A Queen's Comfort

In these troubling and uncertain times, the best form of comfort, for some people, might just be a box of Baseball cards with game 7 of the 2016 World Series playing on TV.

On what would've been 2020 opening day, MLB went all out to please its fans, airing 1 re-run of an iconic game for each team on various streaming platforms. They've also used the MLB network to broadcast iconic matchups which is how I recorded the previously mentioned World Series game.

Though non-essential businesses have been ordered to close in Massachusetts, deliveries can still be made. I don't want, by any means, to order a surplus of unnecessary goods and overwhelm workers during this time.

Because of that, the 2020 Topps Gypsy Queen box that I got from Blowout will likely be my final online purchase for quite some time.

Like I do with most products, I'll start off by overviewing a single pack of 2020 Topps Gypsy Queen before, ultimately, getting to a full recap of the hobby box. I don't envision writing that until the weekend since I'm only halfway through at the moment.

But even from the pack design alone, you can tell a lot of attention to detail was exercised in the creation of this product. Bryce Harper wouldn't have been my first choice for the cover, but the color combinations work beautifully together and with his off-white jersey as well.

Each pack contains 8 cards, and there are 24 packs in a hobby box. Gypsy Queen has always been one of my favorite products, and I especially enjoy the direction the set has gone in since last year. Now, let's take a look at the 2020 release together.

#96 Xander Bogaerts

The Boston Red Sox may have traded the face of the franchise as well as their #2 starting pitcher to Los Angeles over the offseason, but seeing Xander Bogaerts' card reminds me of the dynamic duo that he and Rafael Devers were last season. Thus, I'm provided with a little bit of hope that this season is going to turn out alright.

Onto the set design which uses the same color as both the 2016 and 2018 sets. With all that the cards had going on last year, it's refreshing to see something a little simpler.

We have the GQ logo in the top left and the team logo in the bottom right along with the typical information that you'd expect to see on a Baseball card.

The only unnecessary element, in my opinion, is the team name; the small text combined with the presence of the logo renders it relatively pointless.

#192 Ryan O'Hearn

Admittedly, Ryan O'Hearn was somebody I was hoping I wouldn't have to run into now that the 2019 rookie class is in their 2nd season. His base cards and autographs, along with a few other players (Cedric Mullins), flooded last year's releases.

Hopefully, if nothing else, there will be a new crop of players to perform this task in 2020, so I'll at least be tired of new players rather than the same ones as last season.

#131 Colin Moran

The card backs are incredibly similar to what we saw from Gypsy Queen a year ago but with one major improvement; the card numbers are actually legible, not like the small digits, that Topps forced us to read in 2019.

This time around, you can easily see, for example, that Colin Moran is #131 in a set of 320 cards, but last year, the text was unnecessarily small. Even though the backs don't differ that much from one another, I applaud Topps so much for the change they made that I'm willing to look past it.

#250 Justin Verlander

Nice player collection addition here, though I must say I'm not particularly stoked to acquire new Astros cards these days.

#FTM-20 Fortune Teller Mini Aaron Judge

Since a massive overhaul was done on the set in 2017, a lot has changed surrounding the Gypsy Queen product. One of the constants through all of the shifts, however, has been the Fortune Teller minis.

The back of each card predicts with the particular player will achieve in the subsequent year. In this case, the "fortune teller" envisions that Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge will bounce back from 2 injury-plagued seasons by winning the AL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

#247 Ronald Guzman

There's not a whole lot for me to say about Ronald Guzman as I'm not very familiar with him, though I do find it interesting that Topps chose to have his leg extend past the frame of the image.

#74 T.J. Zeuch

#260 Zack Collins

Not to be confused with Zach Collins of the Portland Trail Blazers, White Sox catcher Zack Collins is expected to be yet another key contributor to this resurging team in 2020.

Overall, though I certainly have to see more before comparing and contrasting the 2, there are a lot of similarities between 2019 and 2020 Gypsy Queen, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

After all, Topps finally established an identity for the set last year after years of uncertainty, so now that they've got it down pat, I wouldn't mind another year of playing it safe before taking another risk.

World Series Champions*

When I celebrated the Boston Red Sox's World Series victory back in October of 2018, I never, not for one second, imagined that such a shameful scandal would emerge years later, leading some fans to ask for an asterisk to be placed next to their Fall Classic win and more so that of the Houston Astros from 2017.

That's because, over the last 2 days, the MLB has been rocked with news from both organizations. The punishments that commissioner Rob Manfred levied on the Astros yesterday for their role in the sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 World Series were swift and severe.

Just a couple of hours ago, anticipating that the league's actions against manager Alex Cora would be drastic (he played a vital role in the Astros' scandal; it's unclear in regards to Boston as the investigation has yet to be completed), the Boston Red Sox fired Cora, a year and a few months after culminating a historic season with a decisive World Series victory.

