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After seeing how well some of the Target throwback parallel cards sold on eBay (seriously, $9.00 bucks for one card?!), I decided to go back to the store and pick up any remaining blasters with the hopes of flipping the patches and throwback parallels on eBay and (hopefully) coming close to completing the base set and the insert sets that I've chosen to chase. Unfortunately, Target only had one blaster left...so I didn't exactly get to complete much... That said, let's take a look at the pack by pack breakdown (which I'm writing all the way out because All About Cards has hinted that people will need a blaster of this stuff at some point soon)!
This is my third blaster of 2011 Topps, you can find the contents of the first and second blaster by following the provided links!
Manufactured Patch:
TLMP-GG. Gio Gonzalez
I can't say I was super happy about this one. I don't know that Gio is much of a draw on eBay - recent auctions seem to indicate he is not. While there isn't any monetary value here to speak of, the patch itself is actually pretty cool. I like the cleats on the left, and while the top script is difficult to read (at least for me), it says "the swingin'" A's. It's a goofy card, especially since Gio is a pitcher, but still, kind of cool. I think I'll be holding on to this one for trades, or maybe just to add to my 2011 Topps binder to sit next to my really nice Votto manupatch from my first blaster!
Pack 1:
12. Carlos Marmol - Cubs
27. Ben Zobrist - Rays
32. Chris Johnson - Astros
57. Mark Trumbo - Angels
120. Mat Latos - Padres
TDG-7. Diamond Giveaway Code
T60-38. Topps 60 - Ryan Braun - Brewers
TT-4. Topps Town - Brett Anderson - Athletics
The Marmol base card is really nice - I think it illustrates exactly why Marmol is who he is. At times completely dominant (and scary)...and other times, basically just scary because he can get so wild! The only other card of note in the pack was the Topps 60 card of Braun. I happen to like the Topps 60 cards (especially since Larkin has a card) and I think I'll be chasing this particular insert set.
Pack 2:
105. Jonathan Lucroy - Brewers
107. Aubrey Huff - Giants
148. Ricky Romero - Blue Jays
158. Casey Blake - Dodgers
309. Chicago Cubs
DD-SC. Diamond Duos - Tom Seaver & Aroldis Chapman - Reds
60 Years of Topps: The Lost Cards - Stan Musial - Cardinals
TT-18. Topps Town - Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
Every decent set has a few iconic card images that I always enjoy seeing, no matter how many times I've seen the photo before. For Series 1, I believe that Casey Blake's dirty dust-up play at the plate is going to be one of those images. The entire thing is perfect, from the flying dirt to the look of determination on Blake's face, from the running catcher to the excited member of the Dodgers standing at the top of the dugout stairs hoping for a better view of the action, from the noticable, but non-distracting crowd in the background to the bright green grass in the foreground, the entire thing is spectacular.
Not to be outdone, pack 2 also provided one of the cards I've been hoping to pull ever since I saw it one someone's blog - the Diamond Duo of Tom Seaver and Aroldis Chapman. Oh sure, the comparison is ridiculous, Seaver had 311 wins while Chapman has only 2, but the card itself is really nice.
Pack 3:
59. Gaby Sanchez - Marlins
113. Arthur Rhodes - Reds
122. Bobby Jenks - White Sox
170. David DeJesus - Royals
191. Jay Bruce - Reds
KC-13. Kimball Champions - Ty Cobb - Tigers
60YOT-52. 60 Years of Topps - Cliff Lee - Indians
TT-27. Topps Town - Andre Ethier - Dodgers
Woah! A pack with two Reds in it? Awesome for me. The Bruce card is another one of those cards I'll never get sick of looking at - the image shows his NL Central clinching home run - a truly magical moment for a playoff starved Reds fan such as myself! I also like the Ty Cobb mini card, mostly for the little cartoon drawing at the bottom of the card!
Pack 4:
88. Brian Bogusevic - Astros
150. Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
154. Marlon Byrd - Cubs
217. Yunel Escobar - Blue Jays
279. Nick Swisher - Yankees
180. Gold Parallel - Paul Maholm - Pirates (#ed 0106/2011)
240. Diamond Parallel - Andre Ethier - Dodgers
TT-48. Topps Town - Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies
Well, that's two parallels in one pack. The gold parallels are played out in my opinion. This is my second gold parallel from 2011 Topps - and my second Pirate gold card. Sheesh. I like the Pirates somewhat but even I have no use for gold Pirate cards. On the other hand, the diamond parallel card was a happy addition to my collection since I'm still trying to complete the entire set.
