The Football Card Blog

So, I was out and about last night again, and decided to drop some birthday money on some cards at my local retail shop (I can't wait for my local card shop to re-open in their newer, bigger location).  And, since I couldn't bring myself to buy individual packs, and I wasn't interested in any of their boxes, I found myself back to looking at the sucker boxes.  But I'll provide a little more detail this time around...

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OK, first things first, for anyone who's been here a few times, you may have noticed I missed the Card of the Week last week.  Call it a combination of not really knowing what card to use, being disappointed it was the first week after the "Official" end of the NFL season (the Pro Bowl), and being laid up sick in bed.

And since it's already Wednesday, I've decided not to bother going back to make it up.  Check back this Friday, though--hopefully I'll figure out who to feature.

But I do have a bit of a special feature for today, with what I think may be a unique box break--yes, it's just a box of 2007 Absolute Memorabilia, and it's retail at that--but here's the catch--it's a full 24 pack box, and I only paid $20 for it.

That's right, the full box of 24 packs, with a $2.99 per each pack tag on the front of it, right above a line that says "Priced Per Pack Only - Do Not Sell as Full Box" also had a $19.99 sticker on it, which says "Sold as Full Box Only."

When I brought it to the cash register, it didn't scan, which makes me think even more that it was a mistake.

So, I guess it's time to see if I got a deal, or if somehow they pulled on over on me.  Find out after the jump...

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Well, as you've probably noticed if you've checked the site out at all lately, things have slowed down some.  With the end of the season (and the last few products coming out costing north of $100 per pack), there hasn't been a lot to report.

But today I stopped in at a local big box retailer, and decided to grab a couple boxes.  Not retail boxes of new stuff, mind you (I still will do that occasionally, although it's getting rarer and rarer), but instead I got a few of the grab bag boxes--two boxes featuring "One BGS NFL Graded Card (PLUS Bonus!)," and one tin featuring "over 250 cards...guaranteed $60 of Catalog Value...one 1990 Topps Traded Set...hobby premium pack in every 5th tin."

I don't put a lot of faith in either, although it isn't the first time I've done this.  I've bought 4 of the graded cards over the last few months, with mixed results--the bonuses are usually a pack of 1988 Topps stickers, and the cards I've gotten to date have all been Score--but I did get two Gem Mint Adrian Peterson rookies, a Gem Mint Jay Cutler rookie, and a Mint Cutler rookie (both Cutler's have been sold on eBay--at a loss, unforunately).

And, opening the first box, I see the familiar pack of stickers (I did manage an Elway sticker back), and getting to the graded card, disappointed to see that it's only a Mint card, but happy to see it's not Score--although a 2001 Pacific Invincible Retail Deuce McAllister isn't a lot better.  Second box wasn't much better--Joe Montana sticker, and back to Score, a Mint 2006 Laurence Maroney.  Might finally be time to swear off these boxes for good.

Opening the tin, sure enough, there's a 1990 Topps Traded box, some cards, and a couple of 1990 Score packs--apparently I didn't get the "hobby premium" pack.  A quick look at the Traded set showed that sure enough, it did include the Emmitt Smith rookie ($12), and some other at least mildly interesting card (including another classic Tommy Hodson).

The loose cards had a couple...well, one really nice pull--a 2001 Pacific Dynagon LaDanion Tomlinson rookie--I'm assuming Retail, since there's no autograph on it.  There was also an Odyssey Shaun Alexander rookie, a Brett Favre Super Bowl XXXI highlight card (eh), and a second year Randy Moss card that was ok.  Oh, and three each of 1987 Topps Steve "Mongo" McMichael and Chargers Punter Ralf Mojsiejenko.  So it had that going for it.

The packs of Score featured...well, when an Andre Ware rookie card is the highlight, that should tell you something.

So, I got an LT rookie, an Emmitt Smith rookie, a bunch of other minor star & rookie cards (enough to get to the $60 limit, I guess), and a whole new bunch of crap.  But at least I got to open some cards today.

I felt like since this site has been live for more or less two weeks that I really should have a box break on here, even though the football season is winding down.  So, as I went out today with my bro to try to find some local card shops (more on that later), I decided that I would look for something to break.

At the first shop we made it to, they didn't have much in terms of boxes that interested me--they did have some older stuff (from the overproduction days), and a few more recent boxes, along with some '07 stuff, although the only '07 box they had of something I've collected this year (last year?) was a box of 2007 Bowman Chrome.  Not knowing what laid ahead at the other card shops on our list, and as the box was the cheapest I've seen a box of Bowman Chrome at a store this year ($60), I decided to grab it.

The Pulls:
    - 66 base set cards, zero duplicates, 40% of base set (165 cards)
    - 5 refractors (Derrick Mason, Donte Stallworth, Marques Colston, Laurence Maroney, and Peyton Manning)
    - 1 autograph (LaRon Landry)
    - 1 box topper uncirculated (Jacoby Jones, #0426/1079)

I've bought a fair amount of Bowman Chrome this year (7 hobby boxes, a few retail packs, and some individual eBay purchases), and this is by far the worst box I've had--nice way to start a blog feature!

Going into the box, I was 5 cards away from completing my base set (minus the low numbered cards from the regular Bowman--a feature I despise, if you were wondering), and after the box I am...still 5 cards away.  That's right, in 7 boxes (126 packs, 504 cards), I have still yet to pull a Chad Pennington (#119), Hines Ward (#154), Kellen Winslow (#161), Carson Palmer (#169), or Matt Hasselbeck (#176), but I have managed to pull six Willie Parkers, six Vernon Davis, and five of over 25 veterans.

I got zero of the serial numbered refractors (X, blue, gold, red, or orange), and zero rookie refractors (I mean, I even managed to pull a blue refractor Tomlinson in the six retail packs I bought at Target a few weeks back).  This is only the second box I've seen this year with none of the special refractors, and the first I've seen with no rookie refractors.  The only consolation there is that all five refractors were the first copies of each I've gotten, so I'm five cards closer to my complete set of those (only 87 left!).

Even the autograph (Landry) and box topper (Jones) weren't all that inspiring, although I do like both their futures.  The highlights of the box for me may have been the first pack (which featured a Calvin Johnson rookie, my 6th), and the last pack (which featured a Sidney Rice rookie, my 20th thanks to eBay).

Ah, well, so it goes.  I guess that wraps up the first box break on The Football Card Blog.  Hopefully the next one will be better, whenever it is.

Oh, and if anyone has any extras of the five base veterans I'm still in need of (or wants to know which 87 refractors I still need) and is interested in trading, drop me a line at tony@thefootballcardblog.com.

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