To be clear, unlike every other photo on here, I do not currently own these. I COULD. Specifically I might offer $12.50 for that one in the middle with decent overall centering.

I DO have the '86 Reggie White and someday the mail will bring that Jerry Rice I paid for: I simply feel obligated to add Steve Young to complete a triptych. Obviously, it's all about these green borders, hate them or hate them. Like most people, I have a hate/hate relationship with these, but there's a christmas wrap quality that I can't stop staring at.

​Yes, I clearly hate these green backgrounds that I won't stop collecting.

Vintage American Muscle Cars, being one of those hobbies. Driving a Dodge Charger in a major metropolitan area feels like driving a tank made of fine china, and as much as I'd like to swap it for an investment-grade Mustang it would just get instantly beat up and break my heart like the Charger does... so I'll buy a house to park cars in first. Etc. But in the meantime: investing in cars via shares of LLC group ownership. "Owning cars I don't actually drive." Okay. I bought into this stupid thing at $16.5K and it's currently worth $36.4K.

"Why are we using the terms 'Vintage American Muscle' and '1990 Ford Mustang convertible' in the same breath?" Well, let me tell you the abbreviated and likely incorrect saga of the 7UP, which certainly is google-able: These were a special order job from the 7UP company, in a dark emerald jewel green custom mix with white interior - destined for a tie-in giveaway with the NCAA that ultimately never happened (deemed "gambling" in many states, presumably). Ford already had them painted, and, coincidentally: 1990 was the 25th anniversary of the Mustang, with no plans to produce a commemorative model. Apparently Ford just shipped these 7UPS out to dealers to stick out front with a banner: "The Mustang: 1965-1990" or whatever. 

So, this became a "thing." "Was there really no 25th model, and what was up with those green ones? Did I imagine that?" But the real kicker: The 7UPs were ordered as 5.0 liter 321 V8's. In a convertible that weighs NOTHING, plus 5 speed manual and a handling package. If you don't mind dying without a roll cage, you can take on a Cobra in this thing. 

Now, the important thing is that I sell out my shares immediately so I can buy more baseball cards like a fool.

Well, the shelves are stripped of Panini and really these $2.99 16 card single packs were the only thing TO buy, so what did I get, here...

SNAP. Pack #1: The Luis Robert rookie that's the only card I wanted from this entire set. I repeat: SNAP.

Okay, that Tim Anderson/Eloy card is a numbered short print. I'll take that Robles 2nd year. Tasty, all 'round.

I am really confused by these. Bought a single pack at Target, thinking they were more "Big League 2020" and only now do I realize that "Opening Day 2020" is a totally different product.

But, okay, these are the same as the Topps 2020 Series One and Two, just that they say "opening day." Not chrome, but the same general design on a super high gloss UV coated card.

So why do these even exist? Like the whole thing is a parallel of the standard Topps set? Different price point or packaging? Obviously I could look all this up... I don't get it, but I'm not gonna complain about another mint Chris Paddack.

I got one of these for $50, which is obscene compared to the $200 they're already at, but not as obscene as they're gonna get. These are going full Mapplethorpe. Straight investment. Could not care less. 

Don't have any legit money invested in this, but, still: Chris Paddack. 

Investment: 9 Acuna rookies for $245. Earn it, Mike Trout Jr..

I admit it, this is pretty much the sum of my football collection, but it's quality. All rookies (look, EVERYTHING in my collection is rookies, and I've gotta stop typing the word altogether because you understand I don't do anything BUT rookies):

2 Aikmans plus some game worn jersey
2 Mahomes
Peyton Manning
Reggie White

​I've got a Jerry Rice coming from that same '86 set. Probably gotta grab the Steve Young. We'll get back to those - that '86 green border is sick and they deserve their own highlight.

Okay, I was lucky enough to be at a Target which had just put $19.99 Diamond Kings boxes on the shelves. Immediately grabbed one and regretted not cleaning them out (oh, somebody else did, instantly, believe me). 

So, these are "artist's cards," right? High quality oil paintings reproduced on cardstock that's like glossy eggshell. They FEEL amazing, for starters. I picked 13-ish base cards that were all quality pieces to begin with, but then I started hitting the packs with the goodies - and I have hardly ever had more fun opening up 35 cards.

This box was LOADED. C'mon. Pack #2 starts off with Patrick Sandoval game-worn jersey. Joe Morgan and Pete Rose short prints, Mookie Betts portrait, Stan Musial... Uh, black canvas border Mickey Mantle? C'MON.

I've gotta knock it off with the Topps boxes. I can't stress enough how much FUN this was to open, in a way that Topps Chrome never actually is. I'm down for a box of Panini ANYTHING. Table tennis. Whatever. 

I really shouldn't badmouth these. They're paper base set cards that are totally the equivalent of the cardboard we grew up with. No added gloss, and the parallel orange/blue are also plain card stock. The extras are "art cards" (and I did score a decent looking rookie refractor). Really it's loaded with good rookies, albeit in a paper base set version... Look, 10 year old me would think you handed me the coolest thing in the world - there are 11 packs to open up in here, 100+ cards, in a legitimately fat stack. Took a full half hour to unwrap these. 

​Sadly, 53 year old me lives in a condo and I don't have space for "meh" cards. 

It's a rookie card, yeah, but it's worth a tenth of his prospects card. I don't care, I own three of these anyway: LOOK AT THAT FACE!

Random-as-it-gets ebay purchase: $1.99 Tatis rookie, $1.99 Andy Pettite Rookie, $20 Molina. Sadly the Pettitte has a dinger corner and isn't worth grading but I'm generally stoked to have a Pettitte RC laying around. The Yadi is clean and tight and centered, gonna grade nicely.

7 Greg Maddux Dirty Sanchez rookies for $6 each, shipped? Look, people, this is my lock of the week: Greg Maddux will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. BOOK IT. When that happens, this minor investment is going to easily soar into the $1400 range. It's truly unthinkable he's not already in the HOF. I totally STOLE these.

​Suckers.

These five are going to up SGC for proper grading. Mint 10 Jasson Dominguez already going for $100 chrome and $400 Mojo Refractor - I have about 25 Jassons including 3 refractors, about $300 in. Will happily sell the first mint 10 refractor and sit on the rest.

Same story with Luis Robert! Insane money for these cards and I was happy to get an ungraded 4 pack for $50. Straight to grading.

Minnie Minoso: straight up HOF 21 bet. $69 for this well above average '52 Topps rookie card that will instantly be worth double no matter what the grade. 

The wife stopped in Target post-gardening and I was rewarded with $10 Basketball Mystery Box. Promised 50 cards, delivered more like 100 with a random brick of 90s Skybox in the middle. And a reasonably cool Kendall Gill 2001-ish refractor, '96 Allan Houston Flair... But the standout was a pack of 2016 Panini Contenders that was insanely fun to open as always. Random guy auto card is worthless but still super fun to get genuine sharpie autographed card straight from pack... And a Ben Simmons rookie, so all in all this was a pretty good treat for a random Saturday impulse buy at Target check-out.

$5 2020 Score fatpacks from Target: Meh. Just meh. Nice gloss, but boring base set. Extras are meh. Red parallels are straight ugly. Meh.

2020 Topps Baseball Series Two, $9.99 hanger pack from Target. So, okay, the chrome cards but not chrome, but still super high gloss UV and reasonably loaded with extras. Koufax and Griffey Jr. throwbacks, 4 "art cards," a refractor, short print Kris Bryant. 67 cards in one big fat stack (they're not in wrapped packs, just a big brick of cards inside that box). I don't see how i'm going to resist more of these for that price.