Buzz Break: 2018 Topps Series 1 MLB cards (hobby box + silver pack)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 36 (plus one silver Chrome pack)
Cards per pack: 10 (four in Chrome)
Cards in this box: 365
Base set completion: 
322 of 350 (92 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Dansby Swanson, Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Carlos Correa

Rookie Cards (40) – Rhys Hoskins, Rafael Devers, Victor Robles, Amed Rosario, Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Garrett Cooper, J.P. Crawford, Max Fried, Lucas Sims, Luiz Gohara, Ozzie Albies, Jackson Stephens, Greg Allen, Richard Urena, Austin Hays, Jimmie Sherfy, Raudy Read, J.D. Davis, Andrew Stevenson, Chris Rowley, Willie Calhoun, Dillon Peters, Zack Granite, Nicky Delmonico, Harrison Bader, Luis Santos, Dominic Smith, Ryan McMahon, Cam Gallagher, Aaron Slegers, Brandon Woodruff, Alex Verdugo, Francisco Mejia, Nick Williams, Brian Anderson, Walker Buehler, Tyler Mahle, Erick Fedde, Jack Flaherty

First Buzz: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum auto baseballs

What: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum autographed baseballs
Arrives: Feb. 21
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back for another season with a new batch of stars and legends along with some new specialty balls guaranteed per case that help add variety to the chase.

The biggest chase of them all this year? Keep reading for that and a gallery of what’s in this one.

Buzz Break: 2016 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards (blaster box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2016 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby when available)

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 48
Base set completion: 
36 of 300 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notable players on base cards – Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Carlos Correa, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Paul Goldschmidt

Rookie Cards (1) – Max Kepler

First Buzz: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Autographed Baseball

What: 2018 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures autographed baseballs
Arrives: Jan. 3
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back in January with nods to its hometown World Series champion Houston Astros as well as Diamond Tickets good for one of the biggest possible autographs in MLB history.

Keep reading for details on that one and a gallery of what’s possible in this one.

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1999 Upper Deck Ovation MLB blaster (Hour 7)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 7.

The box: 1999 Upper Deck Ovation baseball cards (blaster)
The cost now: $19.95
The cost then: $34.99

What’s inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards (hobby box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2017 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 16
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 128
Base set completion: 
106 of 300 (35 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Don Mattingly, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Nolan Arenado, Josh Donaldson, Carl Yastrzemski, Jeff Bagwell, Francisco Lindor, Yu Darvish, Mark McGwire, Bryce Harper, Willie McCovey, Duke Snider, Chipper Jones, Hank Aaron, Willie Stargell, Bo Jackson, Randy Johnson

Rookie Cards (12) – Josh Bell, Yulieski Gurriel, Chad Pinder, Hunter Dozier, Hunter Renfroe, JaCoby Jones, Luke Weaver, Alex Reyes, Gavin Cecchini, Jorge Alfaro, Ryon Healy, Kyle Zimmer (no logo)

Buzz Break: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 49
Base set completion: 
28 of 300 (9 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Ichiro Suzuki, Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Carlos Correa

Rookie Cards (4) – Teoscar Hernandez, JaCoby Jones, Mitch Haniger, Trey Mancini (SP)

Buzz Break: 1997 Score Series 1 baseball cards (jumbo box)

 

Do you like Buzz Breaks? We recently launched 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. This is a faster break in that style — but not the launching of a new 12 in 12. We’ll have another marathon soon. (Click the logo below to see the previous posts in the series.)

The box: 1997 Score Series 1 baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $9.99
The cost then: $71.64 in U.S., $107.64 in Canada ($1.99/$2.99 per pack; prices printed on them)

What’s inside this box? Keep reading …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1992 Upper Deck MLB jumbo box (Hour 12)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is our finale.

The box: 1992 Upper Deck baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $9.99
The cost then: $43.80 ($2.19 per pack … printed on every pack)

What was found inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 MLB jumbo (Hour 9)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 9.

The box: 1993 Upper Deck Series 2 baseball cards (jumbo box)
The cost now: $19.99
The cost then: $55.80 ($2.79 per pack … printed on every pack)

What was found inside this one? Keep reading …

Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Eastern Region baseball wax box (Hour 3)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today’s your day then as we launch 12 in 12 — a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We’ll post one every hour on the hour all day long today … this is Hour 3.

The box: 1994 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Eastern Region baseball cards
The cost now: $19.99
The cost then: $72 (or more … it was hot)

What’s inside this box? Keep reading …

Topps Now was game-changer in first year for MLB cardboard

Real cards in real time — or at least the next day. It was a simple idea that became Topps Now that has helped in some ways transform collecting beginning on April 3, 2016.

Need proof?

