Are You Ready for the Cardpocalypse...Grand Re-launch Celebration

It's the first day of a new month. As I look back, I've been posting somewhat regularly for six weeks now. It's been a lot of fun and I can't believe how fast those weeks have gone by. In my 'welcome back' post, I mentioned making changes to the look and feel of the blog and tossed around the idea of having a blog re-launch celebration of some sort. Well here it is! Today I'm going to discuss the origins of the new blog name and conclude with rules for the giveaways that tie into said celebration. Please stick with me, it'll be worth it.

First let's take a brief look at the history of this blog. Way back in late 2014 I decided to join the blogging community, but I struggled to find a name that I liked. During the design phase I bounced between several different monikers prior to publicly publishing the blog. Ultimately I decided to go with 'I Love the Smell of Cardboard in the Morning'. Just in case there is anyone that wasn't aware, that's a play on a quote from the movie Apocalypse Now. That has never been one of my favorite films, but several of my friends and I tended to spout the original line frequently back in the day. I was happy with the name overall even though it was quite lengthy to write out. Fast forward to May 2017. I began dipping my toe into the corner of the Twitter-verse dedicated to the hobby and encountered a similar name related struggle. I knew that I wanted to link my account to the blog and therefore wanted the blog name and Twitter handle to be related. Thus, @CardpocalypseNC(the NC had to be added due to availability issues) was born. Since the blog was already established I chose to leave it intact in its original form. My blogging presence slowly dwindled due to the death of my laptop and subsequently the iOS Blogger app. Without a reliable means of content management via my tablet or phone, I shifted focus towards social media. I recently uncovered a solution that allows me to easily and reliably manage the blog using my mobile devices. This brings us up to date. As I considered what changes to make on blog, a new name was somewhat of a no brainer and definitely topped the list.

So, what exactly does Cardpocalypse mean? I'm glad you asked. It's not an allusion to some future time when the collecting world will come to an end(either personally or more broadly speaking). Apocalypse can be defined as revelation(in the non-Biblical sense) - the unveiling, unfolding, or uncovering of something(s) previously unknown. Bearing this in mind, cardpocalypse means the uncovering of cards previously unknown. In more specific terms - opening packs, boxes, or mail day packages where the contents are a mystery. I love all of that and I know many of you do too(hang in there, it'll all tie together)!

While out on a recent grocery gathering mission, I decided to grab these 2 fat packs of Donruss. I felt it was probably against my better judgment but after weeks of the shelter-in-place order I craved some pack ripping therapy. In other words, I was ready for a Cardpocalypse!

The lack of logos still irks me, but these were a fun break nonetheless. I was happy to see three Yankees in the first pack. One of the Gleybers is a photo variation, but I haven't researched which one yet. I enjoy the nickname variations and of course I dig the different types of shiny parallels.

These highlights alone made the pack two better overall. I wasn't as excited about them since they don't fit my collection, but that excitement level picked up when I saw this peeking out from the middle of the stack.

I love this! It ticks so many boxes for me. Great design? Check. Great photo selection? Check. Desirable player from favorite team? Check. Moment of escapism in the midst of a quarantine? Check!

Okay, here's the part you've all been waiting(or scrolled down the page) for! Throughout the month of May, I'm going to send out packages so a few of you can experience the Cardpocalypse for yourself. Here is how it's going to work.

- There are 5 Sundays this month.

- Each Sunday I will post nine cards that are up for grabs.

- Any reader may stake a claim on one card each Sunday. The window for claims each week will close at 8pm Monday(this will be at least a 24 hour period).

- Multiple readers may place claims on the same card each week.

- At the close of the claims window, I will create a list consisting of 'reader name/card claimed'. This list will be entered into the random.org list randomizer. The list will be shuffled 7 times. The 'reader name/claimed card' on top at the end of round 7 will be the winner for the week. I will send the card claimed by the winner along with some mystery cards(efforts will be made to fit the winner's collecting preferences) to round out the package. Weekly packages will be dropped at the post office on Thursday of each week.

- Any reader can only win once in weeks 1-4. Week 5 will have multiple winners(number TBD) and previous weekly winners will be eligible to enter again.

- Cards offered each week will be categorized by sport. Week 1 will be baseball. Week 2 is football. Week 3 basketball. Week 4 will be a mix of MMA/Pro Wrestling/non-sport. Week 5 is 'Anything Goes'.

