Top 5 Marvel Collect Cards for 2024

To wrap up the Top 5 of the Topps Digital card apps, I share my Top 5 Marvel Collect cards from 2024.  These are common, uncommon, rare, or super rare cards I collected.  Because everyone's collection looks different, your Top 5 would likely be different, so please share what some of your favorite Marvel Collect cards are from 2024.  

Here is my Top 5 list: 

5. X-Men Through the Years, X-Men #13, Series 4 - Blue, Uncommon, 13,283 Card Count

This card leads off a host of X-Men cards that make my Top 5 of 2024.  I really like team cards because
you get to see several characters at once, and this particular card showcases a really cool X-Men team through the years.  This team is a gritty group with a tough Cyclops and fierce-looking Beast in the foreground.  Then a next layer with Juggernaut, maybe Psylocke?, and Magik holding her massive sword over her shoulder.  I wouldn't want to mess with any X-Men team, but this one has quite a bit of muscle and attitude.  

4. Sapphire Selections '24, Psylocke, Series 1 - Blue, Uncommon, 23,697 Card Count

Psylocke is a dynamic character, and this card highlights her personality with a calm face in the action of her drawing her sword. Her hair shows swift movement as it flies away from her shoulders.  When you tilt your device with this card, the background shapes shimmer which looks sharp.  The digital art on this set is well done which makes the card pop.  Actually, the entire set looks great and would definitely be a top set for me this year.  

3. Topps Sterling '24, Sword Master, Series 1 - Alloy - Silver, Rare, 11,920 Card Count

This is a sharp card!  The art is great with vibrant colors and action.  The movement is shown with the
scarf and belts flying about and the motion of the sword shown with its green magic.  The border looks good in design with the card series listed in an oval on the top, a small red Marvel logo at the bottom with the character's name right above the Marvel logo.  The Sword Master is a cool series of books as it presents a new and different character for readers.  I was happy to see this character and card in the set. 

2. Halloween '24, Spider-Man, Series 1 - Fright Night - Orange, Rare, 13,232 Card Count

One can never go wrong with Spider-Man, but when you add him to the fun Fright Night Halloween set
it is a winner.  Spidey is drawn in a really clean form as he swings on his web giving a little wave to the viewer.  What sets this apart; however, is the Halloween theme.  In the background is a large jack-o-lantern with bright orange fire color coming from the eyes and mouth.  Then across the bottom of the card under the Spider-Man title of the card is a line of Jack-o-lanterns across the bottom sitting in the grass.  They are definitely unfriendly looking, but appropriately frightful for the holiday.  This card really pops in look and holiday spirit.  

1. Galaxy '24, Cable, Series 1 - Meteor - Motion, Super Rare, 1,419 Card Count

The Top 5 cards were really close in appealing to me in design, so it came down to which characters Iliked the best.  No surprise that Spider-Man and Cable are in the top two slots.  This Galaxy card of Cable is full of action and the coloring highlights all the fun in the card.  His bright eye, metallic arm, guns, and bullets are highlighted as he runs right at us to the action. I don't have much more to say other than, that I liked this card so much I went the distance to get the super rare variant.  

Thanks for checking out my Top 5 Marvel Collect cards for 2024.  What do you think?  Did I hit the mark?  Let me know what your top 5 cards are and get ready to start collecting in 2025.  By the way, give me a follow on the app!  My username is:  CYCLELIBRARIAN

Top 5 Star Wars Card Trader Cards for 2024

In 2020, I started ranking my favorite digital cards here on Seeking Positivity In The Galaxy.  At the conclusion of 2024, it is no different except that in 2025 we will be celebrating 10 years of Star Wars Card Trader.  I've shared the story before, but I will never forget where I was when I opened my first pack of digital cards.  I was at the Indiana Comic Con when my friends Dan Zehr (co-creator and host of Coffee with Kenobi) and Cory Club (co-creator Coffee with Kenobi) and I downloaded Star Wars Card trader and started collecting digital cards.  I have been hooked ever since.  Purchasing trading cards and finding storage for them has become difficult, so the digital collection has consumed me because of the little or no cost of creating a collection and having the collection with me wherever I go.  

