Coming This Week

They said I was crazy.

But I was serious in my attempt to finish off 1992 Topps Stadium Club. My box of Series 1 had yielded me all but 3 cards, and thanks to JustCommons, I was all clear. Which left me two more Series of 1992 SC to break.

Today...both boxes arrived at my doorstep. Series 2. Series 3.

I figured I'd at least accomplish something this summer. So, these babies will be broken over the next week or so. Will I finish the set? Will I lose the rest of my sanity? You'll (sadly) get to find out!

Coming This Week...

I spent most of the winter promising that I'd keep the retro breaks going, and keep doing Stadium Club stuff, only that...didn't happen. I broke a few boxes between December and February, and that made up most of the offseason, and when I expected to keep going...I stopped.  I went back to being unproductive right when the season started. This was a little sad, so I decided the one thing that would get me writing again was another retro box. And it couldn't be Stadium Club, because I'd broken quite a few boxes of that.

No, I needed something with just the right amount of fun, that was still collectable, and still had a lot of great photography in it.

Bingo.

1995 Upper Deck Collector's Choice. In my opinion, this is Upper Deck's answer to Stadium Club, and they do it just as well as Topps does.

Look for the results of this box sometime soon.

They Can't Be Serious

I haven't seen enough people talking about this. However, since I'm the resident Stadium Club expert here, I figured I might as well go for it.

People have been comparing this announcement, which is basically pointing to the return of Stadium Club in 2014, to the announcement in 2008, which announced the return of the set, with a new limited version for hobby stores.

The difference is that back then we were asking for it.

Back in 2008, the cardblogosphere was absolutely adamant about there being another Stadium Club sets. There were online petitions, boycotts, etc, etc. And after actually HEARING THE COLLECTORS, Topps brought back the product, and ruined it.

Now, nobody's asking for another Stadium Club set, because we know what happens when we ask Topps to bring back things. They screw 'em all up. However, not asking could work to our advantage.

Because, in my opinion, the decision in 2008 was rushed by the collectors, the set that came out that year, with the exception of the photography, was an overcrowded, generally uncollectable mess. This year, I don't think they were rushed. They had time to think of the idea, plan out the set, and plan exactly what they were going to do, without a sea of collectors clawing at them from afar.

So, does this mean that the potential 2014 Stadium Club will be a good set? Too soon to say.

I mean, we've only seen one card. Not a sellsheet, not a checklist, not a parallel manifesto. Just a single, solitary insert. Once I get more info, I'll form an opinion about it.

For right now...I'm just patiently waiting for more news. And hoping it isn't worse than the 2008 set.

One Step Closer to Ninety-Three

So, this is my third and final box of 1993 Topps Stadium Club in my quest for a completed set. Once I'm done ripping this, I will post a complete wantlist for all three series of 1993, and then I'll start posting some major trade bait, and then I'll move onto mastering 1994. Plus, there's a card show coming up this weekend, and I could definitely look to seek out some old school Stadium Club.

So yeah. Once this break ends, crap really starts happening.

But of course, you wanna see the cards. Stay tuned. Over the next few days, you will.

You Should Be Used to This by Now

You see the thumbnail. Y'all know what's coming.

Amazon Money. Relatively cheap. Came in the mail today. You know the drill by this point. You probably even hate me for it. However, this time it's different.

This time I'm on a mission.

..from...me, I guess.

If I wanna collect and complete every Stadium Club base set known to man, I'm gonna have to get my hands dirty. I'm gonna have to rip a box of a set I've already ripped, only instead of Series 2, graciously donated by a shop owner in Meredith, New Hampshire, I'm ripping the first series.

It's not about the stars anymore. The Hall of Famers are nice, but unless they're doubles, I'm not putting them into my binders. It's about the collation more than ever. Shitty collation will ruin this box, and if I get less than 50% of the set, it's gonna boil down to the option of getting another. And that'll make me angry.

This is between me and this set. Fair and simple. I don't expect to get a complete set out of this, but that's what wantlists are for, and I might throw out some trade bait as well.

So sit back, relax, and watch me stare down 1993 Topps Stadium Club, Series One.

...in HD, y'all.

Part One- Up Tomorrow.

All is quiet...

...on New Year's Day.

Til now, at least. That is a box of 1995 Stadium Club Series One.

I actually got this box the day I came back from Austin. I was just busy yesterday. Will be posting the results over the next few days.

I can't spoil any of the cards, but expect two things:

1. The Cards DON'T STICK TO EACH OTHER!
2. The same, awful 1990's collation.

Part 1 will be up tomorrow.

A Whim

So I got a crapload of gift cards to Amazon.com. Amazon has done me well in the past. They've given me a pretty nice turntable, and a few killer vinyl. I've never tested their card abilities before. I never had any urge to just look up a hobby box of an old product, and hit 'purchase'.

That is, until now.

Details and obligatory ripping to follow.