There are 1,184 different Now cards now for MLB alone — some with autographs and game-used memorabilia from the games that are depicted on the card. There are also Topps Now cards for last year’s election and presidential debates, Now cards for WWE and for UFC and even real-time cardboard releases from AMC‘s Preacher and the Garbage Pail Kids taking on real-time scandals and viral curiosities. Oh, and there are other companies in on the real-time card business now for the other leagues, too.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights from last year’s MLB releases before the 2017 Topps Now cards — with a new look and numbering — start soon and some basic info on every single one of the 2016 releases.

How do we knew there’s a new look? Buzz checked the mailbox and found something inside. Keep reading for a first look at 2017 Topps Now.

First Buzz: 2017 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum auto baseballs

What: 2017 TRISTAR Hidden Treasures Platinum autographed baseballs
Arrives: March 22
Box basics: One autographed baseball per box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: TRISTAR’s autographed baseball chase brand is back for 2017 with a new batch of stars and legends along with specialty balls guaranteed per case that help add variety to the chase.

The biggest chase of them all this year? Keep reading for that and a gallery of what’s in this one.

New Hall of Famers usher in 2017 Topps #TBT + ongoing gallery

A new year of Topps #TBT is here and it’s bringing to us the newest Hall of Fame class and a few other stars of yesteryear all on a design from the past.

Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell are paired with one other Hall of Famer from their primary franchise’s past to round out the first pack in a weekly series.

Topps Now lets fans of Raines, Bagwell & Pudge get head start on Hall of Fame memorabilia hunting

Three new Hall of Famers, 21 new Topps Now baseball cards.

That means fans of Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell don’t have to wait for their first commemorative cardboard thanks to Topps‘ on-demand baseball card platform.

Only initially available on Topps.com, the three standard Topps Now cards are printed to order and available for just 24 hours at $9.99 per card with quantity discounts available. Each of them also will sign six different cards, including one where all three will be shown.

You get one Baseball Hall of Fame vote … who gets it this year?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 19 new names as well as the players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the vote.

Below is the list of names that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players and those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will go into the Hall. Your challenge here is different.

Unlike the writers, you don’t get to pick 10. You get to pick just one player. 

Buzz Break: 2003 Playoff Piece of the Game baseball cards (hobby box)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2003 Playoff Piece of the Game baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: Wherever you can find it this reasonably priced ($49).

Packs per box: 6 (plus one bonus topper pack)
Cards per pack: 1
Cards in this box: 7
Base set completion: 
4 of 179 (2 percent)
Duplicates: 0

What should we expect in 2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball?

It’s a new brand name with a semi-familiar look, so what should we expect to find in 2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball?

Buzz took a look at the checklist to find out.

First, though, the basics: You get four cards per box for a premium price — one being a metal card, two being autographs and one being an insert.

Cooperstown calls for Ken Griffey Jr. as well as Mike Piazza

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America votes are in, and there’s no surprise at the top — Ken Griffey Jr. is headed to Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer to join baseball’s immortals.

He received 99.3 percent of the vote — a record and three votes short of unanimous — after his first time on the ballot. Joining him is former Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who appeared on 83 percent of the 440 ballots.

Griffey helped usher in a new era of collecting in 1989 as the iconic No. 1 in the first Upper Deck set, a release that helped change the printing and packaging of cards and the collecting expectations of a generation. For those same thirty-somethings and beyond, he’s an also icon on the field with his backwards cap and a smooth but powerful left-handed swing that helped produce 630 home runs and countless more memorable moments for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox over 22 seasons but never a World Series at-bat.

Clearly he’s one of the greatest players — and most-beloved players — in MLB history, a symbol of what’s good about the game in an era of bogus records and inflated statistics that have undermined not only the results on the field but also the cardboard of our youth. His enshrinement this summer in Cooperstown will be the stuff that cardboard (and baseball) marketing is made of. In fact, there are already two forthcoming brands — 2016 Topps Series 2 and 2016 Topps Finest (above right) — that will spotlight Junior.

Examining 20 Baseball Hall of Fame candidates’ Rookie Cards + Buzz casts his votes for Cooperstown

There are 32 players on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot this year and the ongoing debate of who’s worthy, who’s not and who cheated with performance-enhancing drugs will rage on well beyond the reveal of the voting results on Jan. 6.

In Buzz’s book, there’s quite possibly only one new Hall of Famer headed to Cooperstown this coming summer, and that lock is Ken Griffey Jr.

The rest? Well, it’s not that easy. Buzz has eliminated 12 of the guys who are not likely to even make the cut to be on next year’s ballot and examined the stats for 20 of those who are left. Along with this, Buzz has added some key Rookie Card info, too, just in case you haven’t tracked any of them down just yet or want to revisit cardboard from your youth.

Who gets your single vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame this year?

This year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with 15 new names and several players who appeared on last year’s ballot but failed to get 75 percent of the votes.

Below is the ballot that all BBWAA members will receive. The writers can vote for as many as 10 players. Those who appear on 75 percent of all ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall. Your challenge here is a bit different.