Happy New Year! Here's the Box Break I Promised

I got this box for Christmas, and I noticed that one side of the box was heavier than the other. I knew that the museum cards are heavy, but I did not get my hopes up. I opened up all of the packs intending to save the fatties for last. Third pack in, I see gold!!! The first three hits were garbage, but I love the last one. I would say that this box broke my 13 month streak of bad box breaks. Anyways, here is what I pulled.



Cool looking card, but the player could be better. (and there could have been a multicolored patch in there haha)



I was really bumed there were no patches. Also, the player could have been a ton better.



The player could have been better, and there could have been a nice patch. Also, the bottom left relic if wierd. It might be sock? If anyone knows what it is, let me know.
























and finally this...



Scan does not do this card justice. Easily one of my new favorite cards. The player could have been better, but still a really sweet card. Let me know what you you guys think! Happy holidays!

Christmas Haul (Scans!)

Hey, everyone. This is most of the highlights of my Christmas card haul. The five "Clear Path to Greatness" autos came from a box of 2006 UD Future Stars. Two of the autos, Carlos Quentin and Josh Willingham, are the same ones I got in my last box, so they are for trade if anyone is interested. The other three autos are Jason Kubel, Ruddy Lugo, and Luis Figueroa (SP). Hey, at least I've heard of four out of five people on the autos. Overall, it was a good product with some nice base cards and serial #'d cards. For about $30 at the Blowout Cards Black Friday Sale, it was a no-brainer. I mean, five 2006 rookie autos; 2006 was a phenomenal rookie class. You can pull RC autos of the likes of Joel Zumaya, Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Jered Weaver, Hanley Ramirez, Conor Jackson, Chad Billingsley and more. I'd give the product a solid B+. The other cards were pulled from various packs, whether they be from stocking stuffers or a Value Box of 2011 Topps. The Ivan Nova RC is interesting in several ways. For one, it is a Gold Parallel #'d /50, and secondly he also had an RC in Updates of the previous year. Its similar to what 2006 and 2007 Heritage did with Pablo Sandoval, or what 2008 and 2009 Topps flagship did with that guy (Kahi'hlui???) that plays for the Royals whose name sounds like a cross between the Hawaiian Liquor Kahlua and the worn-out childrens television show Caillou. The Mike Trout RC is just cool because he is a good player, but the Harper... The Harper is one of three exclusive value-box refractors. Ironically, all three refractors are of Harper. I can now say that I have a Bryce Harper RC...yay.

Happy Holidays! Couple of Christmas Scans!

Happy Holidays!!! I hope everybody has had as good a day as I have. I love spending time with family I don't see too often as well as giving and receiving gifts. Today I would like to share what I got card wise this Christmas. I will start with the small stuff and let the suspense build. In my stocking, I got 1 pack of 2011 Allen and Ginter, and 1 Jumbo pack of 2011 Topps Update. Nothing too exciting out of these, but I did pull a Cheryl Burke card for my ginter set. Out of updates, I pulled a Monte Irvin SP Diamond aniversairy refractor and a Youkilis All Star card for my PC.



Then, I got a ton of toploaders/ teambags/ sleeves so I can properly store and display my Kevin Youkilis PC. Along with those, I got a 2006 Sweet Spot Ball Auto of Kevin Youkilis. The scan is pretty bad, but it is truely a great card in person.



And for the grand finaly, I got a box of 2011 Topps Marquee Baseball. I will post the results in a couple days. To increase the suspense, I will let you know that this box snapped my 13 month streak of terrible boxes. Happy Holidays everybody!!!



