Never fear, delivery is here

 

So I am told there is an ongoing postal strike in Canada.

That doesn't affect me here in the States (at least I don't think) except maybe when it comes to cards?

That was put to the test recently when Sportscards From The Dollar Store sent me some cards. I got a package maybe a couple weeks ago, which I'm guessing was before the strike happened. Then I received another package from Douglas just a couple days ago, which squeezed through the picket lines I guess? I don't fully know how the mail is working up there, I just know Doug was concerned -- so here's a post letting him know all is well. It's here! Both of them!

 

I'll split the card showing into Package 1 and Package 2. You can decide which is better, I already did that in the quiet of my own home

 

PACKAGE 1

 

 

Let's start with the complete Bills set from this year's Score football!

This is nice to get in the middle of the NFL season, though it's also a reminder of why I don't collect modern football. I like sets to reflect the team on the field, but you can't do that with modern football because they're throwing guys in college uniforms and guys who RETIRED YEARS AGO in with active players. I'll never get used to that.

 

Ooh, dated football cards with scores and matchups. This is my style. I will take anything that mentions the Jan. 3, 1993 comeback by the Bills.

 

Random Bills are always part of a buckstore cards package. It's up to me to decide what goes in the Bills binder and what goes in the not-sure-what-to-do stacks. I see candidates for both here.

Every up-north package also contains 1991-92 Pro Set, we have two English cards up top and a French card below. Yeah, I'm sort of collecting both, but I think once I finish one, I'll stop collecting the other. I'll likely complete the English set first.

And Random Sabres always show up, too! As a refresher I only collect current Sabres, Sabres from the "goat-head" era (red-and-black unis) and vintage Sabres. Most of these qualify (I always have to double-check who is on the current team).

Finally getting to baseball, summer fans. These are two neat Dustin May cards. It's always nice when a player whose status is up in the air gets re-signed by the Dodgers. I feel more comfortable collecting their cards.

 

Here are several fancy parallels. A couple ridiculous ones, too. The Duke Snider is a parallel just because someone stamped "SELECT" on the front. Along those lines is the Dalton Rushing Chronicles card, whose print foil was changed to bluish purple so now the card is numbered to /25.

But give me that Electric Diamond Orel Hershiser. One of a handful of missing Dodgers acquired.

Autograph hit, relic hit and used-to-be-a hit.

Do people collect expired redemption cards? I bet they do.

 

OK, those were the highlights for Package 1.

 

Now I'll do Package 2, which may not have ever made it to my place?

 

 

PACKAGE 2

 

I'll start with this 1994 Collector's Choice "stand-up". I have this card already (and have already bagged on joining a Dodger with a Giant on the same card). But I didn't have the full card apparently. It came with a whole other scratch-off card and more legalese. One of those things I didn't know because I wasn't collecting then.

 

Here is most -- not all -- of the Dodgers from this year's Stadium Club. Much appreciated as I don't want to buy any blasters and get some of those terrible parallels (some of the boxes contain parallels of all the same team -- nothing but paralleled Diamondbacks! Ack!).

The photo selection is not as interesting as in years past but the collation is just as brutal from what I've seen on social media. It might be time for SC to take a year off.

(P.S.: Stop with the second-base celebration photos).

A couple of new-to-me sigs. I didn't know the Donruss Signature Series cards from the late '90s had various parallel colors. I've got a Reyes in red and green now. I guess there's a blue, too.

 

You didn't think that would be all the 91-92 Pro Set did you? This is a mix of English and French. I will probably have a want list coming very soon on this now that I've got a decent-sized chunk. Before it seemed like I was just begging.

More random Bills. The bottom two cards are 2024-25 UD MVP cards -- the very latest!

 

 

Ooh, a '90s Piazza insert. As I've said many times, I feel accomplished when I land a Piazza insert. There were so many but yet there are so many that are elusive.

 

 

This is what they were doing with holiday-themed cards in 2018. Seems kind of quaint next to this year's Holiday set doesn't it?

I hate the idea of Walker Buehler pitching for another team. It makes me gag when I hear the Yankees are interested him. But I guess I should be willing to let go.

Some shiny Chrome cards, so shiny that you can't make out the name on the 2005 one. It's Andy LaRoche. I can hear your response: "oh."

 

A signed fake puck on a card is somehow exceedingly cool.

 

 

There are other cards but this has gone on long enough. I'll end it with a nice modern card of this year's World Series MVP.

Speaking of which, I received my first 2024 World Series hat in the mail. There will be more to come I have a feeling.

I have cards ready to go for a return trip to Canada but maybe I should wait for the strike to be over.