That's exactly what you'll get when you dive into a box of Goodwin Champions.
Okay... so there are a few guys like Lebron James, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan who play or played on teams. However they're definitely in the minority. So if you're looking for baseball, basketball, football, and hockey cards... then there are probably better options for you out there.
On the other hand... if you're a collector who appreciates variety... then this product rivals Allen and Ginter.
Last week, Mario over at Wax Heaven generously sent me a box of 2017 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions and it didn't take long for me to rip through the twenty packs.
Upper Deck guarantees an average of three hits per box, which range from autographs, memorabilia cards, manufactured relics, to Wonders of the Universe lenticular cards.
As a guy who appreciates the "hits", I figured I'd kick things off with the three that I pulled:
2017 UD Goodwin Champions Goudey Memorabilia #GM-TF
This is a great looking memorabilia card, but I've never heard of Mr. Fritz. According to the ATP World Tour, he's currently ranked #68 in men's singles. He's only twenty years old, so maybe he'll end up being the next Roger Federer.
2017 UD Goodwin Champions Dual Premium Memorabilia #M2-MH
Now I've definitely heard of this guy. He's currently the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion who was supposed to fight last night at UFC 226. Unfortunately due to health concerns he was pulled from the card earlier in the week.
Holloway was born in Waianae, which is where my father spent part of his childhood. This card will make a sweet addition to my Hawaii PC.
2017 UD Goodwin Champions Wonders of the Universe #U-10
I'm a huge fan of lenticular cards and the idea of having cards featuring planets and other celestial objects is pretty cool. However... I think of this as more of an insert card, than a "hit".
Neptune is considered a tier one "hit", which is the most common. Although these were inserted into only 1:64 packs, which makes it a fairly tough pull. Maybe that's why Upper Deck considers them "hits".
Moving along to the base set. There are 150 cards in the 2017 Goodwin Champions set, which is broken down into three 50 card groups: portraits (#1 - #50), landscapes (#51 - #100), and black and white SP's (#101 - #150).
I pulled 39 portraits...
39 landscapes...
And 5 black and white SP's.
Collation was perfect! No duplicates.
Overall... I really love the look of the base card set which is why I've decided to try to complete the 100 card portrait and landscape set.
Here's a closer look at two of my favorite base cards:
2017 Goodwin Champions #1
U.S. President trading cards are cool! And this particular design is one of the coolest. I'm just bummed that Upper Deck chose to only create cards for the first nine U.S. Presidents. I would have loved to have seen a President Reagan or a President Obama card.
2017 Goodwin Champions #71
One of the 2017 Goodwin Champions subsets is animals and they're fantastic. This particular card was hands down my favorite card in the box. Yes. That includes the Holloway. It's simply breathtakingly beautiful.
The last twelve cards from the box were inserts and parallels. Here are the five Goudey inserts I pulled:
These five cards are actually three different Goudey sets: presidents (1:22 packs), animals (1:13 packs), and the "everyone" else set (1:8 packs).
The remaining seven cards were mini parallels:
Regular Minis (1:4 Packs)
Black and White Minis (Randomly Inserted)
Canvas Mini (Randomly Inserted)
Tall blondes aren't usually my cup of tea, but after looking Ms. Bouchard up on Google... I've gotta admit that she's very easy on the eyes.
Well there you have it: 2017 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions. Overall I was very impressed with the overall look of the cards... especially the U.S. Presidents and animal subsets. Variety is truly the spice of life.
What about you?
Are you a Goodwin Champions kind of collector?
Once again... a huge thank you to Mario a.k.a Wax Heaven for hooking me up with this very generous gift. It definitely helped brighten up my week.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
Extra Innings
On May 14th, I challenged myself to walk 10,000 steps every day for 56 straight days (sort of as a tribute to Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak).
2003 UD Play Ball The Yankee Clipper: 1941 Streak #S-56
Today was Day #56. It wasn't easy. There were a few days I considered giving up, but I'm so grateful that I didn't.
Will the streak continue? Maybe. Maybe not. It should continue for at least the next five days. However next Saturday, I might just be like Wally Pipp and take the day off.
Yes.... but I go all out on A&G, so I simply choose to ignore the fact that this exists. I do love that eagle card though (and the black & white mini eagle).
