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Monday, December 30, 2013

The Winter Classic The NHL’s Savior Book Review



For those of us from parts of the world where temperatures dip below freezing, hockey is a game that is often played outdoors.  Most have fond memories of makeshift games on frozen bodies of water or outdoor rinks exposed to the elements. But Professional Hockey demands the predictability of controlled conditions and that is only obtainable indoors.  So when the NHL decided to move the game back outside, allowing the natural elements to come into play, it was a big deal. That simple conceptual move sparked a sense memory for a lot of former “snow day” kids, bringing back a certain childhood magic to the game that can get lost in tamed arenas. The Winter Classic became a specialty event unlike any other.

Everything you would want to know about this great event can be found in Russ Cohen and Michael del Tufo’s excellent book “The Winter Classic : The NHL’s Savior. “  All the details of the event from a behind the scenes look at how to the rinks are set up and maintained, to alumni and current player reactions to dealing with outdoor elements while playing on one of the fastest and most difficult playing surfaces of any sport, to a blow by blow account of all of the past Winter Classics and venues, 2008 to the present, can be found in this book. 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

2013 Panini Totally Certified Football NFL Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Totally Certified Football has gone through some big changes.  Gone are the HRX video cards, which were the major hits.  Gone is the whole card color for parallels, now going with a stylized edge coloring.   Gone are the die-cut Rookie overlay in the materials opening for the Freshman Fabric autographs memorabilia cards, now its just a simple opening.  What remains is foil etching and the chance of pulling some nice big name autographs mostly in the Stitches in Time.  Other hits can be found in what is new about Totally Certified, a great insert set called Thanksgiving Day. Even with the cuts and changes to the set, 2013 Totally Certified Football retains its desirability.

Totally Certified Football falls into our premium cards category. Each hobby box contains 6-5 card packs. Each pack contains 1 rookie or parallel and 1 autograph or memorabilia card.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

2013-14 Panini Totally Certified Basketball NBA Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

Totally Certified Basketball has gone through some big changes.  Gone are the HRX video cards, which were the major hits.  Gone is the whole card color for parallels, now going with a more subtitle center color burst.   Gone are the on-card Rookie autographs, now in sticker form.  What remains is foil etching, a simple set configuration and the chance of pulling some nice big name autographs.  In many ways Totally Certified feels a little stripped down this year, almost closer to what you might find in Prizm.  With the major selling points being green parallels and acetate signatures, Panini will have to brainstorm to return some of the excitement to Totally Certified Basketball if it expects to regain some of its former glory.

Totally Certified Basketball falls into our premium cards category. Each hobby box contains 6-5 card packs. Each box contains 3 autographs and 3 memorabilia cards.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

2013 Panini Absolute Football Box Break Recap And Review


Anyone who follows this blog knows that Absolute tends to be a good break for me.  Going in I knew this could be a rough break as things have returned to normal after two years of way above average rookie classes dominated the NFL.  While instant rip and flip values might not be on par with 2011 and 2012, what remains is a really nice base set, a cool new insert set and some great hits to pull making 2013 Panini Absolute Football another solid choice for Football card collectors.

Panini Absolute Football falls squarely into our premium cards category.  Each box contains four pillow packs with 4 cards per pack. Each master box contains four Autograph or Memorabilia cards with at least two autographs.

Here are the cards we pulled.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

2013-14 Panini Timeless Treasures Basketball Box Break Recap And Review


The familiar tin is gone but that’s about all you will miss with 2013-14 Panini Timeless Treasures Basketball.  It still provides a great break with cards that are pushing the innovative envelope.  With added value like parallel inserts of rookie draft picks numbered to their draft position, embedded acetate autographs offered as an alternative to stickers, and 1/1 oversized "every player every game" laundry tags, Timeless Treasure should be on your purchase list.

We classify Timeless Treasures as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 5 cards with the promise of three hits and at least two autographs per box/tin.

Here is a look at the cards we pulled.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

2013 Bowman Sterling Football Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Sterling is the top of the Bowman line, providing the biggest “High Risk, High Reward” offering. For 2013 Bowman Sterling Football the single most important element that can spread that risk would be a strong rookie class.  While is was obvious this year would not come close to the past 2 years, there is still some emerging talent, but this does become a prospectors year.  The one large drawback is the lack of editing of the checklist.  For a high end, hit dependent product like this with a release date in November to include hits from a player like Ryan Swope, who unfortunately retired from the NFL back in July, just 2 months after he was drafted, is unacceptable.  While I understand production timetables make it difficult to change directions midstream, but at premium prices the task of editing these kinds of situations from the release should happen.  Otherwise this is a solid set of cards and if the pitfalls can be avoided, collectors should be happy with their hits.

