I Should Have Known Better

I should've taken my local Target not having any Gypsy Queen whatsoever as a sign not to buy any of the product this year. I should have had more control over myself because I really don't like the Gypsy Queen product at all this year.

However, against my better judgment, I visited my local card shop and picked up 2 hobby packs of the 2018 Topps Gypsy Queen set. This set had been my favorite for years, but the major changes in last year's set made me back away from it. Now, it's become a confused shadow of its former self. Still, I thought there would be some hope left for me to like Gypsy Queen if I gave 2018 a chance, which is exactly what I did today.

Pack #1

#112 Logan Forsythe

My first impression of the set is, really, you chose that color once again. The light grey color choice for the borders is nearly identical to the one used in the 2016 set. This shade of light grey will join the overused tan color from 2011, 2014, and 2017 to add on to the long list of reasons why I'm not the Gypsy Queen fanatic I once was.

#124 Matt Harvey

I will give Topps credit for making the images look fantastic as they usually do, but certain other details perplex me. A major thing in sets this year has been making the player's last name larger than the first, a decision I truly don't understand. The logo on the bottom left seems to be changed year after year, and the team name looks incredibly cramped for space in the top right of the card. As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of this set at all.

#158 Gregory Polanco

I must say that Topps did a good job with the color scheme of the stripes, player name, and logos. The backgrounds do look pretty good and as I mentioned before, the picture quality is superb. With that being said, Gypsy Queen is truly lacking an identity. It seems to be all over the place with no real theme or idea. While I may not be a big Allen & Ginter fan, at least that set is well put-together and has a clear theme to it. Whereas Gypsy Queen doesn't have any of that and hasn't had it since their 2016 set.

#195 Vince Velasquez

#FTM-2 Manny Machado Fortune Teller Mini

While they may not be true minis, the Fortune Teller inserts have become a fan-favorite aspect of the Gypsy Queen set since being introduced last year. This year, the Fortune Teller inserts look a lot better than last year's cards due to a centralized color scheme of pink and grey along with beautifully done details throughout the card. The Fortune Teller I pulled is of Manny Machado, and the back predicts his defensive WAR will reach 15.0 by the end of the year. Given it's currently 11.3, it seems unlikely but not impossible for Machado to accomplish this feat.

#289 Tyler Saladino

#166 Ben Gamel

The set checklist is rather small at 300 cards but is an average total for a modern set that's not Topps flagship. However, with only 300 base cards, you're limited as to who you can put into the set. Therefore, many relief pitchers and utility players don't have a card in a set like Gypsy Queen. Now, I don't really care who they put into the set, so long as its people that I recognize. And since I consider myself a relatively knowledgeable baseball fan, I pride myself on at least knowing the names of players in the set. That's why I'm so unimpressed with the checklist as it includes many rookies I haven't heard of in addition to Ben Gamel, a player I had never, ever heard of until today.

#219 Nicky Delmonico

Pack #2

#173 Mike Moustakas

It wasn't until the first card of pack 2 that I actually got a base card of a player I collect (Moustakas). Now, that either means I had really bad luck or the checklist isn't that good. I'm guessing it's a combination of both.

#48 Parker Bridwell

Another thing that Topps began doing in last year's Gypsy Queen set is making the rookie card symbol a more purple type of color. My only guess is this is done to make the symbol look more like part of the card than it did before. I'm mostly impartial to the small change, however, I find it somewhat odd that they'd change the symbol for this set. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right?

#2 Corey Knebel

#191 Andrew McCutchen

I'm honestly shocked that Topps was unable to put McCutchen on his new team, the Giants, for this card. I don't know how long it takes to make these cards, but he was traded 2 months before the release of the product.

#52 Anibal Sanchez Missing Team Nameplate Variation

I can truthfully say I had no clue Anibal Sanchez was still playing in the MLB until I pulled this card. Oh well, onto Sportlots it goes.

#250 Max Scherzer

#256 James Paxton

#249 Jameson Taillon

Jeez, 2 whole packs of this stuff and just 3 cards of players I collect. Not to mention the overwhelming majority of the cards were of players who are just so "meh" to me.

Overall, the set does have some strong points and I can see how some people would like it. However, to me, the set is confusing and doesn't really have a central theme. It's pretty all over the place, which is sad given that for years this set was my favorite set that Topps put out. And now, well, I feel like I bought 2 packs too many.