Box Break: 2010 Bowman Chrome

I was in Seattle for the Mariners opening series of the year (things have certainly turned around since then) and stopped by the Card Exchange to try my luck with a box of cards. The prices there were great (right around Blowout's prices) and I eventually decided on a box of 2010 Bowman Chrome. I went in knowing it was a terrible product, but was awfully happy when this came out of the very first pack:

Alex Liddi Blue Refractor #36/150: WOW! How can you top pulling a blue refractor auto of a prospect from your favorite team? Needless to say, even though the Mariners laid an egg against the Indians, I still had a mighty fine weekend. This card goes great with the base chrome Liddi auto that Brian from Play at the Play sent my way. Rainbow anyone?

Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2009 UD Signature Stars

Retail stores (in this case Shopko) carrying hobby boxes could prove to be the death of my bank account. I got another box of 2009 UD Signature Stars as a birthday present to myself and although it looked bleak heading into the last few packs, it turned out to be a pretty good break. Here's what I pulled:

Garin Cecchini USA Jersey: Garin Cecchini was a fourth round pick of the Boston Red Sox (who else?) out of high school in 2010 after being rated as one of the top hitting prep prospects available. There's probably more info about him available online but it's late and I don't care enough to look for it...a thousand apologies.

Chris Tillman RC Auto: I've always rooted for Tillman because he's a former Mariners' prospect even though he was part of the ill-fated Erik Bedard trade (which doesn't quite seem as bad today as it used to). He's had a decent spring training and hopefully will put it all together in 2011. I could see the Orioles surprising quite a few people this season and their young starting pitcher will be a major reason why.

Drew Pomeranz Winning Materials #/499: Pomeranz was the ace of the Arkansas Razorback staff and was drafted 5th overall by the Cleveland Indians in last year's draft. The Indians hope Pomeranz is the next Cliff Lee but only time will tell. He signed to late to pitch in 2010 so no stats to speak of...sorry.

TJ Walz USA Jersey/Auto #6/799: T.J. Walz is a senior pitcher at Kansas who currently has a record of 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA and 31 K's in 31 innings. I don't have particularly high hopes for Walz as a professional (although I hope he proves me wrong) but I do love the design of the USA Future Watch cards. The sticker blends right into the card and the large photo is a big plus. I might have to find a player from this set to collect. Sonny Gray? Gerrit Cole? Bryce Harper?

Joe Mauer Sky Blue Parallel #32/170: Though underwhelming, the blue parallels are a tough pull at about one in every other box, and one day will be sold by Burbank Sportscards for ridiculous amounts. I was awfully happy to pull one of a great player and someone that I collect. WINNING!

Pablo Sandoval Gold Signature #7/15: The box had been pretty mediocre until one of the last few packs when this beauty popped out. Technically this set is from 2009 (even though it wasn't released until 2010) making this one of Pablo Sandoval's most difficult rookies to track down. This card nearly paid for the box by itself and I certainly won't complain about that.

Overall Thoughts: I had quite a bit of fun busting this box once again, and even though I didn't pull a phenomenal looking Pride of Nation auto or a Bryce Harper, I was awfully happy with the results of my break. At the right price I certainly wouldn't hesitate to bust another box of this. Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (x4)

Tax season is a great time for those of us who don't make much money (cough Bud cough). The government sent me a decent chunk of change for my year of not making much money and I decided the most American thing to do with my new found wealth would be to buy some baseball cards. After much deliberation I settled on a favorite, 2009 Bowman Chrome. A low price, lots of shine and a few decent autos in the checklist...who could ask for more? Here's what I pulled:

Holliday/J. Johnson/A. Jones/Eichorn/Mauer/Doolittle/D. Bard/Parra/A. McCutchen: The regular refractors fall about six per box (there are plenty not pictured--no offense Scott Olson. Actually offense, I really don't like you) and I was happy to pull two PC players (Josh Johnson and Joe Mauer) as well as a handful of decent "RC" logo cards. The prospect cards are numbered to 500 and fall about one per box. Kevin Eichorn looks like a decent prospect (lots of strikeouts) although Todd Doolittle was born in 1982 so I'm not holding my breath on that particular card.

Dan Hudson RC Refractor #230/500: Besides Starlin Castro (who seems to be a case hit in this product) Dan Hudson is the top prospect in 2009 Bowman Chrome (he utterly dominated the NL after being traded to Arizona) and I was thrilled to pull a refractor of his true rookie card. If he continues pitching like he did at the end of last season this will probably be worth more than all of the autographs from this break.

