2015 Goodwin Champions box break #3

This is my third box of 2016 Goodwin Champions, though I should have stayed at 2 if I’d have paid attention to how small the base set was.  These were all doubles.  

That said, let me show off 3 of the coolest base cards.  As I’ve mentioned (complained), they just don’t have any big names outside of cards #1-5.  But these cards are at least cool photos – all of them are horizontal.  The first one is David Boudia, who is a diver.  Boudia won gold in the 10 meter platform diving 4 years ago.  He’s going back to Rio after winning the U.S. trials in the event.  The picture is from the 2013 FINA World Championships – that’s Barcelona in the background.  

Next up is Aly Raisman, who won 2 gold medals in 2012 – she took the top spot in the Floor competition, and was captain of the Women’s team champions.  She will also be back in Rio.

Finally, the next is Sasha Digiulian, a rock climber who has won a number of titles in the PanAm games.  There are a few rock climbers and it is a cool sport to highlight.

Here are the SP cards I got – 5 of them just as the previous 2 boxes.  These are all new ones, so at least I got 15 cards toward the 50 SP’s in my boxes.

Here are the minis.  I got the same as the other boxes – so no rare mini.  5 regulars, 2 canvas.

Here are the Goudey inserts.  I got another female trail blazer in Danica Patrick in these cards.

I again got a card of a “Supernatural” as one of my hits.  For the third and last time – this shouldn’t be considered a hit.  It’s an insert card, and kind of neat – but not a hit.  It’s Faunus, the horned god of the forest, plain and fields from Roman mythos.  This one had odds of over 1,000.

The one autograph I got in this box was kind of cool – it’s these Museum Collection cards that have WWII veterans signing them.  Cool to read on the back that Mates fought the Japanese in Guam as a Marine.

It’s always great to pay tribute to our history, and particularly to our troops.  And while this is pretty cool, it also kind of feels like when the NFL honors veterans but gets paid to do so.  My grandfather was a WWII vet – so I try to think of it this way – I’d love it if he got a card!

Last up is the memorabilia card – Justin Gatlin.  I mentioned in my previous post that I think UD could have gone with an Olympic theme.  They did have a bunch more Olympians than I thought – but still not even as good as some prior years when big names like Michael Phelps were included.

Below are the “stats” for the box.

20 packs per box * 5 cards per pack – 4 cards from packs with relics = 96 cards

76 of the 100 card base set (77% set completion)

• 5 SP cards

81 of the 150 card full set (54% set completion)

• 5 Minis
• 2 Mini Canvas
• 5 Goudey
• 1 Supernaturals
• 1 Memorabilia (J. Gatlin)
• 1 Museum Collection Signatures

Including all three boxes:

• 100 / 100 of the base cards (100%)
• 115 / 150 of the full set (76%)

2016 Goodwin Champions box break #2

Next up is my second box of Goodwin Champions.  This box didn’t have a bigger hit like the first box – in fact, all 3 were pretty minor.

 

I did get a relic, which I didn’t get last box.  It’s Miesha Tate, who beat Holly Holm after Holm beat Ronda Rousey for the bantamweight belt in UFC.  I knew who this was.  I was bashing this product for having fringe sports, and while this card probably makes that point more than not, she isn’t a complete unknown either.

Next up was my autograph.  Tom Shields.  I definitely didn’t know who this was.  He’s an Olympian this year.  Which got me thinking – I feel like Goodwin could have saved this product if they had gone with some type of Olympic theme.

The last “hit” didn’t used to be considered a hit.  It’s the Supernatural insert set, and in this case the God is Baal.  I think this is pronounced “Bail” – and I kind of remember him as a pagan God from the Bible.  Kind of interesting.

OK, so that’s the hits, so here’s the rest of the box.  I finished up the non-SP portion of the set with this box, so I’ll have a lot of doubles of some people I’ve never heard of!

Here’s the SP cards I got.  I’ve heard of the first 2.