I bought the Topps Now card above the following day, October 29th, without any hesitation. After all, this was a monumental day; it's not often that your favorite team wins it all.

I can't comment all too much on the Boston Red Sox scandal, as the league has yet to determine the significance of the sign stealing. It's evident, however, that between the respective World Champions in 2017 and 2018, there's one common component, and that's Alex Cora.

Yesterday afternoon, the news began pouring in that the league had issued its punishment(s) to the Houston Astros, and to say the least, they were not lenient.

1. Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were each suspended for the entire 2020 season without pay.

2. Houston lost its 2020 and 20201 first and second-round draft picks.

3. The organization was fined $5 million.

Soon after the parameters of their punishment were reported, the Astros announced that both Hinch and Luhnow were to be dismissed. The move makes sense, considering that neither was going to be paid during the 2020 season, and both of their legacies have been tarnished by this scandal.

Immediately after the firings of Hinch and Luhnow, all eyes were on the Boston Red Sox in regards to Alex Cora. The 2-time World Series Champion, even after his firing, is facing a historic punishment for his role.

Some reports insisted that the Red Sox were going to wait until their investigation was complete before making a decision on Cora's future. Then, this happened. 

At this point, there's not a whole lot I can say. Defending the Red Sox is pointless and stubborn, but I also can't make any bold statements before the MLB terminates the investigation and releases some sort of report.

That said, as much as Cora accomplished during his short tenure in Boston, the Red Sox made the right decision. Unless the findings in the Red Sox's role are substantial, Cora will likely face the brunt of the punishment, for he played a larger role in the Houston scandal than Hinch or Luhnow, and he seemed to have brought that same energy to Boston.

Only time will tell what will really happen, but it's, nonetheless, a sad day for any sport when asterisks need to be placed next to championship victories.

Highlights From Round #2 of Gallery

It may not bring the most value as far as Baseball card releases are concerned, but Topps Gallery, nevertheless, remains one of my favorite products to rip, year after year.

I opened the first of 2 blaster boxes a couple of days ago in a full recap on the blog, breaking down each pack card by card and sharing my thoughts on what I pulled.

Now, I'm overviewing what came out of blaster box #2, but in a recap instead. Whereas I listed each card I pulled last time around, I'm only overviewing a select few today.

The magnificent artwork and various techniques, no matter the year, remain consistent for every Topps Gallery release. From the super-realistic shot of Christian Yelich to the abstract background of Jonathan Villar's card, the artists' different styles are quite evident.

2 of the cards in the photo above (Harper and Villar) were done by artist Dan Bergren, an artist who I recognize from past Gallery sets for his more abstract approach to the cards. I also admire the work of Kevin Graham who created Yelich's and Guerrero Jr's cards.

I don't have much to do with the world of art aside from Topps Gallery if I'm being honest, so I appreciate that the set introduces something that I know very little about into my world.

As far as I'm concerned, the release of 2020 Topps Series 1 will spell the beginning of my Fernando Tatis Jr "super collecting" days, for the 20-year old will no longer be considered a rookie upon the set's release.

Thus, I'll finally be able to buy individual Tatis Jr cards online without breaking the bank rather than counting on pulling them from packs. I did, however, have nice luck with blaster box #2, for I pulled his base card and the artist proof parallel.

Injuries may have limited his rookie campaign, but Tatis has already established himself as one the most well-rounded players in Baseball at just 20 years old.

If he keeps it up, he could outshine both Alvarez and Alonso as the top rookie from this year's class.

These Gallery Heritage inserts seem to run at 1 per blaster box with Trea Turner coming out of blaster box #2.

Even though he just played a part in leading the Washington Nationals to their first-ever World Series victory, I know practically nothing about the 26-year old. I just recall him being very well thought of back in 2016 when he, along with Corey Seager, was a rookie.

Since then, however, I haven't heard all that much about Turner, though the artwork remains magnificent.

Of course, no matter what kind of Baseball card purchase I make, I'm always on the lookout for how many Red Sox cards I ended up with. In the case of this blaster box, I'd say I did pretty well, landing a Mookie Betts base card and a J.D. Martinez high number SP.

Both cards are brilliantly designed and have their strong points, but the attention to detail used by the artist of Martinez's card (like the shine on the helmet) elevates it to a slightly higher level.

But the Red Sox mojo didn't end there as, like is the case for all inserts, I pulled one of the Master & Apprentice cards out of my 2nd blaster; it just so happened to feature Ted Williams and Mookie Betts, a picturesque duo of Red Sox outfielders.

This artwork differs from that of the base cards and while I don't necessarily prefer it, I like how it contributes to the wide variety of styles in this set.

