Baseball packs from the Alley family

In the early days of this blog, back in 2008, I was contacted by a reader whose boys were mad football (soccer) fans. They supported Everton and had difficulty purchasing football related items and since I was in the United Kingdom would I mind sending some soccer 'stuff' their way. In exchange they would send me some baseball 'stuff'.
This seemed like a nice arrangement, so I duly obliged and send football magazines, stickers, packs and a badge or two.
Little did I expect to receive a large assortment of baseball packs in return.
Packages go back and forth between us about two or three times a year, when new football cards or stickers are released a package works it way to North Carolina and then a baseball package will find its way to Westgate-on-Sea. I look forward to these surprise packages immensely, always jam packed full of baseball pack loveliness.
This Saturday another Alley pack arrived on my doorstep.
The contents:
5 packs 2013 Topps Heritage
3 Jumbo packs of 2013 Opening Day
6 packs of 2013 Opening Day
2 rack packs of 2013 Topps Series 1
2 packs of Topps Series 1
1 block(60 cards)  of 2013 Topps Series 1
1 pack of 2012 Triple Play
1 pack of 2012 Opening day
1 pack of 2011 Opening day
1 rack pack 2011 Bowman
2 packs 2011 Topps Chrome
1 pack of 2008 UD First Edition
1 pack of 2008 Topps
1 pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra
2 packs of 1989 Donruss

So there is some junk wax, who cares, these are packs of baseball cards.

You just have to love the internet and how it connects people from all over the world.

2012 Goodwin Champions Blaster

 

When the Upper Deck version of Goodwin Champions first appeared in 2009 with the inclusion of  butterflies and insects, bits of coal from the Titanic and thoroughbred horse hair. It looked like a pretty exciting product. The base cards looked nice too, so I decided to collect the whole set. Who knows I might even snag a horse DNA card and create my own horse...in the future.

I looked forward to 2010, but had to wait until 2011 for the next helping. Some unique cards again became accessible. Fancy a piece of Abe Lincoln's desk, a piece of White House wood (no pun intended), Nelson's Battle Flag or even some of Edward the 8th's snot? 

Well 2011 Goodwin Champions made it possible, but you would have to be extremely lucky with stated odds of 1 in 54,000 packs for a piece of desk, but only 1 in 4,000 for a piece of Eddy's hanky. 

By the time 2012 Goodwin Champions, I had moved on and had pretty much lost interest in these rare relics. Even the tempting possibility of landing a space rock or collecting the card of a stellar sportsman like Kasey Keller didn't override my desire to pursue other cards.

However that doesn't mean I will turn away a free gift. 

The 2012 Goodwin Champions blaster contains 12 packs, each pack contains 4 cards.
There are 210 cards in the base set; 150 'regular cards', 40 short prints and 20 super short prints. In other words there are 150 base card and 60 cards you might get.

Pack 1:

#62 David Robinson basketball

#84 Don Mattingly baseball

#127 Dennis Eckersley baseball

#190 Sherry McGee baseball SP

Pack 2:

#44 Chris Paul basketball

#90 Clyde Drexler basketball

#113 Steve Carlton baseball mini

#130 Marques Colston football

Pack 3:

#93 Arnold Palmer golf

#105 Mike Bossy hockey

#120 Kawhi Leonard basketball

#153 Ross Youngs baseball SP

Pack 4:

#27 Mike Schmidt baseball lady luck mini

#91 Jonathan Huberdeau hockey

#102 Mike Tyson boxing

#147 Y.E.Yang golf

Pack 5:

#52 Robert Griffin III football

#64 Ned Crotty lacrosse

#115 Sarah Bernhardt actress

#207 Walter Travis golf SSP

Pack 6:

#66 Annika golf

#108 Nolan Ryan baseball

#136 Doug Flutie football

#MM17 USS Balaq

Pack 7:

#36 Eric Lindros hockey

#56 Bo Jackson football

#103 Bryan Clay track and field mini

#124 Brendan Shanahan hockey

 

