In terms of serial numbered cards and rookies, my hobby box of 2019 Panini Chronicles was quite a success. The 3 autographs and 1 relic card, however, were another story.
Because Panini promises (on average) 4 hits for an affordable, by hobby box standards, price, I expected 1 or 2 of the autographs to be average to below average.
When all was said and done, however, I ended up 3 lackluster rookie pitcher autos in my box. It's tough when the relic card (a triple relic of Gleyber Torres #/99) beats out 3 autographs, 2 of which were on-card, for the best hit of the box.
Before purchasing this box, I knew full well what I was getting myself into. I bought a hobby box of 2018 Chronicles earlier this year and experienced a similar fate, though I had a nice RPA of Amed Rosario to lessen my disappointment.
Despite not having the best luck with hobby box hits, I can't get enough of Panini Chronicles, whether it's the 2018 or 2019 release. The craziness, plethora of numbered cards, and rookie-heavy checklist inspired me to head for retail this time around and pick up a blaster from a nearby Target.
It was a blaster box from my local Target that first introduced me to Panini Chronicles around this time last year, and I've been buying packs and singles from this set ever since.
Each blaster has just 4 packs and 5 cards per pack, plus a 3-card bonus pack of Unparalleled. Though you don't end up with many cards the value is almost unbeatable.
Plus, the 25+ brands that make up the Chronicles set are just as prominent in blasters as they are in hobby boxes, meaning you still get a sample of over a dozen products. Thankfully, my blaster box produced some of my favorites, particularly Titan and Obsidian, sets that weren't in '18 Chronicles.
I'd say 2/3 of the entire Chronicles checklist consists of rookie cards, for Panini features the major names in practically every insert. Other than Michael Chavis, the Red Sox don't have many opportunities for spots in the set, so I appreciated pulling this Xander Bogaerts card from Rookies & Stars.
Last year, the blaster-exclusive bonus pack featured 3 cards from Revolution, a Panini product with a similar design to that of Topps High Tek. This year, it's Unparalleled's turn, a release that I'm totally unfamiliar with.
The Unparalleled design is pale in comparison to the detailed and creative blaster-exclusive cards from last year. It doesn't help that I didn't get the best players either, but pulling these 2 cards makes me wish Panini brought back Revolution for the 2nd year in a row.
The 3rd and final card of the pack is a special parallel that I've seen in other Chronicles retail breaks. It's called an Astral parallel, different from Unparalleled base, and showcases a shiny background of stars.
Once again, I didn't luck out with a big-name rookie, but, if nothing else, the card is beautiful, particularly with the purple Rockies uniform.
Oddly enough, this blaster granted me a serial-numbered card that also appeared in my hobby box from last week; a Playoff gold parallel of White Sox rookie pitcher Michael Kopech numbered out of 199.
With the seemingly endless selection of numbered cards in this set, it shocks me that I already have a duplicated, something that didn't happen whatsoever last year. I suppose the first of the 2 will remain in my collection while the 2nd will go directly onto eBay.
Usually, I show my hits (autos and relics) at the very end of my post, but there are a couple more numbered cards that I'd like to save for last. I haven't had much retail luck this year, so it was refreshing to pull this card, even if it's just a grey jersey relic of Chris Archer.
Admittedly, the Chronicles Swatches design isn't something you'd look twice at, a relic card is, nonetheless, a relic card. Plus, the jersey swatch is game-used, so there's something to be said for that.
Before I grabbed the hobby box of Chronicles and left the card show on Labor Day, I chatted with the show's case breaker about the recently-released set and picked up some choice cards. One of them was an Obsidian purple parallel of Jacob deGrom, numbered out of 99.
Little did I know how much I'd grow to absolutely adore this insert set, so I couldn't be happier that I found another purple refractor, this time in my blaster. There's something about the purple shimmer around the black background that compliments the picture of Francisco Lindor so beautifully.
Once again, I can only imagine how beautiful these cards would be if only they had the MLB license.
With or without logos, however, this Javier Baez ruby wave refractor from Titan could very well go down as one of my favorite cards from 2019. That's how fabulous this numbered parallel is.
Truth be told, everything I love about the 2019 Chronicles set appears on this card. The ruby wave parallel is superb and the Titan background is breathtaking. But most of all, the card has so much going on that Baez's logoless cap is the last thing on my mind.
Once again, Chronicles fails to disappoint.
Nice assortment of cards there. Chronicles is definitely a fun rip for the price.
ReplyDeleteI like the photograph used on the Archer relic. That's probably my favorite card from this post. But unless I found blasters on clearance for 50% off, I don't think I can overlook the lack of logos. At least not at this point in my life. I flip flop on stuff all the time, so maybe one day.
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