Charlie Whitehurst was the quarterback that finally elevated Clemson after being irrelevant for over a decade. CJ Spiller single handily put Clemson on the map. Both play special parts to the program and the success of what lead after them. Living in Florida during the 90s and early 2000’s the domination of UF, FSU, and Miami was a mania. I recall going to school wearing Clemson gear and nobody knew what Clemson was or where it was at (this is before every game was broadcasted). The Tigers have come a long way since those days and happy to have these cards in my collection.

Game used football paired with an UCF great Kevin Smith rookie card. 24K had one of the most prolific college careers for a running back and was just short of breaking Barry Sanders rushing record. Only the second UCF player ever to receive Heisman votes. He was able to play as a Golden Knight and a Knight. Played in the infamous home opener vs Texas in the brand new on campus stadium rushing for 149 yards. His electric play on the field resulted in UCF finding out the structural integrity of the brand new stadium was…not that great and almost borderline dangerous (let’s not mention none of the water fountains working or having bottled water). Thus, the “Bounce House” was born.

As a true racing fan and card collector. I’m honored to own this 2020 Topps Chrome Lewis Hamilton red refractor numbered 1 of 5. Such an iconic driver, card, pose, and set. I’m thrilled to finally to see it match the PSA red label in a slab. Now let’s see Lewis get a win in the legendary Ferrari red.

I’ve posted before about the Upper Deck PowerDeck set and its uniqueness. I recently got lucky enough to get my hands on a sealed hobby box. The chase of this set is a Walter Payton on card autographed with game used memorabilia , serial-numbered to his iconic jersey number #34.

It’s one of the most elusive pulls in a short-lived, innovative set, and arguably a tribute to one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, running backs to ever carry the football in the NFL.

Now I’m facing a real dilemma:
Do I save this box for a rainy day, keeping its mystery and potential value intact?
Or do I rip it open, take the gamble, and see if I can be one of the lucky 34 collectors to pull this legendary card?

What would you do?

UD3 basketball was one of my favorite sets as a kid collecting in the late 90s. This set holds a very nostalgic value for me. I can recall being at my local mall opening a pack at Electronics Boutique which then turned into EB Games and now GameStop. While opening the pack I remember my friend playing Turok on N64. While that was happening two random kids walked in yelling “Look at the new Jordans”. He opened a Spike Magazine which was made my Finish Line where we first saw the Jordan 13 (hologram Jordan’s). We were in disbelief because everyone initially agreed they were ugly.

I opened many packs after that and even bought a sealed hobby box last year that I opened. If you do not know about UD3 the set is comprised of 3 subsets. All the cards looked different in the pack and honestly haven’t seen something similar since.

I recently learned the Spotlight insert is a print run of 250 which I didn’t know. These cards look horrible photographed but are really neat in person. Holding it up to light the “spotlight” showcases the player in the card. A really neat insert for a super unique set. These are fairly inexpensive pickups considering the rarity and the demand of late 90s cards.

Pick one up. You won’t be disappointed.