-20youksox

2012 Topps Archives

Topps is scheduled to release a rehash of Topps Archives, a series last produced in 2002. The set will include two autos per box, with the 75-player checklist including the likes of legendary HOFers such as Willie Mays,Ernie Banks, and Carl Yastrzemski. It will also include sigs newer players, such as Albert Pujols and Tim Lincecum. The base card designs will be those of the years 1954, 1971, 1980 and 1984, and the inserts will be tributes to 1967 Topps Stickers, 1968 Topps 3D, 1969 Topps Deckle Edge and the 1977 Topps Cloth sets. The relics take the form of the 1956 design. There will also be 1983 Mini autos in frames which have similar qualities to those of Allen-&-Ginter. Notably, there will be Topps Originals Buyback cards, as well.

New Pickup, Mojo Patch Style!

Okay, here it is. This is my third one of these, and this is my favorite of the three. They all fit together to spell RICAN from American. I can't wait to have all three in hand. So far, I have payed $83 for the first, $52 for the second, and $46 for this one.


-20youksox

I Love Shiny Cards: Superfractor vs. New Mosaic Refractors POLL

Okay, so I was looking through my shiny cards, and these two caught my eye. One is a superfractor, something that has been around for a long time. The other is a mosaic refractor, something that is new to this year. They are kind of similar because they both have "shiney cirle things". There are examples of each below.

MOSAIC REFRACTOR



These cards are numbered out of 10 and are also die cut.


SUPERFRACTOR



These cards are 1/1 and standard shape.

I personally give the edge to the mosaic refractor. It is nice to see something new in the hobby. I think these are better for the average collector because they are much cheaper than superfractors, and I think they look cooler. They usually only cost $30- 50 compared to superfractors at $100+. I also like the die cut element because it sets the apart from the rest of the refractor parellels available in chrome products. Be sure to comment below with which of the two parellels you like the best, and I will posts the results in a week or so.
-20youksox

10 years, $254-Million...Boom

Has anyone ever read the children's story "Chica-Chica-Boom-Boom"?. In case you never lived as a child, or for some obscure reason spent your pre-pubescent years locked in a desolate closet, it is essentially about letters (A,B,C) trying to climb up a palm tree. All the pieces seem to come together, until one arrogant capital letter tries to climb up the tree, ignoring the pleas of the other 26 letters already up top, until the tree snaps and they all go boom. This is the reality of the St. Louis Cardinals losing Albert Pujols. The pieces came together, they won a World Series, and then he tries to climb up onto the top of the money tree and everyone goes boom.

Sick Mojo Jumbo Patch Pickup!!!

I am really thrilled about my newest pickup for my Kevin Youkilis PC. This is a 2011 Topps Updates Kevin Youkilis Jumbo All Star Patch Relic 3/6! Some of you are probably thinking, I have seen this before. Well you have, sort of. I also have the 4/6 which can be seen a few posts down. I personally like this one better because the patch is nicer. Here is a photo of it below. I will get a better scan once it is in hand, and I will also scan the 2 together. I actually got a much better deal on this one. It cost me $52, and the other cost $83. I think this one was less expensive because the opening bid was $50. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do!



















-20youksox

2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Box Break and Review

Hi everybody! I just busted a box of 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter and thought I would share the results. I love busting wax, but ussually opt to buy PC cards instead. I have already busted 2 boxes of Allen and Ginter plus a bunch of packs, so I am pretty close to having a complete set, so I bought this box hoping to fill it. Unfortunatley, I did not finish my set, but here are the highlights of the box. I also bought a jumbo pack of 2011 Topps Updates and Highlights.



Three relics, kind of dissapointing, especially because 2 of them are Yankees. I was hoping for a nice auto, or a rip card. I guess I just don't have very good luck.



Here are a couple of regular minis.



Wait, they aren't regular minis. One is a ginter code mini, and the other is a Bazooka back. The code mini used to sell for $100+ before the code was solved. Now it sells for a astonishing $2-3. The Bazooka back is pretty cool, but it is really too bad that it is Rajai Davis. I really like that it is hand numbered. These are actually tough pulls. Did you know that Bazooka backs are rarer than rip cards?