 

And here are the minis.  Same as the first box, I got 5 regular minis.

And I got 2 Canvas minis

Next up are the Goudey inserts.  I got 5 of these as you’re supposed to.

 

Below are the “stats” for the box.

I got 21 cards toward the set from this box – finishing that part of the set for me.  I need 40 SP cards to finish the whole thing.

20 packs per box * 5 cards per pack -4 cards (in packs with hits) = 96 cards

76 of the 100 card base set (78% set completion)

• 5 SP cards

81 of the 150 card full set (54% set completion)

• 5 Minis
• 2 Mini Canvas
• 5 Goudey
• 1 Supernatural
• 1 Memorabilia (M. Tate)
• 1 Autograph (T. Shields)

Including the first box:

• 100 / 100 of the base cards (100%)
• 110 / 150 of the full set (73%)

2016 Goodwin Champions box break #1

I’ve collected the Goodwin Champions set ever since Upper Deck lost its MLB license and came out with this product back in 2011.  It’s a retro set that was originally based on a set from almost 130 years ago – retro products always hook me and I love the design of the original Goodwin Champions from 1888.  It’s Upper Deck, and honestly I kind of missed them being in the game.  It’s a multi-sport set, but I viewed it as a way to get something different that still had a baseball background.  And some of the non-base cards were always interesting.

I’ve enjoyed it every year, and I usually buy 3 boxes.  I have a little buyer’s remorse after this year.  Here’s a look at the base card design.  I like the design, and though it does kind of infringe upon Allen & Ginter, I think it’s well done.

That’s not the problem.  UD is just getting to where their player list is a problem.  The non-SP part of the set is 100 cards, but it’s really 50 cards.  Because the second 50 cards are a mirror of the players from the first set – with different pictures.  And the next 150 cards have the same 50 players.  Sorry, but that’s just not OK.  At least not at $85 a box.

It’s basically these 5 big names, and then a lot of fringe sports.

Sorry – but cards like this:

while interesting, don’t make me want to buy this set.

They still had some really big names last year aside from those 5 guys – Shaq, Emmitt Smith, Rory McIlroy, Griffey, Carl Lewis, Jerry Rice.  But for some reason, it just fell of a cliff this year.

Here’s the SP cards that I got in this box.  Glavine, by the way, is the only baseball player out of the 50 athletes.

Goodwin has mini cards – you get 7 in a box.  I got 5 regular, which have a gold border and actually look pretty nice.

And 2 canvas minis.

Here’s the Goudey insert set that has been included over the past few years.  It does kind of look like it could be from the 1930’s, but, again – the player selection just isn’t there this year.

There was a 3D, sportflics-like insert set called “Supernaturals”.  Last year it was “Game of Chance, the year before it was “Monsters”, this year its mythological gods.  This one is Eshu, who acts as a messenger between Gods and mortals, but also likes the occasional prank.  The 3-D effect on these cards is really cool.  It looks fuzzy in the scan, but in person I definitely like the effect.

An additional way Upper Deck has stripped value out of this compared to the prior year.  This counts as a hit – in the past the equivalent set did not.

My autograph wasn’t anything to write home about.  This is Goudey version for Christie Rampone, who was a former captain of the U.S. soccer team and is still playing professionally at 41.  I like the subscript to her signature – wish more athletes did that.

I also got a Museum Collection Relic – the 2016 historical era is World War II.  Now this is considered a pretty big pull – they’re going for around $150 on eBay.  I guess I could have offered it up on there – but I’m all for using these things, so I went online and redeemed it.  It’s for a booklet relic, which is 1:1,293 packs.  I could get sand from Iwo Jima, pieces of German or U.S. helmets, or pieces of military uniforms.  Kind of weird in some ways, but kind of cool in others.

Below are the “stats” for the box.

