10-7-18 show report: a winning Wolverine weekend

As I said in my TMV show post today I couldn't make my usual trip to the monthly show in Taylor last Saturday.  I wouldn't have gone anyway--it was a college football Saturday--but I especially didn't because Jeff and I were taking in the whupping Michigan put on Maryland in the Big House.

So instead I finally went to see my favorite dealer at the show he runs down in Toledo.  It's not a long drive for me at all (roughly 45 minutes), and other than dealing with the possibility of Ohio's asshole cops and speed limits for babies, it's a nice little trip.

I mentioned on TMV that I dropped $4 on 40 dime box singles, $18 on dollar cards, and added three others that bumped the total up to a fair $30 even.  Here you'll get to see those latter three cards along with a pair of dollar deals.  On a Sunday where Ann Arbor is celebrating a dominant win over Wisconsin in prime time, here's an all hit edition of some Wolverine winners!

Going alphabetically I'm starting out with the biggest card on the day, and the second Amara Darboh hit I added last weekend, with the first coming from Jeff.  From Panini's 2017 Phoenix, it's an Orange parallel of the Rookie Jersey Autographs set, numbered 037/150.  Already my eighth hit of the WR, it's also my third that pairs an autograph and relic, and I actually have a ball/auto card from the same product to go with it.  I suppose I have less competition for Michigan stuff in Ohio--even Toledo, which is more like Michigan, really--so that worked out for me.

The card above was joined by this pair to round out the group that increased my total from $22 to $30, and I'd pay $8 for this trio in a heartbeat.  I mean, I did, but I'd do it again!  I was thrilled to find this pair of Michigan uni autographs of former Wolverine FB and touchdown vulture Khalid Hill, a.k.a. "the Hammering Panda".  I was looking forward to collecting his cards even before he became a very entertaining Twitter follow.  He was a huge part of Michigan's success in 2016, one of the most automatic short-yardage runners for first downs and TDs I can remember in Ann Arbor, plus a punishing blocker to boot!

The pair hails from Panini's always excellent (at least for college collectors like myself) Contenders Draft Picks product, one that's 100% focused on my favorite type of first-year card.  The one on the left is the base version and therefore also a RC while to its right you can see the Red Foil parallel, with the foil being the only difference (e.g. no serial numbering).  I'm proud to make the Hammering Panda the 215th member of my football collection!

Next up I have two player collection guys, one of which hits an "almost milestone" with the other does reach a new mark.  First is the guy whose name you see on this here blog, Mario Manningham.  My 199th overall card of the amazing WR is also hit #83, meaning I'm almost to his #86 jersey!  He continues to be #2 in the hits collection behind Chad Henne and now has a six-card lead over #3 guy Jake Long.

I had zero issue with dropping a buck on this very nice Giants blue swatch from '08 Rookies and Stars' Studio Rookies Materials set (#025/250).  I mean, numbered cards and cheap relics are right up my alley.  Now I just wonder what card #200 will be?

Last up today is a guy who has to share his card with a couple other former RBs.  I finally nabbed my milestone-making 50th hit of Anthony Thomas thanks to today's other $1 card, a 2001 Fleer Legacy Triple Threads triple jersey.  A-Train had the best pedigree as a second-rounder that year with Jackson and Barlow both being selected in the third, though Barlow had the most statistical success of the trio.  Still, Thomas is the main attraction here, and I'm glad to have hit the half century mark finally.  Now I just need to get seven more hits of former teammate David Terrell to even them up!

Until the next show, GO BLUE!

12/2/17 card show report: Maize & Blue Christmas

In tonight's TMV post that likely brought you over here I hinted about having possibly unprecedented luck scoring some Michigan Football stuff at this month's show, and all out of the quarter box no less.  It was truly an early Christmas wish come true to land this many cool Wolverines for my player, insert, and rookie collections.

Think I'm exaggerating?  Check out the cardboard cornucopia below in which college unis outnumber those of the No Fun League:

Scan #1 starts with a 2007 SPx RC of Alan Branch--

--QB killer that he is, and I'll also lump in card #5, fellow defensive standout David Harris' first-year from that same set.  My luck tracking down rookies (more to follow), not to mentioned numbered ones, totally surprised me!

Next is a cool insert that features a pair of Big Ten LBs drafted in 2008:  Michigan's Shawn Crable (more of him later as well) and PSU's Dan Connor (not to be confused with the guy on Roseanne).

Then we hit the first of a bunch of PCs on the day with a pair of numbered Braylons from 2006 and 2007 UD products.

He's followed by PC #2, Mike Hart, on one of the many parallels available to the several base cards of each player found in 2008 Upper Deck Heroes.  This one's numbered #042/125 on the hard-to-see scan.