Hermida/Parnell/Wright/Kulik/Sizemore/Youkilis/Takahashi/Beckett X-Fractors #/250: X-Fractors fall about two per box and I pulled a decent crop of players (the Sizemore is just one serial number away from his jersey number) although I would have liked more prospects in the mix. I love these cards and was awfully disappointed that Topps did away with them in 2010--they add quite a bit of value and fun to each box. Hopefully they'll bring them back soon, although for the initial reports, it doesn't look like they'll show up in 2011.

Jermaine Dye/Hanley Ramirez/Kazuo Matsui/Hunter Pence/Jorge Posada Blue Refractors #/150: Blue refractors fall roughly one per box (although Matsui and Ramirez both came in the same pack) and look just terrific in person. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I had the time and the money, I would definitely attempt to complete this set. In fact, maybe I'll start now...

Hector Correa Orange Refractor #9/25: I was pretty happy to pull an orange refractor until I realized that Hector Correa (who projects as a solid middle reliever) also had a "1st Bowman Chrome Card" in 2008 Bowman Chrome. That makes very little sense to me. I understand the whole "RC" logo thing, but not back-to-back first year cards. Thanks Topps.

Tim Federowicz/Connor Graham/Brett Anderson/Robbie Grossman Autos: I went into the break hoping for an auto of Freddie Freeman, Carlos Santana, Dayan Viciedo or Tommy Hanson. Unfortunately, I was shut out and left with three scrubs and one solid auto (Brett Anderson). Thankfully, there is much more to these boxes than just the autos (something you can't say about Bowman Draft) including the following card:

Tim Lincecum Gold Refractor #20/50: Wow! I was excited when I opened a pack and saw that I had struck gold and downright ecstatic when I realized I had hit a great card of the terrific Tim Lincecum. This card is a real peach in person and even though Tim isn't a Mariner (although he could have been...ehhhh) I think I will keep this one in the PC for a while.

I love this product and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, shiny break. Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2009 UD Signature Stars (Hobby)

I found this box at a local Shopko for $59.99 (not terrible considering Blowout Cards has the boxes for $45-50) and bought it on a whim after getting some good news. I wasn't expecting much from the box with it being one of Upper Deck's last baseball products but I was pleasantly surprised with my pulls and the quality of the product. Here's the goods:

Rick Hague Team USA Jersey: The basic jersey cards are well designed and it's always nice to get a something other than the standard white swatch. I'd never heard of Rick Hague before but he had a pretty good season in the minors after being drafted by the Nationals in the third round of the 2010 draft, hitting .327 at Single-A Hagerstown.

Andy Wilkins Team USA Winning Materials #156/499: It's almost impossible to tell in the scan, but the left swatch of jersey shows some dirt from game-use, which is always a plus. Wilkins was a 5th round pick of the White Sox in last year's draft and hit .307 with more walks (33) than strikeouts (31) at Rookie League Great Falls.

Kavin Keyes USA Future Watch Jersey/Auto #620/899: The auto/jersey cards fall approximately one per box and I was (un)fortunate (we won't know for a few more years) enough to pull Kavin Keyes of the 18U squad. The card looks crisp and although the autograph is on a sticker it blends nicely into the background. Keyes is attending college at Oregon State and hopefully this card will one day pay for a meal...at a sit down restaurant!


Kevin Gausman Team USA Jersey Patch #20/25: I opened one pack and was greeted by a card thicker than most Red Robin hamburgers--it turned out to be a patch variation of Kevin Gausman. Yes it's the dreaded one color patch, but at least it wasn't white, and the red completed the American Flag (red, white and blue) in jersey cards. Gausman was drafted in the 6th round by the Dodgers but didn't sign and will instead pitch for LSU. He seems to be fairly highly regarded so this might not be a bad pull at all.

David Price Top Prospects Auto RC: I had already received my four promised hits with a few packs remaining, so I was very surprised when I pulled this card. He's no Bryce Harper, but David Price was one of the top autos from the rookie subset, and I'll never complain about an extra hit. The upper right hand corner is a bit dinged but it's a great card nonetheless.


Overall Thoughts: I got pretty lucky on this box with an extra auto and a likely case hit (the patch) but for $40-45 dollars this is a fun product with an insert in nearly every pack and a decent shot at a big hit (Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Weiters). If you get the urge to open something other than 2011 Topps Blasters this is a great, albeit more expensive, way to go.

Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2010 Bowman Draft (Hobby)

Got this box wicked cheap on eBay (about 1/2 price) so I didn't have very high hopes of pulling a big hit. That's good, because this year's BDPP is built to disappoint, and there were only two cards worth showing:

Leon Landry Blue Refractor #136/199: This might not be a big money hit but it is one terrific looking card (I love me some blue refractors). Leon Landry was a third round pick of the Dodgers and had a great first year in pro ball, hitting .349 with 4 HR's, 38 RBI's and 13 SB's for rookie league Ogden. It's worth holding onto, but if I decide to move it, it's headed your way Night Owl.

Ryan Bolden Refractor Auto #237/500: Well that sucks. Not only does Ryan Bolden have one ugly autograph, but he also happens to be one of the worst (if not the worst) players in the set. Yet another 1st round pick of the Angels Bolden hit a paltry .187 at rookie league Arizona with no HR's and a 14/68 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Not counting on this to make me any money.


Overall Thoughts: I can't complain about what I pulled because the box was so cheap, but that being said, this one was a real stinker. '10 BDPP is a huge gamble by the box and while it may pay off on occassion more often than not it will leave you feeling hollow inside. I should take my own advice and stick to singles...

Another Reason My Girlfriend is the Bee's Knees

I was walking through Target with my girlfriend the other day and she decided to accompany me to the card aisle (she's a good sport). I asked her to pick out a blaster of Bowman Platinum for me and she chose a winner. Here's what I pulled:

Andrew Maggi Green Refractor Patch Auto #95/199!

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (Rare Hit!)

This is the last of three boxes I purchased from Atlanta Sports Cards on their Black Friday sale--yes I know I'm very slow at posting. Without a doubt 2009 Bowman Chrome is my favorite product of the last few years (Ginter is of course excluded from this ranking--it's untouchable). I love the look of the base and prospect cards and with 10 or so refractors per box, it's a very fun break. The autograph checklist is average (which can always change from year to year) but are well designed so that the signatures really "pop" from the white box behind them. I ended up with a pretty good box, depending on how well the prospect I pulled pans out. Here's the goods:

Chase Utley/Some WBC Guy/Zack Grienke Refractors: As always, Bowman Chrome refractors look great and make a good looking set even better. The only downside to 2009 Bowman Chrome is the inclusion of WBC players. The Watanabe is numbered to 500 and I would have much preferred a prospect. No such thing as perfect I suppose.

Dan Haren/Ryan Zimmerman X-Fractors #/250: Everyone loves x-fractors so why did Topps decide to do away with them for 2010 Bowman? The world will never know, but I didn't have to worry about that because 2009 Bowman Chrome delivers two per box. I was happy with the players I pulled, although now that Haren is in the AL West I wish bad things would happen to his pitching arm. I'm a terrible person.

Ryan Ludwick Blue Refractor #/150: These blue refractors are absolutely breathtaking (and I don't throw around that term like that doctor in the Hamptons on Seinfeld) and if I had the money and the diligence I would seriously consider putting together the full set. Since I don't, I'll probably just send this to Kerry at Cards on Cards (of amazing Albert Pujols 1/1 fame).

Kyle Weiland Orange Refractor Auto #8/25: I'd never pulled an orange refractor (a real orange refractor, not the value-pack variety) so I was very excited when I saw the orange sheen of this card as I opened the pack. I was thrilled when I found out it was an orange autograph (1:1,500 packs) of Red Sox farmhand Kyle Weiland. The 6'4" right hander was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft and posted a 5-9 record with a 4.42 ERA and 120 K's in 128 innings. Hopefully, he has a break out season in 2011 and I can cash this in for a nice Griffey.

Overall Thoughts: Love the product, loved this box. What more I can I ask for?

Box Break: 2006 UD Artifacts (Not Bad)

This is the second of three boxes I got from Atlanta Sports Cards on Black Friday. 2006 UD Artifacts has 3-4 hits per box in just 10 packs so there isn't a lot of wasted base cards (which is good, because they are kind of boring). The autograph checklist is pretty strong, so I was hoping to pull a big name, and this box was definitely better than Fleer Platinum. Here's the goods:

Derek Jeter Base Card: Pretty standard, but better than later years of Artifacts. That does not look like a Gold Glove shortstop to me. Just saying.

Mark Loretta AL Artifacts Jersey #317/325: I don't know if there is a more boring player to pull from a pack than Mark Loretta. Jose Lopez? Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad player, just not one I ever want to pull a jersey card of again.