20 packs per box * 5 cards per pack – 1 card in the Supernatural pack = 100 cards

79 of the 100 card base set (79% set completion)

• 5 SP cards

84 of the 150 card full set (56% set completion)

• 5 Minis
• 2 Minis Canvas
• 5 Goudey
• 1 Super Naturals
• 1 Goudey Auto (Rampone)
• 1 Museum Collection Booklet Redemption

Completed set – one last look at 2013 Goodwin Champions

I’ve now finished up 3 of the Goodwin Champion sets.  This one took me a little over 2 years to finish, which is par for the course for Goodwin.  This isn’t a set for those who don’t like SP cards in the base set – there are again three tiers of SP cards.

I’ve still got a little work for the master set, which entails adding on a 60-card insert set called “Wonders of the Universe”.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Info about my set:

How I put the set (base / SP / SSP / mini) together:

• 156 (130/17/6/3) cards from my three hobby boxes
• 50 (3/23/14/10) cards from Sportlots/Beckett/COMC
• 17 (17/0/0/0) cards from a card show

The set is numbered up to 225, but there were 2 cards that didn’t make the final set (#213, #218).  #223 wasn’t supposed to be inserted, but a few of the Dylan Bundy card did make it into packs.

Card that completed my set:  #23 – John Havlicek

I got this from Sportlots last December.

General Set Info

Set composition: 223 cards (150 base, 40 SP, 20 SSP, 13 mini-only)

There are 192 athletes

• 54 Baseball (no active MLB, 13 minor league)
• 35 Basketball (6 active NBA)
• 33 American Football (8 active NFL)
• 21 Ice Hockey
• 14 Golf (10 men, 4 women)
• 7 Olympian (4 track & field, 2 Gymnasts, 1 Swimming)
• 6 Soccer (all men)
• 5 Auto Racing
• 3 Boxing
• 3 Skateboarding
• 2 Rock Climbing
• 2 Horse Racing (2 jockeys)
• 1 Tennis
• 1 MMA
• 1 Wrestling
• 1 Rodeo
• 1 Motocross
• 1 Roller Derby
• 1 Arm Wrestling
• 1 Fishing

There are 30 non-athletes or “famous figures” in the set

• 5 Outlaws/Lawman
• 3 Political Figures (3 U.S. Presidents)
• 3 University Founders
• 3 Actors
• 3 Authors
• 3 Businessmen
• 2 Military Figures
• 2 Artists
• 2 Musicians (1 singer, 1 composer)
• 5 “Other” (Comic Book Writer, Inventor, Dancer, Photographer)

Earliest active player from this set:

Baseball – #158 – Harry Wright

Harry Wright was playing baseball about as long as it has been played.  The son of a cricket player, and a cricket player himself, Wright joined the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1857 when the National Association of Base Ball Players was first formed.  He played his first game with them in July of 1858, and played with the Knickerbockers until 1863.  When they stopped playing competitively, he jumped to the Gothams.  In 1865, he went to Cincinnati, and over the next 4 years he constructed the best baseball team of its era.  The cornerstone of his team was his brother George, 12 years younger, who was probably the best player in the world at that point.  In 1869, when the NABBP officially allowed players to be paid, the Cincinnati Base Ball Club became the Red Stockings, baseball’s first professional team.  They went on an amazing run, going 65-0 in 1869, and winning 84 straight games before they finally fell to the Brooklyn Atlantics in June of 1870.

The Red Stockings lost popularity after that defeat, and Wright was wooed away by the Boston team when the NAPBBP was formed.  He brought many of his Cincinnati players with him, and led the club to 4 of the 5 National Association pennants and 2 of the first 3 National League pennants.  However you look at it, Wright was the first baseball player and the first professional baseball player in this set.

All sports – #175 Jem Mace

There’s one athlete in this set earlier than the father of professional baseball.  That would be Jem Mace, who was a bare knuckle boxer in the mid-1800s.  Mace made his debut in 1857, and won the England title in 1861.  He would go on to fight in England, USA and Australia in a long career that helped establish glove boxing as the sport we are more familiar with today.

