Trading Card Database Secret Santa got delayed by the mail, but worth the wait!

 I got what I can only conclude is my TCDB Secret Santa today, which was sent to me direct from COMC...who as we all know aren't the fastest. It arrived today, December 30th, but was well worth the wait!

1999 Press Pass is my favorite Press Pass set, and documents my favorite NASCAR season. 1998 is when I went from a casual fan to "this is my life and everything else comes after NASCAR". That has not changed and I don't think it ever well, nor do I want it to. 

I didn't get all that much of the set when it was new, although I do believe the first Serial Numbered card I ever pulled was from this set. I did not get the short printed #0 card. For many years Press Pass included a 0 card on the checklist which is part of the base set but is packed and treated more like an insert. Despite the fact that I opened boxes of Press Pass every year from 2002 to 2015 (when they went out of business) I only pulled two or three of the 0 cards. Many of them are serially numbered, as this one is- to 800 copies. 

While this doesn't complete 1999 Press Pass for me (I'm still chasing some of the 1-per-pack Retro subset) this is THE key card needed to complete the set, and one that sells for more than I'm usually willing to spend for a card. The cheapest one on COMC right now is $26, and I generally won't go above $20...although my preferred price point is $5 or less. 

This is a huge addition for me, and is not only in the running for favorite addition of December, it's in contention for favorite addition of the year! (Look for that post next week sometime...hopefully)

Jeff Gordon's 1998 season is also the best season I've seen. He won 13 of the 33 races, including 4 in a row, both of which are tied for the most in the Winston Cup era. His 13 wins are the most any driver has put up in my lifetime in a single season.