Ren And Stimpy

*takes a seat, has a really hot cup of coffee that burns the roof of the mouth. Good start to the day, but it will get better once I get today's #CardsOverCoffee post completed*

It was Saturday Night in 1992. I was 9 and had just gotten back to my grandmother's apartment after she had taken me out for a round of Bingo where I got to eat snacks my Great Aunt Pearl brought, sip on a cup of coffee my grandmother snuck me and watch elderly women bicker while I won a few games. One of those elderly was sadly my great aunt  Pearl who would take her "wand" that picked up the Bingo chips and throw it across the room when she would lose. Wasn't my fault I won with one card and she lost with twenty-five of them.

The TV would be the first thing I would head to before going to bed at her apartment. My grandmother was the only one in my family with a fancy thing called cable. At home, I was the cable. I would have to go outside in all types of weather and rotate the in ground satellite until it picked up the channel we wanted to watch. So we had all the basics, ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox (this was shocking actually) and CBS whenever I found the "sweet spot".

But, not Nickelodeon. That was a bonus for me on Saturday nights and I had two shows immediately that I loved to watch. Since I was a horror buff, Are You Afraid Of The Dark was a must at 9:30pm but so wasn't Ren And Stimpy at 9. I can't explain why I loved Ren and Stimpy, but I did.

When I saw Jon from the blog A Penny Sleeve For Your Thoughts post some sticker cards from the show I had forgotten existed, I knew I needed some for my collection before I forgot about them again. So I hunted down a really cheap lot for $7.

*takes a sip before moving on*

In 1994 Topps created The Ren and Stimpy All Prismatic 50 card set. There was a bunch of variations in that would make today's Topps baseball Sp's easy to spot. Most cards had 3 or 4 variations.

So excuse me if I don't know or can spot them below. I am just showing off what I scored in the lot.

(how I feel about you guys)

 

(how retail flippers make me feel)

(flippers and investors)

(who doesn't at least know this song?!)

 

Looking at prices for these, it appears I may had gotten a little bit of a deal. This also wasn't all of them either. There were others and some duplicates which I hoarded anyways. I believe the lot was 40 sticker cards.

Thanks for the reminder on these Jon! They will go well with my Comic Books and my Stuffed Stimpy.

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

Today's post was a nice step back in time. A time when things were simpler in life and a time when my grandmother was around. She was always someone I looked up to and modeled myself after.I will always remember the fun I had at Bingo with her and of course my unforgettable Great Aunt Pearl who has also passed since.

I have watched Ren and Stimpy again recently on TV and even though it didn't quite have the impact on me it did when I was 9, I still enjoyed it mainly for the nostalgic piece.

In comments today, let me know what SNICK show you watched? If you were ever your own "cable" and if you were a Ren and Stimpy Fan.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

My Favorite Subset

*the long days of summer are officially gone and the dreary dark mornings of fall have kicked in. It's the same thing for today, guess I need to brighten up my day and anyone else's day with some #CardsOverCoffee*

With my baseball season officially over last night with the Boston Red Sox defeating the NY Yankess 6-2, it's time to focus directly onto football. Not that my mind wasn't already there and not that I watch much baseball anyways including last nights game which I caught up on NCIS instead, but I can officially rule out any care I had left. Except my hatred for the Red Sox, hope they lose. Other than that, don't care who wins.

With my mind completely focused onto football, it got me to thinking back to one of my favorite NFL subsets all time. I have mentioned this 10-card subset before, but have never shown it all off card by card to let you see why I enjoy this set so much.

*takes a sip, begins to wonder what breakfast may be*

The subset is called Mirror Image and was included in the 1995 Skybox Premium base set. Hence, a subset. The cards covered numbers 149-158 in the set and had NFL Stars on one side and top picks of the 1994 NFL Draft on the other. The stars and the top picks were compared to each other as Mirror Images. Looking back at some of the comparisons now you can say most didn't pan out.

Let's take a look at those comparisons in picture form below, (NOTE:I have a few drafts such as this one kicking around with pictures I took the old fashion way before my light box. I have got to publish these first before the upgrade)

Up first, Emmitt Smith and Errict Rhett.

While Rhett ran for a little over 4,000 yards in his career, Smith broke records, won multiple Super Bowls and has a career full of achievements.