To celebrate 10 years of SWCT, each month I will reveal my Top 5 award cards from each year.  I think it will be fun to go back and explore the award cards I have earned over the years.  I suspect I will have memories and stories of completing certain collections.  In January, I will start with my 2015 award card collection.  

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I suppose I should share with you my Top 5 favorite insert (common, uncommon, rare, super rare, Epic, and Iconic) cards of 2024.  These are cards that I actually own in my collection, so I may be missing some awesome cards that I simply don't have.  That is sad, but it is the reality of collecting; sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you don't.  

I hope you enjoy my Top 5 SWCT insert cards: 

5.  Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary - Watch Party, Darth Maul, Cards - Watch Party Uncommon, 24,237 Card Count

I have always enjoyed film commemorative cards and this card is no exception.  First, Darth Maul is one of my favorite Star Wars villains.  Put him on this nicely designed card and it is a winner!  There is a nice golden border around two sides with scenes from the film underlaid the golden color.  In the lower left corner is a 25th anniversary logo. and Darth Maul's name is printed on the red border below the image.  Flip the card around and the center of focus is an image of the Phantom Menace film poster.  This is a really sweet card, and I'd try to trade for a copy of this set.  

4. The Millennium Falcon, Rescuing the Resistance on Crait, Season 9 - Moments, Uncommon, 23,251 Card Count

Trading cards have always done a great job of highlighting people from baseball players to film
characters, but when a card highlights an item, I am always fascinated.  When the card features the Millennium Falcon, it brings the ship alive.  I chose the the card highlighting the rescue at Crait because of the dramatic nature of the image.  I can hear the Falcon swooping across the sky as it is being fired upon in this scene.  Whether you think the Falcon classifies as a character or simply a star ship, this card brings it alive.  

3. Merchant and Smuggler, Cad Bane, Series 2 - Wave 2 - Base - White, Uncommon, 17,506 Card Count

The Merchant and Smuggler sets are some of my all-time favorite sets.  I love the classic "old fashion" text font that titles the card, "Merchant & Smuggler: Purveyors of Fine Goods.  It is a great look.  Choosing this particular card with Cad Bane boils down to a great character with some wonderful detail in the card.  Bane's vest has a decorative detailed pattern and the armor on his arms and shoulders are detailed down to the wires and lights.  Also, don't miss his expression with his curved down scowl.  

2.  Topps Star Wars Masterwork, Grogu, Wave 1 - Commemorative Stamps - Chrome Silver, Super Rare, 2,260 Card Count

You didn't think I would do a Top 5 SWCT list without a card featuring Grogu, did you?  Of course not,
but the theme of this card caught my attention before I noted that Grogu was featured on one of the cards.  This card features a stamp of Grogu framed in the card.  The diagonal style in the upper right and lower left corners and the green/gold/orange striation in the background of this card are eye catching.  The card then also gives us a "bonus" image of Grogu on the card laid behind the stamp image and boarder.  There is also a gold title, Star Wars Masterwork," at the top of the card.  

1.  Rebels Box Set, Chopper Comforts Hera Syndulla, Series 1 - Base - White, Uncommon, 26,169 Card Count

I knew this card would be my top SWCT card of 2024 from the moment I collected it.  Besides being a
stunning card to look at, it connects me directly to the story and the emotion of this story.  As the title of the card states, "Chopper Comforts Hera Syndulla," this card is the scene where Hera seeks reflection of the most recent battle in which they lose her love, Kanan Jarrus.  Her close friend and partner, Chopper, joins her for the moment.  In a classic Star Wars moment, the two look off into a deep red sunset.  This is a touching moment and a dramatic card to collect in 2024.  

Top 5 Topps Bunt Cards for 2024

My Fantasy Baseball Teams in 2024 were horrible.  Thank goodness my teams did not reflect the season and the Topps Bunt cards that were released in 2024.  Unlike my fantasy teams, Topps released some really amazing sets from the base set style, to my favorite Bowman common set to some of the higher end limited edition sets.  

I was able to acquire six legendary cards and seven iconic cards in the 2024 set with the Nolan Gorman Future Stars 25 card count highlighting top elite status of my set.  

