Top 100 Cards of My Collection #21 08-09 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Foursomes Veteran Patch Lebron/Kobe/Nash/TMac

 

The 3rd and my hands down most favorite quad patch from 08-09 Ultimate Collection, this card has it all. Three transcendent NBA players (and TMac as your 4th wheel isn't exactly too bad), low numbering and awesome looking all star patches. Every patch on this card is multi-colored and even McGrady's has most of a star patch on his. This is what high end patches are supposed to look like. Simply amazing and jaw dropping.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: Cards you might regret selling

 

 When it comes to the hobby, I'm not much of a seller. For the most part everything I buy, I intend to keep forever, and this is especially the case for Michael Jordan cards. I had never sold a MJ card out of my collection in the 20+ years I've been collecting....until this past week I finally did the unthinkable. It's hard not to notice 90's inserts of Michael Jordan have been on fire for a while now,  commanding high prices. I noticed one card that was selling above book value was kind of a forgotten card in my collection. This 96-97 Z Force Slam Cam was just one of many inserts I owned of MJ, but when I saw the prices for them, I decided to bite the bullet and strike while the iron was hot. If I recall, I only paid 20 bucks for this card a few years ago. It was a big decision that I went back and forth with but decided that the money this would bring in would help fund a major purchase I made a couple weeks ago and honestly although it's a cool looking MJ, I felt I could sell it without any regrets as it's not one of my major MJ cards in my collection(easier said than done for me, I'd been nervous putting a 90-91 fleer card of MJ for sale). I listed it on EBay was able to rake in a little over $177, which I was more than happy with, but it is a little sad to lose a card of this caliber, especially when it's Michael Jordan. Maybe things will cool down (I know, not holding my breath, lol) and down the road I will be able to reacquire this card, who knows. 

What cards have you sold, that you really didn't want to or ended up regretting selling?

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #22 04-05 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Game Patch Limited Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt makes his 3rd appearance in the 20's but this time he's on his own with this super nice dual patch from Ultimate Collection. Numbered to a mere 25 copies (mine is 7/25) both patches are multi-colored which adds to the greatness of this card. Chamberlain memorabilia cards especially patch cards aren't that easy to find and when you do, collectors snatch em up quickly. Definitely by far the best Wilt memorabilia card in my collection.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #23 85-86 Star All Rookie Team Michael Jordan

 

It's truly fitting that card #23 should feature the man who defines the number 23. The Star Company produced basketball cards (not through packs ,but rather team set bags or insert set bags like this one) during the gap between Topps exiting the basketball card market after the 81-82 season until Fleer came around for the 86-87 seasons. Since the cards weren't distributed normally like other mainstream companies, the cards are considered XRC's. Hall of Famers like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon and more all had their first cards in Star sets. MJ's is far and away the most expensive and desirable Star rookie which was in the 84-85 set. This card  comes from the 85-86 All Rookie Team insert set and it predates Michael Jordan's 86-87 Fleer rookie by a season. That's what I like about this card. You can never go wrong with vintage MJ (I especially really like the old school 80's Bulls jerseys with the cursive font), and the fact that it was issued earlier than his Fleer rookie makes this a very unique card. Also with Star cards, it's important to watch for counterfeits because they are some of the most counterfeited cards in the hobby. That's why I went with a BGS copy, for the piece of mind. Hopefully maybe one day I'll own the 84-85 XRC, but for now, I' don't think it's too bad to own this one!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #24 1998 Donruss Signature Significant Signatures Sandy Koufax

In it at #24 is a on card autograph from one of the best pitchers in history of the Major Leagues. Sandy Koufax dominated the early to mid 60's winning 3 Cy Youngs and an MVP award during that span. Had injuries not halted Koufax's career at age 30, no telling the numbers Koufax would've had. Koufax doesn't have a lot of autographed stuff either, though this year Topps has an exclusive agreement with him and Donruss had one too a few years back. Still, compared to other prominent hall of famers, Koufax still doesn't have nearly the memorabilia and autographs that most have, and his stuff is always in high demand. I like that this is a an early issued Koufax certified autograph and of course that it's on-card. Also it's not too difficult to find, these were numbered to 2000. I don't care if it was numbered to 2,000,000. There's no way this countdown would be without a Koufax autograph!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection Honorable Mention: 2009 Ultimate Collection Legendary Six Patches Emmitt Smith/Gale Sayers/Franco Harris/Barry Sanders/Earl Campbell/Roger Craig

