Poll: My Hockey Fever Continues With A Game Seven Tonight: Sharks Vs. Red Wings

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been collecting more any more hockey cards/memorabilia lately and today has gotten to a fever pitch. I'll be posting a few recent hockey eBay wins over the weekend, but tonight is all about Game 7. I'm a huge fan of a multitude of different sports and sporting events, but there really isn't too much better in sports than an NHL Game 7. The series between the Sharks and Red Wings has certainly been entertaining and tonight should be no different, but who will win?

The Jordan Collection (Part 13): The Ultimate Jordan DVD Set

The Ultimate Jordan DVD Set (2001)

The Jordan Collection truly knows no bounds. Just checkout this 2-disc DVD set that highlights the greatest player of all-time. Also known as the GOAT. This DVD set features five of the best Jordan DVD's ever made. It also includes a highlight section, and who doesn't like watching Jordan highlights over and over?

The five DVD's include Come Fly With Me (1989), Michael Jordan's Playground (1991), Air Time (1993), Above and Beyond (1996), His Airness (1999), plus Michael's Great 8 highlight video. These are all classic sports videos and it's pretty incredible to find them all in one spot.

The video set was originally released back in 2001. There are a few variations that have been release since 2001 that include additional footage and features, but they can get pretty expensive. The 1st addition is actually very reasonable at around $20.00 and is certainly a must for any Michael Jordan aficionado. No matter how many times I watch these video's, they never get old.

Happy Collecting and.. "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Thomas Vanek In The Hoopography House: '09 UD Black Lustrous Materials

'09 Upper Deck Black Thomas Vanek Lustrous Materials Jersey/Auto

I know my Buffalo Sabres are out of the NHL Playoffs, but I've still got the hockey collecting fever. Luckily, this 2009 Upper Deck Black Lustrous Materials jersey/auto card of Thomas Vanek is just the right card for the cure. I'm a big fan of the UD Black line and this Vanek card has it all. It's an acetate card with two multi-colored jersey swatches and a silver auto. It's really hard for me to find any fault with this one, so I'm very excited to add this limited card to my collection.

With the Sabres out of the playoffs, I'm not exactly sure who I want to see win The Cup. Normally, I cheer for whichever U.S. team left in the playoffs with the coldest weather. I just don't think it's right for a non-snow city to get Lord Stanley's Cup. However, I find myself cheering more and more for the Tampa Bay Lighting. Which team are you rooting for to take home The Cup?

Happy Collecting and… "Enjoy Blades of Steal".

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".

Product Preview: 2011 Upper Deck SP Authentic Basketball

Ok, so this might not technically be a Preview. Upper Deck's SP Authentic Basketball came out earlier this week, but I wanted to check out some of the early auctions on the secondary markets before I typed up a brief product review. You can view some of these early auctions here. If you're a basketball fan or a trading card fan in general, you will definitely want to checkout that link. Upper Deck certainly hit it out of the park with SP, or should I say threw down a slam dunk? SP has it all and then some.

Sure, Upper Deck is without their NBA license, but that didn't stop them from putting together one of the better basketball products of the year. There's no arguing the significance of the on-card auto's in SP, but it's everything else UD put into this product that makes it standout from the rest. Whether you like die-cut F/X holo cards, cards of cult followed former stars like "Penny" Hardaway and "Grand" Ma Ma Johnson or the more than reasonable insertion rate of some cool Michael Jordan "Wood Floor" cards, 2011 SP has it all.

At approximately $137 for a 24 pack box, SP isn't the cheapest product out. However, you are guaranteed two auto's and an over sized piece of wood floor that Jordan himself played on. After looking over the auto checklist and seeing those Jordan floor cards, the price is justified. Upper Deck SP Authentic Basketball is certainly in the mix for best basketball product of the year. It will be interesting to see what else both Upper Deck and Panini have in store for the rest of the year. So what are your thoughts on Upper Deck's 2011 SP Authentic? Happy Collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

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

Another Penny For Your Thoughts: '98 Fleer Ultra Stars Anfernee Hardaway

'98 Fleer Ultra Stars Anfernee Hardaway

Just a quick post today because I'm a bit tired from my last long training running this morning of 23 miles. Plus, the Yankees and NBA Playoffs are on right now. So without further adieu, here's the latest addition to my Anfernee Hardaway collection. This 1998 Fleer Ultra Stars insert is the 7th of this 20 card set. This is a great set with all the hoops stars from back in the day like Ray Allen, Shaquille O'neal, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and more. I love the refractor effect. Unfortunately, the scan just doesn't do this card justice. I'm not sure why some of my cards look great and others look just so so from my scanner. It's supposed to be a pretty decent scanner, so maybe it's more of operator error than a poor scanner. Anyways, you can see a better view of the card here. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Trade: Lebron For Enroth/Mullin Patches

I recently got a few cards in from a completed trade I worked out with Greg over at Plaschke, Thy Sweater Is Argyle. First off, let's get one thing straight. Greg might have the coolest blog name ever. Second, it's not just the name of Greg's blog that's cool. He regularly posts interesting commentary on the sports card world, his collection and the L.A. Dodgers. So if you haven't already, click here to checkout his blog.

