My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#113 2009 Topps WWE Legacy Dual Autograph Dusty Rhodes/Cody Rhodes

Why I Like It: Besides sports, Pro Wrestling has been something I've followed basically all my life. So though not as extensive as my sports collection, I do have a few wrestling items in my collection. Here's one of my favorites, a dual father/son autograph of The American Dream Dusty Rhodes and his son Cody. It would've been super cool for it to be a trio and include Dustin as well, but this'll more than do. Dusty Rhodes was a huge star in the 70's and 80's as one of the most charismatic wrestlers ever to grace a wrestling ring. Though not nearly as successful, Cody has managed to carve out a nice career of his own as well and currently is tagging with his brother as the whole bizzare Goldust/Stardust team. Would've been great if it on-card, but it doesn't deter from the fact that's it a cool dual auto of a WWE Hall of Famer and his son.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#114 1990 Starting Lineup Michael Jordan

Why I Like It: It's Michael Jordan's 2nd piece as due to licensing issues the 89 set consists of 5 players. Just like most Jordan pieces in my collection, I waited years after the market crashed to pick this up for a reasonable price. I also like the dual card concept of the 1990 set with one of those cards being a rookie year card.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#115 1992 Starting Lineup Michael Jordan Warm Ups

Why I Like It: The first is numerous MJ SLU's make their appearance here as this is the Warm Ups version of his 92 figure (he also has one in a dribbling pose). Back in the heyday of SLU'S, Jordan figures were the holy grail for basketball collectors. Jordan stopped appearing on figures in 93 and his figures always sold for high prices. This is one that really doesn't have a cool personal backstory, I bought a few MJ pieces after the SLU market crashed, but in my opinion any MJ SLU deserves to make my countdown so here's this one at #115.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#116 1996 Starting Lineup Troy Aikman Albertsons Exclusive

Why I Like It: Here's the first Dallas Cowboy SLU on the countdown. This was a Albertsons exclusive figure as it features Hall of Famer Troy Aikman in the double star jersey the Cowboys wear for Thanksgiving game. It's definitely my favorite Aikman figure out of my collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#117 2000 Starting Lineup Extended Series Ken Griffey Jr.

Why I Like It: The parade of Griffey SLU's ends here at #117 with his Extended Series piece from the 2000 set. There's a multitude of reasons why I like this figure and why I value it more than the rest. I love the pose for one, besides the wall pose, it's probably my favorite baseball pose. It's also the first figure to feature Griffey in his new Reds uniform. All that is reason enough, but the #1 reason is the personal historical significance of this piece to me. It represented the end of the line for collecting SLU's. This was the last piece I ever chased down. I had been waiting for Extended Series baseball to come out for a long time knowing this Griffey piece was in the set. During the summer when we made our annual vacation/SLU hunt  trip, we chose Dallas this particular year. Extended has just come out and I was just hoping that I'd find a Griffey in one of the numerous  Wal-Marts, Targets etc.. Luck never usually went my way, I was sure this piece would be super tough to find. Believe it or not though, I did find it, and it was at one of the Toys R Us stores in Dallas. I also picked up some of the All Century Team SLU's that were out during this trip, but those ended up getting returned when I decided to stop collecting SLU's. After this trip (and after making a 2000 Football Wish List) I reevaluated my collection and decided it was best to move on and sell off most of it. This Griffey was one of the few pieces that I kept out of my original collection. It signifies the end of an era of my SLU collecting days.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#118 2010 Ken Griffey Jr "The Kid" Bobblehead

Why I Like It:  A break from SLU's but still a figurine, this is the only bobblehead I have in my collection. I bought this off Ebay, I dunno, I just liked it. These were given away on April 16th, 2010 during the Mariners/Tigers game. It's the first of 5 bobblehead nights the Mariners had that season. Griffey's my guy so it's fitting he's my only bobblehead.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#119 1996 Starting Lineup Team USA Basketball Set 1