ReplyDeleteI think these cards look fantastic, I just get overwhelmed trying to collect everything at once. I had to promise myself to stick to baseball or I'd go broke very quickly. I usually get a sampling of A & G each year, only purchased a box once.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Goodwin Champions or A&G guy, but that doesn't mean I don't like looking at the cards others pull. Looks like a fun box break.
ReplyDeleteI've already managed to get most of what I wanted/needed from the 2016 & 2017 sets via singles on COMC, but I'd love to have the opportunity to bust a box of this someday.
ReplyDeleteI love that one of your hits is a PC card. It doesn't get much better than that.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it should be considered a "hit" either, but I sure do love that Neptune card!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I like these a whole lot. I miss the non-sports subjects of early A&G, mainly the inanimate objects (revolving doors!).
ReplyDeleteI miss Goodwin blasters.
ReplyDeleteI love goodwin. My favorite upper deck product now that they don't have any sport license I collect. However those lenticular cards as hits are very disappointing
ReplyDeleteI think I need to introduce you to some tennis. Eugenie Bouchard is quite well-known and a Canadian superstar. Also, I just watched the other day as Taylor Fritz nearly upset the No. 4 seed, Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon. That would've been a big deal for a U.S. male.
ReplyDeleteThe Goodwin look doesn't appeal to me. I'd much rather collect A&G. Also, I don't know what it is, but I'm not crazy about collecting most animal cards. Seems like there's a lot of them here.
A very interesting mix of subjects in here. I would love to see an all-space themed set again: Planets, rockets, astronauts, and satellites. I would jump all over that. Thanks for sharing the box break!
ReplyDeleteI like Goodwin Champions because it is an “everything” product. I know that logos are limited to NHL players only but Upper Deck does a nice job keeping it unique and interesting. Congratulations on your 56 day walk streak, i rarely top 10,000 steps in a day.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to A&G and Goodwin every year. I love the mix of sports stars, celebrities, and oddballs. I don't like that Goodwin really only has 50 subjects in the checklist, especially with the 2017 set since so many of the slots are taken up by animals and presidents. Still fun to check out every year!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your streak of 10,000 steps! These cards aren't my cup of tea, but the Eagle is awesome. The Neptune lenticular is probably my favorite though. And Eugenie Bouchard is lovely ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on meeting your goal towards good health. I'm on a crusade myself and it's paying off.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Goodwins...I bought a box a few years ago but never did much with them. I may pick up some of the Presidents subset.
Congrats on you personal streak! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work. Multi-sport (?) sets like this and A&G aren't my cup of tea, but still enjoy seeing the cards. Looks like a fun break.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who only likes the non-MLB part of Ginter I should like Goodwin more than I do. It certainly looks fun, it just doesn't move me.
ReplyDeleteAnd Waianae huh. My mom's from Kaneohe and my family always warned me to be about heading over to the Waianae side.
Also I've totally considered putting together a Hawaii PC for baseball.
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ReplyDeleteWow. Surprised so many of you aren't fans of Goodwin. Lol. I guess that leaves more out there for me to collect.
Brian - Yeah... trying to collect everything can be hard on the wallet. I've cut back a lot the past few years and even gave up basketball.
Kin - It's funny how the Cardboard Gods work. I was very happy to see the Holloway.
Jon - It's super cheap on COMC. I think most of the singles from that set sell for under a buck.
Nick - I gotta find me that Revolving Door rookie card.
Sport Card Collectors - I hope they eventually get their MLB and NFL licenses back.
night owl - I saw the Fritz/Zverev match. I do have a handful of tennis cards, but a lot of the players were from the 80's when I'd watch it with my mom.
SumoMenkoMan - I'd be for that all-space themed set.
Corky - Normally I get around 5 to 8k when I teach. It's the weekends that are the hardest. I've had days when I only get 1,500 steps on the weekend.
Ryan G - The whole 50 subjects was surprising. I wonder if that's how they'll do it this year.
Chris, Commishbob, Matt - Thanks! The streak is still alive. 58 days and counting. If I get my 10k steps today... maybe I'll post an Orel Hershiser post ;)
Nick Vossbrink - Yeah. Heard stories. My grandparents worked in the fields, so my father grew up living on a plantation or a camp near the plantation. They were pretty poor. If you decide to build a Hawaii PC for baseball, let me know. I have plenty of Kurt Suzuki dupes.
Great cards. I love the variety. Sadly though I'd end up with a bunch of cards I'm not sure what to do with. Still they would be fun to bust. Great post and cards!
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