Dual Prime Signatures and Two Rookies

Posted by cardboard hogs on April 4, 2013

The two cards below were picked up from an ebay purchase last week and i didn’t really look at them until i scanned them. Upon this additional inspection i noticed the word Rookie was different on each card and one was a sticker auto. I’m assuming the shorter print Hankerson card was issued prior to the design being refined and finalized so it could be signed in person. While the Niles Paul, not Paul Niles card was done later since it was a sticker card. Either way a little odd that the same card would have different designs…is it a lack of quality control from Panini, or was i duped?!?!!?

Both of these guys were drafted in the 2012 draft as receivers and have really caught on like the team would have liked. I’m expecting big things from both Hankerson and Paul though, especially since Niles has taken on the Rambo personality on his Twitter account. I’m sure this will no doubt carry on to the field as he grows in to his new Tight End position. With Niles, Fred Davis and Logan Paulson the TE position is looking really nice for next season…although, i will miss Captain Chaos Chris Cooley.

One Dollar and Five Cents Pt. II

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 31, 2013

In continuation with last weeks post from the Cedar Hills Show, here are a few other cards pulled from the nickel and dollar boxes. My back is finally at it’s full strength from being hunched over the boxes, so all is good…just need to work on the neck strain thing and i will be 100%, taking it day to day.

The Redskins in the late 90’s were pretty much a directionless team led by Norv Turner and a carousel of stop gap quarterbacks. The one constant for a couple years was Stephen Davis. A pretty powerful back in his day and a guy that i loved watching run. I’ve been collecting his cards for a while now and love it when i come across a few cards i’ve never seen before. This is around the time when i wasn’t collecting and they came from the nickel box.

When the Redskins drafted Malcolm Kelly, i was really excited about his potential and thought he would be a phenomenal compliment to Moss. Unfortunately for the kid, he had Greg Oden’s knees and never really got on the field. Jimmy Zorn the Zornado loved him though and they kept him around longer than they should have. I don’t think he is playing anymore, which really sucks for him. These types of stories are a dime a dozen for young athletes. I just hope he has his money right and is a productive member of his community. Love the Diamond background on Santana, he owns the game.

Three years ago, this guy was traded to the Redskins and they got worked by their divisional rival Eagles on the deal. The Shanahans thought they were just a QB away and that McNabb was that QB. I guess the best part about McNabb being terrible as a Redskin was that it lead to Rex Grossman being the QB which led to John Beck being on the roster which led to the Redskins having two guys that shouldn’t be starting in the NFL which led to a terrible season, which finally led to RG3 coming to DC. Life as a Redskin fan looks brighter, assuming of course, RG3 doesn’t also have Greg Oden’s knees.

Jason Campbell, i feel terrible for this guy and think he could have had a solid career if he didn’t play for such a terrible organization. He’s with the Browns right now, which is basically the equivelant of bottoming out in the NFL (sorry Browns fans). I still love Campbell and hope he becomes the starter and does great things in Cleveland this year.

Art Monk, one of my all time favorite Redskins and Michael Westbrook, one of my least favorite. I’m going to refrain from talking too much shit about Westbrook as he can easily kick my ass. I do love the short shorts though, nothing weird about that at all. How about that strategically placed photo with football in the upper right…whattajob Topps, you are indeed the finest.

Last up Darrell Green. The man and the Legend along with Rice. Another legend…no Randy Moss though?

Box Break: 2012 Topps Magic Football

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 27, 2013

A busted box of Topps Magic Football has been sitting on my stack of cards for some time now just waiting to get judged, and now is the time.

