One of my favorite cut autos. I had the chance to pick this up about 10 years ago. Or a different Jackie cut auto that was 1/1 from a less significant set. Both had cancelled stamps. I should have picked them both up! (They were $1500 each). It’s wild that this set had 147 Jackie Robinson cut autos. Crazy. Still happy to have this one and a BGS 9.5 grade as a bonus.

Just wrapped up my 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Cincinnati Reds team set this weekend! 🙌

These cards have such a timeless, painted look — almost like mini works of art. Been chipping away at this one for a while and finally landed the last piece to bring it all together.

Ever since Upper Deck premiered in 1989, their use of hologram and holographic technology continued to go wild! From full holograms to mini holograms like this and more presently seen in the SPx line, they really help bring the colors and details of players to life with these moving images. They are exquisitely hard to grade well as the surface of the hologram scratches so easily. But they are beautiful cards in-hand and it lets you interact with the card as you move it side-to-side the players facial expressions change and it captures the movement and the true colors held inside.

A few years ago, there was a surge in Kevin Durant cards. Thankfully, I picked this one up a long time ago. Durant is clearly one of the top 20 or 25 players to ever play in the NBA. However, his basketball persona often rubs fans the wrong way and his jumping from the team-to-team decreases his overall fan base and collectibility. Still, Durant cards are on the low side of where he will be remembered, historically, I think. This is a nice opportunity to buy some of his cards. He will never be super high on my list, but I do like to have a couple key, rookies and autographs tucked away. And man, the sonics need a to be a team back in Seattle!

Another post for Kobe Day, 8/24. This is another one of my favorite Mobe cards for a few reasons. This upper deck SP signature set is amazing. The cards are perfectly represented with enough negative space to make the autographs shine. It helps that it’s in a perfect Gem BGS 9.5 grade.