Apr 26, 2011

Dual Pack Break: 2008 BDPP and 2009 SP Authentic

First, I'd like to thank everyone who read and/or responded to the previous entry here. I will try and do something proactive and see if anything can come from the wretched redemption card experience.

To get back in the swing of things collecting-wise, I snagged a couple retail packs from the bargain bin of brands I really don't collect or necessarily have any experience with.

The first pack is 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects (or as better named "how to include a third series of chrome prospects in a set with similar numbering so that it becomes impossible to sort the cards without consulting the original checklists". However, that would be a mouthful and very difficult to market.)

I've noticed that hobby boxes for this product have increased to $145 apiece. Is that worth it to have a 1:38 chance at a Buster Posey auto chrome rookie? There are some other decent to great auto pulls in the checklist though; Longoria, Kershaw, Stanton, Davis, and Drabek to name a few. Even so, there seems to be a disconnect between the sudden price rise and hype. If there is a such thing as underground hype, this product three years later has managed to have it in spades.

Here are the scanned card images ready to pop through the computer monitor.
BDP52 Brandon Boggs, designated as base card prospect, current status: back-up on Brewers
BDPP87 Jamie D'Antona, designated as Futures Game Prospect, current status: Japan
BDPP103 Gerardo Parra, designated as Futures Game Prospect, current status:Arizona roster
BDP3 Mike Aviles, designated as base card prospect, current status: Royals 3B
BDP32 Brooks Conrad chrome, designated as base card propect, current status: backup on Atlanta
BDPP58 Anthony Bass chrome: designated as draft pick, current status: with the AA affiliate of San Diego

BDPP56 Anthony Capra gold, designated as draft pick, current status: AA affiliate of Oakland

2009 SP Authentic was the last incarnation of a brand that began with a Derek Jeter foil rookie in 1993.  Its biggest contribution in 2009 was the Faces of the Game subset and autographed manufactured patch rookies.    I did not get any of these, but I did get two retired players, an injured player, a Japanese player, and a the reigning 2010 NL ERA champ.  Behold the images....






As always, you can't get too much wrong for $1 per pack.

Apr 20, 2011

Redemption Blues


"We do not honor expired redemptions" intones the Topps customer service rep in a cheerfully, ominous voice. 

"But it's such a rare pull, can't I at least tell you the story and see what can be done?", I say.

"Sure, but we don't honor expired redemptions"

No two words that grace a card engender such distress....expiration date.  This is expired, it is no more, it has ceased to exist....it is a dead card.

"I was opening a box of 2001 Topps Series 1 this week and the redemption said congratulations, you have just won a 1963 Topps 537 featuring Pete Rose.  Can I give you the authentication number and see if anything can be done?"

"We probably don't have this card in stock or probably gave it out in one of our giveaways.  Anyway, we don't honor expired redemptions."

"Is it possible to verify if it's in stock?"

"I'm sorry, we don't honor expired redemptions."

Yes, this redemption expired 4/25/2002.  It does state explicitly on the back of the card about being received no later than the expiration date. 

The redemption card is false hope, whether in 2001 or 2011.  The redemption card says you can get something, but you better have had the foresight to know to get it before the arbitrary date we set. 

Hindsight is 20/20, but foresight is 200/200, or in this case a 1963 Topps Pete Rose.

I am discouraged by the reams of expired redemption cards littering the tapestry of the hobby.  Tantalizing enticing and dreams of a received mail package burst.  Visions of the value of the pack lottery wither.

The redemption is expired; you may not return to former glory.

Apr 11, 2011

Group Break Finale: Randomization Videos

Here are the videos for all the multi-player cards from 2008 Upper Deck Heroes. The first video is the base cards and the second video is the parallel and jersey cards.

I was at the whim of random.org for this, though it would have been fun to have a trivia contest for all the cards. Maybe next time.

So with these videos, this concludes this break. I hope it was enjoyable for this group, and I hope the cards find their way to you safely once they're mailed.

Best case (assuming I have all addresses) is that they're mailed out Saturday.

