BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 36: ANOTHER Ö

HERE'S THE FIRST ENTRY IN THE 'GET THE REQUISITE PLAYER COLLECTION PICKUPS' CATEGORY. THIS CARD IS BOTH A FAVORITE PLAYER AND A FAVORITE BRAND!

2016-17 PANINI AFICIONADO MESUT ÖZIL

MESUT OFICIALLY RETIRED IN MARCH, ENDING MY DREAMS OF HIM SIGNING WITH ATLANTA UNITED. PROBABLY FOR THE BEST, THE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN A MESS SINCE THEY SOLD OFF ALMIRON ALTHOUGH THEY'VE BEEN WINNING A FEW GAMES RECENTLY. I REALLY ENJOYED WATCHING ÖZIL IN THE WORLD CUP AND WINNING FA CUPS FOR ARSENAL AND I HOPE HE ENJOYS RETIREMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MEANS THAT THERE'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE A WHOLE LOT OF NEW ÖZIL CARDS GOING FORWARD, THE MOST RECENT CARD BASE CARD I CAN FIND FROM HIS IS FROM 2020. SOCCER CARDS ARE SCARCE AROUND THESE PARTS THOUGH, SO I HAVE A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO

1996 PINNACLE AFICIONADO IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SETS. THERE'S NO OTHER SET REMOTELY LIKE IT, AT LEAST UNTIL PANINI MADE THEIR OWN VERSIONS IN 2016. THEY DID A DECENT JOB RECREATING THE BRAND. WHILE THE CARD STOCK ISN'T AS THICK, THE PRINTING ON TOP OF THE HOLOFOIL IS NOT NEARLY AS GLOOPY AND TEXTURED AND IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT WONDERFUL CHEMICALLY SMELL THAT THE ORIGINALS HAVE BUT PANINI REALLY DID CAPTURE THE VIBE OF THE SET. I ALMOST PICKED UP AN AL HORFORD AFICIONADO CARD BUT SOMETHING EVEN MORE SHINY CAUGHT MY EYE. THESE ARE GOOD IF YOU LOVE FOOTBALL OR BASKETBALL, BUT IF YOU CAN FIND A CARD FROM THE ORIGINAL BASEBALL SET I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PICKING IT UP. NOTHING I CAN SAY ABOUT IT ON HERE CAN REALLY DO IT JUSTICE, YOU REALLY NEED ONE IN HAND TO APPRECIATE IT. MAYBE NEXT TIME I'LL HAVE A WANTLIST READY FOR THE 1996 SET

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 25: Ö

GOTTA PICK UP A CARD OF MY FAVORITE FOOTBALL PLAYER ON MY ONLINE BUYING BINGES

2020 GOODWIN CHAMPIONS MESUT ÖZIL RED PARALLEL OR SOMETHING

I USED TO LOVE GOODWIN CHAMPIONS BUT THEN THE CLEARANCE BLASTERS DRIED UP AND THEN THE PILES OF BASE CARDS IN THE DIME BOXES DRIED UP AND THEN I JUST STOPPED SEEING ANY OF IT AT ALL EVER. BUT IT STILL COMES OUT EVERY YEAR THOUGH? SOMEHOW?? ANY CHANCE OF MY BUILDING A SET OF IT EXCEPT MAYBE THE FIRST ONE IS LONG LONG GONE BUT I STILL LIKE FINDING RANDOM BASE CARDS HERE AND THERE. THE LAST ONES I PICKED UP AT AN ACTUAL SHOP WERE A COUPLE OF STEPHEN ROOT AND A LION. NOT A SPECIFIC LION, MORE LIKE THE CONCEPT OF LION. ANOTHER REASON I'M NOT COLLECTING THESE SETS ANYMORE IS BECAUSE BOTH STEPHEN AND THE KITTY BOTH HAD THREE DIFFERENT CARDS IN THE SET. NOT A VARIATION, THREE DIFFERENT CARDS*. AS DOES EVERYONE. IT'S BASICALLY THREE DIFFERENT SETS OF THE SAME FIFTY PLAYERS, ONE LIKE THIS IN PORTRAIT, ONE IN LANDSCAPE, AND ONE WITH BLACK COLOR SPLASHED BORDERS THAT I ASSUME IS SHORT PRINTED BECAUSE WHY WOULDN'T THE COOL CARDS BE SHORT PRINTED. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN, CLICK ON THAT TCDB LINK ABOVE AND THEN CLICK ON INSERTS AND RELATED SETS. THERE ARE EIGHTY-SIX DIFFERENT INSERT/PARALLEL/WHATNOT SETS TO COLLECT. MOST ARE COLOR SWAPS BUT STILL. AFTER DIGGING THROUGH THAT LIST IT APPEARS THIS CARD IS EPACK WEEKLY VARIATIONS - RED FLAVOR. I'M NOT UPDATING THE TITLE BECAUSE IT'S FUNNIER THAT WAY

I HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT EVER DO ANY OF THE EPACK STUFF SO I DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS BUT IT APPEARS LIKE THIS STUFF IS FULFILLED THROUGH COMC IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY GET A REAL CARD MIXED UP AMONG YOUR JAYPEGS YOU CAN PAY TO HAVE IT SENT TO YOU. ONE OF MY STRATEGIES WHEN BUYING ON COMC IS TO CHOOSE SORT BY LOWEST PRICE AND THEN JUST CLICK ON EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY I CAN THINK OF AND SEE WHAT POPS UP. THIS WORKS SURPRISINGLY WELL! I QUICKLY NOTICED A LOT OF UPPER DECK STUFF CLUTTERING UP THE FIRST PAGE OF A LOT OF THESE SEARCHES. ALL KINDS OF STUFF, I FOUND GOODWINS, FLEER METAL DRAFT BASKETBALL, JAMES BOND VILLAINS AND DINOSAURS AMONG OTHER THINGS. I DIDN'T EVEN CHECK HOCKEY BUT SINCE THAT'S UD'S BREAD AND BUTTER NOW I'M SURE LISTINGS ARE STUFFED WITH THEM TOO. AT CHEAP CHEAP PRICES! I SAW SOME AS LOW AS 27 CENTS WHICH PROBABLY LEAVES THE SELLER WITH LIKE A 2 CENTS PROFIT AFTER FEES. THIS ONE WASN'T FOUND THROUGH MY CHEAP BASTARD TECHNIQUE THOUGH, I REALIZED WHAT IT WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF CARDS AVAILABLE COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER ÖZILS OUT THERE

ANYWAY, MESUT IS MY FAVORITE FOOTBALL PLAYER AND HE'S GREAT AND I LIKED THIS CARD BECAUSE THE BORDER IS ARSENAL COLORS AND IT WAS LIKE THIRTY-THREE CENTS. PLUS I GOT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT NEWFANGLED TRADING CARDS GET OFF MY LAWN  DAGNABBIT FOR TWO PARAGRAPHS WHICH ONLY ADDS TO THE FUN FACTOR. YOU'LL SEE ÖZIL AGAIN IN ABOUT THIRTY OR FORTY POSTS OR SO

*ALTHOUGH, YES THERE ARE VARIATIONS** BECAUSE OF COURSE THERE ARE VARIATIONS, WHY WOULDN'T THERE BE

**FEATURING THE 2011 DESIGN TO RUB IT IN YOUR FACE THAT THIS USED TO BE A DECENT SET