Here are my Top 5 Topps Bunt Cards for 2024: 

5.  Topps Chrome 24, Oneil Cruz, Series 1 - Base - Common, N/A Card Count (12/27/24)

You must know, after viewing my Top 5 2024 Topps Bunt Base Cards post, that I love action cards.  This
card is just that on a really nice card design.  On one corner of the card the team name is written in a clear, team color themed font and on the opposite corner the team logo is prominently displayed.  The player name and position is printed in the lower right corner and the card delivers a nice "shiny" look as one tilts the device on which they are viewing the card.  Then, on this particular card we get a nice landscape image of Oneil Cruz in full arm-extension mid-throw.  It is a marvelous card that draws in the collector the moment it is revealed in the pack.  

4.  Topps Heritage 24, Dansby Swanson, Series 1 - Clubhouse Collection Relic - Rare, 4,393 Card Count

This card and set are classic. This is a card layout that I had in my early days of collecting cards. You
know, those days when the doubles or cards of players we didn't like ended up in the spokes of our bikes. The Heritage Collection has a simple yet eye catching yellow and purple boarder.  The title of the set at the top, "Clubhouse Collection."  On the bottom of the card is Dansby Swanson's name with a classic spring training-like photo of Dansby holding a bat out front of him.  Then what makes this card really unique is the uniform piece in a circle feature between the image and the bottom boarder.  If there was any doubt, this is a classic baseball card and it makes my number four top card of 2024.  

3.  Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary 23, Dave Winfield, Series 2 - Base - Uncommon, 10,299 Card Count

The Chrome sets return for another look at my top 5 Topps Bunt cards of 2024.  This is a Platinum
anniversary card that has the same "shiny" feature that the Oneil Cruz card has as mentioned above with the number 5 card.  There are a couple features that highlight this card for me.  First, I love it when Topps highlights players from the past, especially when the player happens to be one of my favorite players of all time, Dave Winfield!  Another feature of the card is the dual images on the card.  On the right side of the card Topps gives us a full card portrait image in color of Winfield while on the left side of the card we get a smaller full black and white image of Winfield as he appears to be on the base paths.  Finally, who doesn't love a signature on the card?  

2. 1989 Topps Baseball 24, Wade Boggs, Series 1 - Signature - Super Rare, 1,864 Card Count

Speaking of signatures on baseball cards from above, the number two card of this year's top cards
makes this spot largely because of the signature.  Who doesn't love a signature series card with the signature of a super star of the past, Wade Boggs?  Not only an awesome player with an awesome signature, but Topps gives us a 35th anniversary card style from the 1989 set.  I always loved this card set with the large, colorful team name and banner under the team name for the player's name.  Like the Dansby Swanson card in the number 4 slot of this list, this Wade Boggs card just screams baseball card!  

1.  Allen & Ginter 23, Al Kaline, Series 1 - Uniform Countdown - Rare, 7,954 Card Count

Uniqueness wins in this years Top 5 Topps Bunt cards of 2024.  I love these Allen & Ginter cards. 
They are the old school cigar box type cards with a smaller dimention than a regular baseball cards.  They are drawn cards instead of photos of the players with a classic font that screams a yesteryear time period.  This card was chosen in particular because of, keeping very much to this year's theme of classic players, Al Kaline of my second favorite Detroit Tigers.  This is the kind of card I would put into a frame and hang on my wall.  I mean on the wall of my living room.  

I hope you enjoyed this list of my Top 5 Topps Bunt digital cards from 2024.  Let me know what your top cards are from the set or did my list resonate with you as well?  Let me know and Happy New Year!  Here is to looking forward to a great 2025 baseball season.   

Dungeon Crawl Classic: A Wild Time!

Our monthly D&D group had to take a hiatus as our DM, was unavailable.  Not a big deal, it happens.  We normally just pull out some board games or just take the month off.  Not this month!  

One of our players has been running a Dungeon Crawl Classics game in our school game club and thought it might be fun for our group to give DCC a try.  We were all up for it, so when Friday night came craziness ensued.  

For those who aren't familiar with Dungeon Crawl Classics, it is, as the name implies, a straight-on dungeon crawl.  What does that look like?  Move into a room, fight, investigate and move on.  That may be simplifying it a bit, but actually, probably not.  One thing that didn't take long getting used to was character death.  All of the characters start at zero level.  We were playing ordinary townsfolk like Squire, Rutabega Farmer, Hunter, Cheesemaker, Locksmith, and our favorite Gongfarmer.  There are many more, but the point being these characters are regular people so hit points and bonuses are quite low.  The max hit points on any character was 4 and the fewest was 1.  They all might as well have been one, because almost any hit was a death.  