First Card and the Hundreds: #1 – Wayne Gretzky, #100 – Meyers Leonard, #200 – Isadona Duncan

Highest book value:  #223 – Dylan Bundy

Most notable card:  #223 – Dylan Bundy

As I mentioned above, this card was not supposed to be released.  Along with 2 other cards, it wasn’t included on the checklist and was to be a hole in the set.  A small number made it through production and into packs.  It’s kind of reminiscent of the Alex Gordon Topps card from a few years ago, though I don’t think it’s that rare.  Or at least it’s not in a set like flagship Topps.

Because of the mistake noted above, it’s the rarest and is definitely the most expensive card in this set.  You could even consider the set complete without it.  I did get one, for about 30 bucks.

Best card (my opinion):  #169 – Tim Keefe

This is a cool card of a Hall of Fame pitcher posing with a bat, wearing a colorful uniform from the 1880’s, in front of an interesting background.  All that makes it a cool card, but the reason I consider it the best card is that Keefe was in the original set.  He’s the only person in this Goodwin set and the original version from 1888.  That’s what puts it over the top of some of the other cards in the set.

Second best card (also my opinion):  #101 – Tony Gwynn

At some point I’d like to start a collection of cards like this.  Players shown in their second sport.  Gwynn was an excellent basketball player at San Diego State, though the team around him wasn’t good enough to make the NCAA tourney in any of his 4 years.  He is still the all-time leader in assists at the program, for both his career (by a wide margin) and a single season.

Best subset card: N/A

Favorite action photo: #143 – Tiger Woods

This is a bit of a stretch calling it an action photo, but I think it qualifies for a golfer.  And it’s pretty cool.  I hope Tiger can come back, but it’s looking less likely than ever before.

Favorite non-action photo: #53 – Walt Frazier

My Favorite Reds card: #51 – Pete Rose

Unlike the previous year’s set, Rose has a great photo in 2013 Goodwin.

Completed master set – 2012 Goodwin Champions

Another post to pat myself on the back!  As I mentioned  a couple of posts ago, the World Travelers set finished off both the 2011 and 2012 Goodwin master sets for me.  This one was about 3 years in the making, and technically I finished it even earlier because I was waiting on cards from the 2011 portion of the World Traveler set.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Info about my base set

How I put the set (base / SP / SSP / mini) together:

• 149 (123/16/6/4) cards from my three hobby boxes
• 43 (27/10/4/2) cards from Sportlots/Beckett/COMC
• 26 (0/4/10/12) cards from eBay
• 13 (0/10/0/3) cards from the National card show

Card that completed my set:  #6 – Carlton Fisk (completed via a November purchase from Beckett marketplace).

Best card (my opinion): #184 – Ned Williamson

Ned Williamson had the single-season home run record before Babe Ruth (27 homers in 1884).  This is his only card after 1889.

Check out this link to see the rest of the base set post.

My “Master” Set Info

281 cards – 231 “base”, 25 “insert”, 25 “other”

• Insert set:  Military Machines
• Box Topper:  World Traveler

How I put the additional sets together:

• Insert:  6 – packs/boxes, 19 – online purchases
• World Traveler:  3 – packs/boxes, 22 – online purchases

Toughest card to track down:  World Military Machines #MM-5 – DUKW

I have no idea why, but this particular card seemed harder to track down than any of the others.  More so than any of its Military brethren, and more so than the base SP cards or the box topper World Travelers, both of which are much rarer.

