Enter The Multiverse

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home is available for digital download I thought it would be fun to discuss the multiverse of card collecting.

If you are into the Marvel movies, go watch Spider-Man: No Way Home!!!

It's Amazing (no pun intended)

It's no secret that Topps and Panini have been pumping out dozens of parallels over the past few years.  Sometimes they may look similar to one another, but very often there are bold enough color changes that you can tell a magenta speckled from the standard pink refractor

 or differiante the lime green donut circles from the forest green flash variants.  

Every now and then though they release these variants (Loki reference) that look a lot like the original.

Right before the holiday season I was able to grab a pair of Superfractors that look nearly identical.

These Superfractors look nearly identical, right?

Well, if you turn them over you will see the only difference of these 1/1s.

One is the standard Topps Chrome Update Superfractor and the other is the Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Superfractor.

We are probably all familar with Topps releasing value boxes that contain a chrome pack with their Update release each year.  These Topps Update Chrome parallels are often very sought after as they were produced in very limited supply.  

Topps has been making a product called Topps Sapphire since 2016 and has recently made a Topps Update Sapphire addition as well.  Oddly enough this Topps Update Sapphire edition doesn't always follow the same numbering as your standard Topps Update set or Topps Update Chrome edition.  

All these parallels and multiple issues are getting tough to keep up with. 

Do you think Fanatics will continue the parallel trend that Topps and Panini has been building upon over the past few years? 

Some Glitter I don't hate

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  

Due to my own financial situation this year I will not be able to make a donation for each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog.  Once things settle down on the home front though I will be looking to make a donation in 2022 based on the comments left during this year's event.  Hopefully together we can help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  In 2019, I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will also be showing some Cutch's Crew cards that show pink cards of players that have played with Cutch on multiple teams. I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 5th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014).

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate new celebrities into the event so today I am presenting

Mariah Carey

She rose to the billboards in the 90s and has become an international star thanks to her multiple platinum albums.

She was named the artist of the 90s 

The New York native is has also been a judge for American Idol

One of her most famous songs All I want for Christmas has transformed her into the moniker of "Queen of Christmas"

She starred in the film Glitter which also topped the Billboards for it's soundtrack.

Begining in 2021 Topps began producing a Magenta Speckled parallel in it's Topps Chrome release that looked like it was covered in glitter.

The cards are all numbered to 350 copies.  

I hate glitter!!!!  I wrote about my disgust with glitter 4 years ago here.

Do you have any strange hated items?

What's on your Christmas list?

Just Tell The Truth

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  

Due to my own financial situation this year I will not be able to make a donation for each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog.  Once things settle down on the home front though I will be looking to make a donation in 2022 based on the comments left during this year's event.  Hopefully together we can help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  In 2019, I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will also be showing some Cutch's Crew cards that show pink cards of players that have played with Cutch on multiple teams. I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 5th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014).

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate new celebrities into the event so today I am presenting

Krista Allen

You may recognize her as one of the adult film lesbians in the Adam Sandler & Jack Nickolson comedy, Anger Management.

She certainly stands out in the film.

You may also recognize her from the horror movie, Feast


She may be best remembered for her role as the busty new tenant in the elevator of the Jim Carrey comedy, Liar Liar

This 2017 Josh Bell Topps Chrome pink refractor rookie card is a fantastic looking card.

Flip it over and you could have seen an Andrew McCutchen name cameo on the back.

It states that Bell is the only player to be named the Pirates minor league player of the year twice.

That is a lie according to The Baseball Cube
Zach Duke, Sean Burnett, and Andrew McCutchen were also winners of the award twice while in the minors.

However, according to an article via MLB.com it states the exact same thing Topps printed on it's card back.

What do you consider a lie?

What are some things you've found on the internet to not be true?

Weather You Like It or Not

I live in NJ, but work in the Philadelphia area.  One thing I try to do at work each day is catch the local news weather forecast.

My reason is simple, Monica Cryan is the most fun weather girl I have ever seen in my life.

Philly weather has never been portrayed any better.

I don't know What the weather forecast was when Topps chose this image of Andrew McCutchen for their Series 2 flagship release in 2020, but I will say the pink mother's day parallels leave a lot of cloudiness in the forecast.  Unlike many other of their bold pink parallels, the 2020 Series 2 appear to be more of a rose gold with a strong emphasis on gold than the traditional pink.

The back still shows the serial numbering to 50 copies.

Have you ever overlooked a parallel because it just didn't stand out enough?

Do you have any favorite news reporters local to you that you enjoy watching?

Falco Files: Let the Games Begin

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  

Due to my own financial situation this year I will not be able to make a donation for each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog.  Once things settle down on the home front though I will be looking to make a donation in 2022 based on the comments left during this year's event.  Hopefully together we can help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  In 2019, I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will also be showing some Cutch's Crew cards that show pink cards of players that have played with Cutch on multiple teams. I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 5th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014).

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate new celebrities into the event so today I am presenting

Emilia Clarke

She has recently agreed to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the Secret Invasion storyline.  Speculative guesses around the internet include her playing the lead character Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman.

She has been a staple in many Sci-Fi franchises

playing the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genisys

and Qi'ra from the Star Wars film Solo

She has also appeared in the romantic holiday comedy, Last Christmas

She of course is best known for her role as Daenarys Targaryn in the HBO show Game of Thrones.

Last year actor Ryan Reynolds trolled Emilia Clarke that he is the most well known celebrity born on this day.

I wonder if Ryan had done anything yesterday to repeat the feat this year as Emilia celebrated her 35th birthday

If you did the math right, you'd know that Emilia was born in 1986 

This is the pink velocity autograph of Bryan Reynolds (no relation to Ryan) using the 1986 Donruss design

Bryan was the key part of the Andrew McCutchen trade with San Francisco in 2018.

Did you watch Game of Thrones?

Are you a Ryan (or Bryan) Reynolds fan?

Punk Rock Princess

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  

Due to my own financial situation this year I will not be able to make a donation for each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog.  Once things settle down on the home front though I will be looking to make a donation in 2022 based on the comments left during this year's event.  Hopefully together we can help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  In 2019, I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will also be showing some Cutch's Crew cards that show pink cards of players that have played with Cutch on multiple teams. I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 5th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014).

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate new celebrities into the event so today I am presenting

Yesterday John had suggested the Punk Rock Princess, Avril Lavigne, so I thought I would honor his request.

One of my favorite YouTube channels, PunkRockMBA, recently did a video about Avril where he looked at why the scene hates on Avril.  The channel's host, Finn McKenty, goes into a deep dive discussing her hustle and the amount of shows she did at a young age to become the star that she is today and how he absolutely respects her for that.

In the video he discussed how she helped influence an entire generation of young women with her look and attitude.

Lavigne had appeared on stage with country music artist Shania Twain when she was only 15 years old.  This lead to a 2 album recording contract. 

Some of her hit singles include Sk8er Boi, Complicated, and Girlfriend.

It looks like she may have gotten some plastic surgery.

Lavigne was born in 1984 and celebrated her birthday just a few weeks ago.

This 2019 Topps Mini pink parallel is based on the 1984 design and limited to only 25 copies, with this one being numbered 7/25.

Do you have a favorite punk band?

Have you ever tried skateboarding?