Marc our game judge (that is what they call the Dungeon Master in DCC) handed out four characters for us to start with.  I knew things were going to be a little crazy when I saw that the stack of pre-made characters was quite large.  Marc gave us a bit of a preview for the game and we were off.  The first room we examined had some statues that we all investigated and a negative energy field of some sort killed off about 6 characters, two of them mine.  Great start!  The night went fast as we got the hang of fight, investigate, survive, move on.  We also got used to character death.  I was the worst about it as I lost my original four pretty quickly.  I drew two more characters...lost them.  Then I drew two more and one of those survived the end.  A couple players, Paul and Nate, managed to keep an original character to the end.  Careful, they were, or maybe they were just lucky.  

I think what made this so fun is that we were playing with a group that has been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a few years and we caught on to what each other was doing pretty quickly.  The other aspect to the fun was, even thought it was kill or be killed and characters didn't last long, we still tried to build in some role play.  This is when things got crazy.  You could have some fun with the personalities of the characters

because you knew the likelihood of them hanging around was pretty slim.  So, why not have a little fun?  Olfana the Rutabega Farmer just wanted to get back to her plants, while Grave Digger, Bob Shovelsmith, was excited at the job security the group was creating for him.  These conversations teetered on the ridiculous, but on a Friday night hanging out with friends, why not let loose?  Dungeon Crawl Classics did just that.  

My Top 5 Star Wars Card Trader 2024 Base Cards

Those base cards of a set are the cards that start to pile up after purchasing multiple packs.  In my non-expert/fan of years opinion, to make a good base card, the boarder should be interesting and draw your eye to the subject of the card.  Speaking of the subject of the card, I feel like the base cards should focus on unique images of not only characters, but in the galaxy of Star Wars, have ships, creatures and maybe even locations.  

I think you will see the qualities of a good base card show up here in my Top 5 Star Wars Card Trader 2024 Base Cards:  

5.  Grogu, 2024 - Series 1 - Tier 1 - White

Okay, I'm a sucker for the cute factor.  Who doesn't want the most popular character in Star Wars at the moment on a base card?  I am glad they didn't try to do too much with the card and just gave us...well, Grogu!  

4.  Shin Hati, 2024 - Series 2 - Tier 1 - White

Something that brings a base card set to life is introducing new characters.  I think this is a solid card that gives us a good look at Shin Hati.  She moves fast and furious in the Ahsoka series, so it is nice to get a good look at this new character in the base.  

3.  Dume, 2024 - Series 2 - Tier 1 - White 

I love the creature cards.  I especially like the creature cards of creatures that make a major difference in the story like the Loth Wolf.  Now with the Rebels 10th anniversary set, we get a few new Loth Wolf cards, but before that the Loth Wolf cards were just a handful.  

2.  N-1 Starfighter, 2024 - Series 3 - Tier 1 - White

The starships in Star Wars are part of what bring the cool factor.  To see the Falcon blast out of Mos Eisley, watch a Star Destroyer come out of hyperspace is just awesome.  Base cards that include the ships of Star Wars really make a set interesting.  What cooler than the sleek N-1 Starfighter from The Phantom Menace?  This ship was brought back to prominence and "cool factor" when the Mandalorian rebuild one after he loses the Razor Crest.  

1.  Ezra Bridger, 2024 Series 3 - Tier 1 - White

I love the look of this card.  First, it is a new shot of the new Ezra from the Ahsoka series.  It is great to see his lightsaber and a moment from the show rather than a posed shot.  This is my top card from SWCT 2024 Base set.  

A note about the card design that I really like and appreciate.  The character name is clearly stated at the bottom of the card, and the show/movie the image/subject is found is appreciated.  There are many characters who appear in multiple stories, but the image may not clearly state what story the image is from.  In addition, the base set has several important minor characters who we know but may not remember where they are from.  Several of the Andor characters are that way for me.  

