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".

What's Your White Whale?

1997 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion Michael Jordan

I should preface this post by saying that I really have like 10 white whales, but this 1997 Upper Deck SPx ProMotion Michael Jordan is a card that I've been after for about 4 years. Ever since I saw it I new I wanted to build the entire set. Luckily for me, the set is only five cards and I have four out of the five. The bad part, the Jordan sells for over $100.

This card and design got me so excited way back when that I'm also building the sets from the other sports too (click here). I love 90's inserts from all sports, but this '97 SPx ProMotion Jordan is easily one of the best looking inserts from the era. I hope one day to complete the set and make Captain Ahab happy. So that's my white whale, what's yours?

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".

Pudge Rodriguez and Mike Piazza In The Hoopography House: '97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones

'97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones Rodriguez/Piazza

I know it's been about a week or so since my last post. I've been extremely busy with work and family. I actually became an uncle this past weekend which I'm very excited about. With as busy as I've been though, don't think I'm not collecting or staying up to date with the hobby happenings. I just got in a few new items in recently and I'm posting today about what I think is a pretty sweet addition to my late 90's Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion and SPx 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.

Jeter/Rodriguez

This Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza card is the second card from the '97 baseball Cornerstones set I've been able to add to the collection. The first one I got was the Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez you see to the right. These cards are beautiful. The set name is Cornerstones, but they are basically the same design as the basketball and football Pro Motion sets. I'm not quiet sure why Upper Deck decided to call the baseball and hockey (Duo View) sets by different names. No matter what the name, one thing is for sure. The gold foiling in the backgrounds, die-cut designs and crystal clear holograms make these inserts standout. I paid $5.00 including shipping for the Rodriguez and Piazza. It's not that the baseball Cornerstones cards sell for exorbitant prices, but that was a Rickey Henderson type steal.

I apologize for the lack of posts last week, but I needed some time to focus on a view other things. No worries though. I have a number of new items that I just added to my collection that I'm excited to post about over the next few days. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Crack Of The Bat".

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".

3 Sports... 3 Cards

Apparently, Blogger has had some issues the past couple of days. I'm not sure how this has affected other blogs, but I haven't been able to post for about 24 hours and my last post was deleted. Maybe somebody over at Blogger wasn't a hockey fan. Anyways, everything seems to be working just fine now. Since I got out of work an hour early, I figured I'd type something up quick.

I've been getting out sniped on eBay pretty regularly over the past few weeks. I've been so close on a number of cards I need for several of the sets I'm putting together, but just haven't been able to close the deal. As frustrating as that's been, there's always another poster, trading card or piece of memorabilia on my Watch List for me to bid on. Here are a few recent eBay wins:

'10 Upper Deck The Cup
Chris Butler Rc

My hockey fever continues with this 2010 Upper Deck The Cup Chris Butler RC. UD's The Cup has been the premier hockey product in the industry for sometime now. I know 2011 will be out soon, and I'm pretty excited about that. Also, Panini has just released a preview on The Knight's Lance for their high-end hockey product called Dominion Hockey. Both will feature on-card auto's and great patches. I'm pretty excited to see these two products go head-to-head.

The Butler card isn't autographed or anything fancy like that. It's just a well designed RC that is limited to only 25. Butler is a young defensemen for my Buffalo Sabres. He started the season as a healthy scratch most nights, but was often paired with Tyler Myers as the Sabres' top defensive duo by season's end.

I'm glad to add this super thick card to my ever growing hockey collection. It really didn't set me back too much either. I think I paid under $10 including the shipping. Well worth it for an up and coming player in the Sabres franchise. Hopefully Butler will be here in Buffalo for a longtime to come.

'97 Topps Finest Anfernee Hardaway
 Gold Refractor

I'm sure many of you know by now that I'm a huge "Penny" Hardaway collector. I was a fan back in his playing days and there are just a ton of great inserts and auto's out there of Hardaway to collect. Plus, who didn't like those Lil' Penny Nike commercials from the 90's? He is just a fun player to collect.

This 1997 Topps Finest Gold Refractor is a Hardaway card I've been going after for sometime. For some reason, I've gravitated to these Finest Gold Refractors. I have about 10 different ones right now. I'm not actually trying to put the set together… I swear. I've seen this Hardaway card sell for $30.00 bucks before and one also sold for $18.09 recently. However, I was somehow able to steal this one for $9.99. I can certainly deal with a half-price auction win!

It's been awhile since I've picked up a nice Hardaway card. Hopefully this Gold Refractor will get me back in the Hardaway swing of things. Especially if I'm able to pick one or two up for a few pennys. Gotta love a cheesy play on words.

'97 Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion Troy Aikman

The '97 Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion set is one of those sets I'm attempting to put together. Actually, I'm putting together all the SPx Pro Motion sets across all four major sports for both '97 and '98. This Troy Aikman is a great addition to the '97 Football set. I unfortunately scanned the card in a top loader, so the scan didn't turn out too great. Although I'm certainly no Dallas Cowboys fan, not bitter at all about Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII, I love the card's design. I'm getting close with both the '97 basketball and football sets, but the baseball and hockey are a struggle. Also, my '98 Pro Motion sets are coming along even worse, but I'll keep working on them. The chase is all apart of the fun. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Tyler Meyers In The Hoopography House: 2011 Upper Deck SPx Shadow Box

'11 Upper Deck SPx Shadow Box Tyler Myers

It's official, I can't enough of Upper Deck's SPx Shadow Box cards. This time I've been swallowed up by the excitement of the NHL Playoffs and just couldn't pass up this 2011 Shadow Box card featuring Buffalo Sabres' defender Tyler Myers. Myers is one of the best young players in the NHL and I'm just glad he's wearing a Sabres' sweater right now.

