NBA Advent Calendar day 16

 

I've already talked about Jase Richardson and Draymond Green in previous packs from getting different cards of them. The Evergreen insert of Damian Lillard is cool but it just seems so weird to see him not in the Trail Blazers colors. Noa Essengue is a rookie and I don't know much about him honestly. 

NBA Advent calendar day 11

 

Another pack where the first card is a duplicate and the last one is damaged. I've always liked Draymond and I got a Nets card so it's not too bad. 

Cards from bloggers near the borders and North of the Border

I've got some packages from three bloggers to show today, but, I'm not able to show the coolest part of the first package. Because I don't remember which box I put it in....again! This is the second time in the last year that I've forgotten which box I put something in before I could get it scanned and post about it- the first was a trade with Kenny that I still haven't found.

This time it's a package from Corky, of Pack War. I'm not sure how close he actually is to the border, but Arizona is a lot closer to the Mexican border than I am. He had gotten his hands on a box of the Parkside Big3 League, which is the first card set issued for the league that is made up primarily of retired NBA players. He offered to send me his duplicates, and I was glad to accept them...and it turned out to be almost a complete set! I really wish I could show them here, but, I can't find them right now. I had been periodically tweeting at the Big3 league that we needed a card set, and although I was completely ignored, the cards got made, so maybe it did get through? Who knows, but the important thing is the cards now exist. What I can find is a sampling of this year's Panini Prizm, which was the first time I saw the set.

I lost some of them as well, but some needed scans for the Database and those I didn't lose.

 My first Kemba Walker Celtics card. Weird seeing anyone wear #8 that's not Antoine Walker, but even weirder seeing a different Walker in #8!

 We may see a player win both MVP and Most Improved Player this season. And we may see Phoenix and Sacramento literally crying for decades for not choosing him with the 1st and 2nd pick in the draft.

 The Warriors may not be much fun to watch right now, but Draymond is still a favorite. Once Steph and Klay return, it'll get better.

 Neat shot on one of the few people to bring hope to Sacramento.

 Herro (pronounced Hero) has been a pleasant surprise, better than expected. But now injured.

Even a couple cards from the Dominance insert, including Klay and Russell Westbrook, who I still can't get used to seeing with a Rockets logo on the card.

Next, we move to near the Canadian border, and the first package I've ever received from the legendary Greg, aka Night Owl. I recently sent him some cards and he returned the favor...and, even though we don't really collect the same things at all, he managed to find some cards to send me...even an NBA card I needed!

I did a box of this set, the first NHL box I ever did in fact, but only got one Ranger in the entire box. I've added a few more after the fact but needed this one!

 The more I see the design of 1993-94 Score series 1, the more I like it. I don't have many...about a dozen if I recall correctly. It's proven nowhere near as common as the Score sets of 1990-91 and 1991-92, but slightly more common than 1992-93.

...and the NBA card I mentioned! I don't have many cards of Solomon Jones at all. Even fewer still showing the Hawks' yellow alternate of that time.

Finally, we move to north of the border, to an actual Canadian in Douglas of Sportscards From the Dollar Store. I had not been expecting anything from him, but got a nice package of mostly Nets- but also including a really nice card of somebody who would eventually join the Nets, and two Henrik Lundqvist cards I needed! In fact, it brings me to 99 cards of my favorite player, so the first hockey player to break the 100 card mark is so tantalizingly close. And it will be my favorite player for sure, the only question is, when and which card? Time will tell...and there will be a post about it, whenever it happens. Anyway, here's some highlights of what he send me:

 2015-16 Prizm...I actually have some packs of this in my stash waiting to be opened.

 2016-17 Absolute Basketball, only my 4th card from the set! Trevor Booker is fairly rare to see as a Net as well.

 Red parallel of 2014-15 Totally Certified, numbered to the unusual print run of 279 copies, on the back. I think the Red parallels that year were the nicest looking of all the colors I've seen in hand. The Nets seem to collect players named Jefferson as well. Besides Cory, there was also Richard and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, all since 2001!

 Although this is a college card, it's part of an NBA set...2014-15 National Treasures, and it's a base card! Only my second card from the set, but my first base card. Yes, a base card #d to 99. National Treasures is well outside my price range.

 Always nice when the first card out of the pack is a SN card with a design you don't even recognize! It turns out this is from 2016-17 Panini Day, a promo they did that I as usual didn't get to take part in since nobody around here does any promo stuff. Unfortunately he's no longer in the league, they traded him and the new team, I don't even remember which one, cut him instantly. I HATE when that happens.

 hard to believe the Nets were already two teams ago for Russell. He was traded to the Warriors for Kevin Durant, and a half season later moved to Minnesota at the trade deadline in trade for Andrew Wiggins.