Album Playthrough Project November 2024

While we have moved into the holiday season, and around here that means Christmas music 24/7, let's reflect back on a good month of album listening in November.  The month of album listening started with Madonna and finished with punk band Amyl and the Sniffers.  The month was heavy with Dave Matthews because I had to get my fix of DMB before I took a month off to listen almost exclusively to Christmas music. 

Last month, I mentioned that I would reveal the next phase of the Album Playthrough Project for 2025.  In 2025, I have decided to do a deep dive into twelve artists albums to examine how their music has changed over a career (or not), and to determine my favorite of each album I examine.  I will look at at least 5 albums from the twelve artists.  Here is a short list of  artists that I am considering in the Musical Artist Album Playthrough 2025: 

John Mellencamp, 10,000 Maniacs, Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, The Killers, Squirrel Nut Zippers, James Taylor, and Cold War Kids

Do you have any suggestions of artists you would like to see me do a Musical Artist Album Playthrough in 2025?  Leave a comment below or on Twitter @draftline

Here is my Album Playthrough List for November 2025

Ray of Light (1998) Madonna 11/2/24
Everyday (2001) Dave Matthews Band 11/3/24
Live in Chicago 12/19/98 at the United Center (2001) Dave Matthews Band 11/4/24
Wonderful Wonderful (2017)The Killers 11/4/24
Eliminator (1983) ZZ Top 11/5/24
It's Hard (1982) The Who 11/6/24
Battle at the Garden's Gate (2021) Great Van Fleet 11/6/24
I See (2019) Cam Cole 11/7/24
Red Bird (2015) Jessie Roper 11/8/24
Slow Lightning (2023) The Bones of J.R. Jones 11/8/24
Live Trax Vol.14: Nissan Pavilion (2009) Dave Matthews Band 11/15/24
Live Trax Vol. 50: Hershey Park Stadium (2019) Dave Matthews Band 11/16/24
Abraxas (1970) Santana 11/16/24
Made in America (1980) Blues Brothers 11/18/24
Uh-huh (1983) John Mellencamp 11/20/24
Human Wheels (2005) John Mellencamp 11/20/24
Keep It Hid (2009) Dan Auerbach 11/21/24
Live Trax Vol. 16 Riverbend Music Center (2009) Dave Matthews Band 11/24/24
How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb (2024) U2 11/30/24
Half Life (2024) Wyatt Flores 11/30/24
Heaven Let them Die (2004) Counterparts 11/30/24
Cartoon Darkness (2024) Amyl and the Sniffers 11/30/24

Best Listen of the Month: Abraxas, Santana

Biggest Surprise: Wonderful Wonderful, The Killers

Biggest Disappointment: Heaven Let Them Die, Counterparts

What?? Did someone say something? Huh?

Still Resonates Today: Eliminator, ZZ Top

Best Concert Memory: Live Trax: Vol. 50: Hershey Park Stadium, Dave Matthews Band

Perfect Moment to Listen: Human Wheels, John Mellencamp

Most Fun: Made in America, Blues Brothers

Jake and Elwood Blues know how to entertain a crowd.

For a description of the Album Playthrough Project, click here

February

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April  

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September

October

A Christmas Playlist for 2024

At the end of the holiday season in early January 2024 after the days of 24 hour Christmas music had

gone, I sat down and put together a playlist of my favorite Christmas songs.  I didn't have any criteria other than these are the songs that seemed to fill me with joy during the 2023 Christmas season.  

The playlist is on Spotify and it is a public playlist titled: A Pretty Good Christmas Playlist

Here are the songs that made the cut: 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year  Andy Williams

Candy Cane Lane  Sia

Santa Clause is Coming to Town - Live at C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY - December 1975        Bruce Springsteen

What Christmas Means to Me (feat. Stevie Wonder)  John Legend

Winter Wonderland  Ray Charles

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Frank Sinatra, Cyndi Lauper

This Christmas  CeeLo Green

Christmas Song - Live at Wrigley Field, Chicago September 2010  Dave Matthews Band

Silent Night  Meghan Trainor

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas  James Taylor

Blue Christmas  Elvis Presley

The Christmas Song  The Stephen Kummer Trio, The Chris McDonald Orchestra

Christmas Wrapping (with Iggy Pop)  Kylie Minogue, Iggy Pop