Bowman Sterling Football comes in at the high end of our premium cards category because of the number of hits in each box.  Each hobby box contains 6- 5 card pack.  Each box should yield a box topper bonus Rookie Patch card, 2 Auto Relics, 4 Autographs and 6 Jumbo Relic Cards.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

2013 Topps Baseball Update Series Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Full of late trades, mid-season rookies and All-Star selections, 2013 Topps Baseball Update Series is the final act of this year’s flagship product.  This set includes a wide variety of inserts, continuing this year’s theme of “the Chase” along with continuations from sets from Series 1 and 2 and all new inserts, plus short print photo variations and cards dedicated to “Boston Strong.”

For the purposes of review, we classify Update Series as trading cards.  You can find Update Series in a wide variety of configurations in both retail and hobby.  We opened a hobby box that contained 36 – 10 card packs with a promise of 1 autograph or 1 relic card per box.


Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Starting Monday Topps Presents 12 Days Of Holiday Giveaways





Getting into the holiday spirit, Topps will launch 12 Days of Giveaways.  They will be giving collectors a chance to win 2013 Topps boxes such as Tier One BB,  Finest BB, Bowman Inception, Bowman Platinum, Bowman Chrome, Gypsy Queen, Allen & Ginter, Topps Chrome Football,  Topps Football,  complete sets and more.  Also, collectors can win autographed cards, relic cards, autograph bats, and other memorabilia.

Topps will be giving away AT LEAST 12 prizes a DAY for 12 Days! There will be plenty of chances for collectors to win something.  To win, all you need to do is follow Topps on Twitter @toppscards (you can use this link to get there) and look for the announcements on how to win gifts every day!

It all starts Monday December 9th and runs every day until Friday December 20th!  So make sure you are following Topps on their twitter account so you do not miss out!

Good luck to all!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Topps Offers Incentives For Case Breakers of 2013 14 Topps Premier Gold Soccer Trading Cards


The Worldwide launch date for Topps Premier Gold is set for December 27th.  Topps Premier Gold will feature autographs, relics, base, and parallel cards from the top players in the Barclays Premier League.  Every box will contain 5 autograph cards and 5 relic cards.

Premier Gold features an amazing case-hit guarantee.  Each case will contain 2 autograph cards from the following group of star players:
·         PelĂ©
·         Cristiano Ronaldo
·         Frank Lampard
·         Steven Gerrard
·         Gareth Bale
·         Mikel Arteta

To celebrate the launch of Topps Premier Gold and highlight the case guarantee, Topps is offering a special promotion for case-breakers with great prizes! 
·         The top 5 viewed case-break videos on YouTube will receive prizes such as: autograph items and free boxes
·         The video with the most views will receive a signed pair of boots from Cristiano Ronaldo. 


PROMOTION GUIDELINES:
·         Participants must notify their distributor that they plan to participate in the promotion by Dec. 30th.  If the case break is occurring at a Topps direct store, the store should notify their Topps rep that they plan to participate
·         Participants must send the URL of their YouTube video to their distributor by Jan. 10th
·         Participants need to have ordered at least 1 cases to be eligible to win
·         The contest will end at midnight EST on 1/17
·         Winners will be notified on Jan. 20 and the prizes will be sent the following week

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

2014 Topps Archives Baseball To Include 60 Days Of Bounty Prizes



To celebrate the launch of 2014 Topps Archives Baseball, Topps will be digging deep into its archives to look for unique and valuable prizes to give to collectors.  The prizes will include exclusive cards, vintage cards, uncut sheets, autographed memorabilia, Topps gear, unique Major League cards and items, and other pop culture treasures.  

Here is a short summary of how the 2014 Archives Bounty program will work:

-Upon the release of Archives Baseball, Topps will announce a bounty on a card that is in 2014 Topps Archives baseball and the unique prize for that bounty.

-The announcement will be made on Topps Facebook and Twitter.

-Collectors will need to find the card, take a picture of themselves with the item and post it to Topps Facebook page.

-One collector will be randomly chosen to win the Bounty Prize of the day

-More Details on how the program will work will be announced in the future


The Bounty will go on for a full 60 days in homage to the 25 year and 35 year anniversaries of the movies, Major League and The Warriors, that Topps will be highlighting in 2014 Archives.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

2013 Press Pass Legends Racing Trading Cards Box Break Recap and Review


Every sport has some form of card release that pays tribute to the Legends that played before and those in the making.  No matter what the sport, the bar has been set by Press Pass.  2013 Press Pass Legends Racing once again delivers a set of cards worthy of the Legends of Racing, providing a history lesson in a box. As usual, Legends finishes out a strong year of Racing/NASCAR with an amazing set of cards.

