We’re just a week away from the arrival of 2018 Topps Series 1 baseball cards and Topps has revealed the bonus promo packs’ content for those buying via hobby shops and via BlowoutCards.com.
Its a Chromed 1983 Topps homage with some modern touches that will arrive along with the hobby’s flagship product next Wednesday.
Keep reading for the full details.
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 Bowman’s Best MLB (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion:
17 of 65 (26 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Prospects set completion:
14 of 35 (40 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Base cards – Jose Altuve, Francisco Lindor, Joey Votto, Corey Seager, Ichiro Suzuki, Buster Posey, George Springer, Jose Berrios, Miguel Sano, Max Scherzer
Rookie Cards (7) – Dansby Swanson, Tyler Glasnow, Alex Bregman, Yulieski Gurriel, Raimel Tapia, Luke Weaver, Jose DeLeon
Prospect cards – Jo Adell, Kevin Maitan, Brendan McKay (1B), Alex Faedo, Clarke Schmidt, Pavin Smith, Blake Rutherford, Austin Beck, Willy Adames, Michael Kopech, Amed Rosario, Jake Burger, Keston Hiura, Austin Meadows
A series of MLB auctions will help a college student via a scholarship fund in the memory of a long-time MLB executive and get fans closer to the game in some interesting ways.
The auctions include all types of experiences and all wrap up soon — this Thursday.
What: 2017 Topps Gallery baseball cards
Arrives: This week … only initially at Walmart
Box basics: Two autographs in every 20-pack collector’s box
Checklist: Click here to view
What’s buzz-worthy: For the first time since 2005, Topps Gallery returns to the diamond with a new crop of artistic takes on MLB’s stars with autographs that add to the chase.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
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 …
The Mega Box is back once again — but only initially at Target stores.
Topps finally unleashed the checklist for its annual retail-only Chromed version of Topps Update on Tuesday and it’s yet again another release that offers Chrome fans one last set to collect but also a shot at some big-name Rookie Cards, Superfractors and autographs.
Keep reading for the basics.
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What’s Buzzing Today: A big collecting question and some big pulls for the weekend.
If you hadn’t noticed, there are a number of boxes with discounted prices right now over on the mothership as BlowoutCards.com is in the midst its Black November sales now.
Wave 2 is here and many of the discounts were dramatic enough that Buzz had to sit down and ponder the possibilities in many of the boxes and cases — and here are five boxes/cases that caught this collector’s eye.
2017 Topps Update Jumbo boxes and cases
This relatively new release is simply a fun one that’s stacked with Rookie Cards and moments from the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This collector has ripped hanger boxes, blaster boxes and standard Hobby boxes and many of them have delivered good volume on those guys named Bellinger, Judge and even on the variations. (They don’t have to be rare to be fun.) I haven’t studied the jumbo breaks closely, but one auto and two other hits at this price makes for a fun rip — and if you get lucky you could do pretty well. While this might be a brand that seems somewhat plentiful now, once wax dries up there will be enough key players here to make it of interest later — and basic Topps flagship RCs seem to be growing in popularity, too.
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: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter (hobby)
The cost: BlowoutCards.com
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
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: 25 (24 standard packs plus box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 194
Base set completion:
128 of 300 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Ichiro Suzuki, Buster Posey, Johnny Bench, Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron, Ken Rosenthal, Krazy George, Ken Griffey Jr., Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, Roger Maris, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Piazza, Don Mattingly, Laurie Hernandez, Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks, Jose Canseco, Nick Jonas, William Shatner
Rookie Cards (18) – Teoscar Hernandez, JaCoby Jones, Jesse Winker, Robert Gsellman, Matt Olson, Ryon Healy, Antonio Senzatela, Chad Pinder, Alex Reyes, Yulieski Gurriel, Hunter Renfroe, Jharel Cotton, Tyler Glasnow, Luke Weaver, Gavin Cecchini, Carson Fulmer, Seth Lugo (SP), Dan Vogelbach (SP)
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)
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What’s Buzzing Today: Customizing cardboard, big breaks, the face of MLB, high-end WWE & more.