Here's a card that has all the makings for not only a spot on the countdown, but a high spot, quite possibly a top 20 spot if only for one thing. I've showcased a previous Legendary Six card before and I absolutely love this memorabilia set. It's two sided greatness and the combinations are outstanding. As is this one, 6 Hall of Fame running backs including my favorite Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders, this is LOADED with star power. Add that it's limited to 15 copies (this one being 8/15) and you would think it would be a no brainer to make it on my countdown. Alas, it's doesn't, don't get me wrong, being an honorable mention means I thought very carefully about this card, but there was one thing that was missing from this card. The lack of Multi-color patches. Only the Franco Harris patch is more than one color, the rest solid one color patches including two white patches (the Sayers and Craig) and a grey (Sanders). If the patches would've been killer, this card would no doubt be a top 20 card, unfortunately the generic patches limit this to honorable mention status. Still not a bad consolation prize for a still terrific looking card.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #25 2003 Topps Finest Finest Moments Refractor Autographs Willie Mays

 

OK so here's where it gets tough (not that the last 75 cards have been easy) but we're down to the top 25 of the countdown, and this is more or less the best of the best in my collection. To start up the top 25 is this beauty of a card. An on card autograph of one of the greatest baseball players of all time.....Willie Mays. What makes this card even more special and awesome is that it commemorates the one defensive play that Willie Mays will forever be remembered for. Known as "The Catch" (unlike Dwight Clark's version, this one isn't painful at all to talk about), Mays made an amazing catch in game 1 of the 1954 World Series. You combine the moment with the on card autograph and add a little Topps Finest refractor technology and you have yourself one hell of a card. There's nothing wrong with being #25 on this countdown, as evidenced by this jaw dropping Mays gem.

Congrats to Drew Pearson, Charles Haley, and Larry Allen: The Newest Members of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor

Jerry Jones announced that Charles Haley, Larry Allen and Drew Pearson would be inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor on November 6th. That's awesome because I will be going to that game and get to see the induction ceremony live and in person. The Cowboys Ring of Honor is the highest accolade you can receive from the team itself. Very surprised it's taken this long for Drew Pearson to get in, but finally he'll be inducted and all three were very important players in not only our history, but our Super Bowl Championships.

Drew Pearson

Roger Staubach's favorite target. Mostly known for the "Hail Mary" play against the Vikings in the 75 playoffs. A great wide receiver not only in Cowboys history but NFL as well and it's puzzling how he's not in the Hall of Fame. Helped us to three Super Bowl Appearances and win one.

Charles Haley

Not a homegrown Cowboy (spend his first four years with the 49ers and won two Super Bowls with them) but still a very important part of our championship defense in the 90's. Helped us win 3 Super Bowls and was a two time pro bowler in his 5 years with us. This is a in person autograph I got of Haley at Dallas Cowboys training camp back in the summer of 94.

Larry Allen

One of the best offensive linemen in NFL history, Allen spent 12 seasons with us making the Pro Bowl 10 times (11 overall) and winning a Super Bowl with us against the Steelers. A sure-fire Hall of Famer, definitely a true Cowboy in and out.

I was kind of on the fence about Haley, but he was a vital cog on the championship teams of the 90's.  Should be awesome to be there to see the inductions!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #26 07-08 UD Premier Draft-Mates Dual Auto Kobe Bryant/Steve Nash

 

A dual autograph of the cream of the crop of the 96 class. Though the scan doesn't look great, this really is a nice looking card out of UD Premier. Numbered to only 15 copies (this one is 14/15), I also like this particular card, because the only other Kobe auto I owned had Kobe's older signature where he just signed his first name. This is a full name signature. Two of the greatest players in the game on one card...can't go wrong with that!