Both Sanders and Faulk had MVP and Hall Of Fame careers. Probably one of the best comparisons on here though both players game was much different. There will never be another Barry Sanders I promise you that.

While Jerry Rice broke records that may never be broken, Darnay Scott played for the Bengals. But, he is known for being one of their greatest WR's ever to play if that counts for something.

Both Floyd and Johnston were bruising full backs, but despite a ring on Floyds finger, the other guy that led the way for Emmitt Smith has multiple rings.

Even though Trent Dilfer did something that Dan Marino couldn't do, win a Super Bowl but that was because of that Ravens defense, there is no other comparison. Dan was the Man.

While Shuler had a short and unnoticed NFL Career, John Elway went onto win Super Bowls and had an amazing career both as a passer and running QB.

Bam Bam had close to 4,000 yards in his career but Means had a little over 5,000. I would say this is a pretty close comparison, though Bam Morris had some terrific angry runs.

Though Wilkinson had a solid career with multiple teams and 54.5 sacks, White was dominant. He is apart of the 100 Sack club, won a Super Bowl, Hall Of Famer and all around good guy.

Rodney led the Giants in rushing and rushing records for many years until the injury bug hit, while Mario Bates rushed for over 3,000 yards in his career.

And finally, Marvin Jones was the 4th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft but didn't live up to expectations despite a 10+ career in the NFL. Junior Seau though, Hall Of Famer, All-Pro and big time Pro-Bowler.

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

*gets up from seat to hunt down breakfast food as post cannot be finished without something in the tummy as it's rumbling.*

*grabs a cookie for now, takes a seat. takes a sip, a bite and gets ready to finish up the post*

What I enjoy most about the cards above is the jersey background of the opposite player on the other side. It just stands out and this lack of creativity is simply lacking today. This is why nothing will ever beat this subset for me.

Also, as I was typing this, I got to thinking, do any of us Mirror Image our collecting with anyone? Do we have any similarities to other bloggers or collectors we know or are we our own brand? What about blogging in general, do we try to Mirror Image ourselves from someone else's blog? I would be curious to see your thoughts in the comments below.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

EnLIGHTening The Blog

*takes a sip, gets ready to sit down before realizing maybe I want breakfast first before I type*

*gets up, thaws a bagel, toasts it, puts veggie cream cheese on it, sits back down*

*takes a bite, takes a sip, it's time for some #CardsOverCoffee* 

Sorry for the long intro today, I am feeling a tad hungrier than usual this morning. It's probably because I have been trying to cut back on eating as much, especially at night. Gotta lose that weight you know. But, I am sure many of you are saying right now as I can hear my Doctor saying it to, eating a bagel won't help. Well, for me, I put in 15,000 steps a day or more and it's early still where I am so I think I will be just fine with it.

*takes another bite and another sip, mmmmm. kicking this morning off right*

Today's post won't involve any cards as a forewarning to you, but it will involve something I will be using for pictures of them on here.

For a few weeks now, I have been wanting a light box to use for pictures on my blog. I keep seeing others use them on Twitter and feel the pictures are a huge upgrade over what they used to post. 

My poor wife in that timeframe has listened to my cries of wanting one, or whining I guess you would call it, and got me an early anniversary present which was given to me this morning.

 

And guess what that was...A LIGHTBOX!! A portable one at that!! So I can take my pictures and not have to worry about the storage afterwards. That's perfect since I don't have a lot of space to begin with!

Here's the top of the light box.

Here is where the magic will happen. I chose black as I feel a coffee blog is best suited for it. There are lights both in the front and the back of the box. 

And it wouldn't be this blog if one of the pictures I took wasn't of a coffee mug.

Not only did she get me a lightbox, but I also got a couple other items to note.

A penny keychain that has M+J (Matt and Jessica) and a heart around the year of 2002 on the penny. It will be 19 years this year. Closing in on a big milestone next year.

 

Along with this Crucial Catch Giants hat. The Crucial Catch initiative addresses early detection and screenings of cancer. All proceeds from Crucial Catch items go directly the the American Cancer Association. Since 2009, the NFL has raised close to 30 Million dollars from this program.

A big thanks to the love of my life for for these items. I love you and always appreciate you supporting my hobby.

