A Quick PSA for an Awesome Group Break Opporunity

Just a quick announcement!

Judson over at the awesome blog "My Cardboard Habit" is hosting a Bowman Chrome group break. He's planning on cracking two boxes- maybe three if he can get enough people.

He's still in desperate need of participants! SIGN UP HERE!! He's an awesome guy, and he's dying to host this break! Help him (and yourself) out and sign up! Each spot is only $18 bucks for your team and a random team. TONS of teams are still available! Again - SIGN UP HERE!!

Thanks guys! This is sure to be a fun one.

2013 Topps Chrome Hobby Box Break and Review

Topps Chrome is hands down my favorite baseball card. I'm a big fan of 2013 Topps, and the chrome versions are just beautiful cards. I pre-ordered a box back in August, along with a box of Bowman Chrome which I'll review next. I've been waiting for this moment for a while, so this was an exciting break for me. Without further ado:

 The box

I'll start off with the base cards as usual, with Yu Darvish as an example. On the right is the normal base card, on the left is the refractor version of the same card. Both cards look great. I had a total of 4 refractors in this box.

Some more base card comparison here. On the right is Robinson Cano's base card, at left is the X-factor version. these look fantastic as well. I also had 4 of these in the box.

Here are the die-cuts, which I am not a fan of. I'm not huge on die-cuts in general, aside from 2013 Topps Cut to the Chase, which I'm building set of. These die-cuts are a little too much for me, they just have too many edges.

A nice Machado die-cut refractor. These ones aren't so bad. Not awesome, but a cool pull.

1972 Topps Chrome refractors. A nice addition. 

 This one's a beauty. Chris Sale blue parallel /199. I love parallels, and I really love when they're numbered. Chris Sale is always a great pull with his Cy Young potential.

 On to the auto's!

Two rookies, and two nice names! Both of these autos look great, due to the blue ink and because they're on-card. The Hoes card is just a regular base auto. The Brantly card is a refractor numbered /499. Unfortunately neither one of these cards carries much value, probably due to their commonality.

Here's the real gem! Adrian Beltre camo parallel numbered /15. A fantastic pull. Nothing is more exciting than pulling a low numbered card, and there are few players that I'd rather see. This was an awesome surprise.

REVIEW

Overall Design: These cards look superb. I'm a huge fan of chrome, specifically Topps. The look of these cards simply does not disappoint. The players really pop off the card. 

Box contents: These boxes have of a ton of potential. A guaranteed two autographs is a good number for the price. There's also great variety in these boxes. There are parallels of all colors. Add refractors, X-fractors, memorabilia cards, and a bevy of inserts, and you've got a very diverse hobby box.

The Hits: 2 autographs for 70 bucks is pretty decent. I also appreciate that Topps has stayed away from memorabilia cards for the most part. In my mind, there are few things worse than "Guaranteed 2 autos/memorabilia cards."

Positives: Design, value, price, variety, autos on card.

Negatives: The only downside to Topps chrome is the card's tendency to warp. For whatever reason, these cards always seem to bend if they're not in top loaders. 

Rating: 9.5 out of 10. These cards are just awesome. So much so that I've already ordered another box! Stay tuned.

2013 Bowman Platinum Blaster Box + Value Pack Break

I was peer pressured into this. Two days ago, I logged onto my blog seeking some good reading, and it seemed like all anyone was talking about was 2013 Bowman Platinum. Bowman platinum is an awesome product, no doubt about. I've never had the privilege of tearing open any packs, although I own several BP cards.

So here I am, reading through blog after blog, hypnotized by these shiny magical cards. The devil on my shoulder was kind enough to remind me that I had the time to make to make a run to the store to at least grab some repacks. The angel on my opposite shoulder reminded me that I'm broke. 

Guess who won? Not only did he win, he talked me into buying a blaster box AND a value pack. I'm not huge on blaster boxes, but I have read so many good things about BP blasters. I also read that autographs are possible when it comes to BP blasters, and that it's easy to get your money's worth. Damn you, internet!! 

I digress. I'll start with the value pack, which runs you $10:

The packaging promises three purple parallels, and here they are. 

The highlights are pictured here. I was ecstatic to pull an auto. Calixte is a top ten prospect in the Royals Farm system. He's supposedly a graceful athlete in the field, but has no concept of a strike zone. A beautiful sig, however. I really like the Tony Cingrani parallel. I saw him pitch against the Bucs at PNC Park this summer and his stuff is electric. He has serious potential. And from what I understand about this Taveras guy, he's good... really good.

Now let's take a look at the blaster:

Here are three more parallels. These cards are just gorgeous, and I couldn't be happier with the names. The Machado card is a real gem.

Three more interesting cards, each in their own way. Tyrone Taylor is another guy that's supposed to be a freak athlete, and he's rising through the shallow Brewers farm system relatively quickly. He looks great on an X-Fractor, too. C.J. Cron appears here on a strange but decent looking die-cut. He has been dubbed as Albert Pujols' heir... we'll see. The Duke Snider insert is different, but I like it.

Overall, I have absolutely no complaints. Some big names, an auto, some nice parallels and inserts, an x-fractor and a die-cut. A nice mix of everything! If you haven't had the privilege of ripping through some of this year's Bowman Platinum packs, I recommend that you cave into that devil on your shoulder and drop the 20 bucks for a blaster box.

Thanks so much for reading!

Need your help! 2013 Topps Cut to the Chase Set Update

Hello again friends. If you haven't already read it, I'm working to compete a set of the 2013 Topps "Cut to the Chase" inserts. I'd love to make some trades and try to obtain some more of these cards. To see what I need/already have, please click HERE.  

As far as what I can offer in return, there's lots of options. I have lots of cards from Topps baseball- 2012. 2013, and Gypsy Queen. I also have a mix of other cards.. please see HERE for that. I have a pretty large collection, don't hesitate to ask about a favorite player, team, etc. I'm a generous trader! My e-mail is nsbell440@gmail.com. Let's chat!

RIP

Who likes die cuts?

I like die cuts. Alot. Especially when they're shiny. Who doesn't love shiny things?

Because of my passion for die cuts, things that sparkle, and Topps baseball cards, I've decided to attempt to complete a set of the Topps Cut to the Chase inserts. These cards were inserted into both Topps 2013 Series 1 and Series 2. 48 total cards. Here's what they look like if you need a quick refresher:

This is a PSA to those of you who have any of these lying around! I'll list the ones I already have at the end of this post. If you have any of these that I don't already have, I'd love to trade with you! To see what I have available for trade, please refer to my "List of additional cards" page, here. I also have tons of base cards, parallels, and inserts from Topps 2013 and Topps 2012. Or, if you have a favorite player or team, don't be afraid to ask me about that too! You can reach me at nsbell440@gmail.com.

As always thanks for reading!!

CTC's I have so far:

CTC-2 Ken Griffey Jr.

CTC-6 Carlos Gonzalez

CTC-7 Stan Musial

CTC-11 Yu Darvish

CTC-13 Brett Lawrie

CTC-14 David Price

CTC-19 Mike Schmidt

CTC-21 Andrew McCutchen

CTC-27 Ralph Kiner

CTC-35 Chris Sale

CTC-38 Prince Fielder

CTC-39 Yeonis Cespides

CTC-40 Cal Ripken Jr.

CTC-41 Stephen Strasberg

CTC-42 R.A. Dickey