2016 Panini Prestige football fat pack

When I last drove down to my PO Box to pick up my mail, I stopped in at a Wal-Mart and picked up a fat pack of 2016 Panini Prestige football to take a look at it and see if I'm lucky enough to get any of the Browns in the set.

I will be displaying the cards in the order that they were in my pack.

Yay! A Browns card early in the pack. But two Bengals. Oh, well.


I like the action shots and the prominent team logos. I would prefer the player's position to be shown on the front, but as long as it is on the back that is fine.


I understand that foil in cards scan dark which is why you have trouble reading some of the names here but they look nicer in person.


Now, let's see a back. What card do you think I'll pick?

Of course I'm going to pick Barnidge.


In general, I like the back. It is a good write-up. I like having the standard information of birth date, college, height and weight. Telling me how many seasons in the NFL is good, but I also like seeing where a player was drafted. There is no way of knowing on the card that of his 8 NFL seasons, the last three were in Cleveland following his first five with the Carolina Panthers.


I prefer seeing multiple season stats as opposed to just the last year and career totals, but no matter what they are showing I would like to see games played, and finally there is no position listed on the card. Barnidge is a TE.

Only one division rival in this grouping, and I like that card of Kuechly pointing before a snap.

A former Browns QB in Brian Hoyer. And I'm happy to see the updated Robert Ayers card showing his new team but keeping him in the Giants uniform. I prefer them listing the new team, but as a team collector, I would be buying the card if it were a Browns player having a new team listing. It is sometimes bittersweet doing it, but it is more annoying to me when they are still listed as a Browns player. I'll have to keep an eye out for the Travis Benjamin card in the set as I now suspect it will still show him in his Browns uniform.

In 2014 I went to Cleveland to watch the Browns play the Raiders. I was very impressed with Khalil Mack's play. One of my friends will be happy when I give him this card.

The last of the veteran cards in the fat pack. On to the inserts.

Myles Jack probably would have been a first-round pick in this year's draft if it weren't for a knee injury and questions about how long his knee will allow him to play before needing microfracture surgery in the future. I wish him well with the Jaguars.


Media darling Michael Strahan, as you can read on the back of his card, holds the NFL single-season sack record. As great a season as he had, I still think the record is tainted by Brett Favre giving himself up for the record-breaking sack. I want to see someone break this record.

I think I would have preferred to see Alshon Jeffery as the Bears Connection card.


I'm not a big Seahawks fan but I like Kam Chancellor so I didn't mind seeing this card.


I like both of these backs for giving specific moments of their season a spotlight.

The rookies, and yay, another Browns card!


Again, the foil name shows up better on the blue background than it appears in the scan.

Again, of course I'm going to show the back of the Browns card.


Philip Anthony "Scooby" Wright III has been called Scooby since he was a baby. He only played in three games last season after winning the awards mentioned on the back of the card in 2014. Falling in the draft due to this injury allowed the Browns to select him with the 250th pick of the 7th round of this year's NFL draft. Again, I would like to see games played and draft position mentioned on the card back.


Finally we get to the four Xtra Points Green Parallel cards of the pack.

Two Steelers...that's disappointing. At least it isn't a photo of Antonio Brown kicking the Browns punter in the face while trying to hurdle him like last year's Score card.


All in all I'm pleased with this year's Panini Prestige cards. You know what you're getting with the Prestige brand and I'll probably pick up the odd pack when I feel like opening something. And of course I will be chasing all those Browns that I don't have yet. Good job, Panini!

National Baseball Card Day

After being called by one local card store the other day, I decided to poke my head into a different local card store to see what is new. I ended up picking up a box of this year's Panini football stickers, and will review those in a later post.


However, while looking at other product and talking with the owner about his hockey dominated store, I mentioned that I mainly collect football cards and am generally more interested in baseball than hockey. That makes me an oddball in Canada but when I said that he said that he had something for me, and then handed me a pack of this year's National Baseball Card Day cards.


I told him that I didn't realize that any Canadian stores were actually part of the promotion to which he told me they had it listed on their website. Who knew to look there?


In any case, here is what I found in my pack:

Cards #34 and 40

Cards #43 and 31

Cards #26 and 10

I'm sure most people in Canada would be pleased pulling both Blue Jays from the 50 card checklist in one pack.


I'm not planning on keeping any of these, and since they sometimes comment on my posts, I'll assume that the Not Another Baseball Card Blog would probably want the Jays, and that The Chronicles of Fuji would probably want the Ichiro and Gray cards. Is anyone looking for the Mauer and Abreu cards?

