Secret Santa 2018!

Today is Christmas Eve, and you know what that means...it's time to open up the Blogger Secret Santa present!

Like last year and 2016, I have opened my Secret Santa package on Christmas Eve, and I did again this year...and, I suspect, will do again next year as well!

This year my Secret Santa was Jon of A Penny Sleeve for Your Thoughts, who not only stepped in to run the show this year with Matt of Bob Walk the Plank's retirement, he also stepped in for me when my original Secret Santa had to drop out for health reasons. (Get well soon!)

John sent me three packages within a package and he did NOT disappoint!

 This is package #1, and let me first apologize for such a lousy picture. I didn't realize it was so blurry, or I would have taken another...Lots of good stuff here! The Crusade Prizms, including several numbered, are all Refractor technology. I didn't open a single pack of that set! The two NASCAR cards are both numbered and feature Acetate technology, which I am a fan of. You see some more clear, shiny and die-cut NBA cards as well. You see a first year 1st Day Issue from Stadium Club, and some of the non-sports cards inserted into Allen & Ginter, something I am always looking for. The Parthenon is my favorite there, I love ancient history as is well documented. However, I think my favorite here may be the Dominique Wilkins Panini Sticker! I didn't collect them for the longest time, and now I really regret it. I got some in 1995-96, and then none again until 2015-16. This is a brand new set for me, although I am not sure yet which season it's from. Panini only put one year in the stats list, and for the NBA that's wrong. I don't know if the stats, which are labeled 1991, are for the 1990-91 season or 1991-92 season. I want to get this posted so I'm not taking the time to check the Database yet. The Paul George card stands as my Card of the Day. I already had the Yuta Tabuse- which in this case works out well, because I can send it to SumoMenkoMan, who's always sending me stuff...a Christmas gift that keeps on giving! I believe that is the first time I've ever gotten a card from 2004-05 R-Class from another collector in the mail or even out of a repack, for some reason it's a mostly forgotten set.

 Here's package #2. More shiny and numbered, and hockey makes an appearance. You cannot possibly go wrong with a serially numbered Dale Earnhardt Jr. card, and a new Hilton Armstrong- a hometown hero. Another 1st Day Issue, this time from 1994-95, and a whole smattering of 2006-07 Topps Turkey Red red parallels! That is a set I don't have much of at all. Funny story on the 1989-90 Hoops 100 promo card, of David Robinson. I remember getting a card from that set (Scottie Pippen) back when I first got into the NBA, in 1996, but I thought someone had taken a highlighter to a regular Hoops card. It wasn't until I realized the number was different that I had something that was NOT a badly damaged card. I needed the Admiral! What might be the most intriguing to me is the Skyforce pack, which is in itself serially numbered! I have seen sets where they said how many cases or boxes were produced, but never a set where the pack itself is SN. I will need to scan that before I open it, which I of course have not gotten to yet.

Package #3 was All Refractors! I am sure Jon has probably seen me mention that these are my favorite parallels in the history of the hobby, and it doesn't get much better than 1990s parallels! The entire top row is 1997-98 Finest, the bordered cards- all but the Starks on the far left- are 1996-97 Finest in row 2. The bottom row of three are two 1994-95 Finests and the Cyrillic variation from 2002-03 Topps Chrome of Igor Rakocevic- a set I'm actually hoping to complete someday. I've already completed the base set, and I have about 40 of the Refractors now. At under 200 cards for the complete set, I think I might be able to do it...someday.

Jon, you really outdid yourself here. This is fantastic stuff all around, and all of it fits absolutely perfectly in my collection!

Furthermore, a round of applause for stepping up and running the show this year!

If anyone wants to see what I sent out...I'm actually embarrassed by how small and uninspiring it is...you can see it here. I sent to Colbey of Cardboard Collections. I found out literally later the same day that I sent that he also was interested in the first Hornets so there may be a Secret Santa Part 2 early in 2019...I know he does not read Cardboard History so it may be a surprise to him, or not, as I'm planning to post a link to this post in the Facebook card group he runs.

Overall, this was a lot of fun again, three years running. I guarantee that next year I will send out a better gift, but I'm not sure if I could get a better gift, because I've been thrilled and totally perfectly happy with everything I've gotten!

Merry Christmas everyone! I will probably have another post up tomorrow, my family always gives me cards- it's all I ever ask for- but only time will tell. My family is very creative and thoughtful with presents, and I pride myself with carrying on that tradition- I look more forward to giving my presents tomorrow than anything I may receive.