We classify 2013 Press Pass Legends Racing as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 3 mini boxes.  Each mini box contains 6 – 5 card packs with one Autograph card and one Race-Used memorabilia card for a total of 6 hits per hobby box.

To change things up, instead of showing you highlights of a master hobby box, we will show you the entire contents of one mini box.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

2013 Topps Inception Football Cards Box Break Recap And Review


I was brutal last year during our review of Topps Inception Football giving it one of the worst ratings we’ve ever handed out. While the cards were great looking and it was a fun break, dealing with the delicate edges negated most everything because in card collecting condition is king.  Most of the cards had cornering and chipping issues straight out of the pack. The major point I was trying to make was Inception Football would never achieve its full potential until Topps devised a plan to protect the edges of the cards.

With the 2013 version of Inception, Topps has resolved these issues and even tweaked some of the design elements to make this release the comeback product of the year.  This is a fantastic looking set of cards with great on-card and jumbo swatch hits with smooth surfaces and sharp edges and cornering.

Inception Football falls into our premium cards category.  Each hobby box contains 1 – 7 card pack with 1 memorabilia and 2 autograph cards per box.

Here is a look at the cards we pulled.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

2013 Topps Finest Baseball Cards Box Break Recap and Review


Topps has been tweaking and refining Finest Baseball over the years.  For the 20th anniversary edition, 2013 Topps Finest Baseball has continued making changes, jazzing up the base cards, while throwing back to 1993 with Baseball’s Finest inserts to go with the returning die cuts while adding new Finest Masters in insert and autographed versions, All Star Autographs in addition to the returning Autos.  All of this added value is a good thing because from a design level, the base cards leave something to be desired which might alienate collectors who look to Finest for their multi-color refractors needs.

While Finest Baseball falls under our classification of premium cards, there is enough here to keep set builders interested so there is some cross over into our trading cards category.  Hobby exclusive master boxes contain 2 mini boxes, with each mini containing 6 - 5 card packs.  Each master box contains 1 On-Card Autograph Rookie Refractor and 1 Autographed Jumbo Relic Rookie Card.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

2013 Topps Chrome Baseball Cards Box Break Recap and Review


Topps Chrome Baseball returns for 2013 with a familiar configuration, subscribing to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” theory.  As usual Chrome provides rainbow collectors plenty to chase with refractors of different colors and some of the best looking die cuts to come along this year.

Topps Chrome Baseball falls under our trading card category.  Each box contains 24 - 4 cards per packs with a promise of 2 autographs per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Monday, November 11, 2013

2013 Topps Prime Football Box Break Recap and Review


Topps Prime Football is known for its full bleed photo base cards and multi swatch relic autos.  The hit concentration leans heavily towards the Rookie class in various auto, auto relic booklet cards and multiple tier level hit forms.  Still there is a nice base of 25 veteran autographs including names like Andrew Luck, Frank Gore, RG3 and Jimmy Graham. 2013 Topps Prime Football should be looked at as a hybrid release that works for set builders and premium hit collectors alike.

Topps Prime Football falls under our premium cards category.  Each box contains 10 - 6 card packs and promises 1 Autograph, 1 Autographed Relic and 2 additional Relic cards.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Topps Releases Skylanders QUBI Today

Starting today, November 11, fans of the very popular Skylanders series will be able to find their favorite characters in QUBI form.  Topps is releasing the all-new Skylanders QUBI - a unique, patented, collectible toy that combines a transparent cube with real images of Skylanders characters along with their catch phrase and a rubber stamp.

There are 38 different Skylanders QUBI’s to collect including Trigger Happy, Stealth Elf, Hot Dog, Spyro, Chop Chop and many more.

Each Skylanders QUBI comes in a blind-purchase foil bag with an SRP of $2.99, and includes a checklist of all 38 QUBI’s in the line.   They can be found nationwide in retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us.  

In additional to the Skylanders and the previously released MLB QUBI, Topps plans to launch other QUBI products this year with NFL QUBI launching November.  All lines will be available at major retailers across the country. 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

2013 14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball Box Break Recap And Review


Three years ago Panini went old school, bringing back NBA Hoops with a fresh take on the classic inaugural 1989-90 set.  The most current release, 2013-14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball, is a great set for a wide range of collectors, from entry point to serious set builders.  For the first time Panini is offering hobby card collectors a jumbo box with behemoth 50 card packs and exclusive 1 of 1 artist proof parallels.