 A large portion of the mailer was from last year's Chronicles, a set that is broken into three segments (and a few dozen subsets). The first main part is available in all packaging versions. The second section is Serially numbered cards, and the final section is made up of cards that are only available in specific packaging versions. There are 9 Nets cards in the "all packaging versions" section, and I now have all of them thanks to Douglas! I had exactly 1 beforehand, which turned out to be the only card of Dzanan Musa in the main section. I'm not sure if the allegations against Kurucs are true or not, but I suspect if they are it may explain why he was a key member of the team last year and is barely off the bench this year.

Even a card from 2012-13 Crusade, the Nets' first season in Brooklyn. Kris Humphries is retired now, but was routinely booed, including by the home fans, for his involvement with the Kardashian family, including being married to one of them. I don't know which one, or at least don't remember. I knew at one time.

Finally, cards #98 and 99 of my favorite player.

One last thing...I'm sure I mentioned it already, but the last time SumoMenkoMan sent me a box of goodness, he included some packs of this year's Upper Deck. I've completed the veterans out of series 1 but I'm still chasing Young Guns. I pulled a very good one, and I've finally gotten it scanned.

Kubalik leads all rookies in goal scoring, and even got one past Igor Shesterkin last night. I expect him to be a finalist for Calder Trophy (aka Rookie of the Year) at the conclusion of the season, although there are 4 rookies who have strong cases for it. It's unusual to have that many players would could easily win the award and have it be "right". At least I'm not used to it. I since added a second card of him from the Rookie Box Set. The others are Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar and Elvis Merzlikins, in case you are wondering. If Igor had gotten the call up earlier he'd be in the mix I am sure, but that's not possible now.

Thank you all!

Guilt free...but I still feel guilty

I feel guilty for two reasons- it takes me a heck of a long time to get a thank you post written- and I feel guilty/bad about the fact that I'm tapped out on stuff to send back, since I have not been buying too much lately. Of course, I am referring to madding's Guilt-Free Basketball Card Club, and the recent package that arrived from the Pacific Northwest chock full of Nets, Warriors, and now Knicks, goodness.

And when I say goodness, I am not kidding.

This Jarrett Allen autograph floored me- this is a big time card. Certainly a card I am too much of a cheapskate to ever buy for myself, that's not in question. But that wasn't all!

 From 2012-13 Totally Certified, a memorabilia parallel.

 My first card from this year's Certified

 He sent me two copies of this card- one with a white fabric swatch, and this one, which is dark blue, but scans black. It's my first card from this insert, to boot!

 I didn't know they did a blue Velocity in last year's Optic until I got this card!

 While Westbrook doesn't play for either of the thee teams I've claimed, I'm happy to have this insert from last year's Hoops. Westbrook does not get enough credit for what he's accomplishing.

 Most people classify this as a Warriors card, but I actually track it and class it as an All-Star card.

 Love the texture on the various Kings inserts from that year's Donruss.

 An insert I needed from 1994-95 Hoops, one of my all-time favorite sets!

This isn't the base Fleer card, I completed that set a long time ago. This is the Tony's Pizza promo version, which is much harder to find! In fact, it's only my third or fourth from the promo set. The only difference in the cards is the Pizza cards are not numbered.

And that's not all. There's still 19 more cards I have not scanned yet- but I can't hold this post off any longer while I wait to get them scanned up.

Thank you Kerry!

While I'm on the topic of thank yous, I received a rather large single card PIF from cnangle of the Database. This was a big surprise to  me because we had an argument a few weeks back and I'm not actually sure we're on speaking terms right now, aside from the obvious surprise of getting a needed card from 1969-70 in the mail unexpectedly! I owe him a thank you for sure, this is not the first time that he has sent me stuff and I have not sent him anything yet. I will be changing that hopefully fairly soon, but since I move at a glacial pace it might still be a few months.

Mail from Madding does not make me mad

I recently got a semi-surprise package of cards from madding of Cards on Cards. I say Semi-Suprise because I claimed a team from him...and then totally forgot about it. Got a lot on my mind is the only excuse I have.

I had already been getting the Nets from him, but now the Warriors are added to the Nets package as well.
Cards like these:

 Jeremy Tyler's a pretty rare player- this is only my 5th card of him.

But of course that wasn't all...there were some much needed Nets, as well!

I especially appreciate the two Sean Kilpatrick cards. He was one of the few bright spots on the Nets last year, and now that they traded away Brook Lopez, he might just be my favorite player on the team. This is only my 2nd and third cards of him!

But that still wasn't all!

I love the oddball stuff in Allen & Ginter. Last year I even bought a pack hoping to get one of the non-sport cards (I did) but this year money has been too tight for that...I missed out two of the NASCAR sets and would have missed out on Excalibur if not for trading for some. This is my first card from the 2017 A&G set.

I will be sending you back some Blazers come October! Thanks again.