2009 Finest Group Break Results

This was the first group break I ever participated in; it was hosted by Jeff at I Am Joe Collector. I was mildly pleased with the results. I received a good mix of base cards, one numbered refractor, and one autographed manufactured patch. I would never buy a box of 2009 Finest on my own, so this was a good way to get a decent feel for the product without shelling out the $95.00 or so for a hobby box. I did not do as well as some, but I did better than others in the break. The results are pictured below.

Johnny Damon blue refractor: colored refractors look great and have shimmery appeal. This card is for trade for a similar Phillies refractor.

Will Venable manufactured patch #d/175: This is the first one of these I have ever received. Venable at least made the majors last night, going 0 for 4 against the Phillies. The autograph is a little hard to read though. It's an interesting concept, but autographed rookie refractors would probably be more visually appealing.



Here are the base cards. I received some stars and semi-stars. The image of the player really pops out of the background, which doesn't distract from the player image as much as I thought it would. The backs of the cards (as represented by A-Rod) have a trivia question for some reason. I love trivia, but this is not a low-end product. Maybe Topps was tired of always using Finest Moments with the Finest brand.




Group Break Assessment: B
Collectability of 2009 Finest: B- (only shortprints are the manufactured patch rookies)
Reason to come back: Multi-colored refractors, attractive base card design, mystery of the rookie card redemption program.
Reason to stay away: Rookie checklist is weak outside of David Price and maybe Travis Snider and these are the autos you normally get in a box, veteran (Finest Moments) autos are only case hits.
Likelihood of buying hobby box: 11%