My First Vintage Chase?

*sits down, coffee in hand, breakfast in hand, a huge stack cards nearby. sorts them by color than proceeds to type*

I am not much into vintage when it comes to sports cards, mostly because I don't know that many players from those eras. I wasn't really into sports until 1995 so anything that happened 25+ years earlier than that didn't really have an impact on my sports life so collecting those players doesn't play a role in my nostalgia.

That doesn't mean I won't add a few players I know of, but not my top preference when it comes to new pickups.

However, when it comes to non-sport vintage cards, that's a different cup I don't mind drinking.

*speaking of cup of drinking, takes a sip*

Recently, I made a trade with @levy2628 who had stacks of 1977 Topps Star Wars and had been looking for a trade mate to unload them all to.

That's where I stepped in.

We pulled off a trade pretty fast, like we usually do, and I landed the stacks.

There was a stack of blue.

With Obi-Wan on the top.

A stack of Red.

With a picture of the spaceport on top.

And a stack of yellow.

 

With an escape pod on top.

Having all three stacks got me to thinking...should I chase my first vintage set? And if I do, how should I approach it? Need to keep in mind also that this is a very condition sensitive set and most I have aren't mint. However, being said, isn't the point of vintage cards not to be mint? It gives them their own flavor.

If I decide to go forward with this project, here is what I will have to tackle:

There are five series in the 1977 Topps Star Wars set with each having their own color, 

1 Blue
2 Red
3 Yellow
4 Green
5 Orange

but all pick up where the last one ended. Overall, there are 330 cards.

The Blue set, the most popular of the group because it has the "rookie cards" of, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I own a good portion of the key "rookie cards", especially the Skywalker that is most valuable, I may not be too far off from the set once I gather what I had already and what I just hauled in. There are only 66 cards in the first series.

This is my first haul of the other colors and here is how they break down,

Series 2 Border Color: Red
Card Numbers: 67-132

Series 3 Border Color: Yellow
Card Numbers: 133-198

Series 4 Border Color: Green
Card Numbers: 199-264

Series 5 Border Color: Orange
Card Numbers: 265-330

Now that I have broken it all down, how should I proceed with this. Just finish Series 1 Blue? Do the ones I have? Or chase it all?

Let me know what you think in comments!

Thanks again to @levy2628 for the trade.

Hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend and has a terrific Tuesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

May The 4th Cup Of Coffee Be With You

*turns on Star Wars theme music*

*takes a sip*

*starts to type*

Happy Star Wars Day fellow readers! I hope you have your coffee in hand and ready to fight the dark side. Or maybe drink it.

Today I am showing off a card I have been waiting to show off on Star Wars day.

Last year, I was finally able to acquire my number one most wanted Star Wars card in the 1977 Topps Star Wars #1 Luke Skywalker. Or in other card terms, his rookie card.

 

I don't care about the grade at all, I am not a grading card collector, but it's the fact that I own this card finally that does. If you didn't know this is the most valuable card from that Star Wars set so it has taken me awhile to acquire it. But, I am always paying attention to people listing cards on Twitter because sometimes they are willing to trade, which is where I got lucky with this one.

Thanks again to @JohnnyOeleven for the trade.

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

What are your plans for Star Wars day? What's your favorite Star Wars card. Comment below and I can't wait to read your responses.

Have a great Saturday!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

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. So far ONLY 4 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!

On Point

*sun is out for the first time in a week as it glistens between the curtains and blinding the computer screen. gets up and shuts curtains full to see despite wanting to see the sun that hasn't appeared in over a week.*

*grabs cup of coffee, brews it in keurig and sits back down. takes a sip, coffee is on point this morning just like the mail day about to be shown*

*takes another sip*

I love mail days, but who doesn't? But, I really love mail days from blog reader Oren, especially ones that I don't know what the contents are.

After trading with him for well over a year if not two now, he has pretty much figured out what I am looking for and his mail days are always on point to what I am collecting.

We may not have done as much trading this year due to both of our busy schedules, but its apparent in his last mail day he hasn't forgotten what to send me.

Because it was on point.

First up, some Allen and Ginter non-sport minis.

A stack of some really cool looking Star Wars cards from Topps Star Wars Illustrated. This was my favorite card from the stack.

A few more from Allen and Ginter. The Wood Jr is a foil parallel, sometimes unless the sun is out I have a hard time capturing the shine.

Every time I get some Allen and Ginter inserts I am also instantly reminded that I really need to sit down and round up all of my inserts from the product and see what my set needs are.

Slap me silly! It's Will Smith! I am not sure how people feel about Will after his incident, but I am still a fan. I enjoyed his movies from the 90's and Fresh Prince.

The early 90's included quite a few celebrities on their cards I am finding out and have been trying to compile a list of needs.