Oh, a hit from the lone pack of Update! I really love this set, so I was excited pull this. When I opened it, I didn't see a thick card, so I was really surprised when I got it. The picture on the actual card is blurry though. Way to go Topps!

All in all, it was a pretty good break. The best hit was easily the bazooka back mini card. In Allen and Ginter, I always do bad with the memorabelia cards, autographs, ect., but I do pull a lot of rare minis. It was nice to pull the extra jersey too out of the single pack. I would say this was my best of the 3 boxes of Allen and Ginter I have busted this year. Here are my "grades" for the box.

Base: A I like this years design. I also like the variety of athletes and other people in the set. This is the first set I have ever tried to complete, so you know it is a good set. I also like the short printed base and that makes it a more challenging set to put together. The only reason I am not giving it an A+ is because I don't like the horizontal cards too much.

Inserts: B+ I think that the ship inserts are cool, but other than that I could go without them. However, I do like the mini cards and variations. I have done very well in the mini department over the years. My only problem with the mini cards is I don't like the mini inserts. I would much rather have my mini be a player.

Hits: C+ Unless you get lucky, you are going to get 3 crappy jersey cards. This product does have potential for nice hits though with rip cards, book cards, and unique autos. I also love that the printing plates are framed. Silk cards are also nice bonus hits.

Thrill Factor: B- It is 24 packs with 3 hits, not to thrilling. Especially when these hits are 1 color jersey cards. I would like to se some patch cards in this product, and maybe some serial numbered base variations.

Packaging: A+ The box is really nice, and that package design is nice. I also am a sucker for box toppers.

Overall: B+ There are some nice cards in this product, but I think it is more of a set collectors product. This is not a product for people looking for big hits. It is fun to break, but more often then not, you will end up with 3 crappy jersey cards.

-20youksox

Happy Thanksgiving Everbody!

Hi everybody! I would just like to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a great time and is safe today. I honor of Thanksgiving, I would like to share 5 cards I am thankfull for. Feel free to comment on cards and other things you are thankfull for.




































Okay, I couldn't pick just five. Have a great holladay everybody!
-20youksox

Blue Jays Unis Kick It Old School

Following suit with the changes of uniforms around the MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays have officialy changed their uniforms to match the uniforms they used up until 2001... take a look and comment with opinions. My honest opinion? Hate it. Like Peter Griffin hates "The Godfather".

Miami Marlins: What Do You Think?

As we all know, the Marlins are moving to Miami and have decided to get all new jerseys and hats. They are as follows...

BP Jersey




Alternate Jersey




Away Jersey




Home Jersey




BP Hat



Away Hat



Home Hat



Thoughts and Opinions:

-I like the orange hat and jersey the best.

-I am not a fan of the home and away jerseys.

-The jerseys aren't gramatically correct (plural of Marlin is Marlin, not Marlins) (no, I'm not an English teacher).

-I don't understand why they changed their name, colors, ect. They are still in Florida after all.

-The logo doesn't really scream Marlins to me. If you squint, it kind of almost looks like a rainbow fish.

-They are a little to Rainbowey. They look like a minor league team's uniform/ colors.

-"To me its like a Mini Cooper. I think they are cool as hell, but I would never be caught dead in one"- Beckett.com Member

Now that I've shared my thoughts and opinions, I would like to here yours. Please coment below with you thoughts and opinions of the new Miami Marlins, and I will add them to a later post of readers opinions. Also, comment if you like them or not and I will tally the total to see if people generally like them or dislike them.

-20youksox

My Merciless Opinion on Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon signed with the Phillies for 4 years $50+ Million. Of course, knowing this idiot, money means the world to him. Disregard the fact that you won a championship here in Boston, the fact that your fan base would be bigger here than down in Phili, that you would have been paid well here...hell, just throw the entire time you spent here out the window, as if you'll pretend it didn't even happen. Getting paid a little more there is better than getting paid anything less here in Boston. Screw the circumstances... Pffssshhh, everyone should know that logic. Screw loyalty, screw the fact that you essentially had a song dedicated to you. Screw the past, right? Well guess what, Papel-jerk, screw you!

