I am a big fan of cards that feature the filter on the design that makes them look painted. I think it can really add to the allure of a high end looking card, even more so if the autographs are signed on card. Topps has been previewing Gypsy Queen for a long time, a set that was incredibly popular in its first year of release in 2011. Where Allen and Ginter had become more about the non-sport element, Gypsy Queen stayed true to baseball in a much more exclusive way.
This year, with the addition of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Ken Griffey Jr alongside new players like Yu Darvish and other high end subjects, Gypsy Queen could make a huge splash with both set collectors and high end card chasers alike. There is enough content built around mini subsets, and other SPs / inserts to keep the fundamentalists happy, and enough other content to keep people like me looking for the big hits.
Retail hit last week, and the first few autographs have started to show up. There are also coin cards, and other elements that add value to the product as well, although many have yet to surface:
Albert Pujols Gold Parallel – Angels Uniform
Kevin Youkilis Mini Relic Card
Mariano Rivera Regular Relic Card
Hobby will start showing up tomorrow, and I am interested to see what the first Griffey goes for. I am even more interested to see what the first Darvish auto goes for, especially after Topps previewed it on Twitter today.
Regardless, Topps has taken a lot of cool elements from 2011 and made them better, and I hope to see some of my favorite players on the checklist this year. Who knows, I might have a few other players I want to pick up anyways.