Other product bests

Completed master set – 2011 Goodwin Champions

The whole point of doing these set completion posts is basically to pat myself on the back :).  Well I’m happy to do so with this “master set”.  This is me patting the 2011 version of myself on the back.  Or maybe it’s the 2011 me patting the current me on the back.  Regardless, I’m glad to say I finished this up – it took a long time to finish everything I wanted from 2011 & 2012 Goodwin Champions.  I finally did late last year.  That’s over 4 years, though the main hold up was the Goodwin Travelers postcards that came as box toppers.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Info about my base set

How I put the set (base / SP / SSP / mini) together:

• 161 (142/12/4/3) cards from my two hobby boxes
• 10 (5/3/1/1) cards from a blaster
• 5 (3/2/0/0) cards from trades
• 34 (0/12/8/14) cards from Sportlots
• 14 (0/11/3/0) cards from a card show
• 7 (0/0/4/3) cards from COMC

Card that completed my set:  #194 – Rube Foster

Best card (my opinion): #164 – Old & Young Tom Morris

Check out this link to see the rest of the base set post.

My “Master” Set Info

285 cards – 231 “base”, 29 “insert”, 25 “other”

• Insert sets:  Figures of Sport, Citizens
• Box Topper:  World Traveler

How I put the additional sets together:

• Inserts:  5 – packs/boxes, 12 – card shows, 12 – online purchases
• World Traveler:  2 – packs/boxes, 3 – trades, 20 – online purchases

Toughest card to track down:  World Travelers #ET21 – Na Pali Coast

This was the last of 2 World Traveler cards I got.  It would have to be one of those cards or the Rube Foster.

Other product bests

Completed insert set – 2011/12 Goodwin Champions World Travelers

This is one of those few sets that carries over multiple years.  I’ve been trying to finish this set for longer than anything else on my wantlists.  And I was waiting on the last 2 cards for over a year.  Finishing this set also finished both “master sets” for me from 2011 & 2012 Goodwin.

So I’ve been holding off on those master set posts as well.  They’re coming up next.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Info about the set:

Set description:  The World Traveler postcards came as box toppers in 2011 and 2012 Goodwin Champions.  They are done in postcard fashion (5 x 7) featuring places to travel from all over the world.  The 2011 cards feature specific sites throughout the world, while the 2012 cards showcase notable cities.

Set composition:  50 cards, 1 per hobby box (2011 & 2012 Goodwin Champions)

Hall of Famers:  None as it’s not a sports set.

How I put the set together:

• 5 cards from hobby boxes
• 3 cards from a trade
• 31 cards from eBay
• 8 cards from Beckett Marketplace
• 2 cards from COMC
• 1 card from Sportlots

Card that completed my set: #ET21 – Na Pali Coast

I got this from Beckett Marketplace last December.

Thoughts on the set:  I love this box topper set, and I wish Upper Deck had continued it past 2012.  The pictures are beautiful, the

so-so on this set.  I like the concept – but the black and white photos aren’t that great, and there are some things I’d have rather seen them do.  They had a #/10 Presidential Masterpieces set that are hand painted.  I kind of wish they had done a more common insert of that set with a non-painted version.

Best card (my opinion): #ET24 – Machu Picchu

I could have picked the card for the Na Pali Coast above – I’ve been to Kaua’i and seen it from a helicopter; the picture does it justice.  To scan something different, I’ve always been intrigued by Machu Picchu – and this is a really cool photo of the Peruvian city in the sky.

Any other tidbits:  I would love to scan every one of these cards, but that would take forever.  Instead, I’ll list the places I’ve been out of the 49 locations (card #1 is the planet Earth).  I’ve been to 11.

ET2 – Muir Woods Redwoods:  I went to the California Redwoods when I was a kid.  My Uncle’s family lives in Portland, and we traveled down there on a family visit out there.

ET3 – Niagara Falls:  I went there in 2009, on the way to Cooperstown for the induction weekend that year.

ET21 – Na Pali Coast:  We went to Kaua’i for our honeymoon in 2008.

WT4 – Los Angeles, USA:  I’ve been there twice for work, though I didn’t stay too long either time, and I couldn’t do much while there.  Chavez Ravine is one of the few ballparks I haven’t been to.