Why I Like It: It was the harder to find of the two sets and in my opinion it has the most star power with Shaq and Penny in their primes along with Pippen, Stockton and David Robinson.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#120 1996 Starting Lineup Team USA Basketball Set 2

Why I Like It: It was one of the pieces that helped kickstart the big run i went on collecting SLU's. This time around, Kenner decided to make two 5 player sets instead of one 10 player set for the 96  version of Team USA. This was the easier one of the two to find and it was definitely a must have. This set features Grant Hill, Reggie Miler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, and Glenn Robinson.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#121 1992 Starting Lineup Team USA Basketball Set

Why I Like It: It's one of the most iconic sets made by Kenner. The funny thing is, these were horrible sellers when they initially came out and were blown out on clearance shelves at pretty much every retailer that carried them. After SLU's started gaining steam though, so did this. And why wouldn't it? It's a great collector's piece of the greatest team ever assembled in basketball history. I waited until the crash to get this and it's actually in pretty terrible shape. That's the main reason I don't have it ranked higher.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#122 1996 Starting Lineup Derek Jeter FP

 

 Why I Like It: I mentioned before that although I'm not exactly thrilled with the piece itself..it comes across kinda bland to me, I still can't leave this off the countdown since it's such an important piece in SLU history. I remember never even coming remotely close to finding this piece locally when it came out. I got it many years later after the market crash. If the figure had been cooler (I even would prefer the pinstripes over the grey jersey) maybe it would've ranked higher but still there's no denying that this is a must have figure for every SLU collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#123 1999 Starting Lineup Randy Moss FP

 

Why I like it:  It was one of the most anticipated figures I had waited for. I was disappointed he wasn't in the 98 extended set, but knew there was no way Hasbro would exclude him from the 99 set. I knew I had zero shot at it retail level (though I did score the Classic Double with Cris Carter as I bought the set through JC Penney of all places). Finally at a card show I found it for $15 and gladly paid the price. The Moss Rookie Piece was MINE!!! It's the only non Cowboy football piece I kept from my original collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#124 1999 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Minors to Majors Ken Griffey Jr.

Why I Like It: The Griffey SLU Barrage continues with yet another Classic Double featuring "The Kid".  This series was unique as it featured a figure of the player in their minor league uniform along with one in their modern MLB uniform. Of course with Griffey in the set I had to get it, and I did find this at the retail level. It also showcases my favorite baseball pose, the "robbing of the hr" one.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#125 1996 Starting Lineup Anfernee Hardaway

 

 Why I Like It: I picked this over the rookie piece, 2nd year piece, and 97 Extended I have because of the story behind it. I wrote about it in an earlier post, but basically I grew up a HUGE Penny fan and the one thing I wanted the most was an SLU of him. Back around this time ALL my friends got hooked on collecting SLU's and one of my friends found a Penny at the local Venture store in town. I was shell shocked. A figure of that caliber found at retail and here in Corpus no less. To top it off, my friend was a Johnny Come Lately collector. He'd barely been in the game and right off the bat he finds my holy grail. I was beyond jealous. I never found the piece at stores, but that Christmas my parents bought it for me after finding it at our flea market. I was BEYOND STOKED. It became the cornerstone of my collection. That's the reason I like this figure over the other 3 made of Penny.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#126 1997 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Greg Maddux/Cy Young

 

Why I Like It:  Combine two of the greatest pitchers of all time with my favorite line of SLU's and you have yourself a winner. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces ever made and I was unable to find this originally during my run of collecting. Like many of the figures I own now, I bought this post-SLU crash a lot cheaper than these used to go for.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#127 1997 Starting Lineup Terrell Davis FP

 

Why I Like It:  It was the most coveted football piece of the 97 season. This figure was scorching hot as Davis was the hottest running back going in the league at the time. This figure regularly sold for $100 or more at its peak. It was impossible to find at retail level and being a kid there was just no way I thought I'd ever own it. Fast forward many years later after the big SLU Crash and I was able to snatch this for a mere 2 bucks. Crazy how times change. The impact of this figure alone is why it's always been a favorite of mine.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#128 1997 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Ken Griffey/Ken Griffey Jr