Magic was something that i got into (cards, not tricks) a couple of years ago on a whim at Target during a deodorant shopping event. I saw a blaster box just sitting there and thought it would be a cool purchase and was hooked from that point on. I loved the retro look and the college unis on simple borders. Loved it so much so that i ended up buy a few more boxes from Target but never completing the set or buying any hobby packs. The following year, 2010 i wanted to pick up a hobby box to see if i still had a crush on these pieces of cardboard and sure enough, the love was there. I loved the photography and simple borders as well as the card stock. Although i do love shiny cards, i am a sucker for matte finish stuff that is done well. Again, i bought a bunch of cards, but couldn’t be bothered with completing the set…just wanted the few Redskins and any hits i could pull. Now, in 2011, it got a little tricky…and extremely annoying. Magic had become a set that i was tuned in to on when it would be dropping and where i could pick up some good packs. BUT, as Topps likes to do sometimes, they changed the rules, moved the goal posts and upset this collector. The only way to get a box of Magic was to purchase them from their online store and pay their exorbitant shipping fees, which was about the same price as the box itself if i remember correctly. SCREW THAT, no thanks. I was able to pick up a few singles from COMC and ebay but no packs, since they weren’t really issuing those this year. I never really found out why Topps decided this was a good idea, but would love to hear the reasoning if someone can help?

After the previous years experience, i had pretty much forgotten about the Magic cards and moved on with my life as we do with Topps at times. Until, i saw they were going to be releasing a new set and boxes that you can purchase at a store…holy crap! You mean i can buy cards from a store and not online only? Normally i wouldn’t be so snotty about this, as i am totally cool with purchasing online, i just don’t want my only options to be online purchases. Takes away from the fun of busting packs on a Wednesday afternoon after work.

So here is my take on the 2012 version of Topps Magic.

Card Design: 4 of 5

In keeping with the simple style, Topps has again followed through with the same KISS theme. Minimal information is on the front, but you get the basics; name, position, conference, team helmet, and a whole bunch of stars that make no sense to me. The banners blends in nicely with the border and unfolds to reveal the critical information like a scroll with an oversized shield.

The backs are nice and include some fun little facts with the Magical Memoranda. You don’t get your typical stats, but they tend to highlight some important information and single game stats for your FYI. As usual, nice card stock and the lovely matte finish. The matte finish is nice in a world of glossy cards. They have become the rarity in the hobby for the most part, save for the vintage inspired sets.

Photography: 5 of 5

The thing that i am most drawn to this set about is the photography. They have HDR’d the crap out of the photos and really over processed them, but i think it works well for these and tends to give the players a greater level of detail and grit. My wife is a photographer and she tends to stay away from over processing as it always looks…you guessed it, over processed. When you are doing family portraits or architectural photography it can become a distraction, but for professional athletes it works well.

Look at the intensity in those eyes!

Hits: 4 of 5

The hits with this brand are minimal, which is fine with me. I believe collectors get too hot and heavy about the hits. If that is your thing, this set isn’t for you. If you are OK with getting a nice auto or two than you may be happy with Magic. I ended up pulling 2 autographs and a redemption card. So, it’s not just Panini that is slapping me with redemption cards, Topps does it too. I’ve stated my thoughts on the redemption card here before and thought about it a little more. Still don’t like it, but maybe it’s not that bad…assuming you actually get the card. There have been times when i forgot about my redemption cards and come home to a manilla envelope. It’s like a little slice of cardboard heaven when you get one you weren’t really expecting.

There are a couple of subsets in the cards as well. Nothing to exciting. As a matter of fact, i must say that the Charismatic Combos is not only a weak insert, but a terrible name. Charismatic Combos, christ that’s terrible.

The ultra mini cards are cool, but a little too mini for my man hands. If i don’t get these in some penny sleeves quick they will have rounded corners.

There are also the Supernatural Stars, which are not that existential or starry either galactically or professionally.

Magic also has the Magical Moments inserts which makes sense, because it’s Magic. Drew Brees is on a 3 Mile Island. Cute.

I do like the Enchantment cards, especially the one that i pulled…big smiley face for the RG3.

There were also these other good looking young running backs that have some nice upside to their careers.

One of the autos i pulled was a Kaepernick. The HDR affect does his tats some serious justice although his auto is crazy sloppy. An odd thing about this card is the photoshop flub with his hands. It looks like the photo editor cloned his left hand over the football…kind of a crappy job for a big time player. Let’s try harder next time Mr. Topps Photoshop editor.