Pack 5:
80. Desmond Jennings - Rays
130. Robinson Cano - Yankees
209. Carlos Santana - Indians
267. Jose Contreras - Phillies
329. Brett Wallace - Astros
60 Years of Topps - Original Back - Robin Yount (1976 Topps) - Brewers
T60-28. Topps 60 - Billy Butler - Royals
TT-9. Topps Town - Adam Jones - Orioles
As I've gone through this year's cards, I have noticed that the photography is some of the best in years. For example, the Brett Wallace card features a familiar shot - that of a batter swinging with a view from behind the catcher. However, a closer look will show why this card is better than the average card - the photo was taken at the exact millisecond when the ball and bat met in midair. Truly awesome!
From awesome to asinine, this pack had it all. The Robin Yount Brewers Original Back something-or-other card is a rare pull...and to me at least, a pointles card. If I wanted the original back of the card, I'd go find me a 1976 card and puchase it. At least the non-rare 60 Years of Topps cards actually feature a small blurb about why they chose that particular card to illustrate the year.
This blaster has produced the third original back card that I've pulled this year - two Brewers (the other was Paul Molitor) and an Al Kaline reprint card from 1966. I guess I ought to try and collect this set huh? (Don't worry, it's not happening, all are for trade).
Pack 6:
172. Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays
230. Aaron Cook - Rockies
275. Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers
285. Hank Conger - Angels
315. David Ortiz - Red Sox
60YOT-45. 60 Years of Topps - Mickey Mantle - Yankees
DD-HH. Diamond Duos - Ryan Howard & Jason Heyward - Braves
TT-35. Topps Town - David Price - Rays
I refuse to show yet another Mantle card, so the Diamond Duo gets scanned from this pack. I actually like the Diamond Duo set this year - I think I'll be putting this one together. As for the Ortiz card, it's almost as nice as the Wallace (notice it's almost the same photograph) except the Ortiz shot wasn't taken at quite the right moment...the ball has already left the bat!
Pack 7:
163. Carlos Pena - Rays
306. AL RBI League Leaders - Cabrera, A-Rod, Bautista - Tigers, Yankees, Blue Jays
313. Chris Coghlan - Marlins
325. Jayson Werth - Phillies
328. David Price - Checklist - Rays
TDG-8. Diamond Giveaway Code - Albert Pujols
KC-34. Kimball Champions - Joey Votto - Reds
TT-14. Topps Town - Shin-Soo Choo - Indians
I beat the blaster odds by pulling a second diamond giveaway card. I don't know what the full deal is with the diamond giveaway cards, so I guess I can't say whether that is an exciting pull or not. As for the rest of the pack, the Votto mini is nice (though it is a duplicate so it's available for trade).
Pack 8:
82. NL ERA Leaders - J. Johnson, A. Wainwright, R. Halladay - Marlins, Cardinals, Phillies
95. Pedro Alvarez - Pirates
180. Paul Maholm - Pirates
252. Michael Saunders - Mariners
269. Stephen Drew - Diamondbacks
CMGR-4. Vintage Reproductions - Babe Ruth - Red Sox
219. Diamond parallel - Carlos Ruiz - Phillies
TT-22. Topps Town - Jason Heyward - Braves
Another Babe Ruth card, but this one is a bit more fun since it features Ruth as a Red Sox rather than a Yankee. As for me, the highlight is obviously the diamond parallel card (what you expected me to say the two Pirates were the highlight of the pack)?!
Pack 9 -Throwback Pack 1:
33. Max Scherzer - Tigers
181. Magglio Ordonez - Tigers
183. Stephen Strassburg - Nationals
188. Pablo Sandoval - Giants
270. Ubaldo Jimenez - Rockies
60YOT-49. 60 Years of Topps - Alex Rodriguez - Mariners
DD-MH. Diamond Duos - Greg Maddux & Jeremy Hellickson - Cubs & Rays
TT-15. Topps Town - David Wright - Mets
We finally get to the reason why I bought the blaster rather than the seemingly better deal rack packs: The throwback packs. I don't know which (if any) will sell, but I think I'll try listing the Strasburg, Ubaldo, and maybe the Sandoval cards out of this pack. Then again, looking at recent prices, I may just use them as trade bait.
Pack 10 - Throwback Pack 2:
39. Ian Kennedy - Diamondbacks
199. Jimmy Rollins - Phillies
221. Scott Hairston - Padres
223. Gregory Infante - White Sox
319. Atlanta Braves
TDG-9. Diamond Giveaway Code Card - Ryan Howard - Phillies
KC-40. Kimball Champions - Albert Pujols
TT-47. Topps Town - Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox
Yep, another Diamond Giveaway code card, that makes three for this blaster (which is a lot considering you are only supposed to get one code card per blaster)! As for the throwback cards, not much to talk about there - some decent trade bait in the Rollins and maybe the Braves team card, otherwise it looks like I'll have a bunch of throwback cards to add to the Trade Stack over time...