Why I Like It: The Classic Doubles line is an all time favorite of mine. I loved the different pairing Kenner/Hasbro would come up with throughout every sport. This was part of the inaugural baseball line of Classic Double and it doesn't get any better than father and son. I always found it pretty awesome that Griffey got to actually play with his dad towards the end of his father's career in Seattle. Definitely a favorite of mine in my Griffey Collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#129 1998 Starting Lineup Ken Griffey Jr. Stadium Stars

Why I Like It: I loved all different lines that Starting Lineup had during my collecting days. The larger Stadium Stars were no exception. This is the only I kept and of course it's of Ken Griffey Jr. who makes yet another SLU appearance on the countdown.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#130 1995 Cal Ripken Jr. Commemortive Starting Lineup

 

Why I Like It:  It commemorates the beginning of Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games streak. I love the piece as it showcases Ripken in the uniform he wore on the very first game of his streak. I was a kid while Ripken broke "The Streak" so it brings back great memories of what was and still is such a great record. This was pretty popular during the heyday of Starting Lineup Figures. I waited until market crashed to pick this up relatively cheap.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#131 98-99 Vince Carter Topps Chrome RC

Why I Like It: It's my favorite Vince Rookie Card and the only one left in my collection. I remember buying this during my birthday weekend in 1999 as there was a rare card show here in Corpus Christi. I'd wanted this card FOREVER and I believe i plunked down $60.00 of my birthday money to get this. I've always loved Topps Chrome since it's inital release and even though the SP Authentic is the best rookie card of Vince (which I used to own) I always preferred this one because of the reverse dunk photo and of course Topps Chrome finish. It was the cornerstone of my collection for a while.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#132 Ken Griffey Jr/Sandy Alomar Jr 1999 Starting Lineup Freeze Frame One on One

 

Why I Like It:  We continue with the parade of Griffey SLU's with the 3rd straight on the countdown. Multiplayer pieces such as Classic Doubles, Freeze Frames etc were always a favorite of mine. This was a Collector's Club Exclusive back in 1999 and revived the One on One Line that Kenner had in the late 80's. I didn't get it through the fan club, I bought it off Ebay years later. I love the "play at the plate" aspect of this set and of course it features Ken Griffey Jr so it makes it an automatic winner.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#133 Ken Griffey Jr 2000 Starting Lineup

Why I Like It: Not only do I love the diving catch pose, but the story behind as well. I've shared the store in previous post a couple years ago, but for a refresher here we go. I was out helping my friend go to door to door hanging Easter bags and after we got done we stopped by Wal Mart. Of course we immediately dart straight to the toy aisle with me leading the charge. Low and behold I found this and got excited but had forgotten that I didn't have any money to purchase it. My friend, being a collector, ended up buying it. I probably could've have hidden it and had my Dad take me back, but I decided not to and let him buy it. I reallllly wanted it though, and I knew there was a piece in my collection he'd be eying for a while. He's a HUGE Dallas Mavericks fan, and Michael Finley was his guy. He wanted my Finley rookie piece. We ended up making a swap and though it was hard to let go of my Finley (I never traded pieces away that I didn't have doubles of) I felt it was worth it to add this Griffey to my collection. We both ended up happy with the deal and we both still have the pieces in our possession.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#134 Ken Griffey Jr 1997 Starting Lineup

 

Why I like it: It's the first Ken Griffey Jr. I found in a store that I kept unopened during my Starting lineup craze. I previously had the 93 SLU, but I had opened it and I own the 96 Griffey but I bought that at our Flea Market. I found this one at our local Wal Mart. I absolutely love the pose as well, always thought it was awesome. When I sold the majority of my collection, I kept all my Griffey pieces as he's my favorite player in baseball. This won't be the last Griffey SLU you'll see on this countdown.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#135 1974 Topps Lem Barney

 

