Thursday, 2 November 2023

Old football, or soccer if you prefer

When I'm at a card show, many things catch my eye. I'll buy all sorts of things if they catch my eye, and the price is right.

A while ago, I was at my local card show, at a mostly non-sport dealer that I often buy things from, when another collector that I knew stopped by. The dealer greeted him, and pulled out a whole bunch of old tobacco type card sets for him to look through.

The other collector is mostly a military collector, but other history type card sets also catch his eye. He generally isn't interested in sports cards though.

As he was looking through the sets, certain sports card sets caught my attention, but I didn't think I would want to pay what I thought they would sell for.

The dealer then told the other collector that he got a very good deal on the whole box of sets that he had, and would be willing to sell them for $8.00 per set. (And that is Canadian dollars, so just over $5.00 US dollars a set.)

I asked if I could look through and grab some sets at that price, and the dealer had no problem with that.

Here is one of the sets that I bought: 1958 Football Clubs and Badges




The card on the left, with its black writing on dark green is West Bromwich Albion.

I really like the look of these cards. Most have partial looks of jerseys in the background, along with the team badge and colours in the foreground of the card.




I have casually followed English Football since I was in high school in the 1980s. A good friend's family was from Birmingham, and he was an Aston Villa fan. I decided to start following them as my team as well.

Aston Villa was one of three clubs to be founding members of the original Football League in 1888, and the Premier League in 1992.

Villa also has a commonality with the Cleveland Browns. Former Browns owner Randy Lerner purchased Aston Villa in 2006. Unfortunately, both teams had similar levels of success during his ownership.

Lerner sold the Browns in 2012, and Aston Villa in 2016 following their relegation from the Premier League.





The back of the Manchester United card makes reference to the Munich air disaster in February 1958. Eight United players and three team staff were among the 23 people to die in the crash. Two other players were severely injured and never played again.

Sir Bobby Charlton, a survivor of the crash, and one of the greatest players of all time, passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 86.




I find it interesting to see Burnley's colours listed as Dark Red & White. Their home colours now are claret and blue, and at a quick glance, I get them confused with Aston Villa.




I wasn't aware that Burnley had a stretch of thirty matches without defeat in their history. Pretty cool.



Seeing Arsenal's card here, I'm always reminded of a friend who would comment that you can't spell Arsenal without Arse.

Another good friend is an Arsenal fan. It is fun to hang out with the two of them when they start discussing football.




After over 20 years out of the Premier League, Nottingham Forest was promoted after winning the 2022 Championship final. Last season, they collected 11 points in their last six games to avoid relegation.

I will be cheering against Nottingham Forest this weekend when they host Aston Villa.





Aston Villa's last game was a 3-0 victory over Luton Town.

Luton Town was promoted to the Premier League this season, becoming the first football team to return to the top tier of English football after falling to the fifth tier of English football.





A number of years ago, I got to work with an elderly gentleman that grew up in London as a Tottenham fan. He told me many stories of attending games.

Even though he's lived in Canada for decades now, part of his life still revolves around the Hotspurs. I know he's happy seeing them on top of the table right now.





I can't say that I am really familiar with them other than seeing their name in the scores over the years, but Sheffield Wednesday was promoted back to the Championship League at the end of last season. And, yes, their nickname is The Owls.





Is it bad that when I see Blackpool, I now think of AEW's wrestling stable, The Blackpool Combat Club?

Looking for information on these teams, I saw in Wikipedia that Preston North End has been based at Deepdale since 1875. This makes Deepdale football's oldest ground in terms of continuous use by a league club.




The Wolverhampton badge on this card is the coat of arms of Wolverhampton City Council. Their current badge has a single wolf head design, and the team is commonly known as the Wolves.




I don't think I really need to say anything about Manchester City, after they've won the Premier League the last three seasons.




Colours: Blue & White x2




It's funny reading the back of these cards and then being stunned that Chelsea's card says that they were formed in 1905. That seems so new compared to the other clubs.

Chelsea is one of six football clubs that have never been relegated from the Premier Leagues since it was founded in 1992. (Along with Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.)




Colours: Blue & White x2 (Hmmm, that looks familiar.)




Of course, after pointing out that Chelsea seemed almost new, along comes Colchester United, founded in 1937. They currently play in League Two.

Leicester City was relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season. They currently top the table in The Championship division.




What? Only one Blue & White here.




Looking at the Everton back, it mentions how they were one of the original members of the Football League. They are another team that was also an original member of the Premier League.

I guess that I haven't pointed out the bottom of these cards. Unlike the tobacco cards, these ones appear to be from packages of tea.

From what I could find in a quick Google search, F. Lambert and Son Ltd, were tea merchants, tobacconists and confectioners in Norwich, Norfolk from 1762-1965.

Many different card sets seem to have been included with Lamberts of Norwich tea over the years.




Their team nickname is the Canaries. I love it!

And I guess they would be the home team of the card set sponsors.

Wikipedia mentions that Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio was appointed a director of the club in September 2022, and is expected to buy a stake in the club. 

I'm thrilled to have found this set, and hope that you enjoyed this look at it.