Greg and I have been trying to put a trade together for sometime. Unfortunately, I think it was more of me and my collecting habits that held the trade up. Although I do have a ton of different collections going right now, I'm picky when it comes to trades. We got it done thought, and I hope Greg enjoys the LeBron patch I sent. I know I'm certainly excited to add the 2010 Upper Deck Ultimate Debut Threads Jhonas Enroth Jersey card and 2011 Panini Limited Legend Chris Mullin Jersey card. You can see the cards below. Thanks for the trade Greg!!!

Here's a link to my trade page. Let me know if you have anything I'm looking for or you see anything you like. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

2011 Panini Limited Legend Chris Mullin Jersey

2010 Upper Deck Ultimate Debut Threads Jhonas Enroth Jersey

What's Your Favorite Teams Best Overall NFL Draft Choice?

As I'm sure it is for many of you, the NFL Draft is akin to a national holiday for me. I look forward and analyze every major sport's draft, but the NFL's draft has a certain added excitement about it. I've been watching the it year after year for as long as I can remember and this year will be no different. Although I have to work until 9:00 PM EST tonight, I shouldn't miss too much. Besides, there are three days to soak in every pick from the #1 Overall selection to "Mr. Irrelevant", and I plan on going through every single pick.

Aside from all the Mel Kiper Jr. mock drafts (I'm a big fan of Mel by the way) and beer advertisements (I also like beer by the way) that highlight this event, the NFL Draft is a time to really look at the state of your favorite NFL franchise. I certainly look ahead to all of the possibilities, but I also look back at some of the picks made in previous years. My Buffalo Bills have made their fair share of uninformed picks, but they have also made some very good decisions as well. This got me thinking about which draft decision was the best in the Bills draft history. So without further adieu, here's the Buffalo Bills best overall NFL Draft choice/selection/decision:

I know former Bills Defensive End Bruce Smith was the #1 Overall Draft pick in the 1985 draft and that makes my pick for the franchises' best draft selection a bit of a cop out, but their were some analyst who had Defensive Tackle Ray Childress as the #1 prospect. So it wasn't a complete no brainer. However, I do think it worked out well for the Bills and Smith as he helped lead the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances while eclipsing the all-time NFL sack record with 200 career sacks.

The 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year also made 11 Pro Bowls and was a 9-time NFL First Team selection. He was also recently enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Certainly, if there is a Bruce Smith type player available in this year's draft, we in Bills country want him.

As for the '97 Metal Universe Precious Gems card, it's pretty awesome. All of these Metal Universe and Precious Gems cards look amazing, but this Smith one looks especially cool. Sure, I'm just a little bit biased, but I really like how the vibrant red background looks against the blue and white of Smith's jersey. Like the Bills' 1985 1st Round Draft Choice, this card lives up to it's potential.

I certainly could have gone a few different ways with this choice of which Bills' draft decision was their best, but the impact Smith made on the Bills franchise was immense. I'll post a few cards from some of the other Bills' draft choices over the next couple days, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, let everyone know what you think was the best draft choice/decision/selection of your favorite NFL franchise?

The Jordan Collection (Part 11): '92 SkyBox Salutes

'92 SkyBox Salutes Michael Jordan

All these years and tons of autographed or jersey cards later, and I'm blogging about a 1992 SkyBox Michael Jordan card. Some collectors might write this card off because it hold little monetary value, but this is one of the coolest looking cards I own. Actually, any early SkyBox card looks great. These were so simple and yet such fun. I hope you enjoyed this abbreviated Jordan Collection post and of course… "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".

Box Review: 2011 Panini Classics Basketball

LeBron James Blast From The Past Insert

2011 Panini Classics Base Card Back & Front 

2011 Panini Classics Inserts & Jersey Card

2011 Panini Classics RC Auto's & Dress Code Jersey

One of my favorite basketball releases from last year was Panini's 2010 Classics Basketball. That's why I was so excited to receive a box of 2011 Classics Basketball. I busted it open last night and had some time to get my thoughts together for this review. It certainly was a fun 18 pack box to open, and the four hits didn't hurt either. As usual, I'll go through what I liked and didn't like from the box in this review. Stay tuned to Hoopography for a future contest/giveaway.

Review:
First off, I pulled a Landry Fields RC on-card auto. That might not mean much to some collectors, but I was pumped to see this card come out of one of the first packs I eagerly ripped open. It's certainly a very nice addition to my Knicks collection. So with my excitement for the Fields auto exclaimed, let's get on with the rest of the review.

