Box Break: 2002 Topps Gallery (Hobby)

Instead of waiting for the increasingly hideous looking National Chicle Baseball to be released, I thought I would get a box of cards from when men were men and more importantly, when Babe Ruth was not wearing a Braves uniform. 2002 Topps Gallery (6 cards per pack, 24 packs per box) was advertised as the "Museum Edition" and indeed the cards are quite worthy of their own little frames. The box was only $30 with shipping on eBay (there are still some available if anyone likes what they see in this break) and while I didn't pull any "hits" (they fall one in every other box--and by that I mean every other box that I don't buy--ba da chi!) I still enjoyed the box. Here's what was inside:

Base Set Completion: 129 of 200 (64.5%)

Duplicates: 8 (Eight dupes in one box is disappointing, especially since two packs only contained five cards instead of the advertised six, but it is Topps after all.)

Rookie/Young Stars Subset (1 per pack): 18 (This set is utterly devoid of rookies other than Joe Mauer. I did not pull a Joe Mauer. The "rookie cards" feature a red streak across the name whereas the young stars look just like the regular base cards.)

Retired Star Subset: 6 (There are just 10 retired stars in the set, numbered 191-200, I pulled Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Kirby Puckett, George Brett, Ryne Sandberg and Nolan Ryan).

Veteran Variations (1:24 packs): 1 (Derek Jeter Solid Blue--can't complain about this one, most valuable card in the set.)

Topps Gallery Heritage (1:12 packs): 3 (Mark McGwire 1985, Alex Rodriguez 1998 and Tsuyoshi Shinjo 2001--a painting of a year old card of Shinjo? It's a good thing I beat the odds and pulled an extra one of these.)

Overall Impressions: I always liked Topps Gallery but before this box had only opened a few packs here and there. The base cards are phenomenal except for a small number where the painting doesn't resemble the player at all and the Topps Gallery Heritage cards look great. Personally I would have enjoyed it more if there had been another insert set but from a base set collecting standpoint I guess it's good there wasn't. I'm not sure whether I will collect the entire base set because the rookie crop is so weak (the second best rookie besides Mauer is Kaz Ishii) so maybe I will just go after the 150 veterans and 10 retired players in the set. If someone else is trying to build this set I would be happy to help, or if someone else buys a box I would be interested in trading for your base cards. The inserts are all up for trade. Thanks for looking!

Play at the Plate's One Trade to Rule Them All

Recently I had the privilege of opening the greatest trade package in the history of First Day Issue. Brian, from the outstanding Play at the Plate, send me an amazing collection of cards in return for a couple of Rangers and catchers that I sent to Texas. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of everyone in the blogosphere and this trade really went above and beyond the call of duty. Here's a smattering of my favorite cards from Brian:

2000 Skybox Metal Ken Griffey Jr. Hit Machines: It doesn't get any better than a Griffey that's shiny and diecut. I am nearing 400 unique Juniors on my Zistle page, but there are plenty of missing ones that I still need to upload. Why did diecuts disappear, I loved these!

2001 Topps Ichiro Suzuki RC: Ichiro! This is only the second Ichiro rookie in my collection (the other is the Fleer Fanfest card) and a most welcome addition. I like the design of 2001 Topps, simple yet elegant with plenty of room for the photos.

2000 UD Century Legends Eddie George Parallel #97/100: Despite the fact that I have never been within a 1,000 miles of the state of Tennessee I am a loyal Titans fan for reasons I can't explain. Brian was kind enough to send some my way, including this sweet diecut of workhorse Eddie George, who announcers liked to call "a throwback".

1999 Donruss Steve McNair X-Ponential Power #194/2500: If you thought the last diecut was cool take a look at this! A sweet card of one of my favorite players of all-time, this insert reminds me of a beautiful and delicate dragonfly wing. It's incredibly thin and made out of some sort of plastic. Awesome.