Saturday, 28 October 2023

Catching up with my collection - Revisited

I will constantly be adding to my collection, but I finally caught up to all the cards that I had bought and not posted about over the last year or so. However, in doing so, I added some cards to my collection after I had posted for those years.

Here are the cards that missed their previous posts.



A tiny piece of a football on this Tim Couch Rookie Game Gear HoloGold card from the 1999 Collector's Edge 1st Place set.



The card on the left is a Kevin Johnson Pro Signature Authentics insert card from 1999 Collector's Edge Odyssey.

The card on the right is a base card of Terry Kirby from 1999 Playoff Prestige SSD.



Here are a pair of base cards from the 2000 Playoff Absolute set.

Karim Abdul-Jabbar played one season with the Browns, their 1999 expansion season. He then signed with the Colts as a free agent before the 2000 season. 

Errict Rhett also only played one season with the Browns, the 2000 season, rushing 71 times for 258 yards.




Two cards of the first overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, Courtney Brown.

The piece of football in the top card is a little bigger than the one in TIm Couch's card earlier in the blog. This card is a Touch Football insert card from 2000 Fleer Showcase.

The bottom card is a Rookie Starscape insert card from 2000 SPx.



The card on the left is a Class 3 version of Dennis Northcutt from 2000 Topps Gold Label. It isn't a parallel as they have different pictures on the different classes of the card.

The card on the right is a base card of Dennis Northcutt from 2000 Upper Deck Encore.



This Future Watch memorabila card of James Jackson is part of the base numbering of the 2001 SP Authentic set, It is numbered out of 500.

There are four other Browns rookies like this that I still need to collect from this set.



The top card, of William Green, is a Rookie Premiere Jerseys insert card from 2002 Topps Pristine.

The bottom card is a Sweet Impressions insert card of Quincy Morgan, numbered out of 459, from 2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot.



This manufactured relic of James Jackson is a Signature Patches insert card from 2003 UD Patch Collection. I think I would have liked to see the signature centered better in the card.



Two rookie cards of Luke McCown. The jersey card on the left is from the base 2004 Bowman's Best set, while the card on the right is from 2004 Score.



Moving from one year to the next and from one quarterback to the next, here are two Charlie Frye cards.

The card on the left is numbered out of 499, and from 2005 SP Authentic, while the card on the right is from 2005 Finest, and numbered out of 299.



Another card of Charlie Frye. I like this one in a locker room. It is a Rookie Winning Materials insert card from 2005 SPx.



I guess they played a bit of mix and match in this Cut from the Same Cloth Red insert set from 2005 Upper Deck Reflections. Charlie Frye sharing cards with Jason Campbell and Byron Leftwich.

Jason Campbell played nine games for the Browns in 2013.

At least for the two Charlie Frye swatches, one is white and the other is brown.



I'm sure I've mentioned it in other posts, but Darrell Hackney was an undrafted free agent in 2006 out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

With these cards, I now have 25 of Hackney's cards, and 8 are autographed.

The card on the left is an Endorsements insert card from 2006 Fleer Hot Prospects.

The middle card is a Mirror Red Signatures insert card, numbered out of 250, from 2006 Leaf Certified Materials.

The card on the right is from 2006 Upper Deck Rookie Debut.



The card on the left is Jerome Harrison's card from 2006 Upper Deck Rookie Debut.

The card on the right is Kamerion Wimbley's card from 2006 Bowman Sterling.



Former Miami Hurricane Tyrone Ross wasn't drafted by the Browns but practiced with the Browns in their May 2007 minicamp. He couldn't continue due to a knee injury. Sadly, he died young, at 33, in 2018.

This card is a Premier Penmanship Gold insert parallel, numbered out of 99, from 2007 Upper Deck Premier.



The card on the left is a Legends insert card of Braylon Edwards from 2008 Topps Rookie Progression.

The card on the right is an Autographs insert card of Paul Hubbard from 2008 SP Rookie Edition. It is a 1995 SP Design. Hubbard was a sixth round pick of the Browns, out of Wisconsin, in the 2008 NFL Draft.



The top card is a Gold parallel, numbered out of 199, of Jamal Lewis from the 2008 Topps Rookie Progression set.

The bottom card is a Super Scripts Autographs card of Martin Rucker from 2008 SPx. Rucker was a fourth round pick from Missouri in the 2008 NFL Draft.



It is nice to add a memorabilia card of a Hall of Famer. The card on the left is a Threads insert card, numbered out of 100, of Paul Warfield from 2008 Leaf Limited.

The card on the right is a Jerseys insert card of Kellen Winslow Jr. from 2008 Donruss Threads.



Here are a pair of James Davis autographed cards. Davis was a sixth round draft pick, out of Clemson, in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The top card is a Rookie Autographs insert card from 2009 Bowman Chrome.

The bottom card is a Rookie Autographs Black Refractor card, numbered out of 25, from 2009 Topps Platinum.



A couple more autographed cards of Mohamed Massaquoi joined my collection. 

The card on the left is an Autographs insert card, numbered out of 99, from 2009 Score Inscriptions.

The card on the right is a Rookie Autographs card from 2009 Topps Chrome.



