The Big Guy In The Middle: Marcell Dareus Ref Auto RC

2011 Bowman Chrome Auto/ Ref RC

I really don't know much about this card other than it features Marcell Dareus, who is a key cog in my Buffalo Bills' revamped defensive line, and that I love the look of the auto/ref. as with most refractors, the card looks better in hand. It almost looks like Mr. Dareus takes up the entire surface of the card. At 6'3'', 325 pounds, he is one big boy. I just became a Bills season ticket holder about two months ago in the Paul Maguire Club, so I can't wait to watch Mr. Dareus gobble up some quarterbacks next season.

Sets I'm Currently Attempting To Assemble

Here are the sets I'm currently working to put together ('97 UD SPx Duo View Hockey is not shown as I do not have any cards in that set, but I am interested in building it!!!). If anyone has any cards in these sets and is interested in trading, let me know. I have a number of cards in each of these sets. I would like to complete a couple of these by the end of the summer. If you are interested in trading, send me an email to Hoopography@yahoo.com or leave a message on the Hoopography Facebook page. Thanks!

         '98 Metal Universe Titanium                                      '97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones

            '98 Ex Century Dunk N' Go N                                '98 Topps Finest Mystery Test Refractor

                          '08 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition Auto's                                         '97 Fleer Ultra Court Masters

                                   '97 Upper Deck SPx Holoview Heroes                                   '99 SPx Rookie Auto's

                                '96 Jam Session Showstoppers                                       '97 EX 2000 A Cut Above

                                                  '97 & '98 Big Man On Court                   '98 SPx Hardcourt Holoview (Football and Basketball)

                                                              '97 SPx Promotion                                                   '98 SPx ProMotion 

                                                             '98 SPx ProMotion                                                '97 SPx Cornerstones

It's All In The Details

1998 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion Warrick Dunn (Front)

1998 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion Warrick Dunn (Back)

It's true what they say, "…it's all in the details". Check out this 1998 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion card of Warrick Dunn. The foiling, hologram and die cut details are nice, but look at the football helmet shaped Upper Deck hologram in the bottom right corner. If you look closely, you can even see an earhole. There was some definite thought put into the detail of this card.

The detail of these SPx ProMotion cards is why I am currently trying to put together four SPx insert sets from the late 90's that feature similar diecut and hologram designs. Here's a little more background on these Upper Deck SPx inserts I'm collecting.

As many of you know, I currently have what seems like a thousand collections going. I can't help it. There're just so many great cards, magazines, kicks and posters out there to collect. One of the first actions that got me back into the hobby several years back was the rediscovering of late 90's SPx inserts. Mainly, the '98 SPx Duo View hockey cards, '97 and '98 SPx Pro Motion basketball cards, the '97 SPx Cornerstones baseball cards and the '97 and '98 SPx Pro Motion football cards. With the exception of the '98 Pro Motion cards, these sets are all very similar featuring cool die cut designs and crystal clear holograms. Because of those design attributes, I've always liked them.

So far, I have a few cards in five out of the six SPx sets listed above. The first set I started building was the '97 SPx Pro Motion basketball set. In my humble opinion, it's highlighted by one of the best looking Michael Jordan cards in the hobby (click here). Ironically, that's the only card I need to complete that five card set. Even without the Jordan, I'm pretty excited to be 80% done with the set. Unfortunately, I'm not as far with the other five sets. I have a few cards in each set and am slowly building each set. I would like to complete two out of the six sets this year as they are my highest collecting priority.

If anyone has any SPx insert cards from the six sets I'm collecting, let me know. I'd love to get these collections jump started with a few trades. You can look at my want lists and trade album by clicking here. There are a few jersey and auto'd football, baseball and basketball cards in there now. I'm always open to trades with fellow bloggers as well as anyone who is a member of Collectors Card World and Sports Card Forum. Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Have You Seen Me???

'98 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion Football & Basketball

As many of you know, I'm putting together the late 90's Upper Deck SPx ProMotion, Cornerstones and Duo View sets for all four of the major sports. The design of these sets are very similar featuring die cuts and holograms. I have been doing well with the sets from '97, but have not had much luck with the basketball and football cards from '98. So I'm putting an all points bulletin out for these cards. If anyone out there has ANY of the cards from the 1998 basketball or football Upper Deck SPx ProMotion sets and would like to work a trade out, let me know. You can view my trade/want list here. Thanks and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

What Size Case Fits The 2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Rare Materials Cards?

