Two

*the smell of coffee in the morning is like batteries for the energizer bunny. it keeps you going an d going and going....*

*takes a sip of brewed coffee, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ready for a new post*

Two years ago, I thought it was a good idea to start a blog that combines two of my passions, coffee and cards.

Two years later, I sometimes question it.

It has been such an up and down time on here when it comes to blogging. This blog is so specific in it's setup, that it makes it challenging for a lot of posts to be creative enough to keep things rolling or being able to post them in the first place, but so far it's holding on.

Year 2 brought out a bunch of new content and new segments I am trying out. This is all a part of a new tweak I am hoping will get this blog out there more. The sad state of this blog is the fact that it really hasn't grown much at all in two years, but yet I keep chugging on. See what I did there? Or is it too early for coffee humor?

I would be more than happy to take any suggestions in comments on what you think it would take to grow this blog more.

In the meantime, I want to thank those of you who come here and read about my coffee drinking and card collecting. I truly appreciate the support and time you spend. I put a lot of effort and time into this blog so every view, every comment really matters.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

Tell me your favorite posts on here in comments in celebration of Year 2.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

The State Of The Hobby: 90's Parallels/Inserts

*takes a sip, feels a little angered from the newest faze from the hobby. takes an angry sip. gets ready for a new #CardsOverCoffee post to let out that frustration*

The influx of money hungry card chasers in the hobby have finally dug their way into the depths of my favorite part of collecting, the late 90's.

First they cleaned off retail shelves, then they drove up prices on retail and hobby products, and now they are driving insert and parallel prices up from the 90's including guys like Rodney Hampton, Charles Way and Kerry Collins that I collect.

 

Check out this sale on a Rodney Hampton Red PMG. When I acquired my version of this card it was $60, which I still thought it was steep. Yes, it's raw unlike this one, but still, it's Rodney Hampton. There is no reason for a card like this to be this high.

Check out these sales as well. Kerry Collins for over $300?? Dave Brown, yes, Dave Brown raw sold for over $200. You could have landed that card for probably $20 two years ago. Same with Tony Brackens.

It's not just PMG's that are going nuts either. There are other 90's parallels and inserts feeling the heat too.

Let's take a look at a couple 1997 Skybox Premium Rubies. Can you imagine spending $76.99 on a Jay Graham card..EVER IN YOUR LIFE??? Or even $71.99 on a Ronnie McAda version. Who?? I know Graham at least but I actually had to Google who McAda was. Which he was Mr.Irrelevant in the 1997 NFL Draft and was drafted from the United States Military Academy. It appears he never had a snap in the NFL.

But, yet someone forked out $72 for him.

These are only a couple of examples for the craziness going on and the prices others are driving up on these cards. 

Some of which I still need for my player collections. Speaking of which, I have a story to tell but first...

*takes an angry sip, you know, one of those loud slurps*

*takes another. returns to the keyboard to tell a story*

A guy on Instagram contacted me about a month ago after he noticed some of the players I collected and asked if I was interested in seeing some cards of those players he had. 

I wished I had said no.

He had an amazing assortment of PMG's, Ex Credentials and a 1997 Skybox Rubies Rodney Hampton which besides the Green PMG, is my most wanted Hampton card. Immediately I inquired about a trade, which he was fine with doing but preferred to sell. So, I asked for trade value and this is the part that got me.

Overall, the cards he showed me had close to $1200 in trade value. These players included Kerry Collins, Charles Way, Tyrone Wheatley, Jessie Armstead, and Rodney Hampton by the way. I thought the number was steeper than Mount Everest so I tried just trading for the Skybox Rubies Hampton which alone was over $250 in trade value. Even though I really wanted those cards, especially the Hampton, thinking about the cards I would have had to give up to land those was overwhelming. I had to back out and cry in a corner with a cup of coffee.

Since then, I have seen a few of those cards list on eBay with a starting bid of $99. None of which ever received a bid. I am not sure if he still has those cards or not, but if I ever start to see the values dip I may check in with him again.

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

It's a sad hobby world when you collect the least popular players, and they have values of Hall Of Famers or more than them. Do you know how many vintage cards or Hall Of Fame autographs you can land for $1200? Yeah, exactly. Even though it was really hard for me to pass up, I made the right decision in the end.