Why I Like It: I talked about this card about a year ago, it's my first ever vintage card. Back in the early 90's our little town of Calallen (a suburb of Corpus Christi, Texas) had 3 CARD SHOPS! Hard to fathom when I don't think Corpus has anymore card shops left today. Anyways Pops Cards & Comics was one of my favorite store as I distinctly remember buying packs of 90-91 Hoops and 1990 and 91 Pro Set Football cards there. They had singles as well, and I found this card for a quarter. I only bought it cause it was old. 1974! I had no idea who Lem Barney was and was pleasantly surprised to find out he was a Hall of Fame Player! This card will always be a sentimental favorite to me which is why it makes the countdown here at #135.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#136 Anfernee Hardaway 1996 Upper Deck Metal Collector Set

Why I like It: 1996 was right in the middle of the peak of Penny's career. He was my favorite player and as a kid I wanted every collectible I could get my hands on. I remember seeing this at K-Mart and I wanted it badly. That Christmas, this was one of my gifts. A unique different kind of trading card featuring my favorite player of all time.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#137 Anfernee Hardaway 1996 SPX

When I heard about 1996 SPX Basketball I was super excited. I always loved Upper Deck's hologram inserts, and now a whole base set dedicated to that was my kinda set. I then heard the absurd details (at the time, lol) 1 CARD PER PACK...what?!?!!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The price of the pack at my local shop...6 BUCKS. FOR ONE CARD! But to me..it was well worth it for the quality of the card. When it finally debuted I bit the bullet bought a pack and pulled a Hakeem Olajuwon. Eh..not terrible..it's not MJ or Penny, but to me it was well worth it. I wanted the Penny soooooo bad. To this day, it's my favorite of the 3 hologram based SPX sets (for the 98-99 SPX turned to SPX Finite and basically moved away from the hologram technology in their base sets and became a serial numbered tiered product). Later on that year, I spotted this card at a card show and if I recall paid $6 bucks or basically the cost of another pack. I was stoked to own this card. So beautiful. Today, the card's not worth much, but it symbolized what was starting to happen around this time..the concept of the "high end brand". I view it as a pioneer to what was see in today's higher end products.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#138 Brian Williams IP Autograph Photo

 

Why I Like It: It's my first ever autograph. Brian Williams, at the time was a prospect for the Houston Astros (1st round pick in 1990) and was one of the signers at our local mall here in Corpus. Now I actually went for another certain player who I'll be showcasing later in this countdown, but Brian Williams was free, and even though as a kid, I had no idea who he was, I figured "why not, he's a major league baseball player". Brian not only signed the photo but personalized as well. It's funny looking at all the autographs I have in my collection like Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Emmitt etc..and remember that it alllll started with Brian Williams.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#139 1989-90 NBA Hoops David Robinson RC

Why I Like It: I know I'm beating a dead horse, but the cards left in my collection are not going to be jaw dropping by any means. If I kept any card, it was due to the story behind the card, not the card itself. That's why, although tough to sell my MJ Fleer Rookie, or Topps Chrome Kobe Rookie, there wasn't a real sentimental tie to those cards for me. The 89-90 David Robinson Hoops Rookie Card was THE CARD to have when I first entered the basketball card collecting hobby back in 1991.It's crazy to think that when I first started collecting basketball cards (baseball and football were the first sports I collected) David Robinson had only played 2 full seasons in the NBA. Man that makes me feel old. I distinctly remember going to card shops and seeing unopened packs of 89-90 Hoops with the David Robinson Rookie on top going for astronomical prices. It was the ultimate card to own. I remember this card booking for like some weird amount like $36 in the first Beckett I ever owned. Nowadays you can't sell these for a dollar (unless it's graded). I still overpaid for this as I remember paying $5 dollars at a San Antonio card show back in the late 90's. Although it's lost a lot of its luster, David Robinson turned out to be "ok" (Top 50 NBA Player, two time champion and Hall of Famer) and I'd rather just keep it then lose money on it by selling it on Ebay.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#140 1992-93 Fleer Slam Dunk Shaquille O'Neal

