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The box: 2017 Topps Gallery MLB cards (collector’s box)
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart
Packs per box: 20
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 101
Base set completion:
85 of 150 (57 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Ichiro Suzuki, David Price, Yu Darvish, Jose Altuve, Gary Sanchez, Jacob deGrom, Kyle Schwarber, Andrew McCutchen, Kenta Maeda, Yoenis Cespedes, Francisco Lindor, Clayton Kershaw, George Springer, Adrian Beltre, Anthony Rizzo
Rookie Cards (22) – Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson, Yoan Moncada, Brett Phillips, Dinelson Lamet, Amir Garrett, Sean Newcomb, Bradley Zimmer, Jake Thompson, Christian Arroyo, Paul DeJong, Ty Blach, Jharel Cotton, Tyler Glasnow, Josh Bell, Mitch Haniger, David Dahl, Jordan Montgomery, German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela
Insert/short-print cards: 14 (all inserts in gallery below with some base)
Short-prints (Nos. 151-200) (1) – Fernando Valenzuela
Private Issue (3) – Ryon Healy, Kyle Seager, Sean Newcomb (/250)
Masterpiece (2) – Josh Donaldson, Adrian Beltre
The Expressionists (1) – Justin Verlander
Hall of Fame Gallery (4) – Reggie Jackson, Randy Johnson, Tim Raines, Ken Griffey Jr.
Gallery Heritage (2) – Nolan Arenado, Carlos Martinez
Featured Artist card (1) – Dan Bergren
Autographs: 2
Gallery Autographs (2) – Aaron Judge (redemption), Sean Newcomb
>>Want to own this Judge auto? Click here to enter our contest before Dec. 1.
What’s Buzz-worthy: As said in a previous break here, this Walmart-only release has base cards with illustrations by Mayumi Seto and, for the most part, this is a set that is among the best art-driven releases I’ve seen. Since these are done by hand and not simply a Photoshop job, a few of them have likenesses that aren’t as sharp as others (seen to a degree in the rookies) but that’s probably due to the action photos that they were modeled after in some cases. As noted here earlier, the autograph list here is huge but I’d argue that, while those biggest names will be rare and are solid finds, the biggest draw here are original paintings and sketches. The paintings are one in every 41 boxes (820 packs), meanwhile, sketch cards are one in every 2,931 packs. All artwork on the cards seen here is by either Seto (base set) or paintings by Dan Bergen (inserts). It’s unclear whether all paintings/art inserted in Gallery are from them,but sketch cards are by others. All in all, it’s a solid chase considering the art presence here. This box delivered well with the Judge auto and a rarer Expressionists insert, and at $69.99 this brand is a two-auto experience with more than that at retail is still a win. The checklist is stacked with Rookie Cards, too, and sometimes they’re inked.
Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A+
Fun Grade: A
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