Top 100 Cards of My Collection Honorable Mention: 2004 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia Tools of Trade Quad Nolan Ryan

 

Hands down my best and favorite Nolan Ryan card in my collection. Nolan is noticeably absent from the countdown, but here's one that was sooooo close to making it. Tools of the Trade always brings the goods as far as memorabilia cards go and here's a nice quad memorabilia from the Ryan Express. Numbered to a mere 5 copies (mine is 2/5) this card contains pieces of a glove, bat, jacket, and my favorite a prime patch from a game worn Angels jersey of Nolan Ryan. My only complaint would be the size of the swatches, they are pretty small, but still this is an amazing card of the legendary Texas hurler and was really hard to keep off my top 100 countdown.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #27 2006 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Ensemble Signatures Albert Pujols/David Ortiz/Derrek Lee

More multi-sig greatness as this triple autograph card that makes #27 on the countdown features arguably the best player of the 2000s and we're not talking about Derrek Lee (no offense Derrek Lee fans). From the minute he made his debut in 2001, Albert Pujols has been a monster and a force in the Major Leagues. Pujols is very popular in the hobby as evidence by how much his auto's fetch. Throw in another fan favorite in David Ortiz, and you got one nice card from UD Ultimate Collection. All three autos are stickers, which of course is the norm nowadays, and this card is numbered to 50 copies. The third player on this card, Derrek Lee might not be a hobby force, but he's a respectable player as well. Of course, you could've put me and my friend on a triple auto with Pujols and it still would be a desirable card!

Hair cards you say?? Why I'll take two!

 

When the game used craze started, people started sarcastically asking "What will they think of next?" One of those answers was always, "Yeah, I bet we'll start seeing strands of hair next." Ummm, yeah that's exactly what would happen, as Upper Deck and Topps started inserting strands of hair from historical figures in their products. Personally, curiosity got the best of me and I acquired a couple of these cards a couple of years back. They are, to this day, probably the most interesting and unique cards that I have in my entire collection. They are really the only cards in my collection that I get reaction from from not only card collectors that I know, but those who don't collect. Non collectors don't care about patch cards, refractor autographs numbered to 10 at all. In my experience, show a non collector a Dwight Howard autograph jersey SPX rookie card and you might get a mild shrug, but show them a card that contains HAIR of a U.S. Icon like Susan B. Anthony, and you'll get yourself a wide range of comments. The "why would you ever buy a hair card", the "how do you know it's real", the rolling of the eyes, the genuine interest, the appreciation of creativty, and everything in between. No other card in my collection, creates this much stir, and on that alone, I almost put these on my top 100 countdown. Where will card companies draw the line? Not only are there hair cards from historical figures, but even from racehorses, there are bug cards, card companies will continually push the limits and be creative to create the next big thing and something that'll keep collectors coming back for more.  Only time will tell what the next thing will be in memorabilia cards.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #28 08-09 Ultimate Collection Legend Foursomes Patch Julius Erving/Wilt Chamberlain/Maurice Cheeks/Moses Malone

Well I guess it's the Ultimate Collection Legends Patch week because here's the 3rd one I have showcased and the 2nd straight to make the countdown. Such a beautiful card and the reason I put this one over the first quad (both have Chamberlain btw) is because each patch here is unique. Also I love the fact that it looks like the Chamberlain swatch is from his 76ers playing days. The Erving and Cheeks patches are great and the Malone is a weird and unique swatch as well. Numbered to 10 (mine is 2/10) it's just another example of a great card from one of my favorite memorabilia sets ever made.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection Honorable Mention: 06/07 Ultimate Collection Legend Foursomes Kareem/Oscar Robertson/Kevin McHale/Robert Parish

Same set ,different player combination. Parish this time is joined by fellow teammate and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, and two other greats in Kareem and the Big O. Also numbered to 10 (mine is 4/10), just another great combination patch card from this awesome set.

