Top 100 Cards of My Collection-#50 92-93 Topps Stadium Club Beam Team Shaquille O'Neal

I tried not to pick two cards from the same set, but this is definitely going to be the exception to the rule. I've talked about the Beam Team set of 92-93 many times, and at #50 is the cornerstone of that set. It's one of the rare times that Michael Jordan is NOT the most valuable card of the set. The 92-93 Beam Team Shaq was and in my opinion still is THE Shaq rookie card to own. It's the cream of the crop, people were busting Stadium Club Series two like crazy to find this card. It's definitely a card that has stood the test of time, and it's a very important card in basketball card history. For me personally, I remember when I was kid dreaming and wishing I could own this and all of Shaq's rookies. Fast forward years later and mission accomplished. Definitely worthy of top 50 status.

This Week's Mail

Time to delve in to what I got in this weeks mail!

1954 Topps Ted Williams PSA 3
I must say Fuji over of the Chronicles of Fuji got me insanely jealous with his pickup of a 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson and inspired me to do a little vintage searching of my own. I picked this one up, and yeah the grade is not ideal, but it's just a thrill for me to own a 54 Topps card of Ted Williams.

97-98 UD3 Awesome Action Anfernee Hardaway

Me and my Penny 90's inserts! I took advantage of a seller's combined shipping and picked this one up for only a couple dollars. Very nice Penny to add to the collection.

2005 SP Signature Golf Authentic Fabrics Arnold Palmer

I went a little off the beaten path this week and picked this tournament worn shirt card of one golf's greatest players of all time. I love adding memorabilia and autographs of legends of all sports, and Arnold Palmer definitely qualifies on this count.

2001 SP Authentic Tour Swatch Byron Nelson

Same goes for this early issue memorabilia card of Golf legend Byron Nelson.

1998 UD Nascar Auto-graphs Terry Labonte

Labonte is not only one of greatest drivers in NASCAR history, him and his brother Bobby Labonte were born right here in my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. That gave me even more incentive to pick this auto up.

 

2010 Razor Pop Culture Tom Hanks Wardrobe Card

Added this card to the Entertainment side of my collection. A celebrity worn piece of clothing from one of the greatest actors of our time.

1992 Fleer Team Leaders Ken Griffey Jr

I've always loved this insert set for some reason. It's always appealed to me. If I remember they were inserted one per Fleer Rack Pack. Griffey is my favorite baseball player of all time, so for $1.75 shipped I was able to get this card.

 

09-10 Panini Classics Classic Combos John Stockton/Karl Malone Dual Patch

Ohhhhhhh talk about a beauty. A slick double 3 color patch of one of the greatest tandems ever to play the game. Stockton to Malone is synonymous with Utah Jazz basketball and together they led Utah to two grueling series against MJ and the Bulls. Great awesome card numbered to 25.

2003 Leaf Certified Materials Fabric of the Game George Blanda

Had to get a little bit of a football fix, so came across this game used jersey card of Hall of Famer George Blanda and was able to win this for $8 shipped. Not a bad price and love that it's two colored.

09-10 SP Game Used Combo Materials Dual Patch Kevin Durant/Michael Finley

Odd pairing, but cool dual patch nonetheless. Durant and the Thunder of  course gave it their all but their inexperience led to a Conference Finals loss to the veteran tested Mavs. Finley, on the other WAS Maverick basketball before Dirk came along and I always felt was one of those guys who's career will go overlooked, and he will more than likely be remembered as a nice role player on the Spurs last championship team. I hate the Spurs, but was happy that Finley was able to get his ring. He tried once more unsuccessfully with Boston last season, but at least he was able to do it once.

10-11 Panini Timeless Treasures LeBron James MVP Materials Triple Patch

LeBron has been ON FIRRRRRRRRRE in the playoffs as both he and Dirk have silenced the critics who have been critical of their clutchness and have both been the superstars of this NBA playoffs. This is a really nice numbered to 25 patch card of LeBron James as a member of the ..gulp...CAVS. Still a cool card nonetheless.

