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The box: 2017 Topps Tribute baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 3
Cards in this box: 19
Base set completion:
11 of 90 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Base cards – Cole Hamels, Ozzie Smith, Johnny Cueto, Francisco Lindor, Jake Arrieta, Trevor Story, Harmon Killebrew, Duke Snider, Roger Maris, Wade Boggs, Starling Marte
Insert cards: 2 (all inserts & hits in gallery below)
Rookies (1) – Andrew Benintendi
Green parallel (1) – Sandy Koufax (/99)
Autographs/Memorabilia: 6
Tribute Relics (1) – David Ortiz (/199)
Stamp of Approval Relics (1) – Adam Jones (/199)
Stamp of Approval Relics Purple (1) – Jose Abreu (/50)
Tribute Autographs (1) – J.D. Martinez (/199)
Tribute Autographs Green (1) – Luke Weaver (/99)
Generations of Excellence (1) – Andy Pettitte (/99)
What’s Buzz-worthy: Tribute is a high-risk and high-reward high-end brand that’s definitely improved this season with a number of touches that help make more typical boxes stronger. This one included some color, some big names and interesting Relics but nothing of the super-impressive realm. That said, the collective whole made it not that bad of a box. Rookies here are one per four-box inner case and this box was one with Boston’s young star inside. It also included a Purple Relic that’s one in 43 packs and a Generations of Excellence auto that’s one in every 34 packs. Those are pretty strong for a box with only six packs. Pettitte is by far the best auto of the bunch, while the Relics include some decent names and one rarer piece. The Stamp of Approval Relics include MLB Authentication stickers that allow you to look up the game from the memorabilia, a nice touch but one that probably isn’t helping the value of those cards except in instances where it’s a top player. (The Adam Jones was used on April 21, 2013, while the Abreu was from a game on June 4, 2016.) All in all, this is a safer product if you buy it by the box — single-pack buying is riskier with standard Relics in the mix but that’s balanced out by the ink. If you land good ink here, you’ll pay for a few packs — if not everything.
Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: B
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