I am not exactly sure what these are, but they are pretty darn cool! Definitely some unique pieces for my Batman collection. I also kept them in the baggie they came from worrying if I took them out that I may damage them or worse, lose them.

The Bulls were in my Top 3 most hated teams of the 90's, but 90's inserts were at the top of my heart and still are. This Scottie Pippen is pimpin'!

Jumbo!! I can finally knock John Elliot's autograph off from my want list for my Giants autograph needs. I wished the Gmen had him on the line right now, even at his age now I bet he can outplay what they have out there.

New Curtis Martin for that side player PC. I have gotten a good number of relics and patches for that PC because of Oren. At some point I really need to take care of the autograph need.

Then to finish up the package, Oren sent along a couple of fun packs.

Upon first glance, I wanted to keep the packs sealed which is what I do with a lot of my non-sport packs like these, but with my finances and ripping urges, I saw packs that I needed to open. 

So, I did, and it was fun.

Kung Fu Panda pack had these base cards.

And it's one-per-pack sparkly sticker as it says on the front of the pack. I think the sticker looks super cool. This looks better than most inserts from today.

The back of the sticker made me chuckle which is why I had to post it. Read the fortune cookie.... :)

Then came the Shrek pack. I really liked the entire Shrek saga, especially the hidden adult content.

The base cards.

Another base card, but subset. I kept this one by itself because who doesn't feel like the Gingerbread man (Gingy) some days. "Bite Me!"

And to my surprise, the final card was this 1:17 pack pull of Fiona's Fairytale 5. Not bad!!

I would definitely open a few more of both packs! And maybe keep one sealed of each as well.

Well that was a lot of fun. The cards, the oddball findings and the packs. Thanks again Oren!!!

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

I look forward to doing more trades with Oren, who says he has a big stack of mystery for me. All of which I am sure is on point.

I hope everyone has a great Friday and weekend. Don't forget to drink your coffee and take in all of that pumpkin spice.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

May The Coffee Be With You

 *brews coffee, goes to add creamer but hesitates, today, I want my coffee to be on the dark(er) side*

Happy Star Wars Day fellow readers! I hope you have your coffee in hand to check out my latest cards, which happen to be Star Wars ones. And no, this wasn't planned, they just happened to arrive in time.

The cards today come from a trade I did with @tony_collection who I met in a non-sports Twitter thread. Since then, we have traded multiple times.

Usually I get Marvel stuff, but this time I decided to add to my small but growing Star Wars collection.

1983 Topps Star Wars Return Of The Jedi

 

1980 Topps Star Wars Rebel Forces Sticker Luke Skywalker

and finally, my favorite add that I can't keep my eyes off of,

1980 Topps Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Stickers. 

Thanks again to Anthony for the trade.

*takes a sip of the dark side of coffee before finishing up today's post*

I hope all of you have a Happy Star Wars Day and may the force and the coffee be with all of you.

In comments today, let me know your favorite Star Wars movie or thoughts on my new pickups above.

*takes a sip, wonders if could use a lightsaber to warm it back up if need be*

*realizes no lightsaber, so sips coffee faster before it gets colder*

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2010 Topps Star Wars The Clone Wars Rise Of The Bounty Hunters Pack Break

*gets ready for Star Wars day. coffee is ready, pack of cards nearby, and Return Of The Jedi is on TBS. I am ready*

I originally wasn't going to do a post today on Star Wars, but being a fan of the original three series, I guess I feel obligated to. Originally, I had planned a Rack Pack break of 2022 WWE Prizm but I pushed that off until tomorrow.

Today, I will let the force stay with me.

In order to do a Star Wars post today and not repeat the same ole cards again, I went digging for something new to post. That's when I remembered that Wes, formally of JBF blog, sent me some random unopened packs.

In the stack, I found two packs of 2010 Topps Star Wars The Clone Wars Rise Of The Bounty Hunters and thought perfect, something new to post. I will break a pack for today.

Even though I have never watched any of the Star Wars cartoon series, it's still Star Wars and I was into it. I also heard these cartoon series especially The Clone Wars were really well done.

*takes a sip before showing off the pack. takes a second to watch the interaction between Luke Skywalker and Jabba The Hut and turns back to the laptop to focus*

In every pack of 2010 Topps Star Wars The Clone Wars Rise Of The Bounty Hunters Packs there are 7 cards. There are also two inserts to chase as well in Clone Wars Foil Character Cards falling 1:3 packs and Motion Cards falling 1:6 packs. So odds could be in my favor.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Here are the cards in order of the pack,

Last card magic...

1:6 Motion Card. So cool! Sportflix in Star Wars form.

Thanks to Wes for sending me the pack for today's break.