Why I Like It: It's the first Shaq card I ever pulled. For me I always look fondly back on Shaq-mania. As I've stated before, it was my first experience with rookie that had so much hype and promise. Being a kid, I basically knew the real good stuff I'd never be afford, and my only real way to obtain Shaq cards was pulling them the old fashioned way. This isn't even Shaq's true RC (which I would pull at a later date as well) but it's the first Shaq card I pulled and I was beyond excited to pull it. It's funny how recently, with selling the majority of my collection, it was so easy to not blink and sell autograph cards of Sandy Koufax, Walter Payton, George Mikan, etc..but this card which would probably bring in 25 cents on a good day, I would never be able to part with. That's nostalgic sentimental value for ya!

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#141 1990 Score Frank Thomas RC

Hadn't realized it's been a couple months since I last posted anything. Haven't had time to but now that I do, on to the countdown.

Why I Like It:  It was one of my first "big" purchases and it was of one of my favorite baseball players as a kid. I remember being so jealous that my friend had a  1990 Topps Rookie Card of Frank Thomas, and he knew he'd never trade it so I had to have a rookie card of The Big Hurt. I bought this at our local flea market for 5 bucks over 20 years ago. For a little while, it was the best card in my whole collection. I loved it so much. Sentimental value is what keeps this card in my collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#142 99-00 Mattel NBA Superstars Vince Carter FP

Why I Like It: Vinsanity took over the hobby in the late 90's/early 2000s and everything of Vince Carter was scorching hot. This piece brings me back to the time where EVERYTHING Vince Carter was high in demand. In the sports figures world, Hasbro had bowed out of the NBA market in 1998, opening up the chance for Mattel to come in with their own line of sports collectible figures. This piece was one the most coveted of the time. Vince Carter's rookie piece was in high demand and was a very difficult figure to find. I waited until after not only Vinsanity subsided but interest in the Mattel Line of figures waned to finally add this piece to my collection. Vinsanity was probably the most fun I ever had in the hobby, and this brings back so many fun and awesome memories.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#143 John "Mule" Miles IP Autograph 8X10

Why I Like It: It's a moment as a young teenager I'll never forget. It was the late 90's and there was a card show in San Antonio and John "Mule" Miles was one of the signers at the show. He was signing for free and it's pretty surreal to meet someone who had played in era where the color of your skin determined what league you could actually play for. It's a shame that players like Mr. Miles, Josh Gibson, Ray Dandridge, Cool Papa Bell, Buck O'Neil and countless others never were afforded the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues where they belonged. Even at a young age, I understood the injustice of that era, and it's inspirational to meet a guy like John Miles. He was beyond courteous and nice and it was truly an honor to meet him and get his autograph. I proudly still display this autograph in my room.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#144 1992 Classic Draft Picks Shaquille O'Neal

Why I Like It: It was THE SHAQ CARD TO HAVE before his initial NBA Rookie Cards came out. I was 8 years old when Shaq entered in the league and it was my first experience with a player coming in the league with so much hype. People wanted everything and anything of Shaq and due to Classic's exclusive deal with Shaq this was Shaq's first card and it was very popular. As a little kid, I could never afford it. I did buy a couple packs of this stuff hoping to pull it but to no avail. My cousin got the complete set for Christmas that year and  I was beyond jealous. Such a cool simple card. A few years ago I finally bought one for a buck. I might have overpaid, but the memories alone were well worth it.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#145 2012 Breygent Michael C. Hall Autograph

 

 Why I Like It: Dexter was one of my favorite shows of all time, and though the ending was very disappointing, it still was an awesome and unforgettable show. I don't have many non sports autographs in my collection, but adding Dexter Morgan's auto to my collection was definitely something I had to do.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#146 Jay Novecek Autograph BB&T Advertisement Card

Why I Like It: Sure it's not an official game photo or a card, but it's still pretty cool to get a personalized autograph from one the best players on my favorite team, especially of a player who was a key contributor to those 3 Super Bowl Wins in the 90's. My boss actually went to this seminar and got the autograph and surprised me with this when he got back. Thought it was pretty cool, and I love gold pen autographs as well.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#147 Anfernee Hardaway Fan Club 8X10 "Autograph"