Review

Overall, i do like these cards a lot. They are simple and clean and the photos are nice. It’s a basic card and the price point isn’t too excessive for what you get. I haven’t decided if i am going to build the set, i did manage to get quite a bit of unique cards and minimal doubles, so i will see how i feel about it. I do hope that Topps issues these cards again next year and does not do the online only thing.

Here are a couple of the Redskins cards i pulled from the box. Funny that they decided to include Jabar Gaffney since he wasn’t on the team this year and he is wearing RG3’s number. Technically, there are two Redskin cards with a player wearing number 10.

Topps Magic, I like you.

One Dollar and Five Cents Pt. I

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 24, 2013

So, with each of the card shows i go to here in Portland, OR, I tend to notice the same dealers at each event. They tend to have the same stuff. There is the vintage guy, the mcfarlane figurine guy, the supplies guy and the guy selling 80’s junk wax. There are also guys that bring loads of stuff in $1 and nickel boxes. These guys are the ones with all the hidden gems, but require so much of your time. Typically i quickly look through a row, maybe two of these boxes but just don’t have the time or motivation to peruse through thousands of cards i have no interest in. This past Saturday though i made a point to stop and look. I had a list of items i was looking for and since the show was closer to my home i could use the extra 30-45 minutes that would have been dedicated to travel and devote them to looking through a million cards.

The great thing about these boxes for me is that i see cards from the period where i didn’t collect and think, ‘when the hell did this come out?’ Plus you always manage to find a few gems in these boxes. The guy at the Portland show that has the best boxes to pick through comes up from Salem which is about an hour away and somehow has tons of new stuff each show. I have no idea how he gets these cards or where he puts them when he gets home, but there are at least 20 boxes that are laid out on his table.

If you have the dedication to go through them you can always find stuff you are looking for and will never walk away disappointed.

My goal with this search was to find some Redskins that are missing from my binders and anything else i thought i could use. Here is a peek at some of the good stuff.

These two guys were well before my time, but research tells me that they were great Redskins and immortal football players that are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Charley Taylor and Slingin Sammy Baugh (who apparently is from the same area in Texas where RG3 grew up) Full circle.

Ken Houston was a dominant player in his day and played a major role in a few big games with the Dallas Cowboys back in the day. I remember when that rivalry was an actual rivalry. It’s hard to call it that when one team is the doormat of the division, but that is changing now with ‘ol Bobby Three Sticks. Remember the double bar face masks and airbrushed logos on the helmets? We’ve come a long way since 1979.

The thing that’s great about these two cards is that they are pretty similar. These photos are from the era when it was good to be a Redskin fan and when people hated to go against them in RFK. The Hogs, The Diesel, The Fun Bunch…and Joe Theismann with the single bar and both legs fully operational.
The next couple of cards has a special place in my little black heart. 1985 was the very first year I purchased a pack of cards and they were the 1985 Topps Football cards. The landscape cards with black borders. Black border cards are the absolute worst possible design for 9 and 10 year old boys. At one point I had this complete set, but for some reason decided it needed to be beaten to shit and all the corners should be rounded rather than square. Needless to say, i’ve been recollecting them once again, but with the care of a 37 year old man with an addiction to cardboard. I have always loved this set and it it right up there with the 1986 Topps baseball set as one of my all time favorites. It could be due to the fact that these were the first two sets i completed and what got me in to it, or it could be that they are timeless designs…you can never go wrong with black, any architect knows that.

Mall 205 Card Show

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 11, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a card show and since my last post, so I will tackle both in one post this evening!

Each month, we have a show at Mall 205 here in the Portland area. Not sure why they do these things in a strip mall, but that’s how they do it up here I guess. Maybe they pick up residual traffic from mall shoppers? I don’t know. It provides a great opportunity for me to get new deodorant at Target, some new kicks at the Famous Footwear (remember that name…) and chase it all down with a slice of pizza from the place no longer called pizza schmizza although it still looks like a pizza schmizza.