*uses a lightsaber to warm the coffee back up, takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

*didn't really use a lightsaber to warm it up but how cool would have that been*

*takes another sip, now time to finish up today's post*

I can't complain about a pack break that pulls the best insert from the product. The animation screen grabs were not too bad for the eyes either.

In comments today, let me know if you have watched any of the Star Wars cartoon series. If not, tell me your favorite Star Wars movie.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday and May the 4th be with you!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

*gets ready to close laptop, takes a sip and wants to finish the movie*

Another Year

*sits down, gets ready for a new post on #CardsOverCoffee. cards sit next to the laptop for today's post and coffee is on the other side. it's going to be a great start to the day*

Today, I turn 39 years old. I can't believe I will be spending my last year in my 30's. Felt like I just turned 30 yesterday. Time flies by for those of you who are younger and for those of you who are older, you already know this.

I don't have any plans today other than waiting for my mother-in-law to bring out my banana cream pie I discussed earlier this week. Of course with pie, more coffee is expected which alone is a good birthday.

Normally, I don't get a lot of gifts for my birthdays. As you get older, you don't expect nor get much. It's just how it goes and that's okay. It took me awhile to get used to that, but now just being alive for your birthday is the big gift.

*takes a sip to celebrate another day of life*

This year though, I got a really impressive surprise birthday gift from blog reader Oren, who I have been trading with for a year now. I think the first post/trade with Oren shows up on here on March 6th 2021.

He sent along a nice note with birthday wishes and a mail day I wasn't expecting. Especially the card in the package.

The first part of the mail day was two packs of 2004 Topps Star Wars Clone Wars.

Which I opened hoping to land an insert,

 

And I finally did land an insert in the second pack. This Yoda is a Sticker Card that falls 1:3 odds. I was hoping for one of the battle motion cards. Those look pretty cool.

Behind the two packs of cards was this STUNNER......

2001 Upper Deck Sp Sign Of The Times autograph of Hall Of Famer Kurt Warner.

It took me awhile to shake my excitement as I almost dropped the card on the floor. Of course, I tried to calm down because as you get older you worry about having a heart attack from too much excitement.

 

This marks the second Warner in my autograph collection, but this one by far takes the cake as the better card. My other one I always question it's authenticity.

I don't even really know the words to use to say thanks to Oren for this marvelous birthday gift, but I guess a thank you will have to do for now. Unless I take some time to find other words I could use on Google.

*goes to Google after taking a sip and finds, many thanks · thanks very much · thanks a lot · thank you kindly · much obliged · much appreciated · bless you to use for this birthday mail day*

*takes another sip before finishing up today's post. sees mother-in-law coming with the pie*

*takes pie, slices a small piece, sits down with coffee and takes a bite. happy birthday to me*

I am very thankful for having another day here on earth and the start of my 39th year here.  I am never sure what challenges another year brings to my life, especially with all of my health issues on and off, but I will persevere and will post again next year.

I am also thankful I actually responded to Oren's email as most emails I get from strangers trying to do card deals with me, I don't. Something told me that day to do so and I am glad I did. I look forward to trading more with Oren this year as well and if you see an email from him, I suggest you respond and trade as well.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

*Coffee Card Birthday Blogger Out*

May The 4th Be Late With You

*finally able to sit down and write a post meant for 2 days ago. Takes fresh cup of coffee and sits it next to the laptop and stack of cards. Trying not to tip any of them over. It's finally time now for some new Cards Over Coffee*

It's been a busy week so I am running a few days behind on the National Holiday on May 4th known as Star Wars Day.

*takes a sip, coffee hits the spot*

Star Wars didn't exist in my life until much later in the 90's which is a lot later than it was for most people around me. I first discovered the movies on TV and really got into watching them. I saw each of the three original movies (I still refer to those movies as the originals) a few times and was pretty excited about hearing there was a new one coming out in 1999. Then I found it was a prequel, I can't stand prequels for any movies, so the newfound excitement of another Star Wars movie sailed away.

However, I still gave the prequel and following prequel episodes a chance and found out that I was right that they were awful. Nothing, I mean nothing ever beats the originals. I will say though, I did grow to liking Darth Maul.

*takes another sip. Feels his tummy rumbling*

Fast forward to now, Disney is in control of the Star Wars universe and there are more movies, cartoons and TV shows about the franchise more than ever before. I am not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but seems many die hard fans are pretty happy with it.

For me though, I will just stick to the three originals because I am too old school.

When it comes to cards though, I will take them all for my non sport collection.

*another sip leads to an idea of what to eat for breakfast...okay mid morning snack you caught me*

Most of my Star Wars card collection has been acquired through trading, which is how a lot of my collecting is acquired.

Actually, I am pretty sure all with the exception of this card was picked up through trading. 