Call from a local card store

I was sitting at work yesterday when the phone rang and it was a local card store calling. They had some Browns cards put aside for me if I wanted them. Needless to say I stopped there on the way home.


While waiting for service and flipping through cards, I saw one Browns card put aside that was pretty cool. I'm not all for manufactured relics, but this card was one that I didn't have.




2011 Topps - End Zone Icons #EZI-16

I like the photo, and the manufactured patch but the back is pretty boring.

At least it gives the standard height, weight, college and draft info. Other people might not appreciate it but I like it to compare player sizes at their positions, and in comparison with players at those positions decades ago. It is a small piece on info but better than having nothing.


This card wasn't why they called me though. They had opened up a couple of boxes of this year's football and had pulled the Browns for me.


I hadn't opened any Panini Classics yet this year, and I really like the cards. They have an old-time feel and look to them, but of course have all the parallel tricks that you expect to see in sets these days.


We'll start with a couple of rookies.

L: 2016 Panini Classics #288; R: 2016 Panini Classics - Red Backs #210

I like formatting of the backs. Although this set came out after the draft, it was no doubt finalized before the draft and doesn't mention anything about who drafted the player.


If you saw any preseason week one highlights, you probably saw Cody Kessler. With his first pass he threw a touchdown, but then he followed it up by running out the back of the end-zone for a safety. There were double lines on the field for preseason where it would be filled in during the regular season, but it wasn't a good mistake. He said that he realizes he needs to be a bit more aware of his surroundings in the future. Hopefully after a long career he will be able to look back on that play and laugh.


There are a lot of expectations for first-round pick Corey Coleman. I was pretty happy to get the red back parallel among these cards.


I have mentioned before that I like having past players included in modern sets. That allows me to show two number 82s!

L: 2016 Panini Classics #42; R: 2016 Panini Classics #121

Gary Barnidge had a great year last year for the Browns. He tied Ozzie Newsome's team season record for TD catches by at Tight End with 9.


I like the black and white effect on the Newsome card. It somewhat hides the white highlight that outlines the player on his own card. It is interesting that the orange on the Newsome card is somewhat muted compared to the orange on the current players' cards.


It always happens, but here is another Browns card of a player that signed elsewhere as a free agent during the off-season.

2016 Panini Classics #52

Best wishes to Travis Benjamin in San Diego. Thanks for the exciting plays that you provided us fans with over the years you played in Cleveland.


In finishing with the Panini Classics cards that I bought, there were also a couple of numbered parallels.

2016 Panini Classics- Timeless Tributes Bronze #42 and #32 (#/99)

The Timeless Tributes cards come numbered in Bronze (out of 99), Silver (out of 25), Gold (out of 10), and Platinum (out of 1).


The other set that the local store opened was the recently released 2016 Donruss football. This gave me my first RGIII card in a Browns uniform. Let's see those cards.

2016 Donruss #67, 68, 69

I like these cards, reminding me of the 1990 Donruss baseball set. I like the brown and orange on the side border of the cards, and although the large border means the photos are smaller, I like how they are pulled back and framed so that you can see some of the background.

2016 Donruss #70, 71, 72

I like seeing Joe Thomas included in the set. He is a future Hall of Famer and as far as I am concerned should be among the Browns in every base set.

2016 Donruss #73, 74, 75

Once again, you can see the color of the retired Ozzie Newsome is a lighter shade of orange than the rest of the Browns in the set. Thinking about it, when the Browns changed their uniforms before last season they did modify the color orange in the helmets. I would guess that the cards are reflecting the color change.


Speaking of the uniform changes, these cards show five of the nine different Browns uniform combinations. And you know what? Even with all three different jerseys showing up in these cards I still prefer the classic one worn by Newsome.


Brian Hartline was released by the Browns just before training camp started, but Panini can't be faulted for including the veteran wide receiver.


As you can see with these base cards, the store didn't have any of the rookies from this set so I still have to work on getting those.


Here are a few of the Donruss card backs.

Again, the color difference is seen on the Newsome back.


I like the simplicity of the backs, but wish that instead of the big graphic handwritten name there would be career statistics shown. And showing the one season, and career stats, I wish that they actually showed the number of games played. Haden's stats look very weak for last year despite the write-up until you realize that he was hurt most of the year.


