Tag Archives: Topps

SCU Go-Live Report: 2015 Topps Tier One Baseball

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When Tier One first came out, Five Star still hadnt brought a set that featured high end content with on card autos. It was one of the first products to try to get autographs to the forefront of the theme of the set, and it actually didnt do all that much for me. The set was repetitive and had a lot of junk autos. Since that time, the set has evolved, more known now for the Bat Knob cards more than anything. Its a pretty nice set these days, one that I look forward to.

Here are some of the hits up so far:

2015 Topps Tier One Mike Trout Auto SP /30

2015 Topps Tier One Clayton Kershaw Silver Signatures Auto /10

2015 Topps Tier One Kris Bryant Auto SSP

2015 Topps Tier One Bryce Harper New Guard Auto

2015 Topps Tier One Joe Dimaggio Relic

This year’s look is a good improvement over previous years, tweaking some of the main autographs to look a bit more cohesive in the design. They are also looking to add more content of the black background cards with different colored paint pens, which I think need to be worked on considerably. The card design is nice, but the quality of the autograph signed on the card can be terrible due to ink.

As for the Bat Knobs, they are back again for 2015, including some with autos on them too. What I dont get is why companies continually try to prove that you can make a good looking jumbo swatch auto in a vertical format. Stop trying to make it happen. Its not going to happen. The cards look cramped and the player pic is squished into a corner spot that shrinks by the year. Its really too bad, because last year, the cards were horizontal.

My favorite all time subset in Tier One are the rookie reprint and acetate autos that have been a part of the set for a few years. This year’s cards look cool as well, although I am so pissed that they ditched the rookie card look. Last year just didnt have that same appeal to me, and I am sad they went that direction again. The retro was so much more of a captivating idea, as retro cards with on card autographs are always some of my top chases.

Overall, Tier One is structured a lot like how Supreme should be structured, offering on card autographs and some really nice cards in a box that wont break the bank. Its definitely hit and miss, but when you hit, it can be quite the nice piece for your collection.

On the Radar: 2015 Topps Chrome Football

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I am sad. I am sad because this will be the last time I get to talk about a Topps Chrome football preview.

With Panini taking over the NFL license next year, Topps Chrome will likely unable to be made in the same capacity as it will be this year, thus forcing 2015 to be the brand’s farewell tour. Chrome has always been a product I go nuts over more than any other product, save Five Star maybe, and its frustrating that it will be gone next year. Exclusives fucking blow, and now my favorite set of the year will be a casualty of that new deal. Wonderful.

Knowing that this is such a cheap break, its insane what comes out of the boxes:

2014 Topps Chrome Odell Beckham Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Kelvin Benjamin Auto Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Peyton Manning Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

2014 Topps Chrome Teddy Bridgewater Black Refractor Auto BGS 10

2014 Topps Chrome Andrew Luck Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

I think that this version of Topps Chrome is going to have a lot of questions, mainly stemming from the wax breaking train wreck of 2014’s edition. Because of a massively inflated production run, Chrome’s box breaks suffered to the Nth degree. It was close to impossible to pull anything of worth, and even harder to pull one of the better cards in the product. Although Topps Chrome Mini was significantly better in almost every way, it wont curb the collectors from questioning their stance on the product. It could have a lasting effect, as no one will want to buy in until they see the checklist and the odds, and I can guarantee that it may impact how 2015 Chrome goes into play.

Now, Chrome is still the undisputed king of football cards, regardless of wax issues in 2014, but at the same time, the cards could be the coolest design ever and it wouldnt matter. Wax breaks are just as important to the people that break this product, almost above and beyond design. Last year's product looked amazing, but because of how bad it performed on the breaks, the whole thing came apart at the seems. This year, I would have to guess we will get a run somewhere in between where it was last year and where it was in years prior. I dont think Topps wants to sit on closeout product from their last year in the game.

This could also serve as an opportunity to produce a larger veteran and retired autograph checklist, as they will want to clean out the stickers in the warehouse. Vet autographs have been a valuable part of the set over the last two years, and I would be interested to see how they play it out. This can be both good and bad, as a sticker dump may not be the best situation for a product with a knack for low performance in the box format. It could also be a cool way to finish out the run with some top autographs.

Either way, I love the 2015 design, and I love the way it looks to transfer to Chrome. The autographs will look stunning, as they always do, and the inserts look great too. I love the 1976 throwback cards, and to see the added content is pretty damn cool. There is a lot of dreariness and downtrodden feelings floating around football right now, as I dont see many people happy that Panini is going to be the only game in town. Seeing cards like this really does provide a momentary relief from that impending doom, but its just that – momentary.

Panini is going to fuck up the football hobby like never before, thanks to a number different reasons, and to see Topps and sets like Chrome disappear is nothing but disappointing. You hate to lose that history, and you hate to lose what Chrome brings to the table. Its not every day that one of cheapest boxes of the year delivers the top chase card of the year, and Panini still hasnt figured out how to make a similar concept work. The Superfractors are the cards that all the big buyers want, and pay more than Treasures and Flawless, sometimes combined. All of it will be gone in 2016, and that should be a testimony that things arent going in the right direction.

Its going to be a bitter goodbye for Chrome, and yet I still cant wait for it to come out.

On the Radar: 2015 Topps Finest Football Preview

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Over the last few years, Finest has been one of my favorite releases of the pre-season. It comes out right as things are getting hot with the new class, and the cards look great on the Chrome stock. It is also the first of the pro-uniform Superfractors of the year, and that creates a lot of collector interest. This year will be the last version of the set as it is structured currently, which is easily a bittersweet situation to be in. I am still very upset that we will not get licensed Topps sets in 2016 as it stands now.