2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Rare Materials

I recently bought this 2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rare Materials card of former Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly. It's a cool card with the four pieces of game used materials. I also really like how Upper Deck utilized the gold foiling, but I have one sort of major issue. I like to keep many of my cards in snap magnet cases. I keep a good number around of different sizes so I have a case for when I get a new card in the mail. However, I have not been able to find a case that this ultra thick card will fit into. Not even a 180pt will do. So I thought I would check before I go out and buy any more cases. Does anyone know what size cases will fit these Rare Materials cards perfectly? Thanks for the help and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Who Is The Most Important Young Athlete IN The Sports Memorabilia Hobby Today?

Poll: What Sport Do You Collect The Most Memorabilia/Cards of?

I think it's pretty safe to assume that most collectors have a variety in their sports memorabilia collections. Sure, there are certain players, teams and sports we all collect, but I know many collectors who have great collections featuring items from all sports. I'm sure there's even a reader or two that has a modest cricket or football (soccer) collection they're building. With that said, many of us still have one sport or player from a particular sport that we focus our collections around and I'm no different.

I recently inventoried my sports memorabilia collection and am now able to break my collection down into the four major sports. I know I collect a lot of hoops memorabilia, but I was surprised to see how diverse my collection actually has become. To beak it down for you, 48% of my collection is basketball related, 20% football, 19% baseball and 13% hockey. I do realize how dorky it was to inventory my collection to get these percentages, and I'm assuming many readers aren't as dorky as me. So I made the poll a little simpler: What sport do you collect the most?

Super Joe Montana In The Hoopography House: '97 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion

'97 Upper Deck SPx Promotion Joe Montana

I know it's been about a week since my last post, but I'm back with what I think is a pretty sweet addition to my late 90's Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion and Force sets. As many of you probably know, I'm currently putting together all of the SPx Pro Motion, Cornerstone, Duo View and Force sets from '97 and '98 for football, baseball, hockey and basketball. It's a tall order, but I'm a huge fan of the die-cut and hologram designs from these sets.

This Montana is my fourth card from the '97 football Pro Motion set and I think really the best. The Barry Sanders is a nice card and so is the Dan Marino, but I hate Marino. So therefore, the Montana is the winner. At least it is for me. I remember him playing for the Chiefs and going to a Bills game here in Buffalo with my dad just to see the legend himself. Also the price on this card wasn't too bad either. I paid $13.00 which really is very reasonable. I once tried to buy this card two years ago at a card show for $25.00, but the seller wouldn't go any lower than $35.00. So for $13.00, I'm a pretty happy collector.

I apologize for the lack of posts last week, but I needed some time to focus on a view other things last week. No worries though. I have a number of posts lined up for this week. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Sparkle on Super Joe's Super Rings".

Panini National Treasures In The Hoopography House: Marcus Easley RC Auto

2010 Panini National Treasures Marcus Easley Patch/Auto #'d 15/25

Have you ever bought a trading card just because of a cool design, auto or patch? Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see what second year receiver Marcus Easley can bring to Ralph Wilson Stadium next year for the Buffalo Bills. However, I really bought this card because I've always wanted one of these rookie jersey/auto'd cards from Panini's National Treasures line. I've been trying for some time now to buy either a hoops or football RC auto as I really like the design. Unfortunately, they tend to sell for a pretty penny.

So instead of a Blake Griffin or C.J. Spiller one, I picked up this Marcus Easley for just under $10.00 including shipping. Under $10.00 seems to be my wheelhouse. Easley was injured during his rookie season last year, but I'm hopeful that he can be a solid contributor for the Bills this year. The card is numbered 15 out of 25 and features a sweet patch/auto. I'm pretty excited for my first National Treasures RC auto.

So the question remains, have you ever bought a trading card solely for a cool design, auto or jersey patch? Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

NFL Draft Poll: Which QB Will Be The Best QB?