And twenty scans later - that's my blaster of 2011 Topps!
This is my third blaster of 2011 Topps, you can find the contents of the first and second blaster by following the provided links!
Manufactured Patch:
TLMP-GG. Gio Gonzalez
I can't say I was super happy about this one. I don't know that Gio is much of a draw on eBay - recent auctions seem to indicate he is not. While there isn't any monetary value here to speak of, the patch itself is actually pretty cool. I like the cleats on the left, and while the top script is difficult to read (at least for me), it says "the swingin'" A's. It's a goofy card, especially since Gio is a pitcher, but still, kind of cool. I think I'll be holding on to this one for trades, or maybe just to add to my 2011 Topps binder to sit next to my really nice Votto manupatch from my first blaster!
Pack 1:
12. Carlos Marmol - Cubs
27. Ben Zobrist - Rays
32. Chris Johnson - Astros
57. Mark Trumbo - Angels
120. Mat Latos - Padres
TDG-7. Diamond Giveaway Code
T60-38. Topps 60 - Ryan Braun - Brewers
TT-4. Topps Town - Brett Anderson - Athletics
The Marmol base card is really nice - I think it illustrates exactly why Marmol is who he is. At times completely dominant (and scary)...and other times, basically just scary because he can get so wild! The only other card of note in the pack was the Topps 60 card of Braun. I happen to like the Topps 60 cards (especially since Larkin has a card) and I think I'll be chasing this particular insert set.
Pack 2:
105. Jonathan Lucroy - Brewers
107. Aubrey Huff - Giants
148. Ricky Romero - Blue Jays
158. Casey Blake - Dodgers
309. Chicago Cubs
DD-SC. Diamond Duos - Tom Seaver & Aroldis Chapman - Reds
60 Years of Topps: The Lost Cards - Stan Musial - Cardinals
TT-18. Topps Town - Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
Every decent set has a few iconic card images that I always enjoy seeing, no matter how many times I've seen the photo before. For Series 1, I believe that Casey Blake's dirty dust-up play at the plate is going to be one of those images. The entire thing is perfect, from the flying dirt to the look of determination on Blake's face, from the running catcher to the excited member of the Dodgers standing at the top of the dugout stairs hoping for a better view of the action, from the noticable, but non-distracting crowd in the background to the bright green grass in the foreground, the entire thing is spectacular.
Not to be outdone, pack 2 also provided one of the cards I've been hoping to pull ever since I saw it one someone's blog - the Diamond Duo of Tom Seaver and Aroldis Chapman. Oh sure, the comparison is ridiculous, Seaver had 311 wins while Chapman has only 2, but the card itself is really nice.
Pack 3:
59. Gaby Sanchez - Marlins
113. Arthur Rhodes - Reds
122. Bobby Jenks - White Sox
170. David DeJesus - Royals
191. Jay Bruce - Reds
KC-13. Kimball Champions - Ty Cobb - Tigers
60YOT-52. 60 Years of Topps - Cliff Lee - Indians
TT-27. Topps Town - Andre Ethier - Dodgers
Woah! A pack with two Reds in it? Awesome for me. The Bruce card is another one of those cards I'll never get sick of looking at - the image shows his NL Central clinching home run - a truly magical moment for a playoff starved Reds fan such as myself! I also like the Ty Cobb mini card, mostly for the little cartoon drawing at the bottom of the card!
Pack 4:
88. Brian Bogusevic - Astros
150. Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
154. Marlon Byrd - Cubs
217. Yunel Escobar - Blue Jays
279. Nick Swisher - Yankees
180. Gold Parallel - Paul Maholm - Pirates (#ed 0106/2011)
240. Diamond Parallel - Andre Ethier - Dodgers
TT-48. Topps Town - Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies
Well, that's two parallels in one pack. The gold parallels are played out in my opinion. This is my second gold parallel from 2011 Topps - and my second Pirate gold card. Sheesh. I like the Pirates somewhat but even I have no use for gold Pirate cards. On the other hand, the diamond parallel card was a happy addition to my collection since I'm still trying to complete the entire set.
Pack 5:
80. Desmond Jennings - Rays
130. Robinson Cano - Yankees
209. Carlos Santana - Indians
267. Jose Contreras - Phillies
329. Brett Wallace - Astros
60 Years of Topps - Original Back - Robin Yount (1976 Topps) - Brewers
T60-28. Topps 60 - Billy Butler - Royals
TT-9. Topps Town - Adam Jones - Orioles
As I've gone through this year's cards, I have noticed that the photography is some of the best in years. For example, the Brett Wallace card features a familiar shot - that of a batter swinging with a view from behind the catcher. However, a closer look will show why this card is better than the average card - the photo was taken at the exact millisecond when the ball and bat met in midair. Truly awesome!