1999 SP Signature Edition David Segui Auto: Before you laugh, don't forget that Segui did receive one vote for the Hall-of-Fame this year (probably from someone who didn't vote for Alomar). These on-card autographs are really sharp and Segui has an intricate if illegible auto. He spent two years in Seattle, compiling an even .300 average in 867 AB's (but hit only 28 HR's).

2001 Upper Deck MVP Kerry Wood/Rick Ankiel Dual Bat Card: I've always thought that game-used bat cards of pitchers are cool because, well, how often does a pitcher even use a bat? Few used one as well as Ankiel, which sure helped in his transition to the outfield. I hope he signs with a team I like, because I've always rooted for Ankiel.

2000 Topps Stars Rick Ankiel Auto: Schwing! A well designed on-card auto of my favorite pitcher turned hitter, this was my second favorite card of the trade (just behind the one listed below). I think I am drawn to Ankiel because his story parallels that of Roy Hobbes from The Natural, except with uncontrolled wildness instead of a gunshot wound.

2001 UD Gold Glove Ichiro/John Olerud Game-Used Ball: My jaw literally dropped when I saw this card. It contains a piece of game-used baseball from a Mariners game during the teams historic 2001 season in which they won 116 games (but of course, not the World Series). It's a nice swatch of ball that shows game use and a couple of stitches, and it's also technically an Ichiro rookie card. A winner all around and a card I will hold onto for a long time.

Thanks for everything Brian! I will do my best to match this amazing trade package. Expect to find some Rangers in the mail soon. Good luck Cowboys!

Prize Package from Play at the Plate

Recently, Brian from the phenomenal Play at the Plate blog held a contest for his readers to guess the total number of runs that would be scored in the World Series. As luck would have it, my guess of 59 runs was exactly right, and today's mail included the prize package promised by Brian. This is the first contest I've won since joining the blogosphere, and I couldn't wait to see what Brian had in store for me. Inside were 5 packs of 2009 baseball cards, a team set bag, and a "hot pack"...let's see what's inside!

2009 Bowman Chrome Pack 1:
1) Tae Kyun Kim World Baseball Classic
2) George Kottaras
3) Torii Hunter Refractor

2009 Bowman Chrome Pack 2:
1) Brad Harman WBC
2) Hanley Ramirez Refractor
3) ICHIRO!!!!

2009 Goodwin Champions:
1) Adrian Gonzalez
2) Ben Roethlisberger
3) Franciso Liriano mini
4) KEN GRIFFEY JR!!!

2009 Topps Updates and Highlights:
1) Wilkin Ramirez RC
2) Brayan Pena
3) Xavier Paul RC
4) Nelson Cruz All-Star
5) Freddy Sanchez All-Star
6) Carlos Pena HR Derby
7) Nolan Ryan Legends of the Game (Gold)
8) RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLL ToppsTown
9) Randy Wells
10) Cesar Izturis
11) Sean West
12) Ryan Langerhans

2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom:
1) Jason Varitek
2) Conor Jackson
3) Ian Kinsler
4) Ryan Howard Deckle
5) Hideki Matsui
6) Javier Vazquez
7) Derek Jeter
8) Carlos Zambrano

2009 Topps Updates and Highlights "Hot Pack":
1) 1990 Leaf Jay Buhner
2) 2002 Pacific Atomic Maurice Morris RC #307/465
3) 1999 Donruss Freddy Garcia Stat Line #367/397
4) 1990 Topps Ken Griffey Jr.
5) 2002 Fleer EX John Olerud Game Used Bat!!

Brian also included a team set bag that included some sweet Griffey's, Olerud's and Edgar's, as well as a Carlos Guillen RC (#524/2000), a few Titans and Packers..and best of all, a 2008 Topps Roy Halladay Game Used Jersey! Wow, I was blown away by everything I got from Brian. His generosity is almost unmatched in the blogosphere and he is a great trade partner.

Thanks again Brian, you've made my day yet again!!