Hopefully I've done a good job describing this to you all. Week 5 will have some additional rules/guidelines to accommodate the multiple winner aspect. I will detail these in a post a few days before May 31. If anyone out there is taking precautions against the virus by not accepting mail at this time, I will gladly hold winnings until I am given the 'all clear' by the winner. Please reach out if you have questions about any of this. Get ready, there's less than 48 hours until the Cardpocalypse! Thanks for reading.

This Day in Baseball History

I've been thinking of reviving this theme for a few weeks, but haven't found the right event to tie into my collection...until today.

On this day back in 1959, Whitey Ford pitched a 14-inning complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals before an estimated crowd of 7,337 at Griffith Park. Making his second start of the young season, he scattered 7 hits, walked 7, and struck out 15. The 15 K's tied the Yankees' single game record(at the time) and his 14 IP would end up being the longest outing of his career. The incredible start helped the team improve its record to 6-3. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a sign of things to come as they finished the season at 79-75 which was only good enough for 3rd place in the AL.

From an impressive on-field performance to an impressive piece of cardboard... I'm typically not a fan of unlicensed cards but this one is certainly an exception. It has a nicely cropped photo and a legible, on-card auto with an inscription! You don't see that everyday. This (somewhat)new arrival came to me courtesy of my friend Matt from Sport Card Colectors blog. We've been involved in a never-ending trade for over a year now and has been responsible for some huge PC additions. Thanks SCC, I'm looking forward to our next exchange!

The 1959 season may have been a rare disappointment in the middle of a Yankee dynasty, but the ace of the New York rotation turned in an effort befitting a future HOF'er on this day in baseball history. Thanks for reading.

I Love a Parade!

If you've ever stopped by the blog before, you probably know that I'm always on the lookout for new(to me) Yankees cardboard. Some of my favorite additions over the past several years were courtesy of the Postseason Celebration insert from Topps Update a few years back. I love how they tied my love of the Yankees together with my interest in World Series history, but we will save those for another post at another time. Several months back I was searching for something random and hobby related. I can't remember if I found what I was looking for that day because I got sidetracked by a dark/blurry picture of some cards I never knew existed, but immediately knew I wanted.

All I found was this picture. There was no story, no origin, no information at all. I couldn't make much out from the picture either. What I knew was there was a set of at least three cards(Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Mark Teixeira) which appeared to have pics from the 2009 Championship Parade, used the 2010 Topps design, and had '27 Championships' where the player's name would normally be. I took this screenshot and ran bunches of Google searches trying to glean some kind of information about these. Where did these come from? Are there more cards in the set?  How can I find copies to add to my collection? Sadly, my search ended in complete and utter failure as I wasn't able to find any answers about the mystery cards. Then, almost as quickly as I became aware of their existence, I forgot about them. It wasn't until I started going through my picture files for new post ideas that I came across that picture again. It renewed my desire to track these down. I knew I'd first have to find those answers so I'd know where to start looking for a trade or purchase. It was back to square one - Google search. This time it paid off. One of my searches led me to a post from someone on the Freedom Cardboard forum. They claimed this was a 3-card set distributed at NY/Metro area Modell's Sporting Goods stores. This forum post had links to clear pictures which clued me in to search eBay for '2010 Topps Yankees Ring Ceremony'. I found a listing for a sealed set and clicked BIN as quickly as I could. The set arrived yesterday.

As soon as I finished taking this picture of the sealed set, I quickly freed these awesome cards from their cellophane prison.

I have to say I'm partial to the Mo and Posada. Nothing against Tex, but they're 2 of the Core Four and these cards show moments from the final World Series celebration of their careers. Maybe I'm too sentimental, but I think that's pretty awesome!

The card backs each give a brief synopsis about the regular season, Division/Championship Series, and World Series respectively. They also contain additional images(albeit small and somewhat blurred ones) from the Ticker Tape Parade through the 'Canyon of Heroes'. This set is a really satisfying addition to my Yankees PC. Thanks for reading.