Huston Street MLB Game-Used Apparel Jersey #193/250: Another yawn.


Graig Nettles Auto-Facts Autograph #75/300: While I didn't pull an autograph of a Hall-of-Famer, Graig Nettles and his 390 career HR's is a pretty nice consolation price. Please take notes Topps and Panini, this is how you should design a sticker autograph card. A very slick looking card that hides the sticker well.

Overall Thoughts: For 30 bucks this is a pretty fun box to open, although I wouldn't pay much more than that. The jerseys are kind of boring but the autographs look good and there are plenty of star players to pull. I would be willing to trade the jerseys if anyone wants them but I think I will hang on to the auto for a while. Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for box number three!

Box Break: 2004 Fleer Platinum Rack Pack (OUCH)

This was the first of three Black Friday boxes I ordered from Atlanta Sports Cards (all for around $33 bucks) and this was by far the worst. The box was advertised as having four packs with an "Inscribed" auto in each pack. The site warned that there were redemptions in the product, although the autos of Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard were both pack inserted, so I wouldn't have to worry about missing out on a big hit to passed deadline. I figured I might pull a redemption, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what happened:

Billy Wagner Auto Redemption (x2) and Ryan Wagner Auto Redemption (x1): That's right, out of four packs I pulled three redemptions all of players with the last name Wagner (better than running into a Baldwin brothers box but still...) Technically these redemptions never expire but since Fleer went out of business I might have a tough time getting the cards in hand. I'm thinking of sending one of the Billy Wagner redemptions for a TTM. How cool would that be?

Laynce Nix Inscribed Auto #156/200: The last pack in the box finally delivered an auto, although not the Albert Pujols I had been dreaming of. Nix has carved out a career as 4th outfielder but never quite lived up to his enormous potential. Apparently the Mariners are looking to sign Nix to provide some depth of thier bench, so expect a terrible year from him in 2011. It's the Mariner way. On a side note the autos are well designed, though that doesn't really ease the sting of going one for four, and yes I know I should be used to that after my high school baseball career.

Hit of the box: Double Pujols. I'm just going to leave that one alone.

Overall Thoughts: As a riverboat gambler (I've wanted all my life to have this title despite the fact that I take very few risks. I'm also hoping I can get the nickname "Night Train" to stick) I'm used to big wins and stinging defeats. This was definitely the latter and is a good reminder of the dangers of buying old wax. Of course most new products stink so collectors are really caught between a rock and a hard place. The box was pretty boring to open because there weren't any inserts other than the autos and the collation was terrible. I probably will steer clear of this in the future, but then again, how could I possibly do worse? Stay tuned for the next two boxes; I promise they won't be this bad.

Box Break: 2010 Topps Chrome Football (Super!)

I was looking to add an inexpensive box to the order for Brian and Bud's Box Busting Bonanza (stay tuned for the sequel sometime in the future) to get free shipping from Blowout and after some substantial hemming and hawing, decided on a box of 2010 Topps Chrome Football. I wasn't counting on much, but as it turned out, I pulled what will probably be a once in a lifetime hit. Here are the two cards worth mentioning:

Rob Gronkowski Rookie Auto: Though I didn't hit an auto from the scarce Group A I was still lucky enough to pull one of the better autos from Group B. Rob Gronkowski was the Patriots second round pick and had a monster game last night, hauling in three touchdown passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not bad, but not nearly as a cool as...

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah SUPERFRACTOR Rookie: I thought I might go my entire collecting lifetime without ever pulling a superfractor, and that scared me (not really). Considering how difficult they are to pull, and how few products they are in, it was a very real possibility. But then, in the third pack of my second football box ever, I saw Akwasi Owusu-Ansah glaring at me from this gold-bordered beauty. The card looks amazing in person and is one of the few one-of-ones that lives up to the hype. I realize that Akwasi Owusu-Ansah isn't the most highly collected player out there, but it doesn't diminish the value of this card to me, and makes it easier to keep it in my personal collection indefinitely.

Note the numbering: 1 of 1!

Overall Thoughts: Well, anytime you pull a superfractor, I think you are legally obligated to give the box a thumbs up. 2010 Topps Chrome football definitely looks better than the baseball edition and at only $40 a box, it's not a bad gamble for a chance at a Bradford, Tebow or in this case, superfractor. Thanks to this box, I can cross another collecting goal of my list. Next up: a cut autograph!

Brian and Bud's Box Busting Bonanza: Results!