Okay, this card is thick. It confused me a bit. I saw the two different swatches on both sides, and was surprised that it was a card of the same player on both sides.

This is a Ultimate Rookie Big Materials insert card of Brian Robiskie, numbered out of 99, from 2009 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection.



I guess the card has a serial number on it. Sticker of authenticity?



This post will finish with a couple more autographed cards from 2010.

The top card is another Mohamed Massaquoi autographed card. It is a Peak Performance Autographs insert card from 2010 Topps.

The bottom card is an autographed rookie card of T.J. Ward from 2010 Bowman Sterling. Ward was a second round draft pick of the Browns, out of Oregon, in the 2010 NFL Draft.

I'm happy to have caught up with all these new cards to my collection. They have all been added into the appropriate boxes and binders.

Of course there are still many more Browns cards out there to collect and show off.

Sunday, 22 October 2023

Catching up with my collection - 11

This post will catch up with the cards that I added to my collection from 2020 - 2022. There will be one more post in the series to catch up on some cards from earlier seasons that I had already passed when I had acquired them.



Three more Odell Beckham Jr. cards to add to my collection. 

The card on the left is a base card from 2020 Panini Illusions. I prefer the other Illusions cards where they have a different player in the background, as opposed to having a second photo of the player whose card it is.

The middle card is a base card from 2020 Panini Prestige.

The card on the left is a Hot Stars Prizm insert card from 2020 Panini Select.




The overhead light in the room affects quite a few of the photos in this post. The card on the left is a base 2020 Panini Prizm card of Nick Chubb, even though it seems a little shiny in top right corner. No rainbow color of a prizm though.

The card on the right is a Purple Prizm Die Cut card of Grant Delpit from 2020 Panini Select. Delpit is playing very well for the Browns this year, and I hope they sign him to a contract extension sometime soon.



Here are a couple more base cards from 2020 Panini Prizm. 

Austin Hooper played the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Browns before being releases, and playing with the Titans last year, and the Raiders this year.



The light didn't do this card any favors. It is a Joe Thomas base card from 2020 Panini Prizm.



Jedrick Wills was drafted by the Browns, out of Alabama, with the tenth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. After a good rookie season, he has been a little inconsistent at left tackle. He played well last week, and I hope he continues to play well and show improvement.

The card on the left is Wills' rookie card from 2020 Donruss, while the card on the right is his rookie card from 2020 Panini Select.



Here are a couple of parallel cards from 2021 sets.

The Nick Chubb card is a Bronze parallel from 2021 Panini Chronicles, while the Jarvis Landry card is a Stars parallel from 2021 Donruss Optic.



Here a couple of Baker Mayfield parallels from 2021 sets. 

The card on the left is a Ruby parallel from the MVP Contenders insert set in 2021 Panini Contenders, while the card on the right is a Neon Green Prizm Die Cut parallel, numbered out of 349, from 2021 Panini Select.



I like both of these autograph cards, even if they are on stickers. 

The card on the left is a Select Signatures Blue Prizm card, numbered out of 99, of David Njoku, from 2021 Panini Select. I like his signature, even if I wouldn't be able to identify it if I was just looking at it alone. At least it is more intricate that an intial with a line following it.

I was really pleased to add the card on the right to my collection. I like getting autographed cards from players from the pre-move Cleveland Browns, and a Michael Dean Perry autograph definitely qualifies. This card is a Mirror Signatures insert card, numbered out of 199, from 2021 Panini Certified.



Anthony Schwartz was a reciever that was drafted by the Browns, out of Auburn, in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. A speedster, he represented the US at international Under 20 track meets.

I really liked his pick, liking his speed and hoping to see him as a deep threat for the Browns. Unfortunately, he was released from injured reserve this year, after catching 14 passes, and 1 touchdown in his two seasons with the Browns. 

The card on the left is a Rookie Force insert card from 2021 Panini Absolute, while the card on the right is a Rookie Ticket Swatches insert card from 2021 Panini Contenders.



The top card is a Rookie Stallions insert card from 2021 Panini Playoff, while the bottom card is a White Prizm Die Cut insert card, numbered out of 99, from 2021 Panini Select.



The 2022 cards start with these Nick Chubb cards.

The card on the left is his base card from 2022 Clearly Donruss. I picked up the purple parallel to this card at the show in Syracuse last week.

The middle card is a Fire Fabrics insert card, numbered out of 99, from 2022 Panini Phoenix.

The card on the right is a Red parallel from 2022 Score.



When I put together the cards that I needed for this post, I checked the cards on in my collection on the Trading Card Database.  I went to put the cards in my collection after taking these photos. I must not have done a good job entering my collection because as it turned out, I already had the top left and bottom card from this photo.

The top right card, which I needed, was a Xtra Points Blue parallel card, numbered out of 299, from 2022 Panini Prestige.


I also had a copy of the top card, a Celebration insert card of Baker Mayfield from 2022 Score. Oops.

The bottom card was the first Cade York card that I owned, followed by its base card that I showed in the Syracuse card show post. This is the Red Wave parallel card, numbered out of 149, from 2022 Panini Prizm.