It took two full weeks, but I finally made it through the collection! 

I explored box after box of cards, not knowing what I would find.  I would excitedly open a box of toploaded cards only to find it full of rookies who never panned out.  Other monster boxes contained hundreds of star cards with a penny sleeve nowhere to be seen.  And some were just what you were hoping for.  They created the perfect moment where the anticipation matched the payoff.  Boxes where card after card was something I'd never seen before.

I felt an interesting mix of excitement and exhaustion as I neared the end, and now that I've been through it all, the organization phase will begin.

In addition to the initial finds and the sets I wrote about in the earlier posts, I ended up with a ton of awesome cards to add to my PC, fill needs in the PC's of my friends, and to sell online and at our local shows.  The quarter and dollar boxes will be stuffed for sure!

Here are a few of my favorites

1) Box O' Jordans

First up was an entire two row full of Jordan's.  The guy I bought it from told me it was in there, but it exceeded my wildest expectations.  There were hundreds of inserts, refractors, and base cards from the mid to late 90s, and since my childhood collecting days stopped around 1995, I had never had a chance to see these first hand.  

I love the design and creativity of these cards.  I usually prefer actual game photos, but I love the artistry of the Metal Universe card.  Upper Deck was really hitting their stride with the NBA products of this era, and Topps Finest was bringing the hits for sure!  There will be al least a hundred cards out of this box that go into my Jordan binder.

2) 1996-97 Topps 50th Anniversary Foil Kobe Bryant RC

The Kobe era started after my collecting days were over.  This card is one of the more sought after rookies, but the value?  Good question.  I've seen these sell on eBay for anywhere between $20 - $100 since December.  I'll probably look to move this one, but I'll definitely be keeping a handful of the other 10-15 other Kobe rookies I found.

3) Derek Jeter

Jeter is another guy whose career fell almost entirely in my "dark days".  So when I found a stack of a hundred or more Jeter cards I was thrilled!  Not only did I get a chance to add a few to my own collection, but I was also able to fill some wants of one of my friends who is a big Jeter fan.  While there were no Upper Deck SP rookies, there were several other rookies, inserts, and refractors which are pretty sweet.  I've never been much of a Yankees fan, but I still respect the history of legends that have been a part of that organization, and Jeter is one of those legends.

4) Ryne Sandberg

I can't go this entire post without showing off a few Cubs!  Out of the couple hundred Sandbergs I found, there were several that I had never seen before.  I like the die-cut design of the SPx card with the signature Upper Deck hologram background.  The Aficionado was a set that I would have really been into had I been collecting at the time.  Interestingly, the card shows some chipping and flaking.  When Panini brought back the Aficionado basketball product last year, it also had quality issues.  At least they were being true to the original?  Finally, the old school look of the Franklin batting gloves and Diamond Kings feel of the Ultra card brought back some good memories!

5) Ken Griffey Jr.

Oh, the Ken Griffey Jr. cards!  There were also a couple hundred Griffey Jrs, and about ten of them sell on eBay for between $10 and $50 dollars!  Cha-Ching!  I will be adding a few to my PC, but since I'm into more of the standard base and inserts I'm happy to pass on high dollar parallels to other collectors who are willing to fund my future purchases! The Finest Refractor, Studio Stained Glass, and Ionix cards bring some color to the design and look pretty sharp.

All in all, this collection was money well spent.  The fact that I only spent the same amount as a few boxes of brand new releases makes me appreciate it even more!  While there is a great deal  of enjoyment that can come from busting wax, it's hard to beat the value of a well priced collection.  

I hope you enjoyed following along as I dug through it, and I'd appreciate you taking a second to subscribe to the blog, it would really help me out!

As always...Just...keep....collecting!