We classify 2013-14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball as trading cards.  Each jumbo hobby box contains 10 – 50 card packs for a whopping 500 cards with the promise of 2 autographs and 1 Memorabilia card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

2013 Topps Triple Threads Baseball Box Break Recap and Review


Right away you can see a design change for 2013 Topps Triple Threads Baseball but the contents have remained relatively unchanged.  Most collectors will appreciate that, as Triple Thread has become the goto Premium Baseball card offering with the widest range of appeal.

Topps Triple Threads Baseball falls under our premium cards category.  Each master display box contains two mini boxes with 7 cards per mini. Every mini-box contains an autographed relic and relic card, one of which is a triple relic.

Here are all of the cards we pulled from our box.

Monday, November 4, 2013

2013 Panini Prizm Football Box Break Recap And Review


As Football Card collectors, we have been spoiled.  We have been feasting on a banquet of outstanding rookie classes in 2011 and 2012.  Rookies that went straight into starting rolls and became instant superstars.  So it would reasonable to expect a bit of a let down in 2013 with a rookie class that is talented but not quite as explosive as the Cam Newtons of the world.  But there is no let down with 2013 Panini Prizm Football.

If you follow our reviews you are aware that while past releases have benefited from these tremendous rookie classes, it is just a small part of what we use to judge sets that fit into our trading card category.  The overall look, likeability of inserts, completeness of checklists and urge to set build play a much bigger role.  In the long run, we find that serves the purposes of reviewing releases better as secondary market values fluctuate over time.  We can not forget about years like 2000, a year when collectors might have been hot to score a Chad Pennington rookie card, while most ignored the guy drafted in the sixth round, 199th over all, Tom Brady, who was a fourth string quarterback and only threw for six yards in his rookie season. While this may not be the year to “rip and flip” we are already starting to see some break out talent.

So 2013 becomes the year to revisit the true meaning of collecting, concentrating on building sets and gathering cards for your PC. 2013 Panini Prizm Football is a great set for that as this year’s edition still retains its simple configuration with a great looking set of base cards, some low numbered parallels in addition to solid inserts and hits.

As an added value, Panini brings their HRX format to the release with a new twist, escaping the limited number of video cards that can be distributed by enabling all collectors to turn their smart phones into instant video cards thanks to QRL Code technology, the use of Platinum League’s phone app and a rather animated Tracy Hackler to guide your way.

Though on the high end of the category from a cost standpoint, we classify Panini Prizm as trading cards.  Each box contains 20 - 6 card packs with a promise of 2 autographs in every box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

2013 Rittenhouse Archives Falling Skies Season Two Premium Pack Break Recap and Review


When Steven Spielberg is attached to a movie or TV show, there is an expectation that it will be highly entertaining, and for good reason, he has a track record of delivering.  Currently on TNT is one of DreamWorks Television projects, Falling Skies, which has garnered critical accolades and a strong fan base.

Another company that consistently delivers on expectations is Rittenhouse Archives.  With the release of 2013 Rittenhouse Archives Falling Skies Season Two Trading cards in Premium Packs, everything a collector could want is there, including the lead actors autographs on a non-tiered, regular release basis which is a huge deal.  But for multiple box purchasers, there are still exclusive incentives to be collected.

These cards cover episodes 11 through 20 of the series.  This is the second premiere offering for the series so one would expect more releases in the future to cover upcoming seasons.  Fans of the show should be pleased.

Falling Skies Season Two falls under our premium cards category.  Each Premium Pack contains 3 Episode cards, 1 "Quotable" or International Poster Art Card, 2 Relic cards and 1 Autograph card. These can be purchased by the individual pack or as a 15-pack box.

Here are the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

2013 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review



2013 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball offers collectors a unique release, unlike Pro Debut or any of the Bowman line.  With its modest price, great base set with fun minor league names and logos and the chance for some really nice hits, Heritage Minor League is a solid set and a great purchase for fans of the MiLB, set builders and prospectors.

This set falls under our classification of trading cards.  Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 9 card packs and feature two autograph cards and one relic card.

Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled.


Thursday, September 26, 2013

2013 Topps Tier One Baseball Cards Box Break Recap and Review


Topps’ Ultra Premium offering, Tier One Baseball, returns this year with the same configuration as last year. Not everyone gets the chance to open one of these types of boxes so we gave you the opportunity last year to open our box of Tier One... virtually.  If you didn’t get a chance to do this virtual box break, use this link to get to it before you continue this review. 

If you look at our post “How we review and classify cards,” by definition, collectors who go for an Ultra Premium box of cards should understand “these are "High Risk, High Reward" cards” and “not every box will be a winner.”  After viewing a healthy amount of case breaks, the biggest hits of Tier One seem to be falling about 1 every 6 boxes, with one large case hit per 12 boxes, a nice ratio for ultra premium cards.