Can You Hear Them? - A Baseball Card History Lesson

I am a sucker for sports history. I have always felt most connected to and intersted by the rich history of America's Pasttime. I feel fortunate to have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown a few times. I swear that if you listen closely while walking through the exhibits and visiting the plaques of the enshrined, you can hear the stories behind some of the most magical moments in the sport being told by the players themselves. OK, I know that's a bit hokey and certainly a stretch of the imagination but it's easy to get carried away by these type of romantic thoughts if you'll allow yourself. At least it is for this baseball fan...

If there is anyone that can relate to the thought above, I imagine it would probably be a fellow collector. Why? The simple act of flipping through small pieces of cardboard with pictures on them can create a similar effect. This is why I've recently fallen in love with a relatively early(and mostly forgotten) parallel that Topps issued in 1998, it ties both of these things together.

Let's delve into some background, shall we? In May 1997, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Topps had become their 'corporate partner'. While this presumably produced many benefits for both sides of the arrangement that were unseen by the general public, it directly resulted in the previously mentioned parallel set. In early October 1997, Topps set up a printing press in the atrium of the Hall of Fame library. Then, beginning on the 10th and concluding on the 19th, Topps ran sheets of their 1998 set through that press to emblazon them with a bronze foil 'Minted in Cooperstown' stamp. Visitors to the Hall during this time were even able to watch this process in action. It would have been so cool to see this! However, it was the early days of the internet and information about special events such as this wasn't as readily available at the time(especially from over 600 miles away where I lived at the time). In fact, when the product released in 1998, younger me had no idea why these stamps made the cards special and didn't pay much attention to them at all. If I actually knew the story behind them, I would have reacted differently. I remember pulling a few that year, thinking they were a nice change from Topps Gold, and quickly filed them away with the rest of the cards I picked up around that time. There they stayed until a few months ago while I was looking for cards to fill out a trade package. Sitting in a box that hadn't been opened in over a decade, I stumbled upon them and set them to the side. It was only after I finished up that trade package and sent it out that I searched for the story behind them. Once I found out about their history, I was infatuated. There is something ineffable about the connection they share with Hall that intrigues me to no end. If it weren't for a weak checklist, I'd likely attempt to build the complete set. Instead, I'll be content with picking up a handful of these that fit my collection. 

I'm off to a great start as I've already found a copy of the Bernie! I apologize for the low quality image. I already filed this away into the Bernie PC so I am using a picture I had taken rather than a cleaner scan. Since its hard to see, here is a close up of the stamp from another card.

When Bernie arrived, he was happy to be reunited with a former teammate that has been sitting in a box for many years.

Enter Sandman! Little did I know when I picked this card up at a show all hose years ago(*insert hefty sprinkle of creative interpretation here*) that it would foreshadow Mo's unanimous election last year.

I have a few others from this set, but none that really speak to me like these do. There are a few left that I'll continue to look for with Derek Jeter, Barry Bonds, and the commemorative Roberto Clemente topping that list. Maybe I'm crazy, but whenever I hold these cards in my hand and listen closely, I feel like some whispers from the Hall were embedded in them as they were stamped. Can you hear them? Thanks for reading.

Don't Call it a Comeback...

...I haven't been here in a year! So just let me (re)introduce myself! 

Sorry for shamelessly borrowing from two of my favorite, old school hip hop songs(and very loosely from my pal Matt) but those lines seemed quite appropriate for this occasion. It has been exactly one year since my last post on this blog. I never intended to take break or go on a hiatus of any length. I don't have a crazy 'life happens' story about why I haven't had time to write and I wasn't even burnt out or having writer's block. In fact, I have missed writing about the hobby I love. I've thought about coming back too many times to count. So, what has kept me away? Well, the truth is, my laptop died and once Google made the significant changes to many of their offerings last year, I couldn't find a reasonable way to mange the blog using only my iPad. Apps that I had previously used no longer allowed me to post pics. The alternate option of trying to use the Blogger website from the tablet was not feasible(unless I was writing a really short post) because I couldn't scroll down to see anything beyond the text/pics that filled the top of the editing screen. Anyway, I think I finally have a solution in place that will allow me to get back to a semi-regular posting schedule. I don't know about any one that may be out there, but I'm excited to get back to it!