Tons of New Cards!

I will start with the worst, and get progressively better. I will start off with just a jersey card. It is okay, but unfortunately it was creased in the mail. This was not the sender's fault, as it was sent in a bubble mailer, but oh well.



Yay, another creased jersey card, only this time it was the sender's fault. Sent via PWE! I just love getting creased cards for my PC! When will people learn that you can send thick cards in a PWE?



Here are some new 1/1 printing plates. I got 2 of them in a trade from Beckett, and I bought 1 on ebay. I finally have some more magenta!









Now here come my personal favorites from this batch. Two patch cards from the new triple threads. Both numbered to 3.






-20youksox

The Rough Reality of Albert Pujols

He's a free agent... Albert Pujols...perhaps even more of an anticipated star of offseason free-agency than LeBron James and all those shennanigans with "The Decision" two summers ago. Does he stay or does he go? His heart likely says stay, but the money might be elsewhere. This chart explains it all in my opinion.

Stay

Respect
Legacy
Pride
Commitment


Go
Money
Dinero
Cashola
Moola
Bucks
$$

In Honor of Halloween: The Tricks of 2011 Topps Cards (muahahahahaha)

Okay, in terms of tricks, I don't know where to begin...

Triple Threads Fictional Historical "Relics"


Topps went all "A n' G" on us with this one. They threw us a curveball...yet we knew it was inevitable from the time they started to include hairs of the late racing horse Barbarro inside a predominately baseball product (Ginter)...

Topps Dominic Brown False Diamond

Topps really screwed the pooch with their own gimmick this time...

2011 Topps Lineage

...the entire set was essentially a dropped design for the original 2011 Topps flagship. I mean, some of the inserts are pretty cool, like the revival of the Rookie Stars concept and such, but mainly they butchered the line. We all expected a glorious set that was getting back to the hearts of collectors doing what they do best...collect...and all we got was a mutated piece of crap that vaguely looks like Topps Total. If you really want to make us happy, here's a suggestion...

BRING BACK F*ING TOPPS TOTAL!!!

I Promise, This is the Last All Star Post for a While

This card is nice, and really appealed to me because it has three Red Sox all stars on it. It is also nice to see the 2 tan swatches because those are the rarest swatches although it is kinda nasty when you realize they are swatches from the armpit area. Hopefully the jerseys were washed before they were put on the card. I am sreeping up on 300 cards for my Youkilis PC. I only need 3 more, but I should be able to get them today.



-20youksox

Are You Sick of All Star Cards Yet?

Hopefully not. I just got a 2009 Topps Triple Threads All Star Patch 9/9 of Kevin Youkilis. The card is absolutely gorgeous in person, and also marks the completion of my set, which I am calling a set for now, because I don't know if it would qualify as a rainbow.



And Here is the 1/1 that goes with it that I've had for a while...



-20youksox

Keeping With the All Star Theme...

This card is absolutely sick, and set me back a whopping $75, and keep in mind, that is pricey when it comes to Youkilis cards. This is my third jumbo patch, and easily my favorite of the three. I am a huge fan of the patches from this year's All Star Game jerseys. I am going to start putting money aside for the All Star letter patches in series one, and the triple patches in Triple Threads. I can't wait to get it in the mail!!!



-20youksox

All Star Plate

I picked up this All Star printing plate 1/1 for $20 shipped. Its a really nice card, and only my second magenta printing plate. I have a hard time getting magenta plates, but I actually have a third one on the way.


-20youksox

No Gimmicks? Just ask Bob's Furniture!

So...no gimmicks in 2011 updates? Am I being premature? Could we still expect a diamond encrusted jock-strap? How about a skin graft of a tattoo? A chunk of Evander Holyfield's Ear? Nope.