I can now resume my normal, immemorable blogging patterns yet again. Also, for all those who sent interest for trades (especially for the 2011 Kimball Champions), I can finally get that together too.

And as always, may a happy break light your darkest hour (almost like your favorite star of the ancient realm).


Apr 9, 2011

Group Break Box 5: 2003 Topps Gallery

By this time, I actually had pack ripping fatigue and my comments drop off dramatically. I think I was a little off-put that I didn't get what I expected when opening the box. The cards themselves are nice and have a really gritty texture, almost like you can scrape the paint off the surface. Maybe I'm a maximalist, but 20 packs with only 5 cards per pack just seems miniscule in the face of the collecting dragon.

These videos mark the end of the break. What's left is to do the randomization for the 2008 Heroes box break and to show some scans for posterity's sake. Otherwise, the cards are sorted and I'll be packing them up within the week. Hope it was fun for everyone to watch. I think for next time, I'm going to go with a music theme of some kind.

Apr 7, 2011

Group Break Box 4: 2008 Upper Heroes

This box was probably the best of the break. Watch the videos to see why. In any case, there were a very large number of multi-team cards (approximately 20) and these will need to be randomed off. So stay tuned for a thrilling edition of random.org and the clicks that launched destinies.

In all honesty though, there's a lot of action in this box; I could see why it continues to be a popular set on many levels. It features a healthy mix of retired and modern players. It's also a simple construction, the only inserts are essentially parallels (colors,jerseys, autos) of the base set. The design lends itself well to that format.

Apr 3, 2011

Group Break Box 3: 2005 Upper Deck Classics

Actually, my comments in the videos were incorrect (what a surprise, Beckett was incorrect). After examining the pack wrapper, there should have been two numbered inserts/parallels per box, the two game-used cards (which we got), and autos were inserted 1:224 packs, so there was no shorting of guaranteed cards. Sorry for the confusion. I think I trust the pack wrapper more than the Beckett from 3 years ago for checklisting.

This was a fun box to open; there were not all the typical retired players, not much extra content though; it feels like an incomplete brand, you'll see what I mean in the videos.





Team Totals (totals include duplicates) For the Break (base/inserts, shortprints, and parallels/game-used and autos)


Braves 30/6/0
Marlins11/3/0
Expos 18/1/0
Mets 30/4/1
Phillies 28/2/0
Cubs 27/5/0
Reds 28/3/0
Astros 11/1/1
Brewers 25/0/0
Pirates 16/1/0
Cardinals 18/5/0
Dbacks 17/3/0
Rockies 8/5/0
Dodgers 41/5/0
Padres 14/2/0
Giants 32/4/1
Orioles 26/3/1
Red Sox 28/4/1
Yankees 43/8/0
Rays 20/1/0
Blue Jays 19/3/0
White Sox 27/2/0
Indians 32/1/0
Tigers 37/2/0
Royals 16/4/0
Twins 25/1/0
Angels 6/5/0
Athletics 23/1/0
Mariners 20/4/0
Rangers 13/6/0

Apr 2, 2011

Group Break Box 2: 2009 Topps T206

Check it out. I'll let the videos do the explaining this time.  Scans will be up sometime during the weekend.


Team Totals For the Break (base/insert/hit)

Overall, I'm counting base set shortprints as inserts also.

Braves 22/6/0
Marlins11/3/0
Expos 18/1/0
Mets 21/2/1
Phillies 22/1/0
Cubs 19/5/0
Reds 14/3/0
Astros 11/1/1
Brewers 23/0/0
Pirates 10/1/0
Cardinals 6/5/0
Dbacks 17/3/0
Rockies 8/5/0
Dodgers 20/4/0
Padres 14/1/0
Giants 9/3/1
Orioles 13/2/0
Red Sox 21/3/0
Yankees 27/7/0
Rays 20/1/0
Blue Jays 13/3/0
White Sox 16/2/0
Indians 14/1/0
Tigers 21/2/0
Royals 16/3/0
Twins 16/1/0
Angels 6/5/0
Athletics 18/1/0
Mariners 20/4/0
Rangers 13/6/0