Cheap Wax Wednesday fame. None of the trades we pulled off in 2021 were small. These all took flat rate boxes to pull off and many months to build.

In our trades, there is always a variety offered from low to high end cards to multiple sports to even some non-card items as you will see as I post them on here. I have known Shane online since 2012 so we know each other pretty well. The only bad part about the guy is he likes Boston sport teams and doesn't like coffee. So, my cup this morning is for him.

*takes a sip, holds mug up to the computer screen hoping those of you reading and drinking will respond with a mug cheers*

A big portion of our trades can be built up of Ken Griffey Jr cards. Shane has been my biggest help in adding to my Griffey collection. In our latest trade, there was a big stack of Griffeys and I narrowed it down to my Top 5 additions.

Let's check them out,

5.1998 Score Complete Players. I like the shine and these fall 1:23 packs.

4. 2000 Spx Power Brokers. I couldn't find the odds on this one, I assume they are easy to find.

3. Only falling 1:9 odds, these UD Ionix Hyper inserts look amazing! I always liked the product as a whole.

2. Yes, this is number two but it's more like 1A. UD HoloGrFX Future Fames fell 1:32 packs, full of shine and a unique die cut that makes it hard to put into sleeves easily.

 

1. I love the number 2 card on this list, but for some reason the way the sun hits this 2000 Fleer Focus Focus Pocus I just can't keep my eyes off from it. These inserts fell 1:14 packs. The early 2000 inserts were just as cool as the late 90's ones.

Thanks again to Shane for these latest Griffey adds.

*takes a sip, a bite of breakfast before closing up today's post*

Ken Griffey Jr isn't one of my top player chases anymore, but I will take any I don't have still. It keeps the spark burning and brings me back to my childhood when I was Ken Griffey Jr everything.

Thoughts on my list, rankings, your favorite card or how you would have put them in order.

Have a great Monday!

*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*

Pops Day

*takes a sip, sits down on his hard kitchen chair. Has laptop sitting in front of him with a stack of cards, cup of coffee. Windows are open, the sun is shining and the sound of birds chirping makes it feel like a scene from Mary Poppins. Takes another sip, time for some Cards Over Coffee*

Today is Father's Day.

My father wasn't your top-of-the-line dad. He didn't teach you life lessons. He was not a role model. He was not someone you bragged about to your friends. But, he did do the one thing that mattered most to me, he spent time with me.

We went fishing, we played basketball, football and baseball against each other. We played video games, mainly football ones while trash talking at the same time. We went to two NY Giants games, the only two we have ever gone to. We watched sports together during bad and good sports years for our teams. 

And yes, we collected sport cards together which was our biggest bonding moment to this day.

*takes a sip*

We started collecting sport cards in 1994 after discovering packs of cards at a grocery store and later on opening them up in the car (I guess that explains why when I am able to find retail I can never make it home with anything sealed). From there, card addicts were born.

So many memories were made while we collected together. There wzx card shows, card shops, sneaking cards past my mother, talking my grandmother into the hobby, visiting her neighbor who had one amazing basketball card collection, to even opening packs while he drove. Which isn't recommended, but had to be done. 

I will never forget any of those moments spent together They are deep within my brain and exist in my collecting today.

Which is the biggest reason why I collect what I collect and explains my recent mail day from Burbank Sportcards.

*takes another sip and moves onto the mail day*

There are so many 90's set projects I am working on from those deep memories of my childhood.

One of the biggest chases has been collecting all of the Spx sets, including parallels and inserts, with the holograms of the 90's. We opened so many packs of those from all sports and I absolutely fell for the holographic goodness. I have come a long ways with this project but still have a few sets I am missing parts of. One of those is the 1996 Spx baseball.

 

I was able to pick up 6 of the final 7 cards I need to complete with only Kirby Puckett remaining for this to be finished.

My next grab is one of my next set chases.

Top Crop is shiny map goodness.

Next part of my mail day, were the very first parallel cards that caught my attention.

1995 Summit Ground Zero cards were inserted in packs at a rate of 1:7 packs and were and are still stunning. I finally was able to knock one of the bigger ones I needed down in Sanders. Still need McNair and Martin as my other two big ones.

Other than Spx, I am also chasing Ex sets of the 90's as well for all sports. 

  

These Fleet Of Foot fell 1:20 packs.

Taking a look at these cards brings me back to those days of collecting with my father. It's amazing what a little piece of cardboard with someone's picture on it can do.