 

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-#51 08-09 UD Exquisite Prime Patches LeBron James

Here's the last card of the bottom half of the countdown. My how time flies! 50 cards down, 50 to go and trust me, there's still some sweeeeet cards left. Let's talk about #51 though, it comes from UD Exquisite, and it's a huge multi-color patch card of LeBron James.  I love huge patches, and have a similar card that I just bought in the Durant. This card features a generous two color patch of King James. Love him or hate him, he's arguably the best player in the league overall, and the way he's played in this playoff run, he's slowly but surely shedding that unclutch moniker. This card also is numbered to 50 (this one being 02/50) and it's a higher end LeBron
memorabilia card since it comes from the highest end set
UD comes out with in Exquisite. If this card is 51, what cards
could have possibly made the top 50?? We shall see!

100th Post! Game Used Jersey Style-Dirk Nowitzki

I figure I'd use my 100th post as both a congratulations to Dirk and the Dallas Mavs for once again making the finals by beating a young and hungry Thunder team and to showcase an awesome game used jersey in my collection.. I have NEVER seen Dirk play like he's been playing in this playoff run. You can see it in his eyes that he wants this title BAD, and he'll do anything to win. I've always been a huge fan of Dirk and I have posted about him on an earlier post, but Post #100 I'd figure I'd show my best and favorite game used item in my collection. This jersey was worn by Dirk on St. Patrick's Day of 2009 in the 2nd half against the Detroit Pistons. This jersey was a Christmas gift last year and is certified by Meigray, who are the official suppliers of game used jerseys in the NBA. That's why I love this jersey so much, it's 100% no doubt about it authentic. I also always loved this style of jerseys the Mavs would wear. Just an unbelievable jersey and a cornerstone of my collection. 100 posts sure does fly by, here's to 100 more and beyond!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-Honorable Mention: 07-08 Topps Letterman Quad Patches John Havlicek

OK, enough drama, back to what this blog is allllllllllll about, awesome cards!! Here's another card that I gave very careful consideration to. John "Hondo" Havlicek is one of the greatest Celtics of all time. This card from Topps Letterman is an awesome quad patch with multiple breaks. Not only that, but only 5 copies of this card exist (mine is #2/5). This was definitely a hard one to leave off the countdown, and I debated back and forth whether or not to put it on. I decided I had more cards that I liked a little more, but still wanted to showcase such an awesome looking card!

Apparently I'm a sad 27 year old loser who collects sports cards

Noticed this on my traffic sources
http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=1842162&forum_id=12

Well all i got to say is that I'm the happiest 27 year old loser in the world with the collection I got! 

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-#52 96-97 Skybox Z-Force Big Men On The Court Z-Peat Anfernee Hardaway

So what's the card that was so good I had to bump a dual tag patch off the countdown to make room for it?? The card to your right has only been in my collection for a few days, but I can safely say it's definitely one of my favorite cards in my collection. If you follow my blog, you know I LOVE 90's inserts, and this set is one of the main reasons why. The 96-97 version of Big Men On The Court is probably along with the 92-93 Stadium Club Beam Team my favorite insert ever. I love the design and the die cut of the set and it was pretty hard to pull as it was 1 out of 240 packs. I used to own the Grant Hill, but I had to sell it last year to fund a big purchase. The Penny Hardaway though, that's the one I've been wanting forever and would've been thrilled with the original version. But I was able to do one better...see this is the extra foiled Z-Peat version which is just a tad harder to pull at a super tough 1:1,120 packs! That's not a typo!! This is definitely the gem of my Penny Hardaway insert card collection and there was no way I wasn't putting this on my countdown. Sorry Mailman, Sorry Gasol, it wasn't personal...well I guess when you think about it, it actually was!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-Honorable Mention: 09-10 SP Game Used Tag Team Duals Pau Gasol/Karl Malone

This card was going to be on the countdown, but I had to call an audible since I got a card I had been searching for a while and bumped this card out of contention. Upper Deck went out with a bang by quickly releasing a few sets in 09-10 before their NBA license expired. Some of the coolest patch cards were created including this one featuring laundry tag patches. Not only are there Tag Team Duals (like the Durant/Jeff Green I posted in an earlier post) but Tag Team Quads as well. This card features Karl Malone and Pau Gasol. What's unique about the patches is that the Malone features a piece of Reebok patch and the Gasol features a piece of
the Logoman. Also this card is numbered to 10, and this
one is actually #1 of 10 which is pretty cool. Definitely one of
my favorite cards in my collection, just not good enough to make the Top
100 cut. Tomorrow, the countdown resumes at #52 with the card that bumped
this beauty out of my list.