I just wish that deep pockets would stay out of my woods of collecting.

Thoughts on today's post and if you would have done that trade deal is welcomed in comments.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday, the weekend is near!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

*one last angry sip*

Coffee Break:2022 Prizm WWE Hanger Pack

*sits down, then realizes left the most important thing on the counter. gets back up, grabs coffee and sits back down. a newer product in hand, coffee now ready and laptop being typed on. it's time for some cards over coffee*

For some reason or another, I get easily persuaded a lot of the time. When I see a card or cards I want, I do my best to try to acquire them whether they fit my collection or not.

I always turned down peer pressure in childhood from others wanting me to try a drink, but I see a piece of cardboard and I am all in.

Even though I don't watch WWE or really collect the cards, I kept seeing everyone post about the newest and hottest release, I fell for it. I NEEDED AND WANTED SOME.

*takes a sip, picks up pack off from the table and looks at it again and mind preps for today's break and post. sets it back down, takes another sip and continues on*

 

2022 Prizm WWE was so hot when it first released, it trended on Twitter for a few days. Trended! When was the last time anything in the hobby actually trended?

So when I found a hanger pack at Walmart, I questioned whether I should have used an oven mitt or not to grab the pack because of how hot it was.

I decided against it and took my chance with my bare hands. No burning, guess I got lucky. Of course, the product has cooled down some since the retail release started flooding the market.

But, now I had a pack to open anyways. I was apart of the cool kids club.

*takes a sip before showing the pack off*

In every pack of 2022 Prizm WWE, there are 15 cards. Three of those cards will be Red, White and Blue parallels. Look for other parallels as well along with inserts and possibly long stretched autograph odds. Each pack is $16.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Even though I don't particularly collect wrestling, it doesn't mean there wasn't stuff in here I wasn't looking for. I always collect rookie cards and my wife being a Dwayne Johnson fan, I was hoping he would make an appearance as well.

(a couple of rookies)

 

(finally, a name I know)

Got a couple of rookies so far. But, no Rock.

Silver Prizm of Queen Zelina

 

Red, White and Blue Prizm of Amale

 

 

Final Red, White and Blue parallel card. I didn't know any of the wrestlers I pulled from this.

 

Fearless Randy Orton (with a small glimpse of my phone taking the picture)

And a freaky entrance, well, Prizmatic Entrances of Alexa Bliss. Another name I knew.

Well, landed three rookies for my collection, but no Rock cards for the Mrs. I can see why though this would be a popular product among wrestling collectors especially since Prizm is my favorite Panini product for the other sports.

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

I will admit I did watch some wrestling back in the early 2000's but it wasn't something that ever truly caught on with me. I see a lot of die-hard fans on Twitter though and have some friends on Facebook that are as well.

The one thing I always wondered about wrestling, is whether you consider it more of a sport or more of an entertainment show? Let me know in comments your thoughts on this and the product above.

Have a thankful Thursday!

*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*

Coffee Break:2021 Topps Big League Baseball Hobby Box

*takes a sip of a new coffee brand today and gets ready to rip a new...I suppose...product as well.*

My wife recently bought me a few different Keurig Coffee Pods to try. It wasn't like I am sick of drinking Green Mountain Dark Roast decaf every day but it would be nice to add another one into the rotation.

However, finding the right flavor hasn't been easy.

I used to drink tons of caffeine but after I started having heart racing issues, my father and a cardiologist took me off caffeine completely. Which at first was a challenge, but my body adjusted. But, finding the right coffee took some time. I tried many early on and most were too bland. There was no coffee flavor so it was like drinking creamer water. Finally have discovering Green Mountain Dark Roast, life has been good.

Other than that one, the only other one I can tolerate is Dunkin' Decaf.

So today, I went to flavortown and tried a Guy Fieri decaf coffee called unleaded. Great choice of name by the way.

 

And this one was a winner. Nice smooth dark coffee flavor. It will be a perfect addition to my rotation.

Speaking of rotation, it appears we rotated years with the latest Topps product release in 2021, yes you read that right, Topps Big League baseball.

