ONLINE MEGA BOX - PART 10

 THERE'S NO RHYME OR REASON TO THIS POST, JUST HANG ON AND ENJOY THE RIDE

1999 SKYBOX E-X CENTURY CADE MCNOWN

CATEGORY - SHINY

CADE WAS JUST ONE IN A LONG LINE OF CHICAGO BEARS QB FLOPS BUT 99 E-X CENTURY IS MY SECOND FAVORITE DESIGN IN THE BRAND SO I SNATCHED IT UP. MY PERSONAL E-X POWER RANKINGS:

1) 1997 E-X 2000 MAYBE THE BEST LOOKING SET EVER

2) 1999 E-X CENTURY THE SWOOSH, THE WILD NAME FONT, THE DOUBLE LOGO. I LOVE IT

3) 1998 E-X 2001 PRETTY FANTASTIC, BUT I PREFER 1999'S VERSION JUST A TINY BIT MORE

4) 1995 EMOTION THE FIRST 'HIGH-END' SET THAT REALLY GRABBED ME BY THE NUTS AND SQUOZE. PROBABLY SHOULD BE RANKED LOWER BUT NAH

5) 2003 E-X THE LAST GASP FOR E-X, VERY NICE WITH THE CLEAR STOCK PLUS THAT SECOND LEVEL HOLOFOIL

6) 2001 E-X SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT, SUPER THICK WITH A SPARKLY BACKGROUND

7) 1996 EMOTION XL THIS SET DEFINITELY TAKES 1995'S CONCEPT TO THE NEXT LEVEL BUT THE FRAME IS A LITTLE AWKWARD TO ME. A TRANSITIONAL SET

8) 2002- E-X THE YELLOW PLASTIC CARD STOCK IS NOT ATTRACTIVE AND THE MULTIPLE LEVELS WERE TRADED FOR AN ODD TEXTURE THAT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

9) 2000 E-X TOOK A DESIGN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZING ON ACETATE STOCK AND CHEAPSKATED IT WITH A STRAIGHT HOLOFOIL FRONT THAT TOO OFTEN STARTED PEELING OFF THE CARD. THE MOST DISAPPOINTING SET 

10) 2004 E-X FLEER HAD GIVEN UP AT THIS POINT AND ABANDONED THE THEME OF THE BRAND. NO HOLOFOIL, NO ACETATE, JUST SOME ETCHED FOIL THAT LOOKS LIKE AN UPPER DECK RIPOFF. SADNESS

1994 COMIC IMAGES BORIS 4 FRANKENSTEIN

CATEGORY - MONSTER

ANOTHER PICKUP FOR THE MONSTER BINDER. BORIS VALLEJO'S TAKE ON OUR FAVORITE COBBLED TOGETHER CHUM MAKES FRANKIE LOOK LIKE YOUR UNCLE DENNIS WHO'S HAVING A ROUGH TIME AFTER LOSING HIS JOB FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE BUT HE'S HANGING IN THERE THE BEST HE CAN. HE REALLY NEEDS SOME NEW DUDS SO HE CAN START GOING ON SOME INTERVIEWS THOUGH

1992 STUDIO PETE HARNISCH, HUBIE BROOKS

CATEGORY - COMPLETED THIS GODDMAN SET

I HAVE ENOUGH 93 STUDIO CARDS FOR FIVE SETS BUT I COULD NEVER COMPLETE THE DANG THING. UNTIL NOW. TIME TO START ON A SECOND SET SINCE THIS STUFF ISN'T GOING TO STOP SHOWING UP IN JUNK BOXES LOL. THESE ARE ALSO THE CARDS RESPONSIBLE FOR SPURRING ON MY COMC PURCHASE IN THE LAST POST

2001 PACIFIC AURORA CHRIS CHELIOS

CATEGORY - PLAYER COLLECTION

PACIFIC AURORA WAS ALWAYS A WEIRD LOOKING SET BUT IN 2001 THEY WENT FULL VAPORWAVE AND IT'S KINDA AWESOME. THIS WAS SADLY THE LAST AURORA SET FROM PACIFIC, NO EXTREMELY AESTHETIC BASEBALL CARDS FOR US

1993 FLEER ULTRA CARLOS BAERGA ULTRA ALL-STAR

CATEGORY - INSERT

THERE'S AN ARGUMENT TO BE MADE THAT THE REAL DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN VINTAGE AND MODERN CARDS IS WHEN COMPANIES STARTED CREATING THEIR DESIGNS ON A COMPUTER. I'M PRETTY SURE I USED THIS EFFECT IN MSPAINT A FEW TIMES BACK BEFORE THE VERSION INCLUDED WITH WINDOWS WAS NERFED TO FORCE YOU TO BUY A FANCY GRAPHICS EDITOR TO DO THIS KINDA STUFF. LIKE BAERGA HIMSELF, THIS CARD AIN'T GREAT BUT IT IS DEFINITELY VERY EARLY 90S 

1994 UPPER DECK HOLOVIEW F/X ANDY VAN SLYKE

CATEGORY - HOLOGRAM

I'VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF 1994 SP BUT THESE HOLOVIEW F/X INSERTS ARE FRIGGIN AMAZING. MAYBE THE SECOND BEST SET WITH FLUFFY CLOUDS AS A DESIGN ELEMENT

EVEN THE BACKS LOOK GOOD. DAMN, UPPER DECK WAS THE BEST WHEN THEY WERE FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