In my absence from the blogosphere, I've still been very active in the hobby. There have been many completed trades, trips to multiple shows, and more purchases than I can count. I've found a few ways to supplement my normal hobby budget which has allowed me to end up owning some cards that I never thought would find a home in my collection(future post planned to share some of these tips). Finally, I have slowly and organically built a decent Twitter(@CardpocalypseNC) following which has allowed me to share some hobby moments in short form. So much has changed in my hobby world over the past year. Therefore, I guess it's best to take a brief look at my collecting habits(new and old) and then talk briefly about how some parts of my collection have evolved over the last year.

To start, I am still a huge Yankee fan. I'm still picking up almost any Yankees I can for the PC, but I have really turned up the focus on acquiring Bernie Williams cards that I don't have. A few months back, I took the plunge and signed up for a Trading Card Database account(CardpocalypseNC for anyone interested). I have really enjoyed using the site to catalog some of my player collections and to keep up with checklists/needs on some of the insert sets I'm trying to complete. After entering all of my unique Bernie cards into my database collection, I stand at 374 which is my top total for any player thus far and places me in 8th place among other Bernie collections on the site. I'd like to add to that number and work my way up that list. In the interest of keeping this post on the shorter side, I'll only share a single new(to the blog) Bernie acquisition.

It's not high-end or anything, but I cartainly remember how popular, hard-to-find, and expensive these International Refractors were while navigating the 1997 collecting landscape. With that in mind, I was pretty happy to grab this for just a few bucks several months back.

I'm also a big Negro Leagues fan. I have been passively hunting for singles from the 2001 Fleer Tradition insert Stitches in Time. I still have a handful of base inserts to find, but I have decided to go after the more difficult auto and relic portions of the checklist.

Updates on this hunt to come in a future post.

From here, the remainder of the collection is very similar to how it has always been. Denver Broncos, Durham Bulls, and NC guys are still some of my favorites. In the coming days, I'll be sure that my 'Who I Collect' page is up to date. I have scrapped several of the previous unfinished set chases and added a few insert sets so updating the set needs page will also be an upcoming project.

One of the biggest differences in my collecting comes in the form of chasing some more ambitious set goals. A few of these new set goals were in their infancy stages as my blogging was grinding to a halt. First up, I am searching for all of the 1998 Skybox One For the Ages Star Rubies parallels. This 15 card subset focuses on highlights from Super Bowl XXXII. To date, I have tracked down 7/15 of these. They don't pop up very frequently and when they do, they tend to be quite pricey, but I'd love to own all of these some day.

Similarly, I'm on the hunt for all of the 1999 Ultra Platinum Medallions from the Super Bowl XXXIII subset. This is a 10 card subset that focuses on the Broncos' back to back championships. Right now, I only have 1/10 of those, but it's a big one.

There is a second Elway-only card in the subset, but at least I've got a great start to this chase!

There is so much more that I want to write about, but if I don't reign it in soon, I'll never actually publish his post. So, I'll focus on one more area that is a bit newer. I don't think I've posted about this previously. Somewhere around 15-20 years ago, one of my day job interactions led to me having the chance to meet Serge Zwikker. For the many out there who have no idea who that is, he was the center on the UNC Tar Heels teams of the mid-90's. From that first meeting up to the present day, I've had a chance to spend a good bit of time working with him in the context of my professional setting. I'm not saying that he and I are best friends, but we are certainly more than acquaintances. It didn't occur to me until about a year ago that he may have some NBA cards out there(he was drafted by Houston in 1997). I quickly found a few base RCs from that year's sets and then picked up all the parallels I could find as well.

          

These are a few of the base RCs I found. He was also in the Hoops and Fleer Tradition sets. I have multiple parallels from Fleer Tradition(not shown) and A copy of the Ultra Gold Medallion. However, I have been looking for the Skybox Star Rubies and Ultra Platinum Medallion for several months and haven't even seen any come up for sale or trade. Ultimately, those are the focus of my Serge-hunt, but I'd happily add any college cards I don't have if they're floating around out there.

I'll stay true to my word and cut this post short right here. For anyone interested, I'm planning expanded posts with more pics from these varied focal points of my collection along with several other areas that I didn't have space to write about here. I hope you've enjoyed what I'm looking at as a 'soft re-launch' of this blog. As soon as I can finish updating pages and maybe giving the design an update, I'll plan something for a Grand re-launch. Stay tuned for additional details about that coming soon. Thanks for reading.

The New Season is Almost Upon Us!