All of these cardboard memories I grabbed from Burbanks Sportscards Beckett Marketplace and saved 10% off by using Code 15BURBANK at checkout. You can also shop their millions of items in inventory now by clicking THIS LINK HERE:

https://marketplace.beckett.com/burbanksportscards_21/

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

Even though we don't collect together anymore, we still collect apart. We have done trades through the mail and in-person. He also calls me every weekend to discuss the hobby. 

I hope all of the fathers reading this today have a Happy Father's Day and in comments I would love to hear any collecting stories or memories you have with your father.

*takes another sip and thinks about what breakfast to have. Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The One

*it's time for a fresh cup of coffee and some cards. Sounds like a great start to the morning don't you think?*

Every Friday on Twitter, @collect_sport, I put up a I Want/Need Thread where you comment a specific card need and I will retweet it in hopes someone will Sell, Trade or even RAK (I have seen this) the card to you. Some people use the thread the way it was intended while others make a team/set demand. I just go with the flow regardless as long as it helps the collectors commenting.

On the thread every week, I also give an example of a specific cards I Want/Need. I have had some success in doing so, but one card I have tried a few times without any luck up I put up again and this time to my surprise had a response.

That's when I met @MattyBW who had what I wanted and so much more.

*takes a sip, gets excited about showing off these cards and takes another sip before doing so*

It wasn't too long after he had replied to my tweet about that specific card need that we had a nice conversation. The biggest point of the conversation was to make sure I got that card but we talked about much more that led to a trade as well.

I recently just started collecting more Jasson Dominguez for my Yankees PC. This was my second add to the collection.

This along with a few newer Cal Ripken Jr cards I forgot to take pictures of were the "newer" cards of the group. The main focus was on the 90's basketball. And if you know me, that hits the sweet spot and in comparison to coffee is the king of the cups.

John Starks adds. I always find it both saddening and odd to see John Starks in any uniform that's not a Knicks one. He was a fan favorite and a favorite of mine.

Finest Shaq. Don't ever let him post up, guy was unstoppable unless he had to shoot free throws.

Hakeem with the block!

And then Hakeem with the shot. Well, the Best Shot. These fell 1:12 packs and also had refractor parallels as well.

My first picture wasn't the greatest at showing how cool this card actually is. So I held it up to a window.

Now rolls in a beauty....

1996-1997 Bowmans Best Honor Roll Refractor! These bad boys fell 1:192 packs but it's not only the beauty of the card that grabs my attention, its the players. Patrick Ewing was one of the trio of Knicks I liked and Karl Malone I enjoyed his game and tried to mock it when I played with my friends back in the 90's. If I was to try that now, my body would ache for weeks.

*takes another sip before the coffee gets cold. I like Iced Coffee okay, but not my hot coffee getting iced. While I am it, I might as well toast a couple of english muffins*

I haven't even gotten to the main card of this post yet and I bet you are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for me to show it off. Hold your mugs, we are almost there.

For now, I will tease this card as an intro....

Yup, a 1995-1996 Spx Gold Jason Kidd. Anyone who has followed me knows my deep passion for 90's Spx. I own set all three NFL Sets, one MLB Set, Both NASCAR sets, One and a half Hockey sets, and now......

Hold that thought.

*takes a sip of coffee*

I don't normally like jelly on my english muffins, I am a fan of bland so butter is my usual choice, but I will take a bit more excitement today when I show off the exciting card.

*takes a few bites, sip of joe and now onto the big reveal*

I think I have made you wait long enough to finally show the main card of this post. Not that the other cards above aren't sweet.

To finish up where I was with my Spx set chase, I also have one and a 49th basket....hold your horses...

What's this...

BOOM! You guessed it. The MJ has finally come home to finish up my second basketball set. He is smiling like I was when I finally got to hold this card.

 

And here he is resting peacefully among his Spx teammates.

With this set finally now complete, I am only missing the 1996-1997 Spx basketball set to complete the trio. That one also has my favorite design of the three but is also a dream set. I don't ever imagine myself being able to complete that one.

An obvious huge thanks goes out to @MattyBW for helping me finish up this set. It was a long time coming and it feels good to finally get there.

If you have Twitter, check out my Friday Thread and see what project you might be able to complete. You just never know what you may complete or who you may meet and become friends with. Isn't that the point of this hobby?

Coffee Card blogger out.