I busted the two boxes of 2010 Topps Chrome for Brian and I today and was fairly pleased with the results. We received the promised number of autographs with two decent prospects (Wilson Ramos and Jon Jay) and a very tough to pull red refractor (1:370 packs). The cards were in pretty good shape, but the base cards had some centering issues and the some of the refractors had a strange thin powder coating on them. At only $35 a box, 2010 Topps Chrome isn't a bad gamble, although the autograph checklist is weak and colored refractors are hard to find. Still, I had a lot of fun busting the boxes, and I hope that the Killer B's (Brian and Bud) will reunite soon for some more box breaks.

Brian's Spoils:

--> Refractors (9): Wandy Rodriguez Red Refractor #21/25,
--> Inserts (3): Dustin Pedroia Heritage Chrome #/1961, Martin Prado Heritage Chrome #/1961, Pablo Sandoval t206 Chrome #/999
--> Autos (2): Wilson Ramos and Cole Gillespie

Refractors

Pedroia Heritage Chrome, Kung Fu Panda t206, Martin Prado Heritage Chrome

Cole Gillespie RC Auto

Wilson Ramos RC Auto

Wandy Rodriguez Red Refractor #21/25

Bud's Spoils:
--> Refractors (8): Stephen Strasburg RC, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Bruce, Brandon Webb, Rick Porcello, Adam Jones, Hiroki Kuroda, Akinori Iwamura
--> Inserts (3): Phil Hughes Chicle Refractor #/499, Hanley Ramirez t206 Chrome #/999, Wandy Rodriguez Heritage Refractor #/561
--> Autos (2): Jon Jay Refractor #/499 and Drew Butera

Base Refractors

Hughes Chicle, Hanley t206, Wandy Heritage Chrome

Drew Butera RC Auto

Jon Jay RC Refractor Auto #/499

Brian and Bud's Box Busting Bonanza: Coming Soon!

Monday! Monday! Monday! Brian from Play at the Plate and I will be splitting two boxes of 2010 Topps Chrome Baseball--stay tuned for results and possible video of the breaks. You don't wanna miss it!

Box Break: 2010 Topps Platinum Football Hobby

After not pulling a patch auto out of a handful of Platinum blasters I figured I would cut my losses and go for the guarantee in a hobby box. I sold some cards some eBay so the box was basically free (you know, since paypal money isn't real money) and I wasn't too concerned about making my money back on it. Thankfully, I beat the odds and ended up with a stellar box. Here's how I did:

Jahvid Best RC Refactor #338/999: The refractors from this set look very sharp in person and I was happy to pull one of a top rookie in Jahvid Best. He's slowed down a little bit after a quick start but looks like he should be a big part of the Lions rebuilding project. I also pulled a refractor of Jermaine Gresham (TE-Bengals) and a white refractor (#/499) of Jimmy Graham (TE-Saints).

Carlton Mitchell RC Auto #573/1099: I pulled this out of the second pack of the box and figured my break was doomed. Despite his intense concentration, Carlton Mitchell isn't a top receiving prospect in the NFL, and playing for the Browns won't help at that either.

Eric Decker RC Auto Patch #207/800: You know if the patch/auto isn't the last card featured in the break, I must have pulled something good (be patient, it's next). Even though Eric Decker isn't one of the big names from this set, I was happy with a nice three-color patch and mildly inappropriate signature (I won't go into great detail, you can see it for yourself). Decker had a great career at the University of Minnesota and was talented enough to be drafted twice by Major League Baseball teams. Here's hoping he's a hidden gem.

Sam Bradford/Colt McCoy Dual RC Refactor Auto #13/25: And boom goes the dynamite. It's always nice to pull a card that leaves you speechless, and this beauty did exactly that to me. I saw the refractor shine when I opened the pack and figured I had a basic autograph, nothing special. When I slid the other cards away I saw the serial number and thought, wow that's pretty rare. Then I saw both Bradford and McCoy a new I had myself a real winner. The dual autographs from this set are 1:4,288 packs so I certainly beat the odds. With both rookie quarterbacks playing well, this card should net me a pretty penny when I decide to part with it.

Overall Thoughts: Although not as nice as the recently released Topps Finest, Platinum delivers two rookie autos and one patch auto per box at a decent price. With two rookies per pack you get over 50 a box, and I sold those along with the Mitchell auto for $25 bucks. It's a fun break (especially if you like shiny cards as much as me) and gives you a decent chance for a good ROI. It's a nice break from the monotony of baseball, and as seen in my break, a chance at pulling a big hit. Thanks for looking!