As we sit on the eve of a new MLB season, hope springs eternal. It's the time of year when fans of every team can still have hope for a playoff run to culminate in a World Series Championship(no matter how unlikely it may be). I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I have this exact feeling about the Yankees this season. It's an exciting time to be a fan of that team from the Bronx. The addition of Giancarlo Stanton via offseason trade is one reason of course, but the team is also stocked with young, homegrown talent. In fact, my hope is that this year will be the dawning of a brand new 'Core Four'. Much like Jeter, Posada, Pettite, and Rivera were just coming into their own in the mid '90's, there are currently four youngsters that are establishing themselves as some of the best players in the league.

First, the starting pitcher:

Sevy had quite the season last year. He logged just shy of 300 innings, won 14 games, registered 230 K's, and finished among the league leaders in ERA. I was beyond fortunate to pull this blue parallel of his Chrome RC auto from a discounted retail hanger I found at Walmart a few months back. The auto is on card and one of the cleaner looking examples I've seen.

Next up, we've got the relief pitcher:

Betances came up through the Yankees system and began making an impact as a setup man, much like Mariano Rivera. Dellin had a brief opportunity as the closer, but has taken the backseat to Chapman since his return from the Cubs. Even back in the setup role, Betances has been pretty dominant. I picked this blue Chrome RC auto up a few years ago before he really had his breakout season. I really love the Yankee Stadium facade in the background. I feel like it makes for quite an iconic RC.

Lastly, we've got the backstop and the humble superstar in the making.

These guys aren't Jeter and Posada, but they sure have been fun to watch over the past two seasons. It should be really interesting to see these two continue to develop over the next few years. This is perhaps my best pull of the year thus far. I was in my local Target and there was a single hanger box of Heritage left sitting behind a few blasters of Series 1. When I opened the cello pack inside, I was a bit bummed that there wasn't a Deckle edge insert in the stack of cards. However, when I reached the middle of the stack, this card was peeking out at me. At the time I didn't know the details about these parallels(except that I really like the gold stamp). I thought they were serial numbers, but when I flipped it over, there was no numbering to be found. After a bit of research I found that they have a print run of only 25 copies.

So, therein lies my hope(s). Not only that the current group of young guys can sustain a high level of play like their predecessors, but also that this year is the beginning of their success. After all, the original Core Four made their initial playoff debut as a wild card in 1995, didn't make it to the World Series that year, and won their first championship as a group the next year. Hmmm, the Core Four Redux team was a wild card entry into last season's playoffs...perhaps history does repeat itself. I guess we will see in about 8 months. Thanks for reading.

A Trade Package Breakdown

Today I begin the process of digging out from underneath some trade packages that should have long since been featured with thanks given to the generous folks that sent them. I begin with the most recent package to grace my mailbox. This one comes from Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown. We have exchanged several envelopes over the years and as usual, this one packed quite a punch. It began when I claimed a few cards from a trade bait post of his, but Gavin threw in a few great surprises as well.

The trade bait post contained Tanaka, Torreyes, and all three on the bottom row. I was thrilled to be able to pick up a copy of the blue Torreyes. While they're not serial numbered, they have an announced print run of only _ copies. Not to mention 'Toe' has become quite a fan favorite in the Bronx. Prism refractors of the Outlaw and Gumby were nice additions as well and I'm always looking for Game inserts for the various sets I'm still trying to complete. Finally, I was very happy that no one claimed the gold Tanaka rookie debut. It has been on my COMC watchlist for a while now. The Judge RC was one of those surprises at first glance, but after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that I did comment on a post several months before saying that I'd love to have a chance to trade for his dupe copy of this Judge. Huge thanks to you Gavin, for not trading this away before now and for remembering that request from way back. As per usual, the surprises didn't end there.

What would a trade package from Gavin be without some awesome customs added in? The Mattingly RCs that never were are really something and of course the Bellinger/Judge 1990 throwback is incredible. However, the one that really caught my attention was the Jeter minor league style throwback. It's got great photo selection and a classic design. I really appreciate these awesome new additions to my Yankees PC. Gavin, I look forward to our next exchange! Thanks for reading.