Finest has always had some cool cards:

2012 Topps Finest Andrew Luck Die Cut Auto Red Refractor /25

2012 Topps Finest Russell Wilson Blue Refractor Patch Auto BGS 9.5

2008 Topps Finest Tom Brady Auto

2006 Topps Finest Emmitt Smith Auto BGS 9.5

2014 Topps Finest Jimmy Garoppolo Superfractor Auto Jumbo Logo Patch 1/1

This year’s design is very futuristic, something that Finest has always used as a theme. It has a combination of swooping lines and blocky modern patterns, all of which work very well. Last year’s design had a few issues with the way thick borders and elements conflicted with the main subject matter, all of which have been corrected in the 2015 preview. The only major complaint I have is on the Amari Cooper preview, where the design inexplicably features a stupid box around the sticker. Since Chrome mockups never do the cards justice, ill have to wait to see the final product. Either way, that box looks like poop, and hopefully it will be corrected.

Topps is also previewing autographs and retro Finest content from 1995, which is a Finest set that I collected the shit out of. It was the set that had a portion with that protective coating still on the cards, making it one of the more interesting of the run. As a kid, I immediately ripped all of that coating off, which was obviously a mistake. That year of Finest was definitely a fun one, and it only adds to the reason why I love this idea. Its unfortunate the autographs are stickers, but it is what it is.

Lastly, and most importantly, Finest looks to be going back to on card autographs on some of the non-relic rookie cards. I could not be more happy that this is the case. Last year’s versions were less attractive because they were stickers, something that I really was upset about. Glad they are going back to the way they were in 2013 and 2012.

Overall, as mentioned above, I am sad to say goodbye to a set that has been with me since I started in the hobby. I have always loved Finest’s cards, save a few of those awful “dead” years like 2008, and I wish that there was a way to keep it going. At least the product will be going out looking good.

On the Radar: Topps Adds Ichiro To Upcoming Products

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The overseas market for trading cards is a wild card for most of the manufacturers, something I find to be a bit shocking. Considering how things can play, it seems like a no-brainer to bring cards frequently to that region. Topps has done special Asia only product lines in the last few years, many of which have been very interesting. I can see why they would want to chase Ichiro, as he is literally the biggest name in Japanese baseball to this day.

Here are some of his prices from prior products:

2004 Upper Deck SP Game Used Ichiro Auto Patch /10

2001 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ichiro Auto RC

2014 Leaf Immortals Ichiro Auto Jumbo Patch

2002 Sweet Spot Ichiro Auto Ball

In the past, Ichiro’s autograph price tag have limited the companies from getting on board at a level that would make him readily available for a large product run. During the first few years of his career, Upper Deck had him in a few products, sets that housed his most expensive cards.

Recently, Leaf had signed a deal with Ichiro that granted them access to his likeness and autographs for some of their biggest releases to date, including the first game used patch cards in a very long time.

Based on what we have seen with his cards in the past, Topps’ adding him to their stable is a very big deal. Not just because he has a valuable signature, but because of how many overseas collectors will want the cards and the products. There is no telling how much the deal is for, but you can bet it is a significant amount.

I would guess he will be a very limited autograph in any of the products he is used for, which means he will not be a card that many can afford to buy right out. Now that Topps has announced that Allen and Ginter will be the first cards, I would think that the price should go up as a result.

Again, this is big for 2015 products. Interested to see how it plays out.

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Is This The Beginning of the Bryce Harper Era?

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Back in 2010, Bryce Harper was the second biggest prospect of the year, with USA cards in a Bowman product where Stephen Strasburg took top billing. In 2011, pending his call up to the Majors, Harper became the top prospect in the set. Over the next few years, he had his ups and downs, but never really lived up to the hype. That has all changed this year, as his play in recent weeks has been some of the most productive games in MLB history.

Check out some of his recent prices:

2011 Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper Blue Refractor Auto BGS 9.5

2015 Topps Gallery of Greats Bryce Harper Jersey Auto

2011 Bowman Bryce Harper Auto RC BG 9.5

2015 Topps Museum Collection Bryce Harper Auto Quad Patch Booklet Gold

If you thought Kris Bryant was big this year, Harper was that big too. The hobby tends to get obsessed with potential, even more so than production. The thing is, Harper is still incredibly young, and has a long career ahead of him. There is a lot of time for him to develop, and there are many people who want him to be the biggest attraction in the game.

Since his time began, he has always lived in the shadow of Mike Trout, who has already notched an MVP and a few second place finishes to boot. Coming up at around the same time, Trout has become the hobby's biggest star, where Harper has found himself on the downturn of his value spike that happened over the last few years. His recent production has brought a lot of value back to the cards, but he has yet to convince the majority that he is ready to take the next step in his career.

Three weeks does not a career make, yet Harper seems to be a bit different than guys like Bryant and company, as his talent has been at the forefront of our consciousness since he socked some towering dingers back before entering Junior College the year before the draft. Now that those home runs are coming back in bunches, some collectors are finally seeing the return they have been waiting on year over year.

The question always remains, is the potential ever going to measure up to the production? If the answer is yes, that’s where we start to see all that value that Trout has achieved. If the answer is no, the player becomes on of the hundreds of players who never really made the impact they were supposed to.