Pack 8:

#70 Kent Desormeaux jockey

#80 Randy Couture MMA

#87 Jim Kelly football

#144 Adrian Peterson football

 

Pack 9:

#32 Wayne Gretzky hockey mini

#46 Zach Johnson golf

#88 Larry Bird basketball

#139 Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball

 

Pack 10:

#17 Grant Hill basketball

#28 Ron Francis hockey

#118 LeBron James basketball

#186 Camille Pissarro artist SP

 

Pack 11:

#11 Dawn Harper athletics

#21 Jozy Altidore soccer

#34 Troy Aikman football

#163 Pretty Boy Floyd gangster

 

Pack 12:

#38 Billy Hamilton baseball

#94 Adrian Dantley basketball mini

#103 Bryan Clay athletics

#142 Chantal Sutherland jockey 

Being predominately a baseball card collector, I think this sort of multi-sport set is wasted on me. Which is probably why I have only chosen to collect Allen+Ginter/Goodwin sets only once.
Although the black borders are very smart and it is pretty cool that the set contains cards of a gangster and an impressionist, it just isn't for me.

Blaster Break-down
7 basketball
7 baseball
7 football
5 hockey
5 golf
5 minis
2 jockey
2 track and field
1 MMA, soccer, boxing, lacrosse
1 actress, gangster, artist
1 insert
3 Short Prints
1 Super Short Print

2012 Topps Archives Blaster

If you have followed this blog at all in the past 4 years, you will know that one of my favourite baseball cards sets is the 1980 Topps. It's not the prettiest, there are no game used, autographs, short printed, shiny X fractors to find. Just a simple straight 726 cards to collect.

There are some challenges hidden amongst the checklist, everyone knows about the Rickey Henderson RC, but Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, George Brett and Ozzie Smith are valued pretty high. Just don't tell COMC as there are about 70 Nolan Ryan's for sale, a $15.00 card can be bought for about $1.50, the O-Pee-Chee variation for about $5.00.

Topps used the 1980 design as part of the 2012 Archives and as I one of the card carrying members 1980 Topps Appreciation Society, I felt strongly compelled to collect all 50 cards in the 1980 design.

Follow my slow trawl.

In an effort to boost my fledgling collection, I purchased a blaster. I would buy a box but the postage costs are too high, etc, etc...I've said it all before.

The blaster contains 8 packs and each pack has 8 picture cards.

 

Pack 1:
#28 Melky Cabrera Giants
#44 Cal Ripkin Jr Orioles
#84 Nyjer Morgamn Brewers
#136 David Ortiz Red Sox
#139 Ivan Nova Yankees
#187 Nolan Ryan Astros
#190 Josh Hamilton Rangers
#683D-JV Joey Votto

Pack 2:
#34 Jaime Garcia Cardinals
#37 Jose Valverde Tigers
#80 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
#87 Clay Buchholz Red Sox
#125 David Freese Cardinals
#154 Starlin Castro Cubs
#175 Justin Morneau Twins
#176 Wilie McCovey Giants gold stamp

Pack 3:
#17 Mat Latos Reds
#47 Drew Pomeranz Rockies
#69 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
#98 Johan Santana Mets
#120 Tim Lincecum Giants
#148 R.A.Dickey Mets
#195 Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
#77C-EH Eric Hosmer

Pack 4:
#8 Matt Moore
#12 Pablo Sandoval Giants
#61 Brain McCann Braves
#65 Jordan Zimmermann Nationals
#105 Torii Hunter Angels
#171 Lucas Duda Mets
#151 Stephen Strasburg Nationals
#530 Dave Winfield Padres gold stamp

Pack 5:
#41 Corey Hart Brewers
#42 Aroldis Chapman Reds
#53 Adam Wainwright Cardinals
#67 Justin Verlander Tigers
#118 Desmond Jennings Bay Rays
#141 J.P.Arencibia Blue Jays
#169 Michael Morse Nationals
#67S-TL Tim Lincecum sticker