*takes a sip before moving onto today's break*

Every hobby box of 2021 Topps Big League Baseball comes with 18 packs of 10 cards. Each box has no guarantees and runs about $40.

BASE:

The base set is 300 cards deep with veterans,

 

Rookies,

And plenty of subsets.

I like the simple design and there is some fun photography as well.

PARALLELS:

You can find the following parallels in Big League,

Electric Blue, Orange, Rainbow Foil /100, Green Foil /75, Black & White /50, Blue Foil /25, Black Foil /15, and Red Foil 1/1.

 

Rainbow Foil /100

Orange Parallels that fall one-per-pack. I was happy with the Judge find.

INSERTS:

Defensive Wizards was my favorite insert line from Big League. A great looking design. There are 15 cards in this set that fall 1:4 packs.

Art Of The Game falls 1:4 packs and has 23 cards in the set to collect

Souvenirs falls 1:4 packs and has 30 cards to collect.

Wanted. This was my 2nd favorite design from the product, and hey look, another Judge for the collection. There are 15 of these to collect at 1:4 packs.

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

This was a fun break that is definitely aimed for team, set and kid collectors. This isn't for the big home run hitter though there are some big home run cards to chase. The autographs at 1:67 packs isn't really too bad of odds.

Thoughts on today's cards welcomed in comments.

Have a great Tuesday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Coffee Break:2022 Topps Signature Series Active Player

*looks out the window at the bright sunny sky. the temps are near 40 and it finally is starting to feel like spring. coffee is also in hand as well along with a box of new product. time for some cards over coffee*

Yesterday marked the first warm 60-degree day we have had all year. I know what you Southerners and Midwesterners are thinking, we go to bed at 60 degrees or our winters are 60 degrees or we cook our steak at 60 degrees. Not sure about the last part but you get the point.

I was ecstatic to finally be able to go outside and enjoy the nice weather.

Sun, some green grass. Amazing and uplifting.

I finally got to tackle some mulching as well. Here is a half mulched, half not.

 

Finished product

 

My other two flower beds. I didn't get to tackle the bigger one as I ran out of mulch. I really need to replace that white fence this year.

Now that I rambled on about yesterday's adventures, today's is diving into a new Topps product in 2022 Topps Archives Signature Series.

*takes a sip before moving on with today's break*

Each box of 2022 Topps Archives Signature Series Active Player comes with one card. That card will come encased and signed. The cards feature a ton of buybacks. Each box goes for $80.

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

 

Well, that was it.

Once again, I didn't hit a homerun with this product, unless you are a Cubs fan.

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

Well, the sun was out at least yesterday. 

This product has always been a swing and miss for me, but that doesn't mean it would be for you. I have seen plenty of Mike Trout 1/1 autographs being hit. The checklist has some solid players on it, you just have to be lucky.

Thoughts on today's product is welcomed in comments.

Hope everyone has a Magnificent Monday.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Unfinished Cup:1998 E-X2001 Baseball Base Set

*the sun is shining, the temps are supposed to hit 60 today, so may take this computer outside to finish today's post at some point. for now, sits down, gets ready for a new Cards Over Coffee post*

Hey! It's already May! I don't know about you guys, but this year has gone by really fast. Before we know it, I will be doing my Christmas posts on here. And no, I am not hurrying that up though I do love me some Christmas.

*takes a sip, thinks about Christmas..no no no....I need some sunshine and wiffle ball first*

Well, the point of this series so far hasn't worked out like I had hope since I thought it would help me tackle some set needs, but I plan to continue it in hopes that it will. I am currently chasing close to 100 sets so I am hoping someone somewhere may have some help for me.

Today, I take a look at the next E-X sets I am close on. The first one was this 1997 E-X2000 baseball that I am only ONE card away from, and today's is the set following up that one in 1998 E-X2001 baseball.

I have been building this set since 1998 and it would be nice to finally finish it up. It was my second favorite design from the 90's E-X series.

Here is what I have remaining,

 

2,7,9,10,15,17,19,20,22,30,32,39,43,64,66,91,93,97,100 (updated July 12th 2022)

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

There you have it. Have any of these or any cards from the other posts in this series? Let me know in comments or email me at sportcardcollectors@hotmail.com. 

Have a Super Sunday!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*