Eltons for Easter

I posted a few days ago, on Easter, that my mom had given me a $25 gift certificate for COMC as a gift. I decided to use that (mostly) on cards of my all-time favorite player, Elton Brand. I ended up getting 32 cards with the gift, 29 of them were of Elton. All the cards I got were serially numbered, and I got a couple of new sets to boot!

Here are all 32 cards I got, with the 3 non-Eltons at the end.

2003-04 Bowman Signature Silver

2004-05 SPx Throwback

2005-06 Finest Finest Fact

2005-06 Luxury Box Mezzanine

2005-06 Topps 1952 Style

2005-06 Topps Chrome Black Refractor

2005-06 Topps Big Game Gold. I saw this game the photo is from, I made sure to watch all 4 games I got to see Elton play in in the pre-League Pass days. (Both Nets and Knicks contests)

2005-06 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Spectrum

2006-07 Bowman Elevation Blue

2006-07 Bowman Elevation Red

2006-07 Finest Blue Refractor

2006-07 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Gold

2007-08 Bowman Chrome Refractor

2007-08 Topps Chrome Refractor. Didn't scan well.

2008-09 Bowman Blue

2008-09 Bowman Orange

2008-09 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor

2008-09 Topps Gold

2009-10 Bowman Blue

2009-10 Certified Mirror Red

2009-10 Timeless Treasures. My first card from the set.

2009-10 Topps Chrome Refractor. Chrome was an insert in the flagship that year.

2009-10 Topps Gold. I am actively looking for a box of this set, but the prices are way up due to Steph Curry's rookie card.

2010-11 Playoff National Treasures. My first from the set. The base cards are SN99.

2010-11 Prestige Bonus Shots Gold

2010-11 Totally Certified

2010-11 Totally Certified Totally Red Materials

2012-13 Totally Certified Totally Blue

2012-13 Totally Certified Totally Red

I have also updated my Elton Collection gallery, I hadn't updated it singe August.  I'm up to 453 NBA cards for Elton...I don't know if I will be able to get to 500 this year, but that has become a goal of mine. I've added more than 35 this year already. I think I will make a concerted effort to get as many of his as possible. I've never really chased single cards until last year, preferring to just get whatever came my way, and I still like that for the most part, but Elton does not even rank in the Top 10 in my collection. I want to fix that. I don't know if I could ever get him to #1- Upper Deck made way too many Michael Jordan cards and he's ranked #1 in my collection, according to the Database, which I don't go by for my own collection but will until I can finish my listings, Jordan has an 800 card lead on Elton. (I don't use the Database's listings because they tag college cards, cards shared with other people, team cards, etc, where for me I only count a card by themselves, and NBA only)

Here are the three non-Eltons I got. (I have a hard time picking singles to buy, and am usually all over the place, but then I had the idea to get Eltons. These were the three I picked before I had decided)

2005-06 Topps Chrome Refractor. My first card of him. Love the D-League and this is the only set they got cards.

2007-08 Bowman, my first Thaddeus Young RC, and only card in my collection showing this jersey. You'll see it again when I get to the Sixers in Uniform History.

2008-08 Topps Chrome Refractor. It doesn't show well in the scan but this is card #80, Josh Smith.

In addition to these cards, I did something I have not done in 13 years. I bought myself a wearable jersey! The last time I got one was Christmas 2003, when my brother gave me two of them.

Naturally, it's one of Elton's.

I was reading one of the game recaps on NBA.com (I usually read every one of them) and just for the heck of it clicked on to the Sixers' jersey link that is on every Sixers game report.  (every team has the link on every report) I was surprised to see they offered Elton's- and even more surprised that they offered it large enough for me! When he was with the Hawks for the last two seasons, they didn't offer his jersey large enough for me, and when he was with the Mavericks in 2012-13 they didn't offer it for sale at all! I had to have it. I have not worn it yet, other than a brief check to make sure it actually fit. I was going to wear it to one of my model club meetings this week, but I wasn't feeling good enough to go to either. Maybe next month.

I'd get some more, but the jerseys are expensive. Also, I really have nowhere to wear them. I basically go only to the doctor's office and on average 6 to 8 of the possible 23 model club meetings each year. I'd love to get a set of the Warriors' "Big 3" but that would be more than $200 BEFORE tax and shipping; I just can't do it. The Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys- some of which I remember from when they were current!- are even more expensive.

But, I'm thrilled that I was able to get this one of Elton, and I expect to wear it proudly, and often!