APRIL 2024 CARD SHOW PART 5: YEP, MORE DIME BOX

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN A MONTH AGO AND I FORGOT TO POST IT LOL. OH WELL NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

MOST OF THE CARDS IN THIS POST ARE FROM A SMALL VEIN OF EXTRA SHINY CARDS THAT I MOSTLY GRABBED WITHOUT REALLY LOOKING AT THEM. I LITERALLY DON'T REMEMBER BUYING HALF OF THESE BUT LOOKING AT THEM NOW I CAN SEE WHY I DID

 I STILL HAVE THE FINEST BUG BUT NOT THE FOCUS TO ACTUALLY FIGURE OUT WHICH CARDS I NEED. THERE'S A PILE OF THEM RIGHT NEXT TO MY DESK BUT HAVE I PUT TOGETHER A WANT LIST? NO! I DO KNOW I HAVE TWELVE CARDS FROM 1993 INCLUDING YOUNT, WINFIELD AND SHEFFIELD SO IF I GO THROUGH WITH MY PLAN TO PUT TOGETHER A PAGE FROM EACH SET I GOT THE OG FINEST COVERED. THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE I ALREADY HAVE EDGAR HERE BUT IF I DO SO WHAT? IT GIVES ME A CHANGE TO PEEL THE COATING. MMMMMM PEEELIES

I HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WITH 1995 FLEER FOR A WHILE TO THE POINT WHERE I'VE PUT TOGETHER A FULL MASTER WANTLIST OF ALL FOUR SETS WITH INSERTS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS MY FIRST ALL-FLEER 9 INSERT BUT IT LOOKS LIKE I EITHER HAD AN EXTRA GREG MADDUX OR I PULLED IT OUT OF THE MADDUX BINDER . THIS IS A WEIRD SET AS IT WAS MAIL-IN ONLY AND CHOSE 'KID SCRIBBLING ON A RAINBOW SCRATCH PAD' FOR THE DESIGN. IT'S ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT ON THE BACK AS FLEER USED WHITE TEXT

I HAVE A FEW OF THESE 2004-05 ULTRA KINGS INSERTS FOR BASEBALL BUT I THINK THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST BASKETBALL ONE IN MY COLLECTION. THE MATTE CARD STOCK WITH SPOT GLOSS AND A SPLASH OF BRONZE FOIL LOOKS CLASSY

I THOUGHT THIS GRANT HILL CARD WAS AN INSERT INITIALLY BUT NOPE, IT'S A PLAIN OL 03-04 FLAIR BASE CARD. FLAIR WENT THROUGH A LOT OF WILDLY DIFFERENT DESIGNS AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF SUPER THICK, HIGH GLOSS ITERATIONS AND MORPHED INTO SHOWCASE FOR A LITTLE BIT. THIS ISN'T THE BEST FLAIR DESIGN OUT THERE AS THE GHOST PORTRAIT ON FOILBOARD IS A LITTLE OFFPUTTING BUT IT ISN'T THE WORST ONE OUT THERE. THIS VERSION AT LEAST PRETENDS LIKE IT'S A PREMIUM CARD

ELVIS LEERING AT MARY TYLER MOORE'S NUN ASS

REALLY WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY

THIS IS A REAL TRADING CARD THAT EXISTS

EVERYONE LOVES FLEER BUT THEY PUT OUT A TON OF COMPLETELY FORGETTABLE ONE-OFF ODDBALL SETS IN THE EARLY 00S. FLEER FORCE WAS A SLIGHTLY UPGRADED VERSION OF THE FLEER TRADITION SET WITH SOME DIFFERENT INSERTS THAT FLOPPED AFTER ONE YEAR, THEN CAME BACK A COUPLE YEARS LATER AS A STANDALONE SET THAT ALSO CRASHED OUT AFTER ONE RELEASE. EVEN THE GOOD ONE-OFF SETS LIKE APEX AND AVANT ONLY GOT ONE YEAR. NOT GOOD IN A HOBBY WHERE THE INERTIA OF COLLECTING THE SAME SET YEAR AFTER YEAR IS SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT. HONESTLY THIS INSERT AIN'T THAT GREAT AS THE EXTRA BUSY DESIGN IS VERY HARD TO SEE ON THE BLAND FOILBOARD BUT I DIG FINDING A CARD OF HAWKS LEGEND STEVE SMITH

PACIFIC'S ODDBALL RELEASES ARE ALWAYS A DELIGHT HOWEVER. I FRIGGIN LOVE LOVE LOVE THE - IS IT OK TO CALL THESE VINTAGE NOW? - VINTAGE REVOLUTION CARDS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE ABSOLUTE BEST DESIGNS. I DON'T EVEN MIND IF IT'S FROM A FOOTBALL TEAM I HATE, GIMME THAT SHINY SPARKLY FOIL

TOPPS REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A HANDLE ON INSERT CARDS IN THE 90S AND THIS ONE FROM 99-00 IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT. YOU'D THINK THIS WAS AN INSERT CALLED FRESH FOUNDATIONS BUT NOPE, IT'S SEASON'S BEST. SIX DIFFERENT SUBSETS OF FIVE CARDS EACH ALL WITH DIFFERENT DESIGNS. WHO ASKED FOR SUBSETS IN AN INSERT SET?? AND TOPPS DID THIS A TON IN EVERY SPORT THEY HAD. ADD THE SPARKLY HOLOFOIL CAMOUFLAGE DROWNING OUT THE DESIGN AND IT'S A BIT MUCH. YOU KNOW I LOVE THE SHINIES, JUST LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS CARD, BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHEN TO GO WILD IN SERVICE OF THE DESIGN

TOPPS FIGURED IT OUT EVENTUALLY, THIS TOP TANDEMS CARD FROM 2002-03 HAS A PRETTY RIDICULOUS BACKGROUND THAT WOULD LOOK AWFUL WITH SPARKLY HOLOFOIL AND WOULD BE HARD TO SEE ON STRAIGHT FOILBOARD LIKE THAT FLEER FORCE INSERT. A NICE FLAT HOLOFOIL MAKES ALL THOSE RANDOM CIRCLES AND ANGLES POP. DON'T GET ME WRONG, THIS ISN'T A GREAT LOOKING CARD DESIGN BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN TELL WHAT EVERYTHING IS

WE FINISH UP WITH AN AWESOME INSERT CARD FROM A TERRIBLE AWFUL SET. 2008 UPPER DECK X WAS AS BIG A TRAINWRECK AS TWITTER X IS NOW BUT DAMN, THESE XPONENTIAL INSERTS LOOK SO, SO GOOD. IT TAKES A SILLY CONCEPT OF PUTTING X'S EVERYWHERE AND MAKES IT WORK WITH A DECENT COMBINATION OF HOLOFOIL AND EMBOSSING. IS THIS ACTUALLY TERRIBLE AND I'M JUST DAZZLED BY THE SHINY? YEAH PROBABLY. I LIKE IT THO