I like how they listed the accomplishments on Joe Thomas' card. You really don't have the same stats for a tackle that you do for other players. I do wish that they had mentioned that he has not missed a snap in his career. As a veteran on a team that has had some lousy seasons, it takes dedication to play every snap of every game.


There were also two inserts put aside for me from the Donruss set, both numbered out of 999.

L: 2016 Donruss - Dominator #27; R: 2016 Donruss - The Rookies #19

Both of the cards are somewhat shiny, but looking at them flat on the flashy background isn't as noticeable as it is in the scans.


Here are their backs.

Good write-ups, and the side coloring matches the front of the card, but they aren't very flashy. I guess they saved that for the front of the cards.


All in all I am very happy with both sets and can't wait to hunt down missing Browns from the two sets.

Nice bounce back lot

So, last post I talked about a failed bulk purchase of Browns cards, but sometimes I really can't resist. I saw an eBay auction for 100 Browns cards for $8.99 and free shipping, and there was a picture of 18 cards that were included. I knew that I needed 5 of the 18 shown so figured that it would be a good bet and jumped at it. I just picked it up and ended up needing 13, umm, well, 14 cards out of it. (The 14th card was one that I would have had no clue that I needed without it being sent and me checking out the player on Google. Even then, it is a bit of a stretch, but I'll explain that later.)


Let's take a look at what I needed!

2009 Donruss Certified #31 and #32

I was surprised that I needed these, but there are just so many sets out there and cards like this will always surprise me.

L: 2013 Bowman - Black #92; R: 2013 Panini Certified - Platinum Red #13

Might as well scan these two cards together as the two players will always be linked as the two Cleveland Browns 2012 first round picks.


It is never a surprise to find parallels that I need.

Top (L-R): 2014 Panini National Treasures - Century Numbers #126 (#/42) and #181 (#/21)
Bottom: 2014 Panini National Treasures - Materials #M-JM (#/99)

These were three of the cards in the auction photo. I knew I needed them, and am always happy to add serial numbered cards below 25. And it is always nice to add a new Paul Warfield card to my collection. Count me as someone that likes seeing retired players, whether in the Hall of Fame or not, included in modern sets.

Top (L-R): 2014 Leaf Draft #70; 2014 Topps - 1963 Mini #337
Bottom (L-R): 2014 Panini Crown Royale #43; 2014 Topps - Wal-Mart #30

I was surprised that I needed the Leaf Draft Crowell card. I think I may have it from before the 2014 Draft, but it is probably put away somewhere as opposed to in my collection. In any case, this card was also in the photo but I didn't know that I needed it.


I was sure that I had the mini Terrance West card, and am glad that it was in the box so that I actually looked to see if I needed it or not.


The Wal-Mart parallel of Connor Shaw is the first Wal-Mart parallel that I have. I don't think I have any of the Target (red) parallels either. So many parallels...

L-R: 2015 Upper Deck Inscriptions #VM; 2015 Bowman - Rookies Orange Paper #82 (#/299)

What sort of lot that contained 2015 cards could I pick up that didn't include Vince Mayle?


Both of these cards were also in the photo so I knew they would be arriving. I like the "Go Cougs" inscription on the UD card.


Now, on to that 14th card...

I'm sure that most of you team collectors, with the college cards out there, sometimes are given college cards that the seller has accidentally associated with your team. That is what I thought this next card was. I had never heard of the player. However, after a Google search, I discovered that Calvin Barnett had signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 Draft.

2014 Upper Deck #101

Now, just signing as an undrafted free agent with the Browns doesn't necessarily mean that I'll add your cards to my collection, but I actually saw that he played in the preseason games, and recorded some tackles and assists. Combine that with the fact that I like the Big Stick in the card, and I figure, you know what? Good enough!


And, for that preseason, and the cool card, I decided to show both sides of his card. Here's to you, Calvin Barnett!


Oh, and as for those included cards that don't fit the team? I got a couple in this lot too.

Top: 2015 Bowman - Relics #BR-RG
Bottom: 2012 SPx #32

I appreciate that the seller wanted to include RGIII as a Brown, but this isn't a Browns card, and will never be part of my collection.


And I understand the confusion with Kellen Winslow, but this is the father not the son who played for Miami and was drafted by the Browns.


Even though it was really only a semi-blind lot and I knew it was worth picking up to grab the serial numbered Museum Collection cards, I really enjoyed this lot, and I'm sure it will keep me buying more of them on eBay.

