Ending Archives...

Today ends my journey through my latest (and probably last) blaster of 2017 Topps Archives.  Through five packs, I've found a whopping six cards that I need.  I have two packs remaining in the box, here's hoping for something positive to write about.

Pack 6:
36.  Yu Darvish
64.  Noah Syndergaard
129.  Yasiel Puig
183.  Anthony Rendon
224.  Bobby Abreu
238.  Gregory Polanco
262.  Eddie Mathews
Bazooka:  13.  Al Kaline

I was so sad I couldn't even be bothered to rescan the crooked card.

Ugh.  Once again, not a single new base card...and quite honestly, even the Kaline Bazooka is a duplicate (and I'm not even trying to collect the Bazooka inserts).  Not cool.

Pack 7:
60.  Catfish Hunter
69.  Jason Heyward
74.  Corey Kluber
101.  Dansby Swanson
155.  Cole Hamels
174.  Jonathan Villar
260.  Bob Feller
267.  Seth Lugo

And yep.  That pretty much sums that up.  Nothing new.

For the record, here's what I still need from the set:

2017 Topps Archives:Base:  2, 6, 8, 11, 13, 18, 20, 27, 29, 31, 33, 43, 44, 46, 51, 52, 59, 61, 63, 72, 79, 80, 91, 93, 94, 95, 97, 100, 103, 104, 108, 110, 111, 112, 117, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 132, 133, 137, 141, 142, 149, 154, 157, 160, 161, 163, 166, 167, 171, 175, 179, 180, 181, 185, 190, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 202, 204, 206, 207, 210, 211, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 227, 228, 231, 235, 236, 237, 239, 240, 244, 246, 249, 250, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 258, 263, 265, 266, 272, 280, 283, 284, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 295, 296, 297, 300

Hard to believe I couldn't track down more than six total cards from an entire blaster, isn't it?!

From the Archives...and into the Dumpster.

Yesterday, I showed off the contents of the first three packs out of a 2017 Topps Archives blaster that I happened to spot for sale at Wal*Mart last week.  Today, it's time to continue our journey through the blaster (with the hopes that the next three packs will yield more than six base cards for my set)!

Pack 4:
40.  Joc Pederson
92.  Masahiro Tanaka
118.  Drew Pomeranz
169.  Starlin Castro
208.  Todd Frazier
279.  Kyle Seager
285.  Michael Brantley
Peach parallel:  103.  Alex Reyes (#104/199)

The peach parallels are seeded 1:18 blaster packs, or slightly rarer than about one every other blaster.  While it's a decent pull, it's simply too bad it had to be a stupid Cardinal.  The other thing that was stupid about that pack?  Notice the lack of bold...  Not a single card that I actually needed for my base set.  That's two (out of four) packs so far that have been completely useless.

Pack 5:
39.  Rob Segedin
42.  David Cone
75.  Ty Cobb
159.  Pedro Martinez
192.  Ryne Sandberg
205.  Trea Turner
247.  Matt Harvey
Retro Originals:  10.  Carlos Correa

The Retro Originals are seeded 1:14 packs, so again I (sort of) beat the odds by pulling one in my blaster.  Unfortunately for me, I'm actually more interested in getting base cards that I need and that Correa simply took up the spot of a potential card I could use.  Then again, this was a pack that didn't hold a single new base card for my set...so what good would one more base card have been?

That's right.  ZERO cards I needed out of those two packs.  If you are keeping track, it's now been five packs with exactly six base cards that I needed for my set.  Still, two more packs to do - and if I can get another 4+ needed cards from each pack then this blaster will have been salvaged, albeit barely.  

Just When I Had Given Up on 2017 Topps Archives...

I had all but given up hope of finding any more 2017 Topps Archives blasters at my local Wal*Mart...so you can imagine my surprise when I was able to spot one last week at the store!  Of course, I had to buy the darn thing since I am still missing a ton of base cards from the set (not to mention I once pulled a Frank Thomas autograph from a blaster of 2017 Archives).