As of late, I’ve been on a purging phase and have managed to get rid of a bunch of CD’s at the local Everyday Music and have some cash for the card shows. So, I had a slightly bigger budget than normal for this trip…the excitement builds. In general, I don’t go to these shows with goals or objectives because I tend to look for the same stuff and hit up the same tables. This time though I really wanted to pick up some new Robinson Cano and Rickey Henderson cards along with any shiny new Redskins cards I didn’t already have. I was only successful with the latter goal.

Having gone to these shows for the past couple of years now, I’ve developed a rapport with a few of the guys and gravitate to their tables first. My first stop is always Tom. Somehow he manages to have some new Redskin stuff for me each time at fantastic prices. He’s always personable and friendly as well as having a tremendous amount of great cards. In my visit with him, he pulls out this triple auto card with RGIII on it that I can only manage to drool over. No idea how much it was and really didn’t want to know…it was too much for me, but a beautiful card no less. I walked away with a new orange Kerrigan card and a serial numbered Fred Davis along with a couple other items.

$11 TC Ryan Kerrigan Orange Refractor$

After Tom’s table, I typically just move down the line knowing the other tables I want to visit will have some good stuff for me. I worked down the line and ran into a new guy, Greg who had some nice stuff to offer. He dropped a Kirk Cousins auto Prizm and Alfred Morris in front of me…$10…why, yes, thank you.

The next couple of items I picked up came from a couple of different tables at good prices…can’t go wrong with any RGIII in my mind.

One table I visited was very interesting. The guy was selling DVD’s, comics and had a box of cards with a really nice and shiny Derek Jeter on top…so I stopped to take a peek. His sign said ‘this box $1 each’, but he tells me that if I buy 5 cards or more, I can have them for 50cents each…hmmm. If I buy 4 cards, that will be $4 but if I buy 5…it will set me back $2.50. I used to be really good at math and from what I can recall it was in my best interest to max out my purchase at this guys table. Unfortunately, I only managed to pick up 5 items. 4 Jeters and my only Rickey Henderson of the show.

As I worked my way to one of my new favorite table, for some reason I have never asked for the guys name…but I always spend a good amount of money on his stuff. He always has great stuff and gives you a nice deal…plus he’s really cool. I was sifting through his 50% off box when I heard some loud cursing. I turned to see some kid darting out of the aforementioned Famous Footwear with some new Nike kicks in his hand. The kid was fast, but I can see that corporate check on those sneaks a mile away.

THE KID WAS HELLA FAST!

He was being chased out of the mall by Paul Blart’s slimmer brother, well, slightly slimmer and Segway-less. This mall cop had no chance, but it was a valiant effort. I should have offered him a slice of my Hawaiian pizza, they were on sale that day…daily special.

Anyways, back to marked down cardboard. Homeboy hooked me up with some RGIII goodies along with an Aldrick Robinson auto and a Ryan Torain auto that I’ve passed up many times. At least I can cross it off my imaginary list.

Last stop before my wife kills me for being late. New table, friendly guy and great cards that were marked down to 80% off. 80% off! Why in the hell would I pay retail when I can get great cards for 80% off! The guy had a few boxes of nice serial numbered cards with Clinton Portis and Santana Moss cards that I could use for my PC. Unfortunately most of the cards were in their previous teams kits, but still guys I loved to watch.

01 UD Santana Moss Game Gear Jersey510:1000

04 PP Clinton Portis Jersey 39:100

02 TD Santana Moss 139:199

All in all, a great show that included great deals, food and a petty crime. Can’t beat that at all. I ended up staying under my budget and walked out a happy guy…plus it was sunny and warm on a March day in Portland, Oregon. Life is good

One last thing, I couldn’t help but notice this sign and think of The Chronicles of Fuji.

Hogs out!