*takes another bite, okay I finished half the bagel. takes a sip before finishing up today's post*

I look forward to continuing to improve this blog in any way I can and I think with enough practice with the light box that will help. Hopefully word gets out on that (please add me to your blogrolls or throw me in a post) and I will be able to grow this blog, the hashtag #CardsOverCoffee and get a community together. For me that's what the hobby and the world is all about. Everyone finding a common ground and enjoying each others passions together whether it's coffee, cards or something else.

In comments below, I want to know if you use a lightbox for pictures or if you have ever bought a Crucial Catch item or donated to the American Cancer Association.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Redeemed!

*its a dreary Monday morning where I am but the sun has got to be shining somewhere right? Or does everyone's Monday always look like this. despite the weather, I still have my coffee, a card to show off and a NY Giants victory to celebrate*

It was 21-10 Saints halfway through the 4th quarter of yesterday's game against my Giants and the Saints had the ball. I was about ready to grab a paper bag out from underneath the sink and cut eye holes out of it and draw a sad face to watch the rest of the season with as it appeared the Giants were heading to 0-4 with the Cowboys and Rams up next.

'

But, then something magical happened.

It was like one of those football movies you would go to the theater to watch. The coaches pumped up the players on the sidelines and somehow or another you could feel the momentum shift. The Giants forced the Saints to punt, got the ball and Daniel Jones threw a pass to Saquon Barkley who took it 54 yards for a touchdown. Giants followed that up with a two point conversion on a Jones run. After that, another stop of the Saints and the Giants drove down the field and got a game tying field goal with 30 or so seconds left. Saints got the ball for those final seconds and attempted to thr\w one pass that fell incomplete before deciding they should run out the clock to bring the game to overtime.

Something about the coin toss in overtime made me believe this team was going to win as Jabrill Peppers called heads on the coin toss and yells out after the coin landed on heads,"We Want That Ball, **** Em." Motivational words I suppose. Mine would have been, We Want The Ball, Coffee is ready at home. Let's get this done.

And as the story in a movie would unfold, the Giants drove down the field with the leadership of Daniel Jones and won on a 6 yard TD run by Saquon Barkley who by far had his best game of the season. 

Giants 27 Saints 21. There is some hope to this season.

*takes a sip, feeling good for at least one game*

Hope is a great thing. The Giants have given me some for the season for now but with a tough schedule ahead, who knows how long that will last. They have at least redeemed themselves for the time being after two straight games of disappointing endings.

The hobby has also given me some hope recently as well as I have been able to find retail almost every time at Walmart now and was able to finally get my redemption cards replaced from Panini I have waited months on. I requested my replacements in November of 2020.

I am not one to wait on redemptions longer than the four months unless it's something I really want. Since the three I needed to replace were not something I desperately wanted, I took the replacement on a Robert Woods rookie autograph, a Cody Bellinger second year autograph and a /10 Barry Larkin autograph. In return, I requested to get a NY Giants card instead....

Think I did pretty well,

 

A 2018 Panini One rookie patch autograph of Saquon Barkley. Would say that it's at least equal value then add on the PC part and it's over the value.

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

Great game and great card.

All I can hope is that the Giants can continue to trend upwards and hopefully I will continue to find more cards at retail. Just wished they were the original retail price. The only thing worse would be knowing that each retail box had a redemption for your "hit". 

*takes another sip*

Tell me your best redemption replacement, thoughts on my return and how your NFL team did yesterday in comments below!

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Time To Be Scared

*takes a sip of coffee, didn't know I was out of creamer so had to use my wife's creamer which is intended more for Christmas time and not now. Oh, well, it's still a good cup of coffee. Time to kick off a new month with a new #CardsOverCoffee*

October is known to many as a "scary" month with Halloween coming up at the end of the month. Many celebrate every day like it's Halloween, which is what I did a lot of in my youth. That was because I grew up watching a ton of horror movies with classics like Halloween, Friday The 13th, Child's Play and Nightmare On Elm Street among many others alongside my mom. My mom was a huge horror buff and when I wasn't watching cartoons, we watched Jason cut somebody's head off. Sounds twisted and probably something most would be offended by today, but, don't worry I turned out okay.

As I got older and met my wife, those days of watching horror movies went out the door and October became Halloween Candy month. However, it doesn't mean if a horror movie that I used to watch is on TV, that I won't watch a few minutes of it. As I have always said, I am a nostalgic driven person. So memories of my mother and I watching those together always kicks in.