WT7 – New York, USA:  I’ve been there more times than I could possibly count (I lived in New Jersey for 2+ years).

WT8 – Zürich, Switzerland:  In 2001 I went on a trip to Europe through school.  We took classes during the week in all different cities.  One of them was Zürich, though the midterm was in Zürich and it was the one city where we really didn’t do too much.

WT11 – Barcelona, Spain:  On the same trip, we ended the classroom portion in Barcelona.  The final was there, but I did enjoy the nightlife after we were done.

WT14 – Washington DC, USA:  I’ve also been to our nation’s capital about a half-dozen times.  Most recently I was there in 2013 for a wedding.

WT21 – Chicago, USA:  I live in Chicago.

WT22 – London, England:  That was the first stop on our trip back in 2001; I actually met my wife there.  I’d also been there once before with my parents.

WT24 – Amsterdam, Netherlands:  We stopped there during the weekend in between London and Paris in 2001.  I’m surprised Paris wasn’t on the list.

Redemption – The Gettysburg Address on cardboard and in audio

152 years ago on this date, President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.  He gave it at a dedication at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, 4 months after the Battle of Gettysburg.  In his 2-minute statement, he declared the Civil War as more than just a fight for the Union of America – he declared it a battle for the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

I bought 3 boxes of 2015 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions, and in the 2nd box, I got a redemption for the Historical Rhetoric insert.  3 weeks ago, I got that card redeemed.  It’ an audio recording of the Gettysburg Address, so I figured it would be fun to post about it on the anniversary of the speech.  Here’s the front of the card:

It’s as big as a standard size card, but it’s a booklet.  On the side of the card is a plug, which I assume recharges the battery.  It needs a battery because there is an audio recording of Lincoln’s 2 minute speech.  Here’s the card opened up – which means it’s playing the recording of someone reading Lincoln’s speech.  I don’t have the video upgrade on WordPress – so this is the best I’ll do 🙂

This is a cool idea.  And it’s one Topps could piggyback.  Inserting sound bites of great announcer calls (think “Touch ’em all Joe”) would do great in a baseball product!

2015 Goodwin Champions – base cards

I said a year ago that I thought the 2014 Goodwin Champions list of athletes was diminished a bit from the year before.  Of course Upper Deck will always have some hockey stars – they have an NHL exclusive license (yawn).  But the number of baseball players in this set is slowly going down, which is probably a function of the fact that they haven’t had an MLB license for 5 years (and they are actually more restricted for how they can depict baseball players because of a lawsuit settlements).

But there are still some real stars in this set.  I’ll start off with my 3rd favorite card of the set.  Doc Rivers was a very good basketball player, but he’s made even more of a name for himself as a coach.  But this is just a cool picture of him from what I assume are his college days.  I wonder how Upper Deck found this picture.

My 2nd favorite card is of Rory McIlroy.  Today’s best player (apologies to Spieth), in a cool picture taken as he picks up a ball (a Nike ball at that) from the hole.

My favorite card, however, is of the Golden Bear.  This was taken on July 15, 2015, Jack’s last professional round of golf.  It’s at St. Andrews, as he crossed the famous Swilcan Bridge.  Nicklaus would go on to birdie his final competitive hole, and I believe he missed the cut by 1 stroke.

Upper Deck finds some different kind of photos for this set.  You’ll have some good ones like the 3 above.  But you’ll have some clunkers, too.  This Lebron James card is just terrible.  I have no idea where the photo is from, but it hardly looks like him.

The next one isn’t quite as bad as the Lebron card above, but it just seems like something’s off with this Griffey card.  If it was just a photo, I would actually like it, but it seems like the painting effect they went with just doesn’t work.

Good or bad photography, those are some truly great names.  But that’s not all of them.  Upper Deck always has the best hockey and basketball players included.  2015 Goodwin is no exception.