Now THAT'S Entertainment! A Look at My Non-Sports Card Collection Part I

I have different areas of interest when it comes to this hobby, although my main focus is sports related cards and memorabilia, I also have a small collection of non-sport cards that I add to every now and then. Memorabilia and autograph cards of Actors, Wrestlers, Singers, and other Celebrities have become much more rapidly available, and since I'm a fan of all different forms of entertainment and history, it was pretty much a given that I would give in to some of these gems. This is Part one of a multi-part showcase of the cards in my non-sport collection. Here are the first few cards I'm showing off. Enjoy!

2001 Topps American Pie A Piece of American Pie Elvis Presley Jacket

The card that started it all. I remember seeing this card and thinking how cool it would be to own a card that contained actual Elvis worn memorabilia. Elvis is one of the most recognizable and beloved celebrities of all time, and I've actually been to Graceland (which was pretty cool) so I've always appreciated and respected Elvis and his contributions to music and entertainment. This card gained very strong consideration for my top 100 countdown.

2005 Topps Pristine Celebrity Threads Marilyn Monroe Dress

Another card that when I saw just intrigued me and made me want to add to my collection. Marilyn Monroe actually does have a sports connection as she was married to Joe DiMaggio at one point. Another famous American Icon and this card contains of piece of a dress she wore.

05-06 Topps Pristine Personal Pieces Jay-Z

One of the most successful rappers off all time, Jay-Z has also become quite a successful businessman as well. He's also a part owner of the New Jersey Nets. This card contains a piece of worn jeans.

2006 Topps WWE Insider Kurt Angle Shirt

My first wrestling related card in my collection, I was a big Angle fan during his WWE days. It's a shame he's not still around in WWE, but he's still active wrestling in TNA which I really do not follow. Features a piece of shirt worn by Angle.

In 2007 Donruss came out with Donruss Americana, which had a bevy of memorabilia stars from pop culture icons and also hollywood legends of the past. How can you not like picking up memorabilia cards of screen icons such as Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart and other great legends such as Ginger Rogers, Natalie Wood and Rock Hudson. When this set came out, it created the opportunity for collectors to acquire cards of someone of the greatest actors and actresses of all time.

Stay tuned for future installments of Now That's Entertainment! to see more of my non-sports card collection!

This week's mail

Quality over quantity this week, I actually got a couple more things in, but I'm gonna actually save em for the countdown because they were pretty sweet pickups. Here's what I got in this past week.

93-94 Topps Finest Anfernee Hardaway Rookie Card Refractor

This is one of the those cards that I'm ashamed to say I hadn't owned until now. I've been wanting it forever since it's Penny's best rookie issued card, just never found the time to really go after it. Definitely goes hand in hand with my original Penny Finest regular rookie.

Famous Fabrics First Edition Ken Griffey Jr. Patch Card

I'm actually going to be doing a post about Famous Fabrics in the near future as I know this is not a set for everyone and you either love it or hate it and think it's trash. I know lack of license, player images, bla bla bla, but I'm definitely a fan and the set has some niiiiiiiice patches include this sweet patch of Griffey. I'm weird, I can live with the card just saying Griffey Jr and at least the certificate of authenticity on the back specifically states what the piece of memorabilia is, unlike other card companies.

Kevin Durant PSA/DNA Certified 8X10 Rookiegraph

I wanted to get a better looking autograph of Durant than my SuperScripts thick black pen auto so I was able to snatch this up and I love it. I think it's cool that this is actually identified as a rookie year autograph photograph, that may be important down the line if Durant decides to change up his signature. Great looking piece, sorry for the bad scan though!