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 Gypsy Queen baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 48
Base set completion:
43 of 300 (14 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Gary Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg
Rookie Cards (10) – Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Yoan Moncada, Jose DeLeon, Tyler Austin, Reynaldo Lopez, Josh Bell, Jorge Alfaro, David Paulino, Hunter Dozier
If the season ended today, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge would win the Triple Crown.
As a rookie.
With two homers on Sunday — one a highlight-reel worthy 496-foot shot — he upped his mark to 21 this season and that goes right alongside a .344 batting average and 47 RBI. Will the Triple Crown pace continue? Who knows, but the power is a barometer of baseball card potential and he’s on pace to be among the best rookies in MLB history.
He’s on pace to top the 40-homer mark and that’s been done just one other time by a rookie. Even if he struggles some, by season’s end he’s likely to be very close to — if not among — the top 10 sluggers for most home run seasons by a rookie.
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 Archives baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 8 (seven standard cards plus two-coin pack)
Cards per pack: 7
Cards in this box: 56 (58 with coins)
Base set completion:
53 of 300 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notables on base cards – Derek Jeter, Randy Johnson, George Brett, Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Dennis Eckersley, Sandy Koufax, Anthony Rizzo, Jackie Robinson
Rookie Cards (9) – Hunter Dozier, Tyler Austin, T.J. Rivera, Jeff Hoffman, Carson Fulmer, Jose DeLeon, Orlando Arcia, Teoscar Hernandez, Roman Quinn
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 4.
The pack: 1987 Donruss baseball
The cost now: 55 cents ($20 for a 36-pack box; this pack randomly chosen)
The cost then: Under $1
What’s inside this one? Keep reading …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 Series 1 baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (several formats)
Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 353
Base set completion:
301 of 350 (86 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Base cards of note – Chicago Cubs World Series champs, Kris Bryant, Giancarlo Stanton, Felix Hernandez, Jacob deGrom, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Miguel Cabrera, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Corey Seager, Kyle Schwarber, Nomar Mazara, Addison Russell, David Ortiz, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rizzo, David Ortiz, Jose Altuve
>> Related: Check out all of our handy 2017 Topps Series 1 MLB links here.
Rookie Cards (26) – Dansby Swanson, Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin, Yulieski Gurriel, Alex Bregman, Orlando Arcia, Braden Shipley, Matt Carasiti, Jake Thompson, Gabriel Ynoa, Reynaldo Lopez, Alex Reyes, Jeff Hoffman, Luke Weaver, Josh Bell, Brian Goodwin, Matt Strahm, Seth Lugo, Joe Musgrove, Tyler Glasnow, David Dahl, Robert Gsellman, Ryon Healy, Chad Pinder
What: 2017 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes baseball cards
Arrives: March 15
Box basics: Five autographs or memorabilia cards per five-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view
What’s buzz-worthy: USA Baseball returns to the field after some time off with a new configuration but the same patriotic value and potential with a mix of current USA stars and big names from the program’s past.
Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.
The final Bowman brand of the year arrives in hobby shops today with autographs from notable players of the past, the present and potentially the future.
You know, guys like No. 1 draft pick Mickey Moniak.
He’s not alone in packs of 2016 Bowman’s Best — keep reading for more info and a gallery of what’s been found so far.
What: 2016 Historic Autographs Friends-N-Foes Holiday Edition
Arrives: Dec. 20
Box basics: One dual-autograph cut booklet per box (13 boxes per case)
What’s buzz-worthy: Historic Autographs’ second release with booklets is here pairing players with common ties or opposing ones. The Friends cards will include family members, teammates and memorable pairings, while rivalries will be found on the Foes cards.
See a gallery and more … below.
Prime Cuts is almost here — but the wait for its checklist is now over.
How many Babe Ruth memorabilia cards will there be? How many rookies made the cut? Who’s signing and whose memorabilia can be found for the first time?
Oh and who made it onto the eight-player autograph booklets?
Keep reading to find out what’s in store for 2016 Panini Prime Cuts baseball cards …
We’re just a few hours away from Game 7 of the World Series where the Chicago Cubs will end more than a century of futility — or the Cleveland Indians will make them once again wait for next year.