Bat knobs and cut signatures once again will rule the day from a secondary market perspective, some pulling in mid four figures. Some of the other cards can be picked up in the after market for a few dollars and that is how the ‘high risk, high reward’ equation comes into play.  So when you bust, you can bust big, at least from a monetary value standpoint.  Still, this is well within reason for an Ultra Premium product. What seems to be on the rise this year are redemptions which limits the shelf life of this year’s Tier One to mid 2016.  But all in all, this is a great quick hit of a product, allowing those normally out of the price range of an Ultra Premium product to get in and those with deeper pockets to bust cases to spread the risk.

Each box of Tier One Baseball contains 3 cards, two autographs and one relic card.  Every fourth box contains an extra relic hit for a total of 4 cards.

Here are the cards we found in our box.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

2013 Press Pass Showcase NASCAR Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

NASCAR trading card collectors will all tell you, "if there is one product to buy each year, it's Showcase."  It is high end, but still obtainable for most collectors.  And these tiny boxes provide plenty of punch to keep hit seekers happy.

We classify 2013 Press Pass Showcase as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 3 – 5 card packs and each pack contains either one autograph or memorabilia card.

Here are all the cards we pulled.


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

2013 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Collectors anticipate the return of Ginter. It is the most eclectic release of cards each year and 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter's Baseball Cards is no exception. Including a wide variety of subject matters, A&G offers a smorgasbord of cardboard delights. It remains one of the premiere baseball releases for set builders.  Let's not forget about the Ginter code and the very sneaky Glossy 1/1s found sandwiched in the tops of the hobby boxes.

For the purposes of this review, Topps Allen & Ginter falls into our trading card category. A&G comes in a wide variety of retail packages as well as one standard Hobby box format. For this review we will take a look at a hobby box which contains 24 - 8 card packs with the promise of 3 hits per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Everything You Need To Know About Steiner Sports At The 2013 National In Chicago


Steiner Sports is one of the heavy hitters in sports memorabilia.  I’m a HUGE Yankees fans, so bias aside due to their unique relationship with the team and their coverage of all sports teams in New York, Steiner has something for almost every fan, no matter which sport you follow, what city you reside in and which team is your favorite. Cardinals, Tigers, Blackhawks, Celtics, Eagles, Steelers, you name it, they’ve got it.

They carry autographed memorabilia by athletes like Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali and have exclusive autograph deals with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Ray Rice, Eli Manning, Mark Teixeira, Henrik Lundqvist and Lou Holtz among others. One of my favorite purchases from last year’s National, besides a pair of Premium Seats from the Old Yankee Stadium, was a spectacular Sandy Koufax signed Major League Baseball with Steiner and MLB Authentication.  

For the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention, Steiner Sports has narrowed their focus to bring some amazing opportunities for collectors. This is in addition to the classic array of items that only Steiner Sports can offer, which can all be found directly at their booth on the National floor.

Monday, July 29, 2013

2013 Topps Pro Debut Baseball Box Break Recap And Review


Topps captures the true essence of the MiLB experience with 2013 Pro Debut Baseball cards.  For a reasonable price you get a great representation of the some of the best the minors has to offer in a streamlined set with the possibility of pulling a really nice hit, of which the full impact will be determined further down the road.

This year’s set is even more streamlined than before with just base cards and hits, but it does come with a tribute to the move Bull Duham and the chance to pull a redemption card for full sized gear.

This set falls under our classification of trading cards. Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 8 card packs with 2 autographs, 1 relic and 1 patch card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Everything You Need To Know About Panini America At The 2013 National In Chicago


It will be tough to miss Panini America’s presence at the National in Chicago. The oversized cards of their exclusive athletes will be a beacon for collectors anywhere on the floor.  Panini always finds a way to bring it when it comes to the National and this year will be no exception.


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Topps Adds Surprise Card Redemption To Their Lineup For The National In Chicago


Topps announced their giveaways and redemptions for the National in Chicago earlier and we covered it in one of our “Everything You Need To Know About...” posts.  But it turns out they were holding out on us... just a little.  But their is nothing little about this card that is now being offered as a redemption at the Topps booth.

Collectors who rip open a box of WBC Tribute can get this exclusive Yasiel Puig Gypsy Queen card.

So open a box of really cool cards, (use this link to see our box break recap and review of Topps WBC Tribute) and walk away with a NSCC exclusive of one of the fastest rising stars in the MLB right now.

But get there early as this redemption is limited to 1 per day per collector and 100 per day in total.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

2013 Press Pass RedLine NASCAR Racing Box Break Recap And Review


Don’t judge a book by its cover.