And the big piece that I added to my collection

2007 Miguel Cabrera Game Used and Autographed Bat Graded PSA/DNA GU9

This is an excellent addition to my game used collection as Cabrera is one of the brightest superstars in the league. It's not only pounded with use but Cabrera also autographed it and inscribed it Game Used 07. Probably my 2nd favorite bat behind the ARod Game Used bat I own. Just a pure beauty.

That's it for this week, enjoy!

RIP: Macho Man Randy Savage

Wow what a sad week it has been, first Harmon Killebrew now Macho Man Randy Savage. I know wrestling is not a sport, but I've been a die hard fan of wrestling for years, it's one of the things I grew up with. My first PPV I ever saw was SummerSlam 90 where Macho Man Randy Savage wrestled and defeated the American Dream Dusty Rhodes with a little help from the late Sensational Queen Sherri. Randy Savage was definitely one of my favorite wrestlers growing up, even when he was a heel, he was still cool and though I've seen and have the famous Steamboat-Savage match from Wrestlemania III I wasn't a fan of wrestling at the time so my favorite Savage match was his "retirement match" with the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII. The story told in that ring for that match was epic and dramatic and of course the reunification of Savage and Miss Elizabeth is something that will always been remembered in WWE history. In my opinion, Savage transcends pro wrestling in that I think he's one of those guys that non wrestling fans know. Who can forget him being a spokesman for Slim Jim's and his commercials and his trademark "Ohhhhhhhhhh Yeahhhhhhhh". He even had a small role in the original Spiderman. The real sad part of it all, is that we never got to see Savage back in a WWE ring. He hadn't been back for whatever reasons (and there are plenty of rumors that I won't get in to surrounding that) since he left in 94 and even though the WWE looked like they were started to recognize his achievements by releasing a DVD of him and also including him in the latest video game WWE All Stars, we never got that one moment of him making his glorious return to Raw. Being a wrestling fan, sadly these deaths are nothing new, a lot of the guys I grew up watching, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Dino Bravo, The British Bulldog, Earthquake, and I can go on and on have tragically passed away at very young ages. It's sad to pop in a DVD of say Summerslam 91 and see that a good portion of the roster is no longer with us today. Rest in peace Macho Man, and thanks for the memories. You will be missed.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-#53 02-03 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Signatures Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Basketball is my main sport that I collect, so I tend to favor Basketball legends over the other major sports so naturally I had to include the NBA's all time leading scorer in this countdown. Kareem Abdul Jabbar has one of the most decorated careers in not only the NBA but in NCAA history. Playing under the legendary John Wooden at UCLA, Kareem won 3 National Championships, 6 NBA titles with the Bucks and Lakers, was a 19 time All Star, NBA rookie of the year and the list goes on and on. His 38,387 points are 1st all time, and 3rd most rebounds all time at 17,440. Kareem could do it all, was one of the most dominant basketball players of all time. This card comes from the 02-03 Ultimate Collection set and has a nice clean design and full nice on card auto (which of course as you know by now is a MAJOR plus for me). I'm not sure the reason he only signs his last name, if someone knows feel free to fill me in, as I've always been curious, and he has been known to have certified autographs signed as Lew Alcindor (his birthname, and those are more expensive). Just a nicely done card of the master of the Skyhook and one of the NBA's greatest
players of all-time.

RIP: Harmon Killebrew

A legend passed away today. Harmon Killebrew lost his fight with cancer at the age of 74 this morning and the world not only lost a terrific baseball player but a terrific human being as well. There a countless stories of how nice and down to earth Killebrew was. He is an icon in the city of Minnesota and in Major League Baseball as well. His stats are eye popping, 573 home runs (11th all time) 11 all star nods, and an American League MVP award in 1969. The world will never be the same without "Killer". Thanks for the memories Mr. Killebrew, and thanks for appreciating all those fans who looked up to you and the game, you will never be forgotten.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection-#54 2004 Leaf Limited Monikers Stan Musial

Stan Musial has to be one of the most underrated Hall of Famers in Baseball. The stats are mind boggling. 3,630 hits (4th all-time) 475 home runs,  3 time MVP, 3 time World Series champion and if that's not enough a mind boggling record 24 all star appearances. The list of achievements goes on and on, but it feels like Musial gets overlooked as one of the greatest players of all time despite having the credentials to be regarded as one. I was more than happy to add this treasure to my collection years ago. This card does feature a sticker autograph, but in my opinion it doesn't really take away from the beauty of the card. Add a game used bat piece to the mix and you have yourself quite a dandy memorabilia/auto piece of Stan the Man. I definitely think Musial deserves all the respect in the world, and it's that respect that earns him card #54 in my top 100 countdown.