Hondo Ohnaka is not a character I know, but the voice actor I know plenty about and many of you should as well. Jim Cummings is Darkwing Duck, Tigger, Winnie The Pooh, Pete from Goof Troop, and about a million other cartoons from yesterday and today. This autograph was a must have for me so I forked out the $12 a couple of years ago to make it happen.

I felt I got a steal on it comparing the cost to other autographs of his.

The rest of these cards for today's post have been recently posted on here, but I am sure a second look won't be frowned upon.

I also have two Film Cel relics from the original movies I couldn't find for today's post. Those are my two favorite cards in my Star Wars collection and will need to be shared. Maybe I will wait a year from now and show those two off for next years Star Wars day.

*takes another sip*

I also thought since this is a coffee card blog and today we are talking Star Wars that it would be fun to rename a few of the characters.

Here they are,

Darth Coffee

Brewbacca

Han Expresso

Java The Hutt

Kylo Roast

Obi Wan Cappuccino

R2-Cup 2

R2-Dcaf

If you have anymore or ones to compete with mine, I would love to hear them in comments.

*takes a sip before finishing up the post*

I hope every had a Happy Star Wars Day! Also let me know your favorite movie from the Saga in comments!

*finds a couple of Oreos, takes the cookie side off to eat first and saves the frosted side for last. Takes a a sip of coffee, then dives on in for the frosted side. Coffee Card blogger out*

Coincidence

 

*Cards Over Coffee time. Time for a hot cup of brew as I sit here on the beach listening to the Sounds of Summer. By beach I mean my kitchen. By sounds of summer, looking at this card. I would rather play pretend then look out my window and see the wind whipping with -20 temperatures*

Coincidence. This is defined as a "remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection."

A couple of weeks ago, I was out and about on social media (mainly Twitter) looking for trades without much success. It wasn't that I didn't have plenty to trade, they just didn't have anything I needed. So I figured I would give it a break and go back and try after a few days.

This is where the coincidence comes in.

A day later, I received not only one, but two emails seeking trades from people I had never had any interaction with before. One was from a reader and one was from a fellow blogger whose blog I hadn't heard of before. It was quite odd and something like that never happens to me.

Coincidence? You tell me.

I began the conversation with both blog reader Oren and blogger Johnny from Cards From The Quarry and we all worked out trades pretty quickly.

We also mailed pretty quickly. What a coincidence that we all are easy to trade with and mail quickly?

*takes a sip, begins to look back through the small stack of cards from the trade and takes another sip. Time to show off what I landed*

First, I will show off my trade from Johnny.

I collect a lot of non sport cards from base to inserts to hits. I like having pieces from some of my favorite actors/actresses and musicians. 

I never got my hands onto any of the Beach Boys trading cards to open, but I have picked up a few relics. My father actually found a Brian Wilson autograph at a Yard Sale for cheap but sold it before I had the chance to make a trade for it. Curses!

The next two cards I landed in this trade were Giants.

Paul Perkins silver Prizm

Eli Manning Zoning Commission that is numbered to /1000

I think I already have a copy of this Manning, but I don't mind a second and being numbered I consider this a new card to the collection. Different Numbering=Different Card.

My final card in this trade I mentioned to Johnny how I collect 90's inserts from 1995-1999 and it didn't matter the sport.

So he passed along this fun surprise. Far&Away insert from Pinnacle X-Press.

Thanks for the trade Johnny!

*takes a sip, then another, then chugs the rest of the cup. I need another cup now.*

*brews another cup, gets ready for the next part*

My next trade comes from blog reader Oren. He read my post on collecting what you enjoy and not what is hot because that's what collecting is truly about. He also noticed how much I was into non sport cards and sent me a list of available ones he had.

All of which caught my attention.

2018 Goodwin Champions When Robots Rule The World were randomly inserted in packs. I hadn't ever seen one before and actually had to look it up before I traded for it so I knew what I was trading for.

The next cards are Harry Potter. I loved the movies, but there wasn't enough coffee in the world that would help my mind focus on reading the really in-depth books. Usually a book is better than a movie, but not in this case. At least to me.

All three of these cards have a Sportflix feel to them. Or in Harry's world, they are magically moving.

The final card was this Topps Star Wars Evolution Commemorative Flag Patch of Chancellor Palpatine. The cards simply shines.

It is also numbered to 25 as well.

Thanks to Oren for the trade.

I hope to see both of these guys come back for more trades and actually Oren and myself are working already on a second one.

*takes a sip before finishing up the post*

I was hoping receiving that Beach Boys Sounds Of Summer card that the next day coincidentally would be summer. That wasn't the case however and won't be the case all week with cold weather still around. 

I guess that some coincidences are simply just coincidences.