The Other NFL QB to Play in the Yankees

Three weeks ago word broke that the Yankees had traded for Russell Wilson. When I saw this news, I immediately tweeted to Topps that I really wanted to see this represented on cardboard. We may not get to see that realized in a proper release, but Tuesday a Topps Now card showing him in his Yankees gear at the Spring Training complex was issued. As soon as I got the email notification, I set a reminder for myself to go purchase a copy when I finished work for the evening. While it's great to know that I have that mail day to look forward to, I'm quite impatient. Fortunately(depending on how you look at things), the Topps Bunt app had issued a digital version that could be 'pulled' from 'packs'. I use those two terms loosely since we are talking about flipping through images on your phone or tablet. I opened the app and settled in for what I assumed would be a futile attempt(based on the long odds and multiple different Now cards) to find a digital copy to tide me over. Much to my surprise, it appeared in the first pack I opened!

There he is, once again spending his offseason in a Spring Training camp. Too bad he isn't destined to be the next to follow in the footsteps of Bo Jackson, Brian Jordan, and Deion Sanders. Perhaps one day in the future we will get to see another two sport star. Here's a quick look at the flip side.

I am thrilled to add another Russell Wilson baseball card to my collection and the pinstripes suit him well in this fan's opinion. I can't wait for the physical copy to arrive. Thanks for reading.

A Heritage Pick-Me-Up

The past week and a half has been exceptionally difficult at work. It has been both physically and emotionally exhausting. I was looking for a boost so I hit up the local Target on Monday, hoping that there was a chance I'd find some Heritage on the shelf a few days early. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. After another long day yesterday, I decided to try one more time before release day. When I got to the card aisle, I didn't see anything at first glance. As I began to stare at what was there to make a decision on something to settle for, I saw it...a few hanger boxes! I grabbed two of the four that were there and hit the road.

I'm digging the package design on these! Let's check some of my favorites.

I like the cool checklists with player pics and the retro rookie cups are pretty awesome. I chose the Montgomery not only because he is a Yankee, but I think it's great that you can see a bit of the facade of George M. Steinbrenner stadium in Tampa.

Here are a few rookies and a high number SP. I am thinking of beginning a PC of Jose Pirela. I liked him when he was in the Yankees system and was lucky enough to meet him and get an IP auto at the Triple A All-Star festivities in Durham a few years back.

These are probably my favorites of the bunch so far. I'm not an Astros fan, but I love playoff/World Series highlights and these are done really well.

Lastly, I found one of these Deckle edge insert in each hanger. As you may already know, I am a sucker for these and am still trying to complete the original 1969 issue. Inserts like these have twice popped up in Archives over the past 5 years and I am slowly working on putting those sets together(needs will be posted on my set page shortly). These are even better in my opinion, though for reasons that some may really dislike them. They are not faithful to the original set in two significant ways. First, they are full size and not 'mini'. Second, they are done on vintage, thick stock. I'm probably in the minority, but I'm not going to get hung up on those differences. I like these and will definitely be working on putting together the full 30 card set. 

Sadly, I didn't pull any of the All-Star subset. I'm looking forward to seeing those. Since it's officially release day, I think I'll go out and try to find a few loose or fat packs that I can use my coupon(from my series one blaster). Good luck to anyone out there searching for some to rip, I hope you find product on the shelves and pull some great cardboard! Thanks for reading my brief thoughts.

An Incredible Secret Santa Gift

Christmas may be far behind us, but I can still get into the Holiday spirit thanks to the awesome Bob Walk the Plank Secret Santa package I received courtesy of P-Town Tom. The surprises with this package started from the moment it arrived.

While I knew I should be expecting a package from someone in the Secret Santa exchange, I wasn't expecting to find this hulking package on my doorstep(too big for the mailbox). I was thrilled when I opened it too.

Gingerbread!!! Oh yeah! To my slight disappointment, the box didn't actually contain a gingerbread house kit. It did contain a bunch of individually wrapped presents though.

It may be tough to tell from the way I arranged them for the pic, but there were 6 presents within along with a great note(which I didn't scan) that explained how all this cardboard goodness stayed within Matt's $10 limit. I briefly considered turning this into my own little advent calendar, opening one present each night, but that thought went away almost as quickly as it arrived. There was a little bit of everything in here.

First up, a blaster of a set that is about as oddball as it comes. Tom apparently won this as a door prize at a show and thought it would be a great add in to my Santa gift. I'm really appreciative that he did. It was really fun to rip into these packs!