Barry Sanders In The Hoopography House: 1997 Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion

Here is my most recent eBay conquest and addition to my four sport Upper Deck SPx insert collection. As I'll outline below, I am currently trying to put together four SPx insert sets from the late 90's that feature similar diecut and hologram designs. This Barry Sanders is the second football card to the collection thus far and is pretty sweet if I do say so myself. Here's a little more background on these Upper Deck SPx inserts.

As many of you know, I currently have what seems like a thousand collections going. I can't help it. There're just so many great cards, magazines, kicks and posters out there to collect. One of the first items that got me back into the hobby several years back was the rediscovering of late 90's SPx inserts. Mainly, the '98 SPx Duo View hockey cards, '97 and '98 SPx Pro Motion basketball cards, the '97 SPx Cornerstones baseball cards and the '97 SPx Pro Motion football cards. With the exception of the '98 Pro Motion cards, these sets are all very similar featuring cool die cut designs and crystal clear holograms. Because of those design attributes, I've always liked them.

So far, I have a few cards in four out of the five SPx sets listed above. The first set I started building was the '97 SPx Pro Motion basketball set. In my humble opinion, it's highlighted by one of the best looking Michael Jordan cards in the hobby (click here). Ironically, that's the only card I need to complete the five card set. Even without the Jordan, I'm pretty excited to be 80% done with the set. Unfortunately, I'm not as far with the other four sets. I have the '97 Jeter/A-Rod Cornerstones card pictured above, the '97 Karim Abdul-Jabbar Pro Motion card pictured below and the Barry Sanders card pictured at the beginning of the post.

If anyone has any SPx insert cards from the five sets I'm collecting, let me know. I'd love to get these collections jump started with a few trades. You can look at my want lists and trade album by clicking here. There are a few jersey and auto'd football, baseball and basketball cards in there now. I'm always open to trades with fellow bloggers as well as anyone who is a member of Collectors Card World and Sports Card Forum. Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Thurman Thomas In The Hoopography House: 2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Premium Patch 26/75

2010 Upper Deck Exquisite
Thurman Thomas Premium Patch

2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Football was recently released and I'm definitely on board. I'm still not sure if I like it better than the 2009 version, but it's certainly deserving of the Exquisite name plate. With my Exquisite gushing done, it's on to the card.

This Thurman Thomas Premium Patch card looks better in hand. I'm not sure what it is about thicker card stock, but cards just look better with thicker stock. Also, the white patch is actually a piece of painted fabric from the numbering or arm sleeve. It's a nice little addition to my Thomas collection.

Aside from getting a nice new card of one of my favorite Buffalo Bills legends, I got a pretty sweet deal on this item. I paid exactly $6.00 for the card including shipping. The seller even sent the card in a snap magnet holder. I put many of my cards in snap mag holders, so that was a nice surprise. Just as thicker stock cards look better, so do cards in snap mag cases.

This is the first 2010 Exquisite Football card I've gotten in so far. I hope to buy a few more, especially at the price of this card. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy All The Exquisiteness of Your Memorabilia".

Robert Meachem In The Hoopography House: Auto'd Blog Prize

This 8 x 10 Robert Meachem Panini Authentic Auto is pretty cool, unfortunately, I could careless about Robert Meachem. For that reason, I recently loaded this item up in my Trade Bait Album on the Hoopography Facebook page. I won the auto'd pic in a Panini contest sometime around Thanksgiving. It took a bit for me to get it scanned and posted, but it's finally up here. Check out my Trade Bait Album and let me know if there is anything you're interested in putting a deal together for.

Happy Collecting and… "Enjoy Every Thrill of the Trade".

Poll: Topps Five Star VS. Panini National Treasures VS. Upper Deck SP Authentic

All three of the major trading card manufacturers (Panini, Topps & Upper Deck) recently released 2010 football products in the last week or so. So which product is best? I understand Upper Deck SP Authentic Football is not even near the same price point as Five Star or National Treasures, but it was just released and makes for a nice three product comparison.


All three have their pros and cons. National Treasures has some very nice rookie patches, shields and auto's. Topps Five Star features booklets, inscription auto's and only on-card auto's. Finally, Upper Deck SP Authentic gives collectors 24 five card packs with 3 hits per box for $125, but no NFL team logos (if the college thing bothers you). So what does all this mean for collectors? It's simple, choice.