Pack 6:
#2 Nick Swisher Yankees
#40 Nelson Cruz Rangers
#58 Tommy Hanson Braves
#111 John Axford Brewers
#117 George Brett Royals
#162 Jayson Werth Nationals
#168 Carlos Santana Indians
#69DE-15 Joe Morgan deckle edge

Pack 7:
#78 Micuel Montero D-backs
#94 Anibal Sanchez Marlins
#130 Giancarlo Stanton Marlins
#145 Howie Kendrick Angels
#173 Daniel Hudson D-backs gold parallel
#192 Brad Peacock Athletics
#199 Mark Reynolds Orioles
#218 Dave Righetti Yankees SP

Pack 8:
#18 Tom Seaver Mets
#52 Geovany Soto Cubs
#57 Josh Beckett Red Sox
#102 Dee Gordon Dodgers
#109 Cliff Lee Phillies
#152 Johnny Cueto Reds
#159 David Price Bay Rays
#227 John Olerud Blue Jays SP

Blaster breakdown:
13 1954 Topps
14 1971 Topps
14 1980 Topps (9 needed)
14 1984 Topps
1 gold parallel
2 short prints
2 gold stamped reprints
1 1977 cloth insert
1 1967 sticker
1 1969 deckle edge
1 1968 3D

This is such a nice set.

Doctor Who Monster Invasion limited edition.

We have to wait until Christmas to get the next 'fix' of the latest Doctor Who adventures. The last episode saw the departure of the Ponds, some might say finally.
There were some great episodes in Season 7, Daleks, dinosaurs, wild west gunslingers, and mysterious black cubes. The final episode was set in Manhattan starring the creepiest of recent protagonists, Weeping Angels. And yes the Statue of Liberty does feature as the ultimate Weeping Angel.
To keep the 'fanboys' happy, the lovely River Song 'Woozah' aka Melody Pond, also appears in the latest episode.

The cards shown are from a limited edition pack, only available with the Doctor Who Monster Invasion children's magazine.
Roll on Christmas.

2012-2013 Match Attax Football

 For those of you who are interested 2012-2013 Match Attax Football go on sale on Thursday 27th September. These cards are from a preview pack available with Match of the Day magazine.

There are over 500 cards to collect including new Stadium cards, Super Skills, Star Signings, plus Legends, 100 club and Man of the Match cards.
There will also be some Limited Edition cards available in magazines and various accessories but are yet to be revealed.

2012 Panini Triple Play

When this set first appeared on Panini's web-site, I have reluctantly got to say it was love at first sight. Sad but I had to get my hands not just a few packs but a box of the stuff.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been in contact with PaniniUK and Panini Europe about obtaining Triple Play. Their professional suggestion was to get in contact with 'someone' in the US, who might deliver to the UK.
Grudgingly I purchased a box of 24 packs of Panini Triple Play from Dave and Allen's Card World.
Price of Box $24.00
Price of Delivery $24.00. Like hell it costs $24.00 but I'm not going to quibble just yet.
Import and Customs £6.91 ($11.00).

You see Dave and Allen say the value of the item includes the postage cost, so Customs and bloody Excise don't just charge you for the item, they add the postage costs as well. I can feel myself getting a little hot under the collar but it's not entirely Custom and Excise fault,its my own fault, although some of the blame has to rest with dacards because instead of using the USPostal system and Royal Mail, they plump for UPS.
UPS a private company then charges me £11.00 to deliver my goods that have already been paid for once.
UPS Brokerage Surcharge £11.00  ($17.60)

Bringing the grand total of a $24.00 box of cards to $76.60 about $3.00 a pack.

Let me just say I am going to eke these cards for a little while. Please be patient.

2012 London Olympics Panini Stickers

 The second Olympic collection is stickers from Panini. Not exclusively UK athletes, but I still cannot bring myself to collect the whole set.
From the official Panini site.