Sports Cards and Memories Salute To Kevin Durant

What a player Kevin Durant is, and what a closeout game he had today. 39 pts, 9 boards and 3 blocks and a trip to the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. If Grizz-Thunder was any indication, I expect Mavs-Thunder to be that much more dramatic. Should be a great series, and though I am hoping Dirk and Co. can pull through to get one step closer to a title, I won't be upset at all if Durant and the Thunder can pull it off either. I don't have many Durant cards, in fact my mailday I posted yesterday was the most of Durant I've ever bought in one week. Here's a little card tribute of the rest of the Durant cards I have in my collection. Can't wait till Tuesday!

This Week's Mail

Busy week of pickups. Here's what I got, looks a little Thunder and MJ heavy. Enjoy!

08-09 Exquisite Collection Prime Patches Kevin Durant

A nice huge 3 color patch from Exquisite of the NBA's leading scorer. Durant is looking to help the Thunder advance to conference finals tomorrow night in a do or die game 7. Definitely a sweet patch card.

96-97 Topps Finest Silver Refractor Anfernee Hardaway

Another old school Penny insert to add to my collection and I love Finest Refractors.

07-08 Fleer Ultra Kevin Durant Lucky 13 RC

I've always liked this rookie card and it's only my 2nd rookie card of Durant.

08-09 Press Pass Legends Alumni Association Autographs Gail Goodrich/Russell Westbrook

I absolutely LOVE this card. My 2nd Westbrook autograph and 1st of Hall of Famer and UCLA great Gail Goodrich. It's weird that it's my 2nd UCLA dual auto (if you remember in my top 100 countdown I have a Reggie Miller/Bill Walton Alumni Associates dual auto from SP Signature Edition). This card is sharp and the autographs are on-card. No stickers. Great combination.

10-11 Prestige Hardcourt Heroes Patch Kevin Durant

Another sweet 3 color patch card of Kevin Durant.

97-98 Z-Force Rave Review Anfernee Hardaway

Another sweet and hard to find old school Penny Hardaway insert. These were inserted at a super tough 1:288 packs of Z-Force Series One

08-09 UD Premier Rare Patches Dual Kobe Bryant/Kevin Durant

Another sweet patch featuring not only Kevin Durant in a Sonics jersey but Kobe Bryant. Great combo and great multicolored dual patch card

10-11 Prestige Draft Picks Rights John Wall Autograph RC

My first John Wall autograph and hopefully he will be a superstar in the making if this past season was any indication.

2010 Exquisite Triple Patch John Elway/Troy Aikman/Steve Young

 NFL license or not, I think this is one damn beautiful card. The patch breaks are amazing and it's three of the greatest quarterbacks ever to the play the game (and yes I'm biased cause it includes my boy Troy Aikman)

95-96 Finest Dish in Swish Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen

Old school MJ insert time as this was a popular card from Finest featuring arguably the best duo in NBA history.

95-96 Skybox Larger Than Life Michael Jordan

Gold foil greatness for this sweet insert from 95-96 Skybox

97-98 Z-Force Slam Cam Michael Jordan

This is a see through card so the scan doesn't pick up the additional Jordan pic, but this is definitely a card that looks better in person. Another cool MJ insert.

10-11 Absolute Memorabilia Team Tandems Dual Jersey Russell Westbrook/Kevin Durant

Had to get a combo jersey card of the hottest tandem going today.

Alfonso Soriano Game Used Texas Rangers Cap (Mears LOA)

Last but not least another item to add to my game used collection. I won this a couple of weeks ago off Mears monthly auction. Very cool game used cap.