All the early preview images released by each company for these products look fantastic as usual, but there's more to a product than a few preview images. Here are eBay search links you can checkout to get a better idea of each product (Panini National Treasures, Topps Five Star and Upper Deck SP Authentic). So which overall product do you like better? Please feel free to comment on which product you chose and why?

Poster Review: Nike "The Judge" Poster

1980's Nike "The Judge" Poster

Former Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes is a bit before my time, but the poster is timeless. Hayes was known for that low stance featured in the poster when lining up against opposing wide receivers. The idea behind the poster is that Hayes could cover even the vastest of open expanses. One of the best cover corners of the late 70's and 80's, Hayes was a five-time Pro Bowl selection for a Raiders team that one two Super Bowls ('80 & '83). Although a finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame, he has yet to be enshrined.

The poster is not one of the more iconic or sought after posters of the 80's, but I think it's a bit underrated. At the very least, "The Judge" poster is a great entry into vintage poster collecting. It's not terribly expensive relative to some of the higher profile posters from this era, and it's a Nike poster from one of the Black & Silvers best. Sales are generally right around $20-$25 plus shipping. Anything more than that is not a good deal (Current Best Offer eBay Auction).

Hope you enjoyed this latest Poster Review post. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

What Grade Do You Give Topps' New Five Star Football?

Topps ultra high end Five Star Football product went live earlier this week. It's jam packed with patches, swatches, shields, laundry tags, "gold" foiling and on-card auto's. That's a lot of good stuff, but at $425 a box for 5 cards, there should be a lot of good stuff in Five Star. That's $85 per card for you non-math majors out there. I used a calculator myself. So the question is, what grade do you give Topps Five Star? Here's a link to the cards already listed on eBay (click here).

Some Of My Best Trading Card Acquisitions Of The Last Few Months

Here's a few of my favorite cards from the past few months. I've wrote posts on most of these, but it's always fun to show them off. After all, part of the fun of card collecting is showing your cards off. What are some of your favorite trading card acquisitions of the past few months?

               '08 Bowman Chrome                   '10 UD Ultimate Laettner Auto               '97 Topps Finest Gold Ref

               Montero Blue Ref RC

'03 Kobe/Williams UD Ultimate Dual Jersey

'91 Kenny Anderson Star Pics Auto               '08 Brett Gardner RC Auto         '03 Jay Williams UD Ultimate Auto RC

'00 UD Paul O'neill Buy Back Auto

   '09 UD Exquisite Cunningham Auto            '80 Topps Henderson RC                   '08 Hawaii Trade Conference                                                                                                                                        Miller/Evans Auto

        '02 Topps Bo Jackson Memorable Materials                          '97 UD Exquisite Legendary Lynch Auto

'00 UD Bruce Smith Legendary Jsy    '95 Topps Finest Hardaway Refractor           '97 Jeter Flair Hot Gloves

'08 UD Trilogy 1-2 Combo Vanek/Miller Auto

                                Bernie Williams, Paul O'neill & Andy Pettitte EX Essential Credentials

'97 Metal Universe Precious Gems Bruce Smith

                     '10 Topps 206 Cervelle Auto                         '10 UD The Cup Signature Patches Vanek Auto

'92 Classic Four-Sport Quad Auto (I've had this for a bit, but it one of my favorites)

                '07 UD Ultimate Legends Jim kelly Auto                       '96 Anfernee Hardaway UD Tribute Auto

 '97 Jordan UD SPx Holoview Heroes       '91 Larry Johnson Courtside Auto                 '93 Classics Exclusive                                                                                                                                          Manon Rheaume Auto

          '09 UD Thurman Thomas UD SPx Shadow Box                '08 UD Lynch Exquisite Endorsements Auto

'97 UD Jordan Commemorative Collection     '99 Thomas SkyBox Rubies            '93 TSC Beam Team O'neal RC

              '09 UD Exquisite Thurman Thomas Auto             '97 Ultra Court Masters (I'm putting the set together)  

             '10 Thurman Thomas UD SPx Shadow Box                              '07 Chris Mullin UD Ultimate Virtuoso

'09 UD SP Legendary Cuts Warren Spahn Auto