At first glace, 2013 Press Pass RedLine NASCAR Racing appears to be scaled down from last year.  Gone is the gorgeous tin box presentation, replaced by a rather ordinary black cardboard box.  But open that simple box and you quickly see that these cards still shine.

In what might be their best premium release of the year from design, execution and delivery of value, RedLine has it all. This year might even better than last year with stunning base cards and relic cards that rival the signatures found within.  There is no question, Press Pass does racing right.

Press Pass RedLine falls into our premium cards category.  Each hobby box contains  2- 10 card packs with one memorabilia and one autograph card in each pack.

Here are of the cards we pulled.

Friday, July 26, 2013

2013 Topps Tribute WBC Baseball Box Break Recap And Review


The Topps Tribute line of products thrives most in baseball form.  Now the baseball line has been expanded to include a new release, 2013 Topps Tribute WBC Baseball.  Based on the World Baseball Classic, this release features some big name players representing their home counties.  This includes past and present players so the checklist includes autographs from names like Ripken Jr., Koufax, Mays, Cespedes, Darvish, Cabrera and Reyes.  There is even a redemption for a full sized Jersey from the 2009 World Baseball Classic.  All of this makes for a great first release.

2013 Topps Tribute WBC Baseball fits into our Premium Cards category.  This Hobby Exclusive comes with 6 packs per box, 5 cards per pack and 1 autographed card or relic card numbered to 99 or less in every pack.  Collectors should expect 4 Autographs and 2 relics per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Great Mailday Thanks To Topps

My wife signed for a rather large envelope from Topps today.  When I got home, this is what I found inside it.
Its the fulfillment of the redemption I pulled from 2013 Topps Archives Baseball. (To see the box break recap and review, use this link.)  This is a game used dugout scorecard from the Phillies / Brewers September 25, 2009 game.  It measures 17" x 11"  and is MLB authenticated. From the certification it seems like this card was used by the Philies.  This was the year Cliff Lee came over from Cleveland and one of the rare games that season that he got shellacked pitching for Philadelphia.  He gave up 4 runs in the first inning, 7 runs in total as Milwaukee beat the Phillies  8 - 4.  Getting whole pieces of memorabilia is very cool.

Monday, July 22, 2013

2012 Panini Cooperstown Baseball Cards Box Break Recap And Review


There is no question that a huge part of Baseball is its history.  The more you know, the richer your involvement in the game.  Most Baseball fans hope to some day visit the sport’s museum, The National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Not everyone can make the trip to Upstate New York, but 2012 Panini Cooperstown Baseball Cards captures the experience perfectly.  From the postcard pictures of the town to the museum pieces relics to the famous bronze plaques of the Hall, this set is perfectly executed and should be a part of every Baseball card collection.

Cooperstown falls under our trading cards classification. Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 5 card packs with 1 Autograph card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.

Everything You Need To Know About Topps At The 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention NSCC In Chicago



Collectors are set to hit the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago at the end of the month.  Sure to be one of the more popular places to visit will be the Topps Booth that will have plenty of exclusive collectibles in the offering.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

2013 Bowman Inception Baseball Box Break Recap And Review


Without question I was a bit harsh when it came to my review of Inception this year when it came to the football version.  But there were issues, edge chipping, the vast majority of hits coming from a small number of unproven players, along with some others. With 2013 Bowman Inception Baseball, Topps has made some smart moves in dealing with these issues, which allows this version of Inception to reach for its full potential.

By shifting Inception from the Topps to Bowman, it signals collectors that they are dealing with a prospecting product, which it is most definitely, something they should do for the future release of 2013 Inception Football.  Edging on these cards seems much cleaner.  The use of background cloud patterns instead of solid black bordering also helps matters.  Bowman Inception Baseball also has a really great lineup of players for autographs.

Inception Baseball falls into our premium cards category.  Each hobby box contains 1 – 5 card pack with 4 On-Card Autograph and 1 Auto Relic cards per box.

Here is a look at the cards we pulled.

Friday, July 19, 2013

2012 Panini Golden Age Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Is it really possible to have too much of a good thing?  When it comes to 2012 Panini Golden Age Trading Cards that might be true.  Individually the cards found in this set are fun and have a great design, but with the jumps in years and subject matter, it makes this a somewhat disjointed group of cards when looked on as a whole. I’m also bit of a stickler when it comes to the continuity of title and theme and while the “Golden Age” for the sports and entertainment included are pretty close, there is somewhat of a stretch beyond he accepted definitions.  As one example the Golden Age of Television is generally thought of as the transition of popular radio performers to TV like Burns and Allen or Jack Benny and ground-breaking shows like I Love Lucy and The Twilight Zone, from it’s inception to about the late 1950’s or the very early 1960’s.  While I love their inclusion in this set, Giligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch didn’t really start until the mid to late 1960’s, certainly past the era that would be considered TV’s Golden Age. So while a little disjointed, there is no denying the appeal of these cards, its just that it makes set building a little muddled.