Here are some highlights. I was thrilled to pull the Rivera and Ichiro. Take a look at how young Jayson Werth looks there! The Tino is a parallel. While it's nice to add a new Tino, it kinda hurts to see him in something other than pinstripes. The Torii is an insert and the Rios is from the rookie subset. Sadly, there wasn't a 'hit' in this box but it was definitely fun nonetheless. These kinda remind me of pogs from back in the day. Next up was a random assortments from his collection that didn't fit his PC preferences.

I didn't open much Fire so all of these are new additions for me. It's hard to pick a favorite here. I like the look of the Tanaka and it's always great to add a new DJ. I thought it was especially good timing that the Aaron Boone was in here considering he is the new Yankee skipper for 2018. The Kiermaier may win favorite of this scan though. It's a gold parallel of an insert that showcases his strong suit that has nabbed him a pair of Gold Gloves to date.

Here are some Yankees World Series heroes, old and newer. I particularly love the Jeter Classic Walk-Offs which highlights the night he became Mr. November.

I was lucky to find a few packs and a blaster of Stadium Club before it all disappeared from the shelves of my local Targets and Walmarts. I was not lucky enough to pull a base Jeter from the little I opened. The blue parallel Frazier is pretty awesome too, especially since he hasn't been traded away...yet. The pair of Didi cards represent my first experience with the rebooted a gallery product. I loved the original product and these look nice even if the card stock doesn't mimic the older product. It was pretty cool to see the base and Artist Proof parallel in this package. There was so much more than I scanned here. All in all, these were sent in a 200 count box which was a blast to flip through. As fun as this gift was up to this point, the heavy hitters were still to come!

This 1991 has been on my Cardboard Wishlist since shortly after I started this blog and remembered that I had a copy when I was younger. When I picked up my collection after a few years away, I pared it down a bit in preparation for a move to a smaller space. Shortly after I started this blog, I saw this card on Listia and was reminded how much I liked it when I was younger. I immediately went looking for it. After flipping through several monster boxes, I came to the conclusion that it must have been a casualty of my pre-move purge, along with others from the junk wax era. Once I realized I no longer had a copy, it took up residence on my Cardboard Wishlist. I'm happy to be able to cross it off that list. This gift package wouldn't stop there though.

This UD Vintage Posada comes from a time when there were so many sets available that it was really tough to see all of your team's issues and even more difficult to grab a copy of them all. I didn't know this card existed until I saw it on Dimebox Nick's blog when he was able to cross it off his Dimebox Dozen list. I immediately fell in love. The photo selection is incredible and it's a card of a member of the Core Four! Check off another card from my Cardboard Wishlist! Truth be told, I decided to add these last two cards to my first ever COMC order, but I received them in this package before my order arrived. It certainly didn't diminish my excitement at having received these. However, if there's anyone out there that would like a copy of either, I now have dupes to share. In addition to these wants, my Secret Santa package knocked out a ton of set needs. Three of the sets from my list were completed courtesy of Tom's generosity.

The last dozen needs for my 2015 Chrome set build were included.

Though I only scanned 6 of them, I received a whopping 14 of these to close out my 1993 Hostess set. Last but not least, I was able to finish off another early '90's oddball set.

I once again only scanned 6, but I unwrapped the final 8 of these 1992 Fleer 'The Performer Collection' cards that could be found at participating Citgo locations many moons ago.

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to finish writing this and get it posted, but I have to say one last 'thank you' to both Matt for organizing this Secret Santa operation and to P-Town Tom for sending an incredible gift package! Thanks to all for reading.

Happy Topps Release Day!!!

To be fair, I was able to find the cards I'm going to share here on Monday this week but haven't been able to write about them yet. Today is the day that so many collectors anxiously await, the release of the year's first baseball card product. It's Topps series one release day! As mentioned, I was happily surprised to start my week by finding some new cards sitting on the shelf at Target on Monday.

I decided to try a blaster and a hanger box to kickoff the new collecting year. I was happy to see the 'Target Exclusive' Derek Jeter Highlights cards advertised on the front of the blaster. Others may be tired of new Jeters or new Yankees in general, but I'm excited to chase more cards of the Captain. I was just hopeful that the card design would look nice. I guess its an added bonus that there are also some coupons to use later. I decided to rip into the blaster first.