A Chad Henne trio (there's my new Michigan-themed jazz band name) represents the day's third PC, and my absolute favorite is the Gold Xtra Points parallel of Chad's 2008 Prestige RC in the middle.  Gold foil makes a great set look even better!

We'll go back to the RC well one more time in this scan with the first and third cards you see.  #1 is my ninth of Victor Hobson's 11 first-years and easily one of the best as it hails from the college-friendly 2003 Donruss Elite set.  Meanwhile, the third is my initial example of a rookie of outstanding CB Jourdan Lewis out of the equally outstanding 2017 Prestige product.

Those two bookend a totally unexpected numbered insert of future HOF OG Steve Hutchinson out of 2001 SAGE HIT.  The area with the number is raised/embossed a bit while the back assigns the player a score indicating the predicted quality of their career;  Hutch rated as a "future all-pro", just a step below "franchise player", so it's fair to see he exceeded SAGE's expectations.

Jake Long is a guy I've long collected (sorry) and one of a few newly-scanned PCs I'm debuting today (not pictured:  Tom Brady).  Considering the large number of hits, rookies, and inserts I've accumulated of #77, giving him an album was a natural move, and to that collection I added the pair of 2008 Upper Deck Icons inserts you see above (plus another below).

Of course my Manningham collection is no secret, and I was excited to add a numbered (641/999) insert of the Super WR from 2008 Prestige along with another UD Icons appearance.

Chris Perry makes a Christmasy cameo on a 2008 Leaf Rookies and Stars Longevity Ruby (#071/249) parallel.

And finally, a representative shot of Shoelace untouched on a Blue(!) 2013 Bowman parallel marks a great point to introduce my Denard Robinson PC, at 71 cards strong and growing.

Because I landed one of each I knew I had to scan this last pair together:  inserts of 2001 Bears draftees David Terrell and Anthony Thomas.  Terrell's card is an interest SAGE HIT insert from 2001 that I hadn't seen, one that includes unorthodox serial-numbering in the top left.  A-Train, meanwhile, shows up in another iteration of Donruss' Elite insert, always a beautiful looking set.

And now we finish up with the horizontal cards, as luck would have it a page's worth (all repeat players from above).  Crable makes his second appearance on a couple versions of a fun numbered 2008 Playoff Prestige insert while I tacked on one more Braylon from the same year's Donruss Classics product.  Hart and Henne get back into the act on numbered cards from 2008's Donruss Elite and UD Icons, respectively.  Finally, Jake Long adds to the Icons tally while Super Mario pads his total with numbered 2008 Donruss inserts from Classics and Elite, both of which show this here blog's namesake in his school colors.

Clearly I had a blast and between adding these for myself and fattening some trade packages, so this month's show was a great way to send 2017 out with a bang!  But that doesn't mean I have a shortage of cards to show off, so stay tuned!

1-2-16 card show report: new year blues

As I said over on TMV this evening, I hit up the monthly show last Saturday, and while I didn't spend as much as I usually do I did find a few fun things for myself and others.  Here's the Wolverines stuff I nabbed:

Bernard Robinson 2004 SAGE Autographs Silver auto (#122/330)

This is a rare basketball card pickup that's not coming from a trade package since I don't usually buy them myself.  I couldn't say no to a buck for a Michigan uni autograph, though!  This is my fifth hit (all autos) of Robinson and second college uniform card in my basketball PC.

Next, this sextet of football guys came from the cheapie boxes:

Biakabutuka is a Sprint phone card.  Remember phone cards, fellow 90s kids?  Remember Pogs?!  Definitely a fun pickup of a great 90s player.  Griese's card is the hobby version of Pacific's crazy 2001 Invincible set.  The other four are additions to my football inserts collection.  From 2011 UD College Legends comes a card showing off AC helping Michigan beat UW to win the '81 Rose Bowl. Chad Henne looks sharp in his original pro uniform, though of course I like the college versions better!  Shoelace's card is an Extra Points Blue parallel of his 2013 Prestige RC (so called because "Extra Points" is done in hard-to-notice blue foil).  And LaMarr Woodley was a big-time playmaker indeed both in the pros and as shown with the Wolverines.

Last up on the day is my lone football hit:

Amani Toomer 2002 Score Franchise Fabrics jersey

I hadn't actually ever seen a card from this relic set before so I was surprised to find this Toomer for just a buck.  As is typical of Score products I like the design here, which focuses heavily on the red and blue of New York's uniforms.  Better yet, the back includes a photo of the jersey the swatch was taken from--worn "in an official NFL game"!  Imagine that, a game-worn jersey.  Boy the early 00s were a crazy time.  Anyway, this is my 17th Toomer hit, and maybe I'll be able to get him up to 20 and beyond this year.

That's it for this month but I'm sure I'll be back there in a few more weeks looking for more good stuff.  Until then, hopefully I'll finally get to posting most of my COMC loot from late last year!