"Panini are proud to announce the launch of their official Sticker Collection for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games! Packed full of fun facts, stats and imagery, it’s the perfect souvenir guide to the UK’s biggest sporting event this century. Get stuck into this awesome collection and discover info on all the highest profile Team GB and International athletes. The Official London 2012 Sticker Collection will serve as your ultimate guide to the tournament with all of the key dates for each event, venue information, Did You Know flashes and Fun Fact flashes.

There are 444 stickers to collect with 24 kiss-cut stickers and 24 rainbow foil stickers to look out for. So what are you waiting for? Start collecting now"

Not for me thanks. A quick glimpse of some of the stickers available.

At this present time, the most famous athlete on the planet. Completely mobbed at the opening ceremony by other athletes.

Also featured are some of the Paralympic events. Have you ever tried this? We did blind football, with a preference for the sport being called five-a-side football at school with the children. We also played blind cricket. The ball contains a number of small bells or ball bearings and its is bloody difficult to kick or hit. The children loved playing the game though and it really made them trust each other. I was always tempted to have a quick peek.

This set contains a number of international sports stars. I have been watching the Tour de France recently and both the men's and women's road races. Amazing how interesting it can be.

These are the two very strange and slightly scary mascots from the 2012 Olympics called Wenlock and Mandeville.  

2012 London Olympics

A few cards in honour of the 2012 Olympics, which has just started. We are watching the Olympians arriving in the stadium. There is great speculation about who will light the Olympic flame. The favourite is Sir Steve Redgrave, but other possible contenders are David Beckham, Muhammad Ali, Roger Bannister , even HRH The Queen has had a mention.
There are two sets celebrating the 2012 Olympics available here. This first set is of cards from the Adrenlyn XL series.
There are 350 cards to collect. 250 in the base set. All the cards featured are of UK athletes, I didn't know there was that many.

 Sir Chris, the cyclist, is actually Scottish but represents the Great Britain team. He won three gold medals at the Beijing games. The first Briton to do so for 100 years. He has been chosen as the flag bearer for the 2012 Olympics.

 One of the 'shiny' cards available.The Bronze medal. Apparently only located in 1in 50 packs.

All the sports are covered in this set, even the more obscure ones. I don't think I will be staying up to watch the dressage.Out of the four packets I bought I recognised about 10 names.
Panini also produced a set of stickers, which I will show later.
Enjoy the games.

Finally 2012 Topps baseball Stickers

 Finally some 2012 product that I can get into. Thanks to my friend Waxaholic, the 2012 album and 8 packets of stickers are all mine.
Who says you need to complete the 2011 album before starting the 2012. It's alright to have numerous collecting pursuits going at the same time, surely?
Follow my attempts to complete the 2011 sticker album and the 2012 sticker album.(Help in any way you can!)
So onto the 8 packs Waxaholic sent my way.

Pack 1:

I don't object to mascots being inlcuded in the set but two in one pack?

Pack 2: 

 Pack 3:

Pack 4: 

Pack 5: 

Pack 6: 

Pack 7: 

Pack 8:

I'm saving that for 'Pursuit of Red Sox'

From the 7 packs:

 4 logos, 2 Highlights and 5 mascots.

2012 Topps Premier League stickers- apologies to Waxaholic

I only seems like yesterday that I was apologising for starting him towards the 2011 Premier league Album.
A Premier league album and stickers will be winging their way to him in Canada again in 2012.This year I intend to collect the whole album as well, so we will be collecting alongside each other.
There are no fancy 3D cards this year, just 462 stickers with the odd shiny club emblem and Star Player shiny plus Special 20th anniversary 'History of ' superstar stickers.

 There are 5 stickers per packet at a reasonably priced 50p per packet.

 There are 23 stickers per team, which includes 18 players, a club emblem shiny, two home and away kit stickers, a first team squad sticker and a star player shiny.

Let the adventure begin. Follow my progress at Pursuit of Red Sox.