If you like great vibrant color, Classics has you covered. Panini is often criticized by collectors for not using team colors in certain products. It's a criticism that I share, however, Classics smashes that complaint. There isn't one card that doesn't effectively utilize color in the design. That color is accompanied by some nice foiling that is unfortunately difficult to see in the scans. I think it's apparent that I really like the overall design of the product.

The inserts are nice. Again, color is used nicely in the inserts just as with the base cards. I'm always a fan of cards featuring legends and you can't really go wrong with legends like Scottie Pippen, Oscar Robinson, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There's also a nice variety of different inserts from the Classic Moments to the Classic Combos. The inserts are very fun.

Finally, the hits were nice, but not overwhelmingly exciting. Sure, I love the Fields RC auto and the D. Wade jersey card is cool, but the single color jersey patches aren't going to heat up the Bay anytime soon. I understand that this particular box didn't yield a multi-color patch and I've seen some nice ones on the Bay, but it would have been nice to pull a card with a bigger or multi-colored patch. I will also point out that the two auto's I pulled were very nice on-card auto's. This is a big plus for Panini Classics and was certainly a highlight to last year's product as well.

My final thoughts on Panini's 2011 Classics Basketball are positive. I love the overall design and the on-card auto's make Classics a nice buy. I had more fun busting open this box than I've had in a long time and I certainly recommend other collectors to checkout 2011 Classics Basketball. I'm going to keep the Landry Fields RC auto and I'll be giving some of the cards away as team packages to a few bloggers I know collect specific teams, but stay tuned to Hoopography for a contest/giveaway. Let me know what your thoughts are on Panini's 2011 Classics Basketball and of course… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

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".

The Oak Man Goes Crazy!!!: '97 Charles Oakley Autographics

'97 Charles Oakley SkyBox Autographics

I've seen some crazy eBay sales in my time, but this '97 Charles Oakley SkyBox Autographics sale from earlier this week is institutionally insane (click here). I'm a New York Knickerbockers fan and liked The Oak Man, but $90.99 is a bit ridiculous for this card. Don't get me wrong. I would love to add this card to my collection. Oakley has a great signature and the SkyBox Autographics cards are great. I've even bid on a number of these as they've come up on the Bay, but not for close to $100. Actually, I've been outbid at around $30.00 - $35.00.

So I guess there are two questions to ask regarding this recent eBay sale. Why did this particular '97 Charles Oakley SkyBox Autographics card go for nearly 3x's the normal selling price and would you purchase this card for that price? Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Thrill of the Auction".

Poll: What Will You Do With You Tax Refund?

The Jordan Collections (Part 10): '96 Jam Session Show Stoppers

'96 Jam Session Michael Jordan Show Stoppers

We all have our "White Whales", and I'm no exception. Sometimes I feel like there are 1,000 sports memorabilia items I'm chasing at the same time, but every now and then I add a piece to my collection that really gets my blood flowing. This week one of those items came in from a conquest on the Bay. This '96 Jam Session Show Stoppers Michael Jordan card is really a centerpiece in my collection. I'm currently trying to put this set together and of course, the Jordan is the toughest card in the set to acquire.

90's insert sets came in all shapes and sizes. Whether it was die cuts or holograms, card designers let their imaginations go wild. One prominent design feature was foiling. I was a big fan of foiled card surfaces back in the day and continue to be a fan to this day. Most cards that have foiling incorporated in the designs today are mainly used as an accent on boarders or around jersey pieces. That's fine by me as the foiling always looks great and really dresses a card up even if it's just used as an accent. However, some companies went all out with foiling during the 90's by creating entire card surfaces made up of the stuff.

The '94 Fleer Ultra Power in the Key set (click here) is a prime example of the use of foiling during the 90's. If that's not enough foiling for you though, checkout this '96 Jam Session Show Stoppers Michael Jordan insert. Not only is the entire surface foil, but it's a taller 2.5 x 4.75 inch as apposed to the traditional 2.5 x 3.5 inch card size. That means a whole lot more foiling. Which I like.

The scan really doesn't do this card justice. These Jam Session cards look a little better in hand. The entire set consists of nine cards and were inserted into hobby boxes at a ratio of 1:48. I only have the David Robinson and Jordan from the set, but I'd love to put this set together. Some of my favorite 90's players are featured in the set including Michael Jordan, Anfernee Hardaway, John Stockton and Grant Hill. Not too shabby of a player checklist.

It's always nice to get the Jordan out of the way when building a set. It's usually the toughest and most expensive card in a set. These Show Stoppers cards don't appear on the Bay that often, but they're also not the most known about cards either. hopefully I can grab a few more of these soon. So if anyone has any cards from this set, let me know. Here's a link to my trade album and want lists. I'm certainly open to trades for this… Yet Another 90's Insert Set.

Happy Collecting 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".