Why I Like It: This brings back SO many memories. Anfernee Hardaway was my favorite player growing up and I sent him a letter with a card hoping he would return it autographed. Of course at the time, Penny basically only rivaled Michael Jordan as most popular player in the league, so even as a kid I knew my odds were slim. My card got returned..unsigned of course, but I did get an invitation to join Penny's fan club!! I begged my parents to let me join (I believe I was 9 or 10 at the time), it promised an autographed 8X10 pic of Penny plus Fan Club Newsletters! I was stoked when they let me join and couldn't wait to get in the autograph! This is the "autograph" I got. It's not a real hand signed auto, rather it's a pre printed one, but at the time I sure as hell treated it like one and it was the "cornerstone" of my collection. I do have real autographs of Penny, but to this day I still proudly hang in this photo in my room as a reminder that I was in the Penny Hardaway fan club!

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#148 Ty Beanie Babies Fortune The Panda Bear

Why I Like It: A Beanie Baby?? Really?? Yes..really. Back in the Late 90's-Early 2000's, Beanie Babies were so popular that even my mom got into collecting them. She bought quite a few, but she didn't last long and ended up selling all but two and giving them to me as keepsakes. Smarter the Owl, which commemorates my high school graduation as it's dated 2002, and this one. So what makes this one so special?

 

This particular one was "born" on my birthday, December 6th. I always thought that was pretty cool, and it's a neat litter reminder that once upon a time even my mom caught the collecting bug.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#149 1998 AUthentic Images Mark McGwire 62nd Homerun Commemorative Card

Why I Like It: Because it's the only reminder in my collection of that magical 1998 summer with McGwire and Sosa. I know it's one of those overproduced Shop At Home/QVC collectibles, but it was a gift from my aunt and it takes me back to how special that baseball season was. Had I kept my commemorative SLU's, I'm sure that would've been a greater representative, but I didn't, and I still have this and I just look it at smile, regardless of what ended up being a totally steroid induced era. At the time I was a high school freshman just in awe of what was happening. Good times indeed.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#150 1999 Topps WCW/NWO El Dandy Autograph

Why I Like It: What a random way to start a countdown eh? Unless you're a wrestling fan...make that a hardcore wrestling fan (or more specifically Lucha Libre fan) you might have NO IDEA why such a low level wrestler's autograph would even come close to making a countdown filled with game used, autographs, rookies cards of real superstars and the such. But alas here it is to kick us off. El Dandy is 100% an inside joke between me and my cousin. He was trying to create Macho Man Randy Savage in Raw for XBox and it looked NOTHING like him at all. In fact, it looked more like....EL DANDY than anything. I took upon myself to rename "Macho Man" El Dandy, and to this day will never let my cousin live it down. Thus the legend began. Plus we can't forget that super awesome promo Bret Hart cut on El Dandy, granting him a shot at the WCW U.S. Title

That made me love  El Dandy even more. So when I was flipping through Ebay one day and saw this card, I KNEW I had to get it. So who are YOU to doubt El Dandy's worthiness on this countdown??

Sports Card and Memories Present: My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection

In the 25 plus years I've been collecting, I've done it all. Cards, Pogs, Autographs,Video Games,Starting Lineups, Headliners, Wrestling stuff, McFarlane Figures, the list goes on and on. I'm a sucker for doing countdown lists and it's been a couple years since my top 100 cards countdown so I decided to rank my Favorite 150 Items in my collection. Since my card collection is basically dwindled down to very little, I've encompassed everything in my entire collection, cards figures, autographs, etc. Some of the stuff ranked is purely based on sentimental and personal reasons, which is why you'll see some things that are probably worth no more than a few bucks. I thought it was fun to take a ride down memory lane and also take a deep breath and look at all the cool stuff I've been able to accumulate throughout the years. So get ready, because the countdown starts today!