So, how'd I do on my purchase?  Let's find out together!

Pack 1:
17.  Melky Cabrera
73.  Bobby Doerr
88.  Salvador Perez
116.  Curt Schilling
130.  Robinson Cano
200.  Kris Byrant
245.  Johnny Cueto
270.  Mark Melancon

I've highlighted all the base cards that I need in bold, by the way.

What's that, you don't see any bold in the first pack of cards?

Well, that's not a typo.  Somehow I still need about 150 cards or so for the set and the first pack of the blaster didn't yield a single new card.  Let's hope the remaining packs treat me better.

Pack 2:
19.  Russell Martin
26.  Yoenis Cespedes
144.  Ken Giles
145.  Hisashi Iwakuma
248.  Andre Dawson
275.  Alex Bregman
293.  Jose Altuve

Jeter Retrospective:  DJ-13.  Derek Jeter

Phew, I almost made it all the way through the second pack without a new card but luckily for me the Astros pulled through.  The Jeter will probably end up on eBay at some point in the near future unless someone is dying to have the card.

Pack 3:
16.  Jay Bruce

66.  Adrian Beltre
67.  Edwin Diaz
139.  Phil Rizzuto
147.  Jose Bautista
191.  Sparky Anderson
201.  Roberto Clemente
223.  Jose Abreu

Ok, that's more like it!  Four cards from the third pack helped to make the first portion of the blaster a bit better.  I'll have more from the blaster soon - but my fingers need a break (as does my scanner).  Let's hope the remaining packs yield more than 6 cards that I need!

Trade Stack 82: A Rookie and a Bubble Join the Stack.

Here is how this works:

Every so often (i.e. whenever I feel like it), I will add a card to a "Trade Stack".  Whenever the stack becomes appealing enough to someone, that person needs to comment on the post saying they'd like to claim the stack AND tell me which card they are sending off of my want list.  That's all you have to do - trade me ONE card (or more, of course) card from my want list for the entire stack of cards that I'm offering.  Each time, it will be first come, first serve...so act quickly (unless of course you are a gambler and hope to wait it out until there are 10+ cards in the stack that you want in exchange for a single 2004 UD Vintage card that I am looking for)!

The Trade Stack:

Last update: 8/19/17

Today's addition to the Trade Stack is actually two cards.  I figured it had been awhile since I added to the pile, might as well make it more tempting in a single shot.  Is anyone still working on this year's edition of Topps Archives (besides me...I still need a lot of base cards from the set).  If so, perhaps today's addition to the Stack could help you out...

Remember, you get the entire Trade Stack in exchange for one (or more) cards off of my my want list.

2017 Topps Archives:
245.  Johnny Cueto - Giants
267.  Seth Lugo - Mets

1995 Upper Deck Collector's Choice:
433.  Jack Morris - Reds

1999 UD Choice:
Mini Bobbing Head:
23.  Greg Vaughn - Padres

If you want the stack, remember - all you need to do is offer up any one card from my want list.  

Want the card(s) in the stack?  Act fast - tell me which card you will send me off my want list in the comments below!  You must leave a comment on the trade stack post in order to claim the card - no more claims via email!  If no one claims this card within a reasonable amount of time (a few hours up to a few days, depending) - I'll add another card to the stack and the process will start again!

Previously Claimed Trade Stacks:

Stack 01:  2 cards by dayf
Stack 02:  8 cards by Justin
Stack 03:  17 cards by Cam
Stack 04:  4 cards by Cam
Stack 05:  9 cards by Daily Dimwit
Stack 06:  4 cards by The Lost Collector
Stack 07:  1 card by Baseball Dad
Stack 08:  1 card by M. Spiegel
Stack 09:  6 cards by bwsmith25
Stack 10:  6 cards by Baseball Dad
Stack 11:  1 card by Patrick
Stack 12:  5 cards by Matt B.
Stack 13:  4 cards by Steve G.
Stack 14:  3 cards by ShaneK
Stack 15:  7 cards by Ryan G
Stack 16:  1 card by longlivethewho
Stack 17:  4 cards by hiflew
Stack 18:  4 cards by Potch
Stack 19:  2 cards by Axemanohio
Stack 20:  5 cards by by Play at the Plate
Stack 21:  5 cards by BA Benny
Stack 22:  1 card by IkesCards
Stack 23:  8 cards by Axemanohio
Stack 24:  1 card by BA Benny
Stack 25:  2 cards by Jeff P.
Stack 26:  10 cards by Axemanohio
Stack 27:  1 card by BA Benny
Stack 28:  7 cards by ThingsAreFunnerHere
Stack 29:  3 cards by TheBrooklynMet
Stack 30:  4 cards by Adam C.
Stack 31:  10 cards by Play at the Plate
Stack 32:  8 cards by Josh D.
Stack 33:  6 cards by Baseball Dad
Stack 34:  1 card by Potch
Stack 35:  9 cards by Cool Breeze
Stack 36:  11 cards by Kev 
Stack 37:  6 cards by Tunguska
Stack 38:  12 cards by Baseball Dad
Stack 39:  8 cards by Spiegel83
Stack 40:  1 card by Kyle4KC
Stack 41:  4 cards by dayf
Stack 42:  1 card by AdamE
Stack 43:  1 card by madding
Stack 44:  10 cards by Commishbob
Stack 45:  1 (almost complete) puzzle by Baseball Dad
Stack 46:  8 cards by buckstorecards
Stack 47:  5 cards by The Junior Junkie
Stack 48:  4 cards by dayf
Stack 49:  9 cards by Swing and a Pop-Up
Stack 50:  9 cards by Commishbob
Stack 51:  3 cards by Need More Cardboard
Stack 52:  1 card by Play at the Plate
Stack 53:  12 cards by buckstorecards
Stack 54:  4 cards by The Junior Junkie
Stack 55:  9 cards by Spiegel83
Stack 56:  2 cards cards by Joe Frecker
Stack 57:  4 cards by buckstorecards
Stack 58:  2 cards by Chunter
Stack 59:  9 cards by Baseball Dad
Stack 60:  8 cards by buckstorecards
Stack 61:  13 cards by Mark Hoyle
Stack 62:  9 cards by Nick
Stack 63:  9 cards by buckstorecards 
Stack 64:  7 cards by Mark Hoyle
Stack 65:  2 cards by Play at the Plate
Stack 66:  10 cards by Roger
Stack 67:  14 cards by buckstorecards
Stack 68:  5 cards cards by Jeff Jones
Stack 69:  17 cards by Steve D.
Stack 70:  2 cards by Jeff Jones
Stack 71:  8 cards by defgav
Stack 72:  24 cards by Trevor P.
Stack 73:  1 card by NIght Owl
Stack 74:  3 cards by David
Stack 75:  4 cards by Trevor P.
Stack 76:  14 cards by Trevor P.
Stack 77:  15 cards by Dayf
Stack 78:  29 cards by Chris
Stack 79:  26 cards by John H.
Stack 80:  14 cards by David G.
Stack 81:  3 cards by Trevor P.
Stack 82:  ?? by ??

Barry Larkin Collection 546: 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack - #111

Barry Larkin

Year:  1994

Brand:  Upper Deck Fun Pack

Card number:  111

I never heard of the Upper Deck Fun Pack brand until I started writing Nachos Grande...about fifteen years or so after the 1994 edition's release.  I didn't miss a lot by not knowing about the set since it's a 240 card set with a total of only five Reds cards (one Larkin, shown above).  The set design definitely didn't age well over time...but then again, did much of the "hip" stuff from the early 90s age well?  I didn't think so.  On the bright side, with only one card in the set I can knock off this set from my Larkin want list...and that in and of itself makes this card valuable to me (even if it is still ugly)!