First, the annoyed bit. Let's get that out of the way first.

I'm going through my jumbo box of 2013 Series 1, and I've opened four packs so far. That said, pack #4 was a complete bust. Every single base card that I pulled was a duplicate of one of the cards in the first three packs, with I'd say 70% of them being from pack #3 (that is, the pack that was lying right next to it in the box). That's just really, really poor collation.

Okay, not every single base card was a duplicate. There was one (one!) different card, and here it is.

I was hoping I would get one of the Out of Bounds short prints, because now I have something to put in the glaring hole on the first page of the binder where card #7 is supposed to be. And Albert Pujols is a nice one to have. That said, he is available for trade if you have a Jay Bruce, Paul Konerko or Todd Frazier OoB short print to trade.

Now for the good part. I mentioned a big eBay purchase the other day. Well, it arrived, quicker that expected:



This is one of the printing plates for 2009 Spectrum, aka the "Four Rainbows" that I've been chasing since, well, 2009. Three years ago, I let a Lincecum printing plate slip through my fingers because I was on school camp and got my times confused (and missed the ending by an hour). I wasn't going to let Felix get away.

The goal for me is not to get all the printing plates, but at least one from each of the four rainbows. One down, three to go.

The final pack. I'll tell you right now that I didn't get any new base cards, so this post will be light on pictures. No top three, because I've already posted the top three cards in the set. No happiest to see/least happiest to see, because it was a 42-way day for least happiest between all the dupes. I ended up 21 cards short of a complete set with a jumbo box, but I can't complain because I GOT A FREAKIN' SANDY KOUFAX 1/1 IN THE BOX!!!!

You thought I forgot about that, didn't you?

Insert cards:

Ryan Braun Topps 60


Joey Votto/Adrian Gonzalez Diamond Duos


1996 Mickey Mantle 60 Years of Topps (the start of the #7 cards featuring The Mick - blame this card for the current lunacy)


Jimmie Foxx 1933 DeLong reprint


Mike Stanton Kimball Champion
Any Gold Parallel cards?:

Why yes there was, and I'm pleased to announce it was not a Pirate! It's David Eckstein (#51). I've taken the scan, and this card will probably end up in the Uniform Back series at some point, but it's available for trade.

Any Diamond Parallel cards?:

Yes! Magglio Ordonez (#181). I had already written about this card, favorably, so it was interesting to get the diamond parallel version. You know what? I don't think it improved the card. If anything, it made it worse. Yes, Maggs, the bat and the ball stand out more, but everything (and everyone) else is obscured, and it was all that other stuff in the background that made the card so good, at least to me.

Card I was most happy to see:


That's right, it's another hit! That makes six for the box, and the second 1/1. A magenta printing plate of Coco Crisp (card #190). I don't really think of printing plates as 1/1s (although I know they are) because they're not cards. I liked the actual card that was printed, so it's kinda cool to have a piece of that in my collection. I think I'll hold on to this for the time being, unless the right offer came along.


Card I was least happy to see: Like I said, a 42-way tie with all the duplicate base cards.


Final numbers: 309/330 base cards (93.6%) 

Lyle Overbay sightings: 2
Hits: 6! (two autographs, one relic, one manu-relic, one printing plate, one sketch card)
Diamond parallels: 10
Damaged diamond parallels: 5 :(

Gold paralells: 4
Pirates gold parallels: 1
Gold parallels I actually want: 1
Cards available for trade: Plenty - list coming soon!

I wasn't going to write this post. I had already written about this pack on A Pack to Be Named Later, and I didn't really fancy writing two posts about the same pack. So I was just planning on throwing up a post linking to the post over there, and calling it a day.

But the number 8 is my favorite number. And this is pack #8 from the box. There were a lot of duplicates in the pack, so I've selected the best cards from the ten new cards I hadn't already pulled. Plus, there was something else in the pack, something that made me have to write a second post. It was compulsory.

Best three cards (in reverse order):

#3 – David Price (#61): I've really been focusing on the numbering in this set, particularly since Topps itself has been highlighting it on the back of every card. Topps's practice of reserving numbers ending in zero and five for star players, 25, 50 and 75 for superstars, and the hundreds for super-duperstars is well known. But this year, it seems like there is a disconnect in some of the card numbers. Stephen Strasburg getting a "zero" card (#10) was inevitable. But Gio Gonzalez at #30? Desmond Jennings at #80? Evan Meek at 125?

The downside is that deserving players like David Price get stuck with the "bad parking spaces." Price never should have gotten #61. After the year he had in 2010, he completely obliterated the idea of a sophomore slump. He should be on card #125, not Evan Meek.


#2 – Miguel Cabrera (#150): An easy way to make my top three is to be a picture of a fielder practicing his craft. I'm pretty sure that Cabrera will get his glove down in time to field the ball properly. And I'm going to resist making the easy joke that he should aim for the ball in the middle.


#1 – Boston Red Sox (#324): The best of the ten new cards in the pack. While I'm no fan of the Red Sox, I like the combination of Youkilis's bald head and Papi's big head. I have enjoyed how the team cards this year are all celebratory scenes. It's a nice touch - bravo, Topps.


Worst card:
Ubaldo Jimenez (#270). Sorry Ubaldo, you're still the worst card. Again. Topps really did you wrong. Even your duplicate card is the worst in the pack.


Jamie Moyer Award for best card back:
Justin Morneau (#293). Ballplayers' routines and superstitions are the stuff of legend. Wade Boggs and his chicken fetish are the most well-known, but Morneau's turkey sub is similar. Nice to see that he's manly enough to eschew the sprouts. But I'm more than a bit worried about what a Nick Punto "special slurpee" contains.

Insert cards:


Billy Butler Topps 60


Carlos Gonzalez/Troy Tulowitzki Diamond Duos


1983 Ozzie Smith 60 Years of Topps


1957 Stan Musial 60 Years of Topps Lost Card (two seconds after scanning this card, I dropped it, dinging the lower right corner, so I now need another copy)



Aroldis Chapman Kimball Champions (there were four cards on that checklist that I wanted, and I now have two of them - Nick Markakis and Joey Votto, you're next)

Was there a hit? Is it available for trade?:
Was there a hit? Only the best hit of my life:


The first 1/1 that I've pulled, and it's a card of my favorite player of all time. When the news broke that Sandy Koufax reached a deal with Topps and his cards would be inserted into the 2011 set, I never would have thought that I'd get a hold of one of them. Yet, here this card is, sitting on my desk.


The card is based on Koufax's 1962 Topps card, pictured above. What's more, it's a true 1/1, not one of those lame eBay 1/1s. You know the type - they're the listings that say things like "Ichiro's uniform number is 51, and this is numbered 51/999, so 1/1!!!!!!!" I hate those cards.

But I love this one.

Any Diamond Parallel cards?:

Yes! Atlanta Braves (#319). Two fully-printed bedazzled cards in a row. I'm spoiled!


Card I was most happy to see: What do you think? Let's see it again:


Overall thoughts:I have never been more excited then I was when I turned over this card. It's a shame that I opened the pack at 11:00 p.m., because I couldn't yell like a fool and dance around the room for fear of waking my wife. So I had to settle for saying "HOLY SHIT" in a really soft voice over and over. It's been nearly 24 hours since I pulled this card, and I'm still in disbelief.

What a great feeling.

Set Progress: 274/330 (83.0%) 
Lyle Overbay sightings: 2 (I told you I'm an Overbay magnet!)