Box Break: 2012 Panini Contenders

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 22, 2013

I am finally getting around to opening the boxes that have been sitting on my desk for a while now and wanted to start with one of my favorites. Panini’s Contenders. I have always enjoyed the design of these cards and their quality. The simplicity and continuity of the cards each year with the ticket on the sidebar and singular player focus is something that I enjoy in a card. In general, I think Panini does a nice job on their card designs and this set is no different. Contenders is in their 20th year now, which i initially had no idea they were around this long until I remembered the flip box I still have from the first year with Barry Sanders on the inside cover…memories. They used to make the boxes much nicer back then…now it’s just a small box with lots of cards in them.

Now for the review…

Card Design 4 of 5

As i said in the intro, i really like the consistent design. Each card has the basic player information on the front with the name, team, position and player number. Contenders goes a step further with the name of the stadium and years the player has been a pro which is kind of a cool feature you either don’t find on a card or only find on the back. Panini has also managed to incorporate the teams colors in the left bar ‘tickets’. I personally like the Redskins cards, but am partial to the Burgundy and Gold on cards…I think it makes them punch really nicely. What’s up with Carolina Panthers and their 1984 Trapper Keeper font? I’m glad they finally decided to dump it and go with something more contemporary.

One design piece that i don’t think is that successful is the ‘super graphic’ last name ghosted in the background with a very subtle shadow line. My problem with this is that they already have the players full name on the card, so adding the last name again is simply redundant and unnecessary in my opinion. I would also like to have seen the team logo on the top right be a little larger and the helmet on the ticket gone…or maybe this could be where the larger logo occurs. It’s just a little redundant to these eyes.

Contenders does a nice job on their subsets and have continued with the die-cut love fest. The Rookie of the Year Contenders are quite nice and the die cut works well here as they fit nicely in my gentle, yet manly grasp. These types of die cuts don’t work well in sleeves or top loaders and always seems to lean to one side or another.

Another subset is the MVP Contenders and are really nice looking. The die-cut and supergraphic MVP font work very well, even though none of the guys i pulled had any real shot at winning the MVP, it’s still a nice subset for player collectors.

Photography 4 of 5

Panini has managed to gather full length photos of each of the player for the majority of the cards, keeping their knees, ankles and feet in tact! Football cards tend to be overcropped these days so it’s nice to see a full body shot of the player on his card. Each photo is crisp and there is no clutter with unnecessary background action…just the player for whom the card is representing. The photos on the back are a simple blow up of the one on the front of the card. Kind of wish they would use a different photo, maybe a portrait shot or something…different.

Hits 4 of 5

The box advertises 5 autos per box and that is pretty much what you get. I happened to get what i believe is an extra auto with the dreaded redemption card, an Alshon Jeffrey Rookie Ticket RPS. As i’ve stated in the past, i really hate redemption cards. I understand why they do it and that it just needs to be done sometimes…it’s just disappointing to have to wait months for your hit. Sometimes a guy just needs a hit.

The second pack I opened in this box had an awesomely shiny Redskins rookie card Autograph numbered 66/99…Kirk Cousins. I was really hoping for the other rookie Redskins QB, but this guy might end up being the guy…somewhere. I believe i have 5 Cousins autos now…and zero RG3 autos…FML! Here’s a fun fact. No matter what orientation you lay the card out, the serial number always says 66/99…fun with sixes and nines you kinky freaks!

The other autos in the box weren’t that spectacular and quite frankly i think the kids these days seriously need to work on their penmanship. They are probably signing hundreds of items, but the Chris Polk auto is just begging to be forged by a man of lesser character.

I got a kicker auto, that’s a little weird. Zeurlein had a great season, but he’s still a kicker. I’m just really i didn’t pull yet another Dontari Poe auto!

The Bucs and the Cardinals guys are not on my radar, if anyone has an idea who they are or just needs them for a PC, let me know. Otherwise they are ebay bound.

This Panini product seems to give you a good number of autos, but nothing spectacular.

Review

All in all i am pretty happy with the box. I managed to get quite a few Redskins, no RG3, but i did pull a serial numbered Kirk Cousins auto. By the way, i used to write just like Captain Kirk when i was in the 5th grade. At least his auto is clean and legible…looking at you Chris Polk! Contenders is a box that i tend to buy each year and will continue to do so…but one a year is more than enough for me. The cards are great and you get a good amount of inserts, I just don’t know if the price justifies the cards you pull and their value.

