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

I Guess I Have Another Player To Collect: Welcome To Buffalo Super Mario Williams

Super Mario Williams at Press Conference

All of you who read the Hoopography blog know I have an infinite number of collecting interests. I have recently limited what I buy and collect to a number of insert sets like the late 90's SPs ProMotion sets in football, basketball, hockey and baseball and the '96 Jam Session Showstoppers 9 card set, but I am definitely going to have to pick up a card or two of my Buffalo Bills newest free agent signing. The Bills offered the biggest defensive free agent on the market the biggest contract for a defensive player in league history at over $100 million. I love the move as a season ticket holder. Trying to look at the move objectively, which is difficult considering the excitement, I hope the last two season ending injuries are a thing of the past.

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".

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".

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?

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?

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