Slick Ginter

I’m a fan of the Allen & Ginter sets that have become a staple of Topps’ yearly release schedule. The only thing that I’m not a fan of is how difficult it is to complete the set.  You don’t even get enough cards in one box and then when you factor in all of the short prints, completing the set becomes more of a chore. Buying the complete set is no fun and so 2011 was the first year since I returned to collecting that I didn’t purchase a box of Ginter.

Topps did something different with 2011 Allen & Ginter that they hadn’t ever done before which was offer a factory set. This wasn’t just any factory set though, this was a limited edition, serial numbered to 999 factory set. The weird thing is, in this day and age, one of these sets ends up being worth more broken up than it is complete. There are a ton of team and player collectors out there.

I found someone on eBay who had broken up their set and had the singles listed at very reasonable prices. Pair that up with combined shipping and I’m a customer. The cool thing about getting all of these from the same person is that the serial numbers all match.

I picked up all of my favorite Sox along with Stan “The Man” Lee. Glossy Ginter cards are a first, but it brings me back to the days of the Topps Tiffany sets. Those cards weren’t serial numbered like these are, but they were pretty limited compared to the print runs of the regular cards.

Check Out My Colored Sox Cards

I’ve found that CheckOutMyCards is by far the best place to pick up retail exclusive cards. These cards are no good for purchasing on eBay because the shipping is usually twice the price of the card. So, every now and then I’ll try a search for the various purples and oranges that Topps tucks away inside of retail packs.

The first card here actually isn’t a retail exclusive. This is a purple parallel numbered to 1799 from 2006 Future Stars. Next is an orange refractor from 2010 Topps Curvy Chrome. Batting third is a purple refractor from 2009 Bowman Chrome. In the cleanup spot is an orange Jon Lester refractor that looks really red in this scan.

Case Break: 2011 Topps Update: Box 6

The Chrome case ended with a bang, let's see how the Update case does.

Daaaaaaaaaaaryl! Daaaaaaaaaaaryl!

Hosmer and Cobb highlight the diamond parallels from this box.

Lots of stars here perfect for team and player collections.

I was a little disappointed in the collation of the insert cards. I would have liked to have gotten closer to sets. Now I see why busting multiple cases is the way to go. I won’t be doing that though.

Next year: Topps Terrific Trios, it’s a game changer!

Now to track down the Kimballs that I need for series 1 and 2. Still hope to bust a jumbo box of each.

A nice batch of young stars here, but they’re ToppsTown so no one cares.

Julio Teheran hot box! The nameplate has been claimed, but the autograph is still up for grabs. The Lester is going into my collection, but I may have to send it in to Topps for replacement first. It’s got two soft corners. Any Yankees or Noesi fans out there? I’ve got a ton of Noesi stuff available from this and Chrome. The Cobb is nice and I always liked the silk cards. I’ve got a few of the Murad silks in my collection.

 

Technorati Tags: 2011 Topps Update Baseball,box break,case break,Julio Teheran,Jon Lester

Case Break: 2011 Topps Chrome Baseball: Box 10

Both the Reyes and Cabrera are refractors. The Dunn, Posey, Martinez and Valencia are base. All are available.

Whatever happened to white bordered refractors? The Lester in the middle almost looks like one. Mr. Lester will be sticking with me. Everything else is available (but the Rangers and Dodgers may already be spoken for).

One extra Heritage refractor means one fewer colored refractor. Another disco Yankee. Hooray! /sarcasm The Tommy Hunter looks great with the blue uniform and the blue border. Hunter’s no longer with the Rangers so next year the orange refractor will be the one to chase. Both of these are available.

This was one of the better boxes as far as autographs go. The Mike Minor blue refractor sold for $9.99 and the Kimbrel base sold for $23.04.

 

Technorati Tags: 2011 Topps Chrome Baseball,box break,case break,baseball cards,Topps,Craig Kimbrel,Jon Lester