As for these SPx Shadow Box cards, they're really cool. This is the second year Upper Deck has released versions of these inserts. They are case hits inserted into the football and hockey products. I hope they release versions in the basketball product. Each card is very thick and has a raised 3D image of the featured player in the middle of the card.

I have two Thurman Thomas Shadow Box cards. One is from his playing days with the Buffalo Bills (click here) and the other is from his Oklahoma State University days (click here). Aside from the look of the Myers card, I'm really excited about adding this one to my collection as the Sabres are currently leading the Philadelphia Flyers in a best of seven first round playoff matchup. Hopefully the Sabres can close out the series today.

Happy Easter and, "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Yet Another 90's Insert Set: Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion, Cornerstones and Duo View

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".

Super Card For Super Sunday: 2010 UD SPx Thurman Thomas Shadow Box

2010 Upper Deck SPx Thurman Thomas Shadow Box

This is the second Thurman Thomas gem this week that I've added to my collection (click here). It may bring up some bad Super Bowl memories for this Bills fan, mainly four bad memories, but it also brings up some great memories of "The Thurmanator" running wild and catching passes out of the backfield. The Bills run of four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 90's was impressive, and yet heart breaking at the same time. Good thing free agency came to the NFL in 1993. Otherwise, the Bills would still be looking to get their first Super Bowl win in their 21st straight appearance tonight.

As for these SPx Shadow Box cards, they're really cool. This is the second year Upper Deck has released versions of these inserts. They are case hits inserted into the football and hockey products. I hope they release versions in the basketball product. Each card is very thick and has a raised 3D image of the featured player in the middle of the card.

This is the second Thurman Thomas Shadow Box card I've been able to add to my collection. The first features Thomas in his Buffalo Bills uniform (click here). This was obviously when Upper Deck had their NFL license. Both are really fun cards. I hope to add a few of the hockey shadow box cards to my collection too. Upper Deck really did a nice job with these. Enjoy the big game today and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".

The Jordan Collection Part 3: '97 Upper Deck SPx Force

'97 Upper Deck SPx Force (M. Jordan, J. Stackhouse, M. Richmond and L. Sprewell)

I have quite a few Michael Jordan cards in my collection, but none might be as cool looking as this 1997 Upper Deck SPx Force insert card. The hologram featuring four former NBA stars (Jordan, Richmond, Stackhouse and Sprewell) is impressive and the die cut is extreme. However, the burnt orange background is what really brings this card together.

Upper Deck's early SPx products of the mid 90's were all about innovation and creativity. SPx offered collectors something different that the tradition trading card. That forward thinking design mentality is alive and well today in the SPx line with the very cool hockey and football Shadow Box cards. Although Upper Deck has done a nice job with the SPx line, I don't think the tree would be flourishing like it has without it's early roots.

The '97 SPx Force cards are rare with an insertion rate of 1:360, and there are only five cards in the set. I have three of those cards, so I should just get the other two to complete the set. The book value is $50.00 on this Jordan one (there are two different Jordan cards in the set) and they usually sell pretty close that $50.00. There are also auto'd versions that obviously sell for quite a bit more.

As far as Jordan inserts go, this is one cool looking card that I'm excited to have in my Jordan Collection. Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

2009 & 2010 UD SPx Shadow Box: Innovative or Unimaginative Gimmick?

In an age of sticker auto's and small relic/jersey patches, the need for trading card innovation is welcomed with open arms. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the creative and sometimes outrageous designs of 90's inserts. I also appreciate and collect today's products, but I really get excited about what the 90's card industry had to offer. That's what made last year's football and hockey 2009 Upper Deck SPx Shadow Box cards so interesting.

That's right. I did write, "shadow bow". These cards feature a really cool 3d player image in the middle of the hallowed out trading card. This is not a totally new idea. Actually, it's similar to the '92 Fleer 3d acrylic basketball cards that were only available to collectors through a wrapper exchange. These cards are slightly different in that they are truly multi-layered with a separate image on the surface and inside the card. In addition, these cards are so nicely designed that they would even look cool without the shadow box effect, however, that effect really puts these cards over the top.

I first heard about these Shadow Box cards through fellow bloggers at Waxheaven and The Chronicles of Fuji. As you can imagine, these are pretty thick cards. Also, they're rare at an insertion rate of one per case. There also are autographed version that come with a separate COA card to guarantee authenticity. It's rumored that these auto'd bad boys have a very limited print run near five or less, so good luck with that. I'm happy with the Thurman Thomas I picked up recently for under $7.00 including shipping. That's a steal for this Bills fan.


There certainly has been a fair share of innovative and creatively designed products released over the past few years, but Upper Deck really came through with these Shadow Box cards. The 2010 SPx hockey and football products have been released and this year's Shadow Box cards are hitting eBay right now. With the recent troubles the Upper Deck company is rumored to be going through, it's nice to see they are still managing to putout some quality products that spark at least this collector's interest.

So you know my thoughts. I'm placing a vote for, "Yes, they are innovative and look great". I'm pretty excited to add this Thurman Thomas card to my collection, and I'll definitely be checking out the 2010 Shadow Box cards as they become available on eBay. That's enough from me. What do you think about Upper Deck's Shadow Box cards?