3 packs of 2014 Topps Chrome Baseball for the heck of it.

I'm back and I figured why not try to get a post in before the month is over. I hate having that empty spot in my post history you know.

I ended up stopping in at Don's Sportcards to see what treasures he had dug up.  He's currently helping sell off a big collection from a guy who use to own a card shop.  Most of the stuff is from the late to mid 90's, but there always seem to be a few treasures buried in the stacks.  But this isn't a post of what I found. I'm saving those for later.  

 While there I did pick up 3 packs of  the new Topps Chrome Baseball.  Chrome is one of those products you either really love or not.  I'm probably in the not category. Don't get me wrong the cards look cool, but all the set really is is a paired down shiny version of the flagship. At least Topps doesn't insert Chrome cards in it's flagship product and then put out a whole separate chrome product like it does with Bowman.  But that's a rant for another time. Lets see what I got.

Pack 1 was pretty uneventful. Except for the Puig.

 Pack 2 had a little more variety with the addition of the Paxton refractor and a former Brewers outfielder.

 But Pack 3 surprised me with something even better. Sure there was a Mauer, Castro and D'Arnaud, but also ....

  I've never heard of Onelki Garcia, but it is an on card autograph card and a blue parallel numbered to 199 too boot.

Over all not to shabby when I pull one of the two autos per box.  Still not my cup of tea, but always worth a few packs.  Everything is up for trade. 

That's not a box, that's a MEGA BOX!

Oh Topps, you've done it again.  And by again I mean put another nail in the coffin of the local card shop.  Topps has been putting out a lot of online only and retail only exclusives lately.  The Topps Update Mega Box is just another in the line.  This is the only way you can get your hands on Topps Update Chrome cards. It's a shame because I think a Chrome version of update would have worked this year, especially with that Puig guy being in it. Although I can understand the reason behind it. One you don't want to put a product like Chrome out right on top of your base product. And you really can't wait to put it out much longer because the baseball season is done and lets be honest most collectors have moved on to their winter sports, if they collect those.  But how cool would it have been to have a pack or two of this been inserted into hobby boxes as a box topper.  I remember not too long ago Update had rookie refractor box toppers.

I just think cutting out the hobby shop on stuff like this is a bad idea.  And I assume that hobby shop sales still contribute a significant portion to Topps profits.

Will say this, the Chrome cards are nice and flat. That's the first thing I noticed was the absence of that characteristic arch we've come to know and hate about the chrome cards. The checklist is small. The set only has 55 base cards. Sets have been going for about 80 bucks on ebay. All have the MB prefix, which I assume is for the Mega Box.  There are also  Chrome Postseason Heroes inserts, Chrome relic cards and relic autos.  And of course there are the refractors.  I think Topps missed an opportunity not including chromed out mini inserts, but this isn't a full blown release.

Over all I was pretty happy with my two packs.

In the first pack all my cards were rookies and a Postseason Heroes insert. My second pack had a nice surprise as well.

I also ended up pulling a Puig rookie from my 5 regular packs

2013 Topps Platinum Retail Three pack

I really have no idea why I like this year's Topps Platinum so much. I really wish I had the extra money to really put an effort into the set, but I don't.  That doesn't mean I won't and didn't pick up a few packs.  I wetted my appetite last time I was at Don' Sportcards and picked up a few hobby packs.  I got a few of the blue refractor parallels and a nice Aaron Rodgers for my Packers team set and this card.

A camo die-cut ribbon card with Arian Foster on it.  The odd thing about this card is the rookie card label on the front.  Are there two Arian Fosters that play for the Texans?  It's a great looking card all shiny and chromed out.   

It's interesting to me the way a few of Topp's football card sets tend to emulate the other card manufacturers out there.  Topps sets tend to have borders and while slightly different from year to year tend to have a certain style that is just Topps.  But Platinum is more of a card that you'd expect from Panini.  The base veteren cards are foil board, with the player cut out from the background and placed in front of some design.  Topps Prime Football reminds me of Upper Deck.  The cards are usually full bleed, meaning they have no borders on the edges and the lettering and logos tend not to interfer with the action on the photo.  That being said, I still can't figure out why this set has piqued my interest so much. I'm really not a fan of Panini cards.

Anyway, like I said the base veteren cards are on foil board and all the rookies are chromed out.

I couldn't reisist picking up a retail triple pack when I was out shopping this afternoon and for lack of better content to post about I figured I share it here on the Crack.

I was really interested to see what those Flame Refractor cards looked like.

Pack 1.  You get one rookie per pack. Meh.

Here's what the backs look like.

Pack 2.  Ohh a Mike Glennon rookie card.  I ended up pulling his auto from my Jumbo Topps box break. Maybe I'll have to become a Mike Glennon supercollector. Ah maybe not. How about that Anquan Boldin? He totally smoked my Packers in week 1.

Pack 3. Wow three very meh packs.  Alright lets see what these Flame Refractors look like.

Ah, well, rrrr, emmm, at least they're all rookies and all offensive position players. These are all chromed out as well, and honestly I was a little let down.  Of course the packaging doesn't say that the Flame refractors are all rookies, so I guess it's a bonus to get all rookies, or maybe not.

Overall I wouldn't mind putting this set together. At 150 base cards that probably wouldn't be too hard, but I promised myself to limit my set building this year and the final set I'm going to build is coming out middle of next month.  

And with the end of the regular baseball season coming to a close it's almost time for Almost the Easiest World Series Contest on the Web III!!

Stay tuned for that.

cb out.