One Pitfall of a Single Player Collector

    As a single player collector, the goal is to obtain as many different cards of the person you collect as possible. 
    With new cards being issued constantly, even for long retired players, it can be a daunting task.  That doesn't even take into account the parallels, inserts and variations which already exist, but which a collector may not be aware of.

    As long as I have been collecting cards of Herschel Walker, I'm not immune to making mistakes, in the hopes of adding a new and different card to the Hoard.

   Here's an example:  Below is a 1993 Pacific Prism card of Herschel

   

I have this card already and was perusing EBay one day when I saw this:

Wow, I thought.  A cool variation of the '93 Prism card, with a way out, spiral design.  I bought the card and when it arrived it looked exactly the same as the top card.  I checked with the guys at the TCDB and to my chagrin, the cars are the same, the only difference is the camera flash.

I should have known better, but my desire for something different lured me in. Luckily, the lesson didn't cost me too much.   Live and learn.

2013 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Gold Spectrum #57

     I recently nabbed this tough to find parallel of Herschel.   It's a 2013 Upper Deck Ultimate Gold Spectrum card #57.

      I added the base card of the set to the Hoard a long time ago, but the Gold Spectrum version had eluded me until now.   As can be seen on the card front, it is serial numbered to just 10, with this example being # 7.

     It can also be distinguished from the base card by the gold foil logo in the upper right of the card front.

    There is also a Silver Spectrum parallel, which is a one of one card.

2012 SP Authentic Sign of the Times #ST-HW

   

I'm pleased to add to the Herschel Hoard, a 2012 SP Authentic  Sign of the Times  autographed card of Herschel Walker.

The Sign of the Times series is one of the best looking autographed sets out there, in my opinion.  This is the "base" card in the series, if you will.  There is also a gold parallel version, which is serial numbered to 10.

As often happens, I was able to find the parallel version first, and that card has already been shown and discussed on here.

I had a chance to pick up the regular version some time ago, but missed my opportunity.  I had not seen it come up again until recently, and so I was glad to be able to grab it this time around.

2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Collegiate #41 Cyan Printing Plate 1 of 1

     I'm happy to add another 1 of 1 printing plate to the Herschel Hoard.   This is the Cyan plate, from card #41 of the 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Collegiate set.

     This is the first printing plate of Herschel's that I've been able to obtain from this particular set.

2018 Panini Flawless Collegiate #40 Emerald

   

This is the second pickup in this series that I have acquired for the Hoard.  I have the base card in the 2018 Panini Flawless Collegiate set, and now can add the Emerald version.

These are serial #'d to 5.  The mark is just above the gem on the front.  This is the #1 card.

A Top Ten Herschel Card,(maybe the #1 card) is Found!

    A six year quest for one of the most elusive Herschel Walker cards out there has ended today.

 The Herschel Hoard is very pleased to welcome in:

1994 Upper Deck Electric Gold #262

You see that little gold foil electric logo at the bottom of the card front?   That beautiful little logo is something I was beginning to think I would never see.

But lo and behold, a few days ago, as I was perusing EBay for Herschel cards, as I routinely do, there it was.  Someone was selling a '94 Walker Upper Deck Electric Gold card.  I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

All I had ever come across in the last six years were the base card example, and the Electric Silver parallel, both of which I already had.

After quickly reviewing the seller's offering, I quickly hit Buy it Now, hoping that no one had acted faster.

When the message, "Congratulations on your purchase" popped up, a wave of collecting satisfaction washed over me.

Silly to get that wound up over a piece of cardboard?  Maybe, But thousands of you know just how I feel.

So another rarity replaces this one, and the beautiful journey begins anew.

2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Collegiate Fame Ticket #41

   

Finding its way into the Hoard is another confusing insert from the 2019 Panini Draft Picks Collegiate set.

This is what is listed in the checklist as the "Fame" ticket.  Bear in mind it says "Season Ticket" at the top, as several of the examples in the set do, and the word fame doesn't appear anywhere on the card.

The sunburst pattern of the front differentiates it from other's in the set, as the Building Blocks or Cracked Ice examples, which were discussed in prior posts.

Many football card collectors resent Panini's onslaught of inserts and parallels, but as I've said, a single player collector goes after as many as he can get.  Within budget of course.

These cards are serial numbered to just 5.  This is #4.  This can be found on the card front, just to the right of where the Panini Contenders Draft Picks logo is.