Failed bulk box purchase

Okay, there is going to be a lot of text before we get to any cards.


I've posted before about buying bulk boxes of Browns on eBay, and being very lucky in getting a lot of cards that I needed for my collection. Well, my luck finally ran out.


I can accept that. I have an awful lot of different Browns cards, and so I just hope to see sets in the box that I don't have many cards out of. Usually these boxes have a lot of different cards, some duplicates, but a lot of different sets represented.


This box, however, was different.


Here is the heading from the listing that I bought:


Cleveland Browns Modern Era 1998-2015 300 Card Lot Including Stars


And the description in the listing:


You will receive a box of 300 Cleveland Browns football cards. These are modern era cards ranging in years from 1998 to 2015.  This is not just a box of commons, the biggest stars will be included. All cards are in near mint or better condition.  FREE SHIPPING!!!


It had a Buy It Now of $12.95 which I figured was fair with the free shipping. It looked as though everything should be post-expansion Browns where I have a lot of needs, especially in lesser brands, in inserts, and in parallels which I usually find in these bulk boxes.


The box arrived at my US mailbox while I was away in San Diego. I drove to my PO Box the day after I returned home. I was really looking forward to seeing what I would get in a random box like this. I opened up the box, it was packed pretty tight. I pulled out a small chunk of cards...and they were all from the same set.


Hmm.


Well, dumping out the rest of the cards, I saw that there were in fact different sets in the box, but not quite the assortment that I was used to seeing in these bulk boxes. I just hoped there were some cards that I needed.


Sorting the cards by set, this is the breakdown that I found:


2008 was represented by one set (Topps Finest), and had 3 different cards.


2011 was represented by one set (again Topps Finest), and had 2 different Peyton Hillis cards, one of which was an insert.


2012 was represented by two sets:
Panini Absolute with 2 cards, but they were the same card.
Panini Prizm with 1 card.


2014 was represented by four sets:
Bowman Chrome with 2 cards, but again the same card.
Panini Crown Royale with 1 card.
Panini Totally Certified with 6 cards, with 3 distinct cards being represented.
Topps Platinum with 1 card.


2015 was represented by 6 sets:
Bowman: 4 cards, 2 distinct.
Donruss: 17 cards, 5 distinct.
Panini Certified: 2 different cards.
Panini Contenders: 18 cards, 3 distinct.
Panini Prestige: 13 cards, 5 distinct.
Topps Platinum: 9 cards, 2 distinct.


So far, in these years we have 81 cards, of which 30 are different from each other. And nothing from 1998-2007, or from 2009-2010. I think the description would have been better off saying from 2008-2015.


I skipped 2013. It has more sets, but is where the pain really sets in.


2013 was represented by nine different sets:
Panini Certified: 29 cards, 4 distinct.
Panini Prestige: 23 cards, 6 distinct. (Almost a team set: missing the Barkevious Mingo RC.)
Panini Rookies & Stars: 40 cards, 3 distinct. (Multiple team sets minus Mingo RC.)
Panini Select: 15 cards, 3 distinct.
Panini Totally Certified: 1 card.
Score: 145 cards!!!, 10 distinct. (Again, multiple team sets minus Mingo RC.)
Topps: 38 cards, 7 distinct. (Guess whose missing?)
Topps Prime: 3 cards, 2 distinct.
Topps Platinum: 9 cards, 2 distinct.


So, 2013 was comprised of 303 cards, of which only 38 are different from each other.


In the breakdown above I have identified all the inserts or parallels that I received. One, which based on the rest of the box, must have been accidentally included. On the other hand, it is one that I already have multiples of and really doesn't have any value (not that I expected anything in this box to have value, just stuff that I needed and wanted).


Totals: 384 cards, but just 68 distinct cards. (Advertised as a 300 count lot, but even take off 84 extra Score cards and that would leave me with 61 of them!)


Again, looking at the description, "not just a box of commons, the biggest stars will be included."

Well, I don't expect the Browns to have big stars, and I guess there were a couple of Manziel cards, and a Kosar card. But again, not quite what I expected.


I laughed that there were no Barkevious Mingo RCs. They are so very, very valuable. (And I think that I have them from those sets already.) But I guess the package only advertised the biggest stars would be included, not that any RCs would be included.


I haven't yet left feedback on this purchase. It was packaged well, and arrived quickly. Technically they didn't promise different cards or anything different than what they sent. I think I have to leave positive feedback, but I kind of want to say something with it to express disappointment. What do you guys think?