Top 100 Cards of My Collection #29 08-09 Ultimate Collection Legend Foursomes Patch Pete Maravich/Wilt Chamberlain/JoJo White/Robert Parish

It's time to get back to business by resuming the countdown and we are getting down to the nitty gritty as we are in the 20's now of this countdown. The best of the best so to speak. Here's a beauty at #29. 08-09 Ultimate Collection has an abundance of sweet multi player patch cards, from rookies, to current stars to legends to mixed, there are a TON of nice looking patch cards you can get your hands on. For me, the Maravich makes this card as it is a multi-color patch of his. Despite Chamberlain, White, and Parish featuring "boring" one color patches, I still think this card is so cool and nice, plus its numbered to a mere 10 copies (mine is 2/10). I was very shocked when I won this card for under 40 bucks a couple years ago, considering the same card with basically the same patches sold for over 100 bucks the only other time I tried to win it. Another unique thing is the JoJo White patch is actually from a Warriors jersey, not a Celtics one like you would think. The stakes get higher and higher in the countdown and this card definitely doesn't disappoint!

Awesome Autographs: The Autograph Footballs from Canton

Here's the finish product, the footballs I got autographed when I went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These are definitely my most prized possessions in my collection.

Ball 1 Autographs on the ball are Steve Young, Bob Griese, Carl Eller, Joe Greene, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Eric Dickerson, John Randle, Dan Marino and Bob Lilly

Ball 2, Dallas Cowboy Ball, signatures include Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, Rayfield Wright, and Bob Lilly

My 2010 Trip To The Pro Football Hall Of Fame Part III: Pics with the Hall of Famers

One of the best part of the HOF experience was meeting the legends that you grew up watching or saw highlights of. Was it expensive?? Yes I met most through the autograph signing that Mounted Memories set up and their prices are pretty expensive, but I told myself how many chances am I every going to get to meet these players and the experience and memories are priceless. It's not opportunity I get every day, so I'd much rather get my autographs in person and get a pic with the athlete than pull it out of a pack anyday. Here's the pics of me with the Hall of Famers

Me with Viking Hall of Famer Carl Eller

Me and arguably the greatest Cowboy QB of all time Roger Staubach

I got Emmitt to sign my football, and I got to shake his hand, but my dad didn't have the camera ready to take the shot and the line was long and there was no time to take a pic with him, this is not my jersey.

Bob Griese was kind of a jerk, he was grouchy and spent most of the time on his cell phone. I didn't even bother asking him to take a pic with me.

As a Cowboy fan you're predisposed to hate the 49ers, but meeting Steve Young was very cool

Jerry Rice was super cool and even made some small talk with me, asking how my trip was, another 49er that I just can't hate even though he killed us mannnnnny times!

One of the biggest surprises to me was what a jerk John Randle was. I thought out of all the hall of famers there he would be the most easy going. That's how we usually came across. Maybe he was burnt out or something but he was very rude to me. I was the only one in his line at the time and before I finished asking if he wouldn't mind taking a picture with me he told me in a loud voice "Nope" without even looking at me. Very disappointing. I had been a big Randle fan because he played his college ball here local at Texas A&I (now A&M) Kingsville which isn' too far from Corpus Christi. That experience though pretty much turned me off from him.

On the flipside, "Mr Cowboy" was nothing but pleasant. Definitely was starstuck that I was meeting all these Cowboy Legends!!

One of the greatest QB's of all time, Dan Marino

Me and Mean Joe Greene

Eric Dickerson surrrrrrrree did look like he still play, he's in awesome shape!

Me with another Cowboy legend, "The Big Cat" Rayfield Wright

I made a blog on my awesome autograph post about this meeting with Gale Sayers. If you donated $20 bucks to his foundation you got an autograph picture and also a photo opp. Very cool and for a good cause.

This one of the biggest moments of my life, and one I will never forget. Seeing Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice give their Hall of Fame speech and the ovation each of them got (Emmitt's was by far the loudest, not to brag lol) is something that I will carry with me the rest of my life. You could feel the electricity and goosebumps, it was so amazing. I feel very fortunate and lucky I was able to witness some true NFL History.

My 2010 Trip To The Pro Football Hall Of Fame: Pics Part II: The Bronze Busts Room

It really became apparent just how important those extra few hours we were given to ourselves on friday night were because the next day, the rooms where they keep the bronze busts had lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng lines all weekend. It would've taken hours and even then the room was packed full of people and photos wouldn't have been very difficult to take. So here's the photos of the busts room that we took Friday night. Enjoy!