On cardboard and in the hobby, there’s no comparison between the two teams as the Cubs are largely stocked with young players (several homegrown) who are well-established and readily available on cardboard — for now — compared to the Indians, who have a few young notables but nobody who’ll truly break the bank. Among the Cubbies’ notables are Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jake Arrieta, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo … and that’s not all on a list that’s meaty and the cardboard is boldly available for nearly all of them.
That got Buzz wondering … if the Cubs win it all, is their victory bigger than the Boston Red Sox’ 2004 World Series win when it comes to the hobby and collecting? Is it bigger than Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens — you know, all those historic super-human performances that ultimately turned out to be, well, a bit questionable? They all sold plenty of cardboard in the past — plenty — but that team and those players were mostly established veterans. The Cubs are largely kids with plenty of potential for future successes — dare we say dynasty — for years to come being a real possibility.
And that would all start with a ring tonight and pay off for collectors for years to come.
I’d argue that demand for the Cubs’ key players autographs and key players could be the biggest thing seen in years once it’s all said and done. Once The Curse of the Billy Goat is dead and buried alongside that of The Bambino there’s all kinds of potential for now in the short-term, later in the weeks and months to come and, ultimately, for future seasons.
It could be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
Agree? Disagree? Tell Buzz what you think in the poll below …
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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What’s Buzzing Today: Busting 2016 Bowman Platinum, Big Macs, Donruss soccer, Prizm NBA and some birthday non-sports action.
It’s a simple idea — one autographed buyback per box — with a showcase of nostalgia and on-card ink with plenty of variety.
It’s 2016 Topps Archives Signature Series, and it arrived today.
It might be the biggest (Papi) day in Topps Now history.
For the first time, Today’s Topps Now lineup includes autographs that can be purchased outright — David Ortiz — and Relics for the hard-hitting New York Yankees rookie Gary Sanchez on the same day as part of a 14-card offering.
Ortiz autos start at $199.99 for his card limited to 99 copies all the way up to a $999.99 1/1 card that is already sold out.
The wait is nearly over for 2016 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards as the recently retro-styled brand arrives on Friday with plenty of creative photos and plenty of fun in every box.
The checklist for the brand arrived from Topps on Sunday night so keep reading to learn more.
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: 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 8
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 48
Base set completion:
35 of 300 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0
Notable players on base cards – Willie McCovey, David Price, Matt Harvey, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire
Rookie Cards (3) – Joc Pederson, Rusney Castillo, Mike Foltynewicz
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.
What: 2016 Upper Deck All-time Greats Master Collection trading cards
Arrives: This week
Box basics: 58 cards and one mystery redemption per box
What’s buzz-worthy: Take the biggest names in the sports world (and the 
Upper Deck stable of signers) and take it all high-end. How high-end? The cost per box to dealers — not the price to the public — is north of $10,000. What does it include? Among the inclusions in each box are an autographed acrylic box-topper, a 25-card autographed base set, a 30-card acetate Master Collection Puzzle set, one Michael Jordan Diamond card, one autographed Masterful Paintings card, one dual auto or dual cut auto card and one mystery redemption.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
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.
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.
Continue reading
With the holiday season here, cardboard is probably on the minds of many Buzz readers as they wonder what might await them soon.
Others, like Buzz, might be thinking of Cardboard of Christmas Past — you know, some of the Santa Claus trading cards we’ve seen throughout the years. Most of it’s trivial and not all that collectable — but they all stand out in a way compared to our traditional sports cards.
1989 Pro Set Promos #1989
When Dallas-based Pro Set created this card during its first season of making football cards in 1989, it sparked a trend that we saw in not just football cards but other areas in the years that followed. (Boy are there some bad Photoshop jobs there in the 1990s.) For all intents and purposes, though, Buzz would call this one a “Rookie Card.” Yes, there were previous non-sports cards — but this was the one that put cards like this on the minds of the sports-collecting masses after it was mailed out to dealers and selected NFL-related people.
BlowoutBuzz.com 