There are a few other guys in this set who are true royalty as far as sports icons.  Mike Tyson and his dove (or is that a pigeon?) are one.

Maria Sharapova, owner of the career Grand Slam, is also in this set.

Of course there are still a few dead ball era baseball players.  I think these 5 are it, though.  And none of them were in the original Goodwin set, unlike last year.  John McGraw is a good one, and it’s not too often you see a card of Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

There are a few all-time basketball players in this set as well.

And there are also quite a few historic football players.  The best receiver ever, the best running back ever and the best pass rusher ever.  Getting Mike Ditka in this set is really cool, too.

And there are plenty of athletes from outside of the 5 biggest sports in our country.  Carl Lewis is back for his second time in Goodwin Champions.  Meb Keflezighi is an American marathoner who has brought some glory back to that event for the U.S.A.  He has notched victories at the Boston and New York marathons, and he brought home a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Here are a few other athletes from outside of the traditional sports.

The Barber brothers, Tiki and Ronde, are both in this set.  Ronde will probably be in the Football Hall of Fame someday, and Tiki was an excellent running back who came across some controversy after his playing career.  When I was a junior in high school, I visited Virginia and met with the track coach there.  I was good enough to meet with a division 1 coach, but not good enough to actually run in college.  I saw them both practicing on the team, which was surprising.  It was their senior year, and both guys were getting drafted, but the speedster duo were still on the track team.  It was fun to watch.

2015 Goodwin Champions box break #3

I bought a third box of 2015 Goodwin Champions, and since they reduced the number of non-SP base cards this year to 100, I wish I had only got the first 2 boxes.  I only needed 2 cards to finish the 100 card portion of the set.  I did get those, but the rest of the cards were dupes which is a lot.  At least I did get those 2 cards – 6-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier and the most accomplished female jockey in horse racing, Rose Napravnik.

Here are the SP cards I got.  8 of them, and unlike box #2, these were all needed cards.

Here are the SSP cards, and again unlike the 2nd box, these were both needs.

Here are the minis.  I got 1 more mini overall in this box, but again just 3 of the “regular” minis.

I got 1 canvas mini of the all-time rushing leader.

I got 1 cloth mini numbered out of 50.  And it’s of the greatest golfer of all-time, at his last competitive tournament.

Finally, I got one of the rarer Leather Magician back of hockey great Phil Esposito.  This card is numbered out of 15.

Here are the Goudey inserts.  I got another female trail blazer in Danica Patrick in these cards.

The one autograph I got in this box was a rare one – one of the artist autographed Game of Chance cards.  This is a cool card, but I have to be honest that I’m not particularly excited that this was my auto for this box.  I’d rather have had one of the athletes.

I got a standard memorabilia card, this one of Silvano Aviles, who is a the reigning champion of the Professional Bull Riding tour.  Unlike the card above, I actually do think this is pretty cool.  Certainly this is different, and it’s obviously not as sexy as a Jerry Rice card.  But if that Jerry Rice card has an inset of a jersey he wore from a celebrity softball game last year or something like that, well – this isn’t that bad.

Finally, I did get an Origin of Species patch card of a dinosaur called pisanosaurus.  I read dinosaur books to my 3-year old quite a bit these days, and I haven’t seen this in any of those books.  But it’s a cool card, and I’m glad I got such a wide array of insert cards across these 3 boxes.

Below are the “stats” for the box.

20 packs per box * 5 cards per pack = 100 cards

77 of the 100 card base set (77% set completion)

• 8 SP cards
• 2 Super SP cards

87 of the 165 card full set (53% set completion)

• 3 Minis
• 1 Mini Canvas
• 1 Mini Cloth Lady Luck back
• 1 Mini Leather Magician back
• 5 Goudey
• 1 Game of Chance Autograph
• 1 Memorabilia
• 1 Origin of Species

Including all three boxes:

• 100 / 100 of the base cards (100%)
• 123 / 165 of the full set (75%)