This years subsets look great as usual. I mentioned the MVP Contenders and the Rookie of the Year Contenders, but the subset I love is the Rookie Stallion cards…the name is a little…um…weird. But the photos are great and i love the layout and use of fonts.

Not too crazy about the Legendary Champion cards, nice idea and great player selection, just don’t love the design.

Here are the Redskins from the box!

That’s it folks. I have a couple more breaks to cover and i will be caught up! Hope you enjoy the reviews.

HAIL to the REDSKINS! – NFC East Champions

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 31, 2012

The Washington Redskins are NFC East Champions for the first time since 1999. Holy Crap! A team that was all but out of it in early November at 3-6 rallied to win their last 7 and finish 10-6. So proud of my favorite team and excited to make the playoffs…and keep the Cowboys out of the playoffs. This was a great night.

For most of the seasonthe attentionwas focused on RG3 and rightfully so. He is an amazing talent and a once in a generation type player, a true game changer. With all that said, having another rookie behind him taking hand-off after hand-off and racking up over 1600 yards on 300 carries and 13 TD’s, Alfred Morris has been amazing. Morris has lead the rushing attack for the month of December and breaking down the defenseseach week all the while not turning the ball over. Two rookies with very bright futures and two rookies that are extremely humble and gracious in victory. This is by far the most excited i have been to be a Redskin fan in over 20 years. We have a great foundation and future with these two along with the other core guys on the team. Morris is impossible to not love, dude drive a 1991 Mazda 626 to work every day? What NFL player at his level does that? Seriously, a freakin’ Mazda 626! Gotta love him.

Coming out of thedraft he was not a highly sought after player and really an afterthought in the draft. So the card companies have been a little slow with the production of his face on cardboard. This will change soon. I have been lucky enough to pick up a couple of his autographs earlier in the season for under $20 each. Feeling pretty good about those pick ups now. With all of his success in his first season, i imagine the demand on his cards and autographs will only increase. Maybe he can get a new ride in the offseason.

With the Redskins win, that means another season comes to an end for the rival Dallas Cowboys. As a Redskin fan, there is no better way to end the season than to knock out your most hated rival…well, i guess winning the NFC East while doing it is better? Watching the Cowboys suffer is something i thoroughly enjoy. I also love that they keep going to Tony Romo. In all fairness, he is a very talented QB but is simply unable to win big games. Romo is the football equivalent of Alex Rodriguez, big time player in any game but when it’s a big game he disappears. His legacy will based on whether or not he ever gets over the hump and can at the very least GET to a Super Bowl, winning one would solidify his place in Cowboy history…can’t imagine that ever happening though.

This week will be exciting for all Redskin Fans. We get to face the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs for the 3rd time in 7 years. I have been to the two previous games in Seattle and would love nothing more than to knock them out at Fed Ex next Sunday. They will be a handful though. Great defense, Wilson and Lynch are similar to RG3 and Morris. Should be a great matchup. -HTTR!

Redskins 24 Seahawks 17

Leonard Hankerson

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 28, 2012

I wanted to get one more quick post out before i go to bed tonight.

One player that i have gone back and forth on is Leonard Hankerson, a second year player from Miami. He seems to be a guy that has a ton of talent and a wide skill set for an NFL receiver, but has been unable to put it all together. Now, i understand that most of last year he was inactive and didn’t get much action and when he was finally able to get in the games, he had a season ending injury. This year he’s been great and frustrating. Some great catches and some head shaking drops.

I went to the card show at Mall 205 earlier this month and saw this booklet card. It’s my first card of this type and i was pretty excited to pick it up for $20 considering the jumbo multi colored patch and (lazy) autograph…i couldn’t pass it up. I love these book cards and think they are great, if you can afford them. One thing i didn’t think about when purchasing the card is how to store it? I did a little research and see that they now have booklet card cases. Looks like i will need to stop by my local card shop for some supplies this weekend. -HTTR!