Golden Age falls under our classification of trading cards. Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 6 card packs with 1 Autograph and 1 Memorabilia card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

2013 Topps Big League Minis Collectable Vinyl Baseball Figures Box Break Recap, Review And Limited Edition Checklist


When I want to pick up a few packs of cards and I don’t have time to get my local card shop, I hit my nearest larger big box store.  Next to the trading cards I’ve noticed there are collectable mini toy figurines of things like ponies, not so appealing to me but very popular with kids, like my 6-year-old.  But buying these toys is not like buying a figure from the Skylander Giants where you know if you are purchasing Thumpback as opposed to Hot Head.  These are wrapped so you don’t know which figure you are buying until you open the package.  

This concept of buying toys without knowing what you are buying seemed odd to me. But my daughter likes the surprise element of opening the package and seeing what is inside.  Then Topps announced they would be making mini collectable vinyl figures of some of today’s top baseball players and that’s when I made the connection.  I’ve been getting the same fun out of opening packs of trading cards without knowing which cards are inside for years, so why not the element of surprise with purchasing small toy figures.

In the writing of this review I thought it only fair to include my daughter, who loves baseball by the way, so I could get plenty of perspective and view points, looking at these toys through the eyes of a kid, a parent and a collectable hobby enthusiast.

2013 Topps Big League Minis Collectable Vinyl Figures stand about 3 inches tall.  For purposes of our review, we will review them using our fun cards format even though they are toys/collectables.   Each individual pack contains one figure and a visual checklist.   We opened a seal box that included 20 figures.  Let’s take a look at the figures we pulled from the box.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

2013 Topps Baseball Series 2 Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Reviewing Topps' flagship Baseball Card release is just an exercise in personal taste.  It is a given that any Baseball card collector should include Topps Baseball Series 1 & 2 in their collection each year.  2013 Topps Baseball is all about "The Chase" and that theme permeates from base to inserts to hits.  Everything about this year's version is on par with past releases, walking the middle ground when it comes to design which should appeal to a wide range of tastes.


For the purposes of this review, we classify Series 2 as trading cards.  You can find Series 1 in a wide variety of configurations in both retail and hobby.  We opened a box hobby box which contained 36 – 10 card packs with a promise of 1 autograph or 1 relic card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

2012 13 Panini Score Hockey Cards Box Break Recap And Review


Collecting used to be simple.  Not hits, just base and perhaps some inset cards. But in most case, even those inserts were just another part of the set.  While the huge hits are great, there is something to be said for straight up set building, the essence of collecting.  In Hockey, I can’t think of a better set of cards to do that with than 2012/13 Panini Score.  While it might skew towards less experienced collectors, there is still enough here for serious collectors thanks to great photography, design and content.  In addition the cards are a lot of fun and perfect for set building.

For the purpose of this review, we will classify Panini Score as trading cards even though the price point could easily send them into the fun category.  Score Hockey can be found in many different retail configurations.  We opened a complete box that contained 36 packs with 7 cards per pack.  There are autographs to be found but they are rare.

Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled.

Monday, July 8, 2013

2013 Topps Archives Baseball Cards Box Break Recap And Review


I am compelled to write a disclaimer for this review along the lines of “Hits contained in this box are not typical, your individual results may vary” simply to combat the cries of “loaded box!”  All one has to do is look at the odds to know this was a special box.

Mind you, I feel this is more of a case of beating the odds rather than a collation error as all of the cards were part of the normal box structure.  While not typical, it could easily be repeated.  There are probably even better boxes to be found.  But once the excitement of hitting a box like this settled a bit, I returned to take a critical look at the set over the entire run.

The one thing that a product like Archives has going for it is that Baseball is timeless.  While there might be slight styling changes, over time the look remains, for the most part, the same.  This allows for seamless interchangeability between players photos and card styling from different decades.

2013 Topps Archives Baseball Cards comes in with a different flavor from last year’s release, moving out of the ‘50s and early to mid ‘60s, mostly settling between the ‘70s and the ‘90s, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a younger collecting crowd. It still provides a reasonable challenge for set builders, while also servicing hit seekers looking for pulls that can’t be found anywhere else all with a wisp of nostalgia.  The one draw back for me is the change from 1970 styling to 1972 styling only because 1972 min are included this year in Topps Series Baseball cards.  When I pulled the 1972 Yu Darvish it felt as if I had already pulled that card before.