From awesome to asinine, this pack had it all. The Robin Yount Brewers Original Back something-or-other card is a rare pull...and to me at least, a pointles card. If I wanted the original back of the card, I'd go find me a 1976 card and puchase it. At least the non-rare 60 Years of Topps cards actually feature a small blurb about why they chose that particular card to illustrate the year.
This blaster has produced the third original back card that I've pulled this year - two Brewers (the other was Paul Molitor) and an Al Kaline reprint card from 1966. I guess I ought to try and collect this set huh? (Don't worry, it's not happening, all are for trade).
Pack 6:
172. Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays
230. Aaron Cook - Rockies
275. Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers
285. Hank Conger - Angels
315. David Ortiz - Red Sox
60YOT-45. 60 Years of Topps - Mickey Mantle - Yankees
DD-HH. Diamond Duos - Ryan Howard & Jason Heyward - Braves
TT-35. Topps Town - David Price - Rays
I refuse to show yet another Mantle card, so the Diamond Duo gets scanned from this pack. I actually like the Diamond Duo set this year - I think I'll be putting this one together. As for the Ortiz card, it's almost as nice as the Wallace (notice it's almost the same photograph) except the Ortiz shot wasn't taken at quite the right moment...the ball has already left the bat!
Pack 7:
163. Carlos Pena - Rays
306. AL RBI League Leaders - Cabrera, A-Rod, Bautista - Tigers, Yankees, Blue Jays
313. Chris Coghlan - Marlins
325. Jayson Werth - Phillies
328. David Price - Checklist - Rays
TDG-8. Diamond Giveaway Code - Albert Pujols
KC-34. Kimball Champions - Joey Votto - Reds
TT-14. Topps Town - Shin-Soo Choo - Indians
I beat the blaster odds by pulling a second diamond giveaway card. I don't know what the full deal is with the diamond giveaway cards, so I guess I can't say whether that is an exciting pull or not. As for the rest of the pack, the Votto mini is nice (though it is a duplicate so it's available for trade).
Pack 8:
82. NL ERA Leaders - J. Johnson, A. Wainwright, R. Halladay - Marlins, Cardinals, Phillies
95. Pedro Alvarez - Pirates
180. Paul Maholm - Pirates
252. Michael Saunders - Mariners
269. Stephen Drew - Diamondbacks
CMGR-4. Vintage Reproductions - Babe Ruth - Red Sox
219. Diamond parallel - Carlos Ruiz - Phillies
TT-22. Topps Town - Jason Heyward - Braves
Another Babe Ruth card, but this one is a bit more fun since it features Ruth as a Red Sox rather than a Yankee. As for me, the highlight is obviously the diamond parallel card (what you expected me to say the two Pirates were the highlight of the pack)?!
Pack 9 -Throwback Pack 1:
33. Max Scherzer - Tigers
181. Magglio Ordonez - Tigers
183. Stephen Strassburg - Nationals
188. Pablo Sandoval - Giants
270. Ubaldo Jimenez - Rockies
60YOT-49. 60 Years of Topps - Alex Rodriguez - Mariners
DD-MH. Diamond Duos - Greg Maddux & Jeremy Hellickson - Cubs & Rays
TT-15. Topps Town - David Wright - Mets
We finally get to the reason why I bought the blaster rather than the seemingly better deal rack packs: The throwback packs. I don't know which (if any) will sell, but I think I'll try listing the Strasburg, Ubaldo, and maybe the Sandoval cards out of this pack. Then again, looking at recent prices, I may just use them as trade bait.
Pack 10 - Throwback Pack 2:
39. Ian Kennedy - Diamondbacks
199. Jimmy Rollins - Phillies
221. Scott Hairston - Padres
223. Gregory Infante - White Sox
319. Atlanta Braves
TDG-9. Diamond Giveaway Code Card - Ryan Howard - Phillies
KC-40. Kimball Champions - Albert Pujols
TT-47. Topps Town - Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox
Yep, another Diamond Giveaway code card, that makes three for this blaster (which is a lot considering you are only supposed to get one code card per blaster)! As for the throwback cards, not much to talk about there - some decent trade bait in the Rollins and maybe the Braves team card, otherwise it looks like I'll have a bunch of throwback cards to add to the Trade Stack over time...
And twenty scans later - that's my blaster of 2011 Topps!
Wow, that Swingin' A's patch is so cool, nice pull :)
ReplyDeleteI love the patch cards, and I too see them on ebay for way to much! I started snatching up blasters around town in hopes of getting the Reds throwback...no luck. I have completed the US base set, and still had almost 150+ doubles. Let me know what you are looking for and i can help you out.
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