With the absolute rousing success of products like Dynasty in Baseball and Definitive Collection in Football, Topps has turned one of the weaker genres of their brand into a tremendous strength. The ultra premium landscape in Baseball is one that has gone generally uncharted for the last few years, and I have to believe its for good reason. With Dynasty proving that Ultra Premium products can have success, the Mint is the next iteration of that adventure.

If the Mint turns out anything like this, it could get nuts:

2015 Topps Dynasty Kris Bryant Tag Patch Auto /10

2015 Topps Dynasty Mike Piazza Mets Logo Auto /5

2014 Topps Dynasty Chipper Jones Braves Logo Auto /10

2015 Topps Dynasty Mike Trout Angels Logo Auto 1/1

Although I am not a fan of any product name that starts with “The”, I think that the concept of what it represents should play very well into the content of the set. This is going to be high end to the nines, and for someone like me who collects this stuff almost exclusively, Im very intrigued.

The question remains of whether or not this is the real direction Baseball cards should go, especially considering how many set and low end collectors still remain in the sport. Releasing a slate of products like this is music to my ears, but it could serve to disenfranchise more collectors in the long run.

When you add in that game used memorabilia is steadily increasing in cost to acquire, mainly because quantity available is steadily decreasing, products like this might not be sustainable long term. Dynasty literally had some of the best patches I have ever seen in a baseball set, and I am not sure that Topps has the inventory to continue churning out the insane content for multiple products year after year.

Similarly, signers like Trout, Ichiro, Koufax, Aaron, and others of that caliber are slowly being devalued by the quantity of signatures on the market. Though new stars like Bryant and Correa could get there too, it seems like super premium baseball autographs just dont have the same draw like they would in Basketball or even Hockey.

As for design, I love the look. The presentation of the cards looks luxurious with blacks and golds, and the auto patches look pretty incredible. Im curious if the Seager card means they are going to do inscriptions, which I would go nuts for. Additionally, the Tim Robbins Bull Durham card might signal that Kevin Costner could also make an appearance in this set, which will continue that program through 2016.

Im sure there will be more content revealed as we get closer to the launch, and I would guess that we havent even seen close to what Topps is capable of. My sustainability concerns aside, the Mint is on my list. I cant wait to see the finished product, as I am confident its going to deliver.

Today we got the preview for 2016 Triple Threads baseball. Since the product doesnt change much, I think its worth mentioning that my commentary has a right to continue to be as scathing as ever. Here is the way I started out last year’s post. Seems to be fine to basically say the same shit.

For the majority of the time I have spent writing this site, I have waged a war on Triple Threads that knows no hotter fire. Although Football has improved in terms of design and concept over the years somewhat, Baseball has remained as horrifically bad as ever. Now that we see what 2015 is bringing, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the one Baseball set that needs a complete overhaul.

Im pretty sure that what I say here means little to nothing in the way Topps approaches Triple Threads each year, and now that football will no longer be around to give any sort of progress to this STALE brand, I have no fucking clue why it is still being trotted out each year with so little of a change to anything the product offers.

Here is what the product is to me. Laughable at best:

Terrible Looking Designs

Sticker Autographs

Stupid Phrases Die Cut Over the Relics

Ugly Printing Plates

Horrible Rainbow Foil

I have commented many times that cards will need to continue to provide a reason why this Mike Trout auto is better than the 10000 Trout autos that came before, at least in order to be sustainable. I see Triple Threads as a prime example of why this is so important. This is the 11th year of the brand. Practically nothing has changed about this brand in many years, and I would even argue it has regressed. There used to be on card content that was available in the set, and now even that element is much more limited than it was in previous years.

Yes, you read that right. Collectors will pay close to 200 a box for this garbage and there is 2 autos per box and none of them look to be on card. Because the product offers those SICK MOJOZZZZZ PATCHES, it doesnt matter the way the cards look to deliver them. I get the appeal of nice patches, but when they come in ugly packages, why bother? When they come in ugly packages that havent changed in 8 years, good fucking god.

Topps’ addition of Kevin Costner relics to this product seems a bit forced and that’s just the start. For a product like Triple Threads, I dont see how the character or the content really fits in, especially when you see how they plan to use the likeness. I would much rather it be in Archives or Ginter and leave it at that. No reason to flood the market, especially after Leaf did the same thing. It takes the novelty out of the whole thing.

Either way, here are the pictures. Im about done giving a shit about this.

Every year I am continually shocked by Topps Heritage. Not only are people rabid about collecting the set, but the way the value is maintained through the box break is beyond surprising. For a hobby where almost everyone focuses on the hits in the box, Heritage has the most value arguably outside the hits. That’s not saying the big autographs dont sell for a lot, but its everything else that is shocking.

Check out these listings, you will be SHOCKED at some of the prices:

2016 Topps Heritage Carlos Correa Throwback Uniform Variation

2016 Topps Heritage Mike Moustakas First Name Error SSP

2016 Topps Heritage Matt Carpenter Throwback Uniform Variation

2016 Topps Heritage Kris Bryant Black Chrome Variation /67

2016 Topps Heritage Joe Mauer No Stat Line Error SSP

2016 Topps Heritage Francisco Lindor Gold Chrome Variation /5

The biggest source of surprising enormous value are in the errors and variations, some of which are estimated at around 10-25 copies. Master set collectors can drive the price of these cards into the hundreds, despite the fact that the only difference can be a piece of text or something as small as a dot above an "I" in someone's facsimile autograph.