Oh, and among the 68 distinct cards? I needed 5 so these are $2.59/card. I think I could have found them shipped cheaper.


Here they are, front and back!

2013 Panini Select #24 and #105

You know what? I'm always happy to add a Kosar that I didn't have to my collection.

2014 Panini Totally Certified #22-24

Will this purchase stop me from picking up Browns in bulk lots? No. Will it cause me to never buy from this seller again? Most definitely.

Fatheads

Over the last few years I have picked up the odd pack of 5"x7" Fathead NFL Tradeables in hopes of getting a Browns player but have had no luck. So when I was browsing eBay a couple of weeks ago and found an auction for six different Browns Fatheads for $4.99 (with $2.49 shipping), I jumped at it.


Here is what I got!

2010 Fathead NFL Tradeable #95

It was nice to get the most successful draft pick the Browns have had since their return in 1999. He will be enshrined in Canton one day.

2012 Fathead NFL Tradeables #68

2012 Fathead NFL Tradeables #51

These two draft picks? Not quite as successful.

2012 Fathead NFL Tradeables #10

I really hope that Joe Haden bounces back from the injuries that plagued him last year. The Browns need him to be playing at his Pro Bowl form.

2013 Fathead NFL Tradeables #7

2013 Fathead NFL Tradeables #27

It was nice to go from having no Fatheads to having six of them. Eventually I will have to look at the checklists to see how many Browns there are to chase.

Nine from the Shoebox

I'm too old for all the conventions that I've been going to. I posted about going to San Diego Comic-Con. This past weekend, there was a local mini game convention that I helped organize, and around midnight tonight I will be leaving on the 14 hour drive to Indianapolis for GenCon. (Okay, I'm not too old for the conventions, just too old to have conventions on back-to-back-to-back weekends.)


I'm also old enough to remember that the proper place to store your sports cards was in a shoebox, a fact referenced by Shane in the title of his fine blog: Shoebox Legends.


Really tired on Saturday, I noticed that my roommate must have collected our local mail from the day before, and there was a PWE waiting for me. Not having much time, but seeing Shane's name in the return address, I quickly opened it, looked inside, and then put it aside to check against my collection when I returned home. The cards looked familiar, but of course they would, they were mostly parallels, and with those I can never remember what I have and don't have.


Let's take a look at what I was sent!

Top (L-R): 2004 Bazooka #180; 2008 Topps Chrome - Blue Refractor #TC147
Bottom: 2011 Topps - 1950 Bowman #44

Three fairly high Browns draft picks in the perpetual search for receiving threats for the Browns offense, both Winslow and Edwards made Pro Bowls, but both didn't pan out as the Browns expected them to.


Right away I knew that I had the Kellen Winslow and Mohamed Massaquoi cards, but thought that I needed that bright shiny blue Braylon Edwards card. As it turned out, I was right. The Edwards parallel is a very nice card to add to my collection.

Top (L-R): 2012 Topps Chrome - Orange Refractor #66; 2013 Topps Chrome - Pink Refractor #13
Bottom: 2012 Topps Magic - Mini #217

Josh Cribbs is one of the best return men in NFL history, and many rank Jim Brown as the greatest to play in the NFL.


I knew that I had multiple versions of each of these cards, and suspected that I already had the Jim Brown mini, but much to my surprise I didn't. I needed all three of these cards. Woo hoo!


The pink Maysonet card gives me six different of his 2013 Topps Chrome cards. I so love getting that many cards of a player that never made the team.

Top (L-R): 2014 Topps Chrome - Pulsar Refractor #55; 2015 Panini Gridiron Kings - Red Border #119
Bottom: 2014 Panini Rookies and Stars - Crusade Blue #24

What can I say about these players?


I hope that Josh Gordon stays clean and comes back and plays well for the Browns this year, but as a fan I'm really not counting on getting anything from him. He has tons of talent but anything he gives would be a bonus. I just wish I didn't hear so many stories this past off-season associating him with Johnny Manziel.


And Johnny? I hope that he turns his life around.


And it just wouldn't feel right to get some Browns cards without a Vince Mayle in there somewhere!


When I first saw these I knew that I needed the Gordon and Mayle, and suspected that I had the Manziel. Again, it turned out that I needed all three cards, so this was a really nice unexpected boost to my collection. Thanks, Shane!


I'm going to have a couple of posts ready to go while I'm away in Indianapolis. I hope that everyone has a good week!