For the most part though, it's all about the candy.

*takes a sip, now wanting a small KitKat bar...gimme a break, gimme a break....break me off a piece of that KitKat bar!*

One of my favorite Easter Candies is the Cadbury Eggs with the goopy center that resembles a real egg. I have noticed the last few years that they have released a Halloween version known as a Screme Egg with a scary green center.

I finally picked one up hoping for something cool and delicious.

And I was left disappointed. There was one speckle of green and it didn't have the flavor as the Easter version. I expected Slimer to be falling out of this...but it was more of a yolkless egg.

The same day I found the egg to try...look at what else I found,

Yes, CARDS! I found cards!!!!

As I got closer though, it got scary and I realized why the cards still remained.

*takes another sip, the peppermint mocha creamer isn't as bad in the fall as I would have thought. preferably though, I rather have this for winter*

There was quite a few boxes on the shelf with baseball, WNBA and hockey on it. I was mainly focused on the Chrome and Prizm baseball. Just like many other collectors, I like my shiny.

But as I began to grab one, I got spooked and took a step back. The price of a hanger box was what??? $26.98!!!! Then saw the price of a Prizm baseball Mega was $49.95 and Prizm Blaster box $34.98. Who is paying those prices?!

Even a WNBA blaster box of Prizm was $34.98 as I thought, for half a second, about grabbing one just for fun. Not for that price.

Then there was those Topps Complete sets will probably sit there for years as well at a $60 price tag and even the hockey blasters, which I always found hockey on the shelves even jumped to $30 per.

Retail is scary. You might as well leave Michael Myers standing by the section waiting to stab us when we see those prices. We go from not being able to find any at all because of flippers and now the flippers have driven up the price and now don't even want the product anymore. All around the hobby in the past year or so has been a lose-lose when it comes to wanting to open something retail.

Now with Fanatics coming on board soon, is it time to be really scared in the hobby? Not sure, we will have sit back and wait.

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

I probably will not be picking up another one of those eggs or retail at those prices. I liked to be scared by horror movies, not by my hobby.

In comments, let me know your thoughts on the pricing increase, if you have tried one of those Screme Eggs and what your favorite Halloween Candy is.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*

Dazzled

*only 46 degrees this morning, the feeling of fall is turning more towards the worry of winter and this is only the last day of September. Just gotta hope the temperatures don't dip too much further*

I bet a lot of you when you saw my post yesterday were thinking, why didn't he mention that it was National Coffee Day? How can he be a #CardsOverCoffee blogger and not whisper a word about his National Holiday? Well, to be honest, I forgot it was yesterday until I found out later in the day.  By then, it was too late to save myself on here. However, I can say that I did celebrate it like I always do, by drinking coffee. I guess you can say it's probably National Coffee Day for me everyday.

*takes a sip*

I have poured my heart out on here about my passion of the Donruss Unleashed cards, now it's time to unleash my love for another insert that came out this year, Upper Deck's Dazzlers.

I hadn't seen these cards before, mostly because I don't buy or collect hockey normally, until blog reader Grady M sent me a few in my first mail day from him this year. They immediately made an impact on me and I was even more excited when I found a bunch more in my second mail day from him not too long ago.

The design is simple, a colored background with a firework design and player in the forefront that makes the player jump off the card. It's really sharp, especially when caught in the right lighting.

*takes another sip, trying to make up for lost time on here yesterday from not posting about National Coffee Day*

Upper Deck Dazzlers have four variations and different odds for each. Those offerings are Blue, Green, Orange and Pink.

The Blue falls 1:24 packs.

Orange falls 1:10 Fat Packs

 

And the Green falls 1:7 in Blaster boxes.

I have yet to see a pink version up close yet since they fall 1:144 packs, but I would say between these three, the blue stands out to me the most and not just because blue is my favorite color.

*takes a sip before finishing up today's post. thinking some breakfast also sounds good*

I put all of these in a binder and they look stunning together. I hope to add to this collection and if any of you have some available for trade, let me know.

Thanks again to Grady for passing these along.

In comments, let me know how you celebrated National Coffee Day and your thoughts on these inserts and your favorite color of them.

*Coffee Card Blogger Out*