Decisions... Decisions...

Have you ever walked into McDonald's and there's a guy in line who keeps letting people go in front of him, because he can't figure out what he wants?  That's me.  I'll go into McDonald's thinking I want a Filet-O-Fish and end up walking out with a Big Mac.  The same thing applies to sports cards, because that's who I am... Mr. Indecisive.

That's why if you ever check out my collection on my website... you'll see I collect a little bit of everything.  Vintage?  Yup.  Autographs?  I've got them too.  Sets?  You betcha.  I've got team PC's, player PC's, non-sport PC's, hometown PC's.  Heck... I even collect damaged cards.

Honestly... sometimes it's very challenging for me to decide which collection I want to spend my hard earned money on.  But last night, when P-town Tom asked us to write a post about our favorite 2016 card, it was one of the easier decisions I've had to make.

2016 Topps Strata Signature Patch cards are one of the coolest sets I've seen in recent years.  They're essentially Upper Deck Shadow Box knockoffs, which combine an on-card autograph and a swatch of game worn jersey encapsulated within multiple layers of acetate.  The end result gives off a three dimensional look that is truly gorgeous.

Back n August, I rolled the dice and purchased a redemption card off of eBay for the Rickey Henderson card.  I immediately turned around and redeemed it.  About a month later, I received this in the mail:

Isn't it awesome?  I was very happy with this purchase... even if it was pricier than 99% of my single card purchases.  In hindsight... I actually got a pretty good deal.  Recently collectors have had to pay over $125 for their copies.  However... I was fortunate enough to pick this card up for only $73.88 (+ $2.75 shipping).  But it's not really about the money... since this card won't be leaving my Rickey Henderson collection anytime soon.

Okay... it's your turn.

What's your favorite 2016 card?

If you're willing to write up a short post explaining your answer, you can enter a contest over on P-town Tom's blog.  Just leave a link in his comment section.

I look forward to reading everyone's responses.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

The chosen ones...

The Dimwit asked... 

 Which is your all time favorite product in each sport you collect?

This was a very difficult question to answer, since I collect a variety of things and love them all. But I'm sure that's not the response he's looking for. So after 30 minutes of deliberation, here's what I came up with:

Baseball: 1983 Topps

1956 Topps baseball is my favorite baseball card design... but unfortunately... I don't have the funds to actively collect it. So my favorite set to collect would have to be the 1983 Topps set. I like the dual photo design and the fact that it holds my favorite player's rookie card.


Basketball: 2008/09 Topps Signature Autographs

A lot of people aren't big fans of sticker autographs and I'm one of those people. But I truly enjoyed the challenge of building this set. The 85 card checklist has a balance of both rookies (Derrick Rose), veterans (Dwight Howard), old timers (Spud Webb), and legends (Bill Russell). And since Topps used this product to dump their basketball stickers before losing their license, there was a wide range in production numbers: from J.J. Hickson (only 125 copies) to Nick Young & Yi Jianlian (6,225 copies each).


Football: 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

I'm a huge fan of Upper Deck Masterpieces in general. Any sport... period. But I just so happened to bust a case of this awesome product and speaking from a collector who rarely busts new products, I will say this... I have zero regrets. UD Masterpieces features a simple design, painted portraits, and a great checklist.


Hockey: 1997/98 Zenith Dare to Tear

Are you a fan of gimmicks?  If so, this was the product for you.  Pinnacle forced the collector to make a decision: keep the 5"x7" card intact or tear it open to reveal the regular issue card. Fifteen years ago, I busted a ton of this product and built both sets.

Now before I go too far, I'd like to publish this disclaimer: My selections were made off the top of my head.  Did I put some thought into it?  Of course.  But I'm getting old and my memory isn't as good as it used to be.  I've collected for over thirty years and I'm sure there are a ton of other sets I love to collect. So I reserve the right to swap some of these sets out if something else comes to mind.

So while I'm weighing my options over the next two to three decades... let's go ahead and see yours.

What are your all-time favorite products to collect in each sport?

1 Point - Leave your response below.
2 Points - If you've already written about this on your blog, then leave a link below.
3 to 5 Points - Write your response in a new blog post, then leave a link below.

I'll accept responses until tomorrow (Sunday) at 3pm (PST). I look forward to reading your responses.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!