Saturday, May 22, 2021

Pre-Opened Packs #9: McDonald's NBA Fantasy Packs

These things are friggin' awesome, as you may have seen in a previous post.  I am psyched about my chances to get some big stars in this pack.
LA10 James Worthy
Giving a teammate the Harrison Ford Point after what I presume to be a great assist is a good look on a basketball card.
P3 Kevin McHale
With NBA cards, you get armpit hair.  It's an unavoidable dichotomy.
P2 Reggie Lewis
I still remember being a Sports Illustrated subscriber and getting the Lewis memorial cover issue in the mail.  Sad story, being cut down so young.  He could have been a major star in the league.
Those were some pretty dang good cards.  It's fun how these take you back to one of the best eras of the league.  They bring back memories of 8th grade dances, cool sneakers, and balling on a garage-mounted hoop until you couldn't see the ball anymore. 

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Pre-Opened Packs #8: 1991 Marvel Universe Series II

 

Lots of comic cards in the pre-opened packs, not really my cup of tea, but we must chug along.

39 Ghost Rider
129 Daredevil’s Billy Club
Probably not the strongest entry in the weapons subset.
24 Union Jack
No interest in this guy.
1990 Marvel #128 Journey Into Mystery #83
This card is from a different set, common this this series of posts.  First appearance of Thor is nice.  The back of the card gives the 1990 Overstreet NM price: $750.  A CGC that earned a mere 3.5 sold for over $11,000 last week.  To have a time machine...
 
81 Kang
3 Thing

There we go!
99 Captain America vs Baron Zemo
42 Rogue
153 X-Men
78 Nebula

Back of the card says she is the granddaughter of Thanos.  Looking up the character I can see that, yeah, my kids did have a Happy Meal toy of her, looking nothing like this, though.
132 Punisher’s Arsenal
Not enough room on the card means they’re doing it right.
1990 Marvel #155 Spider-man Presents: Punisher
The two sharing a moment of levity on the back of this one.
114 Avengers vs Ultron
147 Rage


That’s 14 cards in a 12-card pack, can’t argue with that.

Thursday, May 6, 2021

A Gift From the SMG

 A few weeks ago I got an unexpected package in the mail from Larry the Sewing Machine Guy.  I was about to ask readers to jog their memories about his blog, but it looks like I might not have to do that, as there is a post from a couple of days ago (along with some from 2020) after a long hiatus that began in 2012.  Good to see him back!

Anyway, Larry heard that I was on the lookout for old top loaders, the grungy, tape-stained, nasty kind that you wouldn't dare display your cards in.  I needed some of these because I have been shipping a lot of cards lately and my stock had begun to run low.  (As an aside, I find it funny that COMC has even begun to post notices that they won't be shipping cards in top loaders unless requested because of a worldwide shortage.  Strange dominoes fall following a global pandemic, I guess.)  I opened the package to find a small assortment of the goods I was looking for.  Along with them was a nice bunch of cards I guy like me would probably enjoy.

1993 Beavis and Butt-head
Probably the star card of this lot, this is printed on clear plastic stock.  I wonder if my kids will ever discover these two.  I think they all have the sense of humor for it.
 
2021 Topps 1986 Topps 35th Anniversary Keston Hiura Jersey
Brewer bats need to wake up this season if we want to think about the playoffs.  No matter, it's just another fake season.  When you're playing 7-inning games, the credibility of the sport is pretty much gone.
Bunch of 2021 Topps Brewers
My first base cards of the year.  I've pretty much stopped buying packs of baseball cards.  I opened a box of wrestling cards in January and nothing since.  It comes and it goes, I suppose.

2009 Topps Mayo Arron Rodgers Mini
I don't want to talk about it.  I'll put on the record, though, that I value team over player.  Both are being stupid right now, and in the recent past. 

2009 Topps Mayo Donald Driver
I think it would be hard to find a more universally-beloved Packer than Driver.  A superstar without ever acting like a prima donna, he does commercials for the Wisconsin DoT, and I guarantee you that people are like, "Yeah, I should probably wear my seat belt, and yes, if Donald Driver pulled me over in a state trooper's car, I would pay the ticket on the spot and smile while doing it."  The man is a state treasure with biceps made of meat and steel.

Some Mayo Governors
Wavering on whether to build this insert set or not.  I am actively collecting the base set, but those governors, I don't know...
On the one hand, you need a Rick Santorum card to complete the set, so ew.  On the other hand, I already have the Santorum, pack-pulled, so I don't really have to have such a purchase on my conscience.  I suppose I could consult the checklist to see if I'd have to end up buying a card of someone really reprehensible to finish it.  Wisconsin's governor was Jim Doyle (which I already have), so I don't have to worry about a Scott Walker card.  That would be an absolute non-starter.

Thanks, Larry! Every card is appreciated.