Here is a representation of the different subsets to be found. Future Stars, League Leaders, World Series Highlights, and team cards are all available. I scanned the Hosmer and Ozuna because I thought they were some of the more interesting photos from the blaster. I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the design this year. I've heard some people refer to it as the 'Aquafresh' set or the 'wave' set. So far, for me, the design element that my eye tends to be drawn to is the effect found on the right side of the player and team name bars. It reminds me of the movie 'Pixels'. The more I look at it, the more it grows on me.

Here is a smattering of different inserts that I found. We've got Award Winners, Opening Day, Topps Salute, Superstar Sensations, 1983 35th Anniversary, and Legends in the Making. I was really happy to pull two Judge inserts after not having much luck pulling his RCs last year. I love the early career photo of the Straw-Man they used on the Salutes card. Across the bottom row, I scanned Verlander and Darvish because they show them in their new unis. While they may not be the first pieces of cardboard to do so, I still thought it was nice to see. I pulled 4 of the 1983 cards. I decided to scan Devers(despite being a Red Sox) because he is one of the most exciting young players to have RCs in series 1. I really like the way these look. However, they used a more modern card stock which leaves them a bit too slick feeling for my liking. I'm not sure if I'll make even a half hearted attempt at putting that set together. I feel like it would have been a real winner if they had used the same 'old school' card stock they used on the 1987 set last year. 

The Captain!!! I was thrilled to find 4 of these Derek Jeter Highlights cards in the blaster and I'm really happy with the simple, jersey-inspired design. I will definitely need to track all of these down.

While I was excited to be opening packs of the first set of the year, the blaster had left me a bit underwhelmed until the second to last pack I opened. I had only pulled a single gold, a single rainbow foil parallel, and only a few rookies(none of which were the ones I really wanted to pull). However, right in the middle of that second to last pack was a card that helped redeem the box.

Willie Calhoun has been a pretty highly touted prospect in the Dodgers system over the past few years. The Rangers acquired him in the Yu Darvish trade and he was one of their September call-ups, playing in 13 games. This is the Mother's Day Pink parallel and is #/50. I beat pretty astronomical odds finding this in my blaster as they fall 1:694 packs. I still had the 'relic' pack to go too. This year, series 1 includes Manu-relics featuring the altered MLB logo that was used during Players Weekend. I thought this was a pretty fun idea for a 'relic' set which is the main reason I opted to go for the blaster and not just multiple hangers.

I still like the design of the card and I have no issue with pulling a Josh Donaldson. I do have an issue with their photo selection though. One of the most fun aspects of Players Weekend was the use of nicknames on the jerseys. Why have a set that is supposed to highlight Players Weekend if the photo selected doesn't showcase one of the main aspects of said weekend? I just don't get it. I have yet to  see the Yankees from this set, but I sure hope that their nicknames are visible, especially since there is the added novelty of the Yankees never wearing names on their jerseys. I'm hoping they'll be really cool additions to my collection once I track them down. Let's move on to the hanger box.

Ahhh, finally a few of the RCs I will be chasing made an appearance in the hanger box brick. Since I'm a fan of any WS Highlight cards, I had to scan the WS MVP. As I'm sure anyone reading is aware, Kiermaier is one of my favorite players in the league. Robbing HRs has become fairly common for him, but I never tire of seeing photos of him in action. This particular one looks like he is doing his best MJ 'Jumpman' impression. I decided to include the newest Yankee for exactly that reason and I love the gritty detail on that Tapia. It's just a great baseball card. There were no inserts that I felt the need to scan, but there was one card I thought looked a bit different as I flipped through the brick of cards. A quick scan of the minuscule codes on the card backs confirmed my initial suspicion that I had uncovered one of the lower tier photo variation SPs.

I can't even put into words how thrilled I was that I had pulled an SP that would immediately slip into my PC. This is the variation on card #1 in the set. Obviously I love Judge(otherwise this wouldn't be his third appearance in this post), but am I the only one that can see Cameron(Alan Ruck) from Ferris Bueller's Day Off here?

It's not too much of a stretch, right? Anyway, to all who are searching for new product, I hope you find some and have great luck as you rip into the first cards of the year! I think I'll go searching for some loose and fat packs so I can use some of my coupons from that blaster. Thanks for reading.