For collectors who were around during the original releases of these cards, this redo will feel familiar while, at the same time, seem current and should bring back feelings of when you first opened these packs. Unlike the popular Heritage line, collectors won’t have to wait 50 years to see their favorite releases get the updated treatment.

Archives Baseball falls under our classification of trading cards. Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 8 card packs with 2 Fan Favorites Autographs Per Hobby Box and the potential for some amazing and rare finds.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

2012 Panini Prizm Football Box Break Recap And Review


2012 Panini Prizm Football follows in the footsteps of the widely sucessful 2012/13 Panini Prizm Basketball and does just as well.  With a simple configuration and low number of inserts, all that is left is to concentrate on the base cards, which in this case are spectacular. It is difficult to look at these stunning cards and find fault. The truth is, even without the Prizm parallels, this set of cards works on it’s own merit. As an added value, Panini added Black Border 1/1s to the Gold Border cards that soared in value on the secondary market for the Basketball release.  All of this adds up to one the best Football card releases of the year.

Though on the high end of the category from a cost standpoint, we classify Panini Prizm as trading cards.  Each box contains 20 - 6 card packs with a promise of 2 autographs, 3 regular Prizms , 1 red diecut Prizm and 5 Inserts in every box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

2012 Panini Signature Series Baseball Box Break Recap And Review


The ever-expanding slate of Panini Baseball products extends to prospecting on a premium level with an easier per box commitment with 2012 Panini Signature Series Baseball.  At 3 hits and a total of 6 cards per box, this is clearly intended for a fast break with a reasonable amount of risk, but there is plenty of opportunity for some really nice pulls.

Signature Series Baseball falls into our premium cards category.  Each box contains 6 cards with 3 Autograph cards per box.

Here are the cards from our box.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

2013 Topps Museum Collection Baseball Cards Box Break Recap And Review


With Topps Museum Collection Baseball cards technically in it’s second year of release one would expect some sophomoreitis. Some forget that Museum Collection became the replacement product for 2011 Topps Marquee Baseball so Topps has had some time to work out the kinks.  2013 Topps Museum Collection Baseball its all the notes correctly with sharp design and a nice variety of great looking hits, even improving in some ways from last year’s release.  All of this adds up to a cohesive set that does justice to it’s Museum moniker.

Museum Collection fits nicely into our Premium Cards category.  Each Master Box contains 4 mini-boxes with 5 cards per mini.  There is the promise that each Master Box will contain 1 on-card autograph, 1 autograph relic, 1 quad relic, and 1 jumbo relic.

Here are the cards we pulled from our box.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

2012 13 Panini Certified Hockey NHL Trading Cards Box Break Recap and Review


2012-13 Panini Certified Hockey cards changed things up with a mirror finish as with the other Certified lines.  While this makes for a stunning presentation in person, it becomes next to impossible for pictures of the cards to do them justice.  Chances are you will hit something nice, whether it comes from a top veteran of the game or one of the Freshman Fabric signature Rookie cards.  Add to that the hot boxes that can be found and Certified Hockey make a strong return to the Panini line up of hockey cards.

We classify Certified Hockey in our premium cards category.  Each box contains 10 – 5 card packs with 4 Autograph or Memorabilia cards per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

2012 13 Panini Limited Hockey Box Break Recap And Review

The only thing that is not limited about 2012 13 Panini Limited Hockey is the variety of cards you can pull.  While you will not see every card possible in one box, the good new is the price is reasonable enough to try more than one.  With some really great hit to be had and well designed inserts card, this is a product that will compel a multiple box purchase.



Limited Hockey falls into our premium cards category.  Each box contains 7 cards each with a promise of three autograph or memorabilia cards with at least one autograph per box.

Here are the cards we pulled.

Monday, June 10, 2013

2013 Topps Tribute Baseball Box Break Recap And Review


The secret to good years for Topps Tribute can be found in the checklist.  But it is not just the presence of the biggest names in the sport, but the ratio which the appear in comparison to other lesser players.  For 2013 Topps Tribute Baseball the checklist is deep and wide but the ratios are a little unbalanced.  All of this leads to the possibility of pulling a huge hit being very good but the probability of doing just that is not as good.But if you are going to hit it big, Tribute has some great card to do that.

2013 Topps Tribute Baseball fits into our Premium Cards category.  This Hobby Exclusive comes with 6 packs per box, 5 cards per pack and 1 autographed card or relic card numbered to 99 or less in every pack.  Collectors should expect 3 Autographs and 3 Relics per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from our box.