1991 FLEER ULTRA WILL CLARK, DOUG DRABEK ULTRA TEAM

CATEGORY - INSERT

LATE 80S SUPERSTARS, HELL YEAH. I COMPLETED THE ULTRA BASE SET WITH A KENNY ROGERS CARD I PICKED UP AT BASEBALLCARDSTORE DOT CA, NOW IT'S TIME TO FINISH THE ULTRA TEAM SET. WILL I DO IT BY THE END OF THE YEAR? NO, NO I WON'T. THE LAST CARD I NEED WAS ONE OF THE LAST CUTS MADE WHEN I SPENT MY LAST FIVE BUCKS ON COMC

2015 PANINI AMERICANA CALVIN BOREL WINNER'S CIRCLE

CATEGORY - INSERT

FOR SOME REASON THERE WAS A TRUCKLOAD OF 2015 PANINI AMERICANA PACKS AT DOLLAR TREE A FEW YEARS AGO AND I BOUGHT WAY TOO MANY OF THEM BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO FINISH THE BASE SET. THIS GOT ME A LOT OF INSERTS THOUGH INCLUDING THIS DIE-CUT SET PAYING TRIBUTE TO WINNING JOCKEYS. I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN THIS CARD EVEN IF I HAD NEVER SEEN A CARD OF THE STUFF, THAT SMILE ON CALVIN'S FACE IS TOO GREAT. YOU GET TO SMILE LIKE THAT WHEN YOU WIN THREE KENTUCKY DERBIES INCLUDING A SUPER LONG SHOT

2015 MAGIC: THE GATHERING FATE REFORGED SCROLL OF THE MASTERS 

CATEGORY - RARE

MAYBE THE MOST BORING MAGIC: THE GATHERING CARD I'VE BOUGHT IN THE PAST COUPLE YEARS BUT IT'S A RARE AND IT'S GOT A LITTLE HOLOGRAM ON IT. MAYBE ALL THOSE MONSTERS AND WITCHES I COLLECT WOULD ENJOY SOME NEW BOOKS

1993 TOPPS GREG MADDUX ROGER CLEMENS ALL-STARS

CATEGORY - WANTLIST

PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME I'VE BOUGHT THIS CARD. I'LL FUCKIN DO IT AGAIN, SEE IF I DON'T

UP NEXT: WE DIAL THINGS WAAAAY BACK, MANY OF YOU MIGHT FIND IT BORING OR EVEN DISTASTEFUL

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 51: FINEST

I HAVE A LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH FINEST. I HATE THAT IT'S SO EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO FIND BUT I LOVE THE WONKY DESIGNS THEY TRY AND FAIL TO PULL OFF. HERE'S A CARD FROM A SET THAT WAS WILDLY UNPOPULAR WHEN IT CAME OUT BUT I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT. FROM THE GOOFY RETRO DESIGN TO THE FACT THAT IT IS CHEAP AS HELL NOW

2021 TOPPS FINEST DOMINIQUE WILKINS

THIS SET WAS SO FUN WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS SO EXCITED THAT TOPPS WAS BACK IN THE BASKETBALL GAME AND THEN WHEN IT WAS RELEASED IT WAS A BUNCH OF OLDER DUDES IN STREET CLOTHES, SUITS AND THE OCCASIONAL FUR COAT AND ALL THE NOOBS WHO JUMPED ON FLIPPING CARDS DURING THE LOCKDOWN WERE ALL HORRIBLY ANGRY AND CONFUSED. OH MAN, DID THIS SET GET SOME HATE ON THE INTERWEBS. THE HATERS CAN CRY FOREVER, THIS SET IS AMAZING. 1) IT'S ON FINEST CHROMY STOCK 2) IT'S GOT A COOL FAKE 90S VAPORWAVE DESIGN THAT GOES EXTREMELY WELL WITH THE FINEST CHROMY STOCK 3) IT'S BASICALLY A 1991 STUDIO SET FOR BASKETBALL. AND OH MY GOD, THE CHECKLIST IS INSANE. EVERY STAR, KINDA STAR, AND GUY WHO WAS HYPED ENOUGH TO GET INTO A BUNCH OF INSERTS SETS IN THE NINETIES AND EARLY 00S WHO IS NOT CONTRACTUALLY FORBIDDEN FROM BEING IN THIS SET IS IN THIS SET. IN RETROSPECT I SHOULD HAVE ALSO PICKED UP THE VINCE CARTER AND DIKEMBE CARDS BUT I SETTLED ON GETTING THE PLAYER WHO HAS HIS OWN BINDER ON MY BOOKSHELF

DOMINIQUE PRETTY MUCH IS THE HAWKS IDENTITY AT THIS POINT. HE'S THE BEST PLAYER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY UNTIL TRAE CATCHES UP. HE'S BOB RATHBURN'S WINGMAN ON THE HAWKS TV BROADCASTS. IT IS ILLEGAL TO PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE OF NBA DUNKS WITHOUT SHOWING OFF A TOMAHAWK. HE'S LITERALLY THE HUMAN HIGHLIGHT FILM. IF YOU SAY 'NAME A HAWKS PLAYER' TO A RANDO ON THE STREET MORE LIKELY THAN NOT THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T THINK YOU MEAN THE SEAHAWKS OR BLACKHAWKS ARE GONNA SAY NIQUE. A GREAT CARD FOR A GREAT PLAYER. I HAVE MY WILKINS BINDER ORGANIZED BY TEAM. THERE'S BULLDOGS CARDS IN THE FRONT, A WHOLE BUNCH OF HAWKS CARDS IN THE MIDDLE AND SOME USA BASKETBALL, CLIPPERS, CELTICS AND SPURS CARDS AT THE END. I STILL HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ORLANDO MAGIC DOMINIQUE CARD AND I DOUBT IT EXISTS AT THIS POINT UNLESS IT'S SOME ODDBALL AUTOGRAPH IN A RECENT PANINI SET. NOW I HAVE NIQUE IN HIS BROADCASTER UNIFORM, A NICE CAP TO A NICE BINDER