Other cards like throwback uniform variations, color swaps, and wrong name error cards are also pretty valuable, and can bring a lot of value to a box break that has a cheap relic card as a box hit most of the time. Funny enough, the relic cards that are available in many products arent always as cheap as they are elsewhere either. Heritage is a different beast than just about any other set, mainly because of those loyalists mentioned before.

Additionally, the Chrome cards and rare parallels can also sell for a ton, which isnt necessarily out of the ordinary for the brand. Chrome cards have a history of selling high for low numbered parallels, although Heritage has taken that to a whole new level.

As we start to approach iconic designs that should be used in the coming years, I am curious to see how high some of the sets can sell. Heritage boxes are always in high demand, and though I am not a huge fan of the product, I appreciate any way a company can derive value in a set that doesnt use autographs or relic content.

Its become quite the phenomenon, and baseball might be the only place it can work.

As we approach the final Topps product under their football license, I am starting to get more and more anxious – especially considering what looks to be in store when Panini takes over around April. Supreme is the second to last of what Topps has previewed, and it has become one of my favorite products that Topps has put out. Even though it is a sticker based product, they do have a lot of cool on card autographs, and some great looking quasi-hard signed examples. Supreme can generate some major firepower, as we have seen over the years, and 2015 looks to be no different.

Here are some of the big hits so far:

2015 Topps Supreme Marcus Mariota Drawn Play Oversized Booklet /5

2015 Topps Supreme Peyton Manning / Andrew Luck Dual Patch Auto Booklet

2015 Topps Supreme Dan Marino Inscription Booklet Auto /5

2015 Topps Supreme Andrew Luck Jumbo Patch Auto

2015 Topps Supreme Russell Wilson Quad Patch Auto 1/1

Let me start off, I hate when a company separates the signature area from the rest of the design. Somehow with Supreme, Topps’ design team has found a way to make it look good. Maybe its the gold foil, but I really do like the way many of the cards look. The oversized booklet cards seem to be the most coveted cards of the entire run, and I completely agree that they deserve a lot of attention. New for this year, Topps has included inscriptions and drawn plays from non-rookies, which have resulted in some really cool examples.

Supreme also picks up where Definitive left off on dual and other multi autos, coming up with some really cool combos of players. Multi signed cards are hard to produce because of how much cost each autograph adds to the production – especially with HOF players that can charge close to 100 bucks a sticker. With the license ending, obviously that isnt as much of a concern, as inventory no longer has to be preserved and production costs can be increased. Supreme definitely got the benefit of this situation.

My favorite auto relics of the product remain the jumbo patch autos, as the rectangular swatch on a horizontal card looks great. It gives a ton of room for design elements and a big player photo without compromising the size of the swatch. This year’s design works really well, and definitely fits in with examples from years past. I have a few targets to chase on this checklist, and the names can be some of the best around.

The logo booklets are back, and these are some of the best cards in the product. Its basically a 1/1 with whatever ends up being the best patch on the jersey, outside of the NFL shield. This means that there are some crazy logos that can be had, and with a booklet format, you get basically the whole thing. I have two of these in my personal collection, and they are awesome to display.

The above paragraphs are an example of why you can strike it big in Supreme, but it doesnt really show the major drawback of ripping this product. Supreme, like Upper Deck’s old Ultimate collection, is about as hit and miss as it comes. Some of the cards are insane and awesome, others are less so. With each box only giving out 1 hit, you can see where that would cause an issue at about 80-100 bucks a pop.

Overall, im going to miss Supreme, as it really did aim to get some nice non-rookie content out there every year. If you have a chance to break into a few boxes, I would definitely think about it, as the cards look very nice.

Each year, Leaf has shown that they are in the pre-draft game to win it. With Panini continuing to deliver sticker products through week 10 of the regular season, Leaf should and does do some damage early on with great looking on card stuff. Collectors really dont seem to appreciate how great the on card stuff really is, but with Topps out of the game they might a little more this year.

Here are some of the big hits:

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Cardale Jones Gold Refractor Auto 1/1

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Derek Henry Black Refractor Auto /15

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Tom Brady Auto Insert 1/1

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Carson Wentz Auto Green Refractor /10

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Paxton Lynch Pink Refractor Auto

2016 Leaf Metal Draft Eziekel Elliot Blue Refractor Auto

This year has some extra firepower as well in Tom Brady autographed cards for the first time in an unlicensed set. Not only is this huge for a small run product like Metal Draft, but it is just nuts to think that Leaf was able to get the top signer in all of football on their roster. Brady’s autos sell like nothing else, and with a potentially shitty draft class this year, its clear that this could help float a product that doesnt offer anything but rookies.

As for the design of the product, Im a big fan this year. Not only is it simple and easy to take in, but it offers great space for the signatures and the photos look awesome to boot. I am so far pretty impressed with signature quality in this stuff, as the last few years have seen a growing number of give up signatures around the NFL. This year’s class looks to be much more dedicated to a higher level of quality autographs, which is great in a down year.

Leaf is not going to compete with Panini on this level, as much as they deserve to with the quality of the cards. On card Chrome is something that always works well, even if the photos are airbrushed. To think that Panini cant deliver similar levels of hard signed content is a big fucking embarassment, and another reason to stay away from their garbage through the beginning of the season.