Now, I have to decide whether the card will go towards the Williams or Betts player collection.

Moving Forward

Yesterday's frankenset post signified a change in my blog content. After 7 recap posts highlighting my pickups from The National, it's time to move forward with my collecting as we reach the middle of August.

At this point in the Baseball card collecting year, new products are being released left and right, but I'm trying to swear off buying cards until at least Labor Day when I might ease back into things with a trip to the show.

This is also the time, I've noticed, where the views and comments on my blog usually decrease. This is understandable since many people take their vacation around this time of year.

Since I've been so occupied with recapping The National, I haven't had any time to share what I've done across the 12 days that I've been back. 

 

For starters, I went to the Red Sox game on August 6th, my 2nd trip to Fenway Park this year. Though I had a memorable experience and amazing seats, the game, at least from a Red Sox fan's perspective, wasn't too great. The Sox lost to the Royals 6-2 in a matchup that Boston seemed destined to lose from the start.

Continuing with the theme of moving forward, I've used my free time over the last 12 days to do some serious organization in my Baseball card room. I started by simply putting the cards from The National away in their proper boxes and binders, but I have accomplished so much more since then.

I've created new binders, decluttered the card counter, purchased more empty boxes for extra storage, and taken better care of my oversized cards by keeping them in a binder together. 

Most significantly, I've completely reorganized my Red Sox and Cubs team PCs by giving them clean sheets, new binders, and changed the format of these collections so that the organizational system makes more sense. 

This brings me to the subject of today's post, a surprise package from Night Owl Cards that I received soon after I returned home from Chicago. This is actually my first look at the 2019 Topps Big League set, though I recognize the blue parallels from last year.

While the Bogaerts and Betts cards will go to their PCs, Eduardo Nunez's Big League parallel will fit perfectly in the new Boston Red Sox PC that I'm almost finished organizing.

Basically, the new system, in addition to providing new (much-needed) sheets, organizes the sets by brand, then by year, so all the Topps Flagship Red Sox sets are together in one binder which is where these 2 cards will be heading.

All the Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck, and any other sets that I can't think of right now are together as well and are chronologically organized. As for oddballs or sets that I only have 1 card from, those are together in a miscellaneous section of one of my binders.

A significant portion of this surprise package, however, consisted of set needs for 2015 Topps and its various insert sets. Night Owl has supplied me with a reasonable number of cards from this set over the last couple of years, so it stands to reason that most of what I'm missing is Dodgers base cards.

Thankfully, he covered that part of the set too and sent me enough Dodgers base cards to where I think it could be an entire team set. With all these Dodgers now in-hand, 110 cards are standing in my way of completing the greatest Topps Flagship set of the decade.

As you can see, I'm moving forward with my collection in many different ways following an unforgettable experience at my 2nd ever NSCC show. Similarly, the Boston Red Sox are trying to move forward despite an unexpectedly tumultuous year.

The starting pitching has been a huge disappointment for Boston this year, particularly former Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello, club ace Chris Sale, and, of course, their bullpen with an astounding 22 blown saves.

The Red Sox have the best offense in baseball, thanks in large part to Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts. While they haven't come close to playing at the level they did last year, there's still some hope of the Red Sox sneaking into the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

After all, things are different once October rolls around.

50s Topps, A HOF Rookie, & More Vintage; 2019 National Recap Part #2

Moving right along with my series of recap posts from the 2019 National, I have a haul of vintage pickups for both the teams and the players that I collect ready to go today.

While I mentioned that the cards featured in yesterday's post were a part of my only player collection oriented purchase, I still grabbed other cards for my PCs across my 2 1/2 days at the show. 

However, my Dad and I's mission was to go after cards that I couldn't necessarily find back home. A perfect example of this is the card at the top of this post; Nolan Ryan's 1971 Topps card which my Dad tracked down.

Buying vintage cards was one of our main objectives for this year's show just as it was at the 2018 National in Cleveland. We both understand that cards from the 50s and 60s aren't going to be readily available forever, especially at the bargain prices that we often see them going for.

In addition to filling in cards from the 1961 and 1976 Topps sets throughout our time in Chicago, we made multiple vintage card purchases while at the show that, ultimately, added up into an impressive haul, consisting of cards from the early 1950s, 3Ds from the 70s, and even a HOF rookie.

I'll showcase some of the other 1970 Kellogg's 3D cards that we picked up later in the week, but, for now, I'll start with the 4 players above, all of whom I collect. Another project of my Dad's, he has always been fond of 3D cards, particularly the Kellogg's brand. 

Whether they're for our 3D binders or player collections, Kellogg's cards are often on his radar when we attend larger Baseball card shows. This time, he assembled a group of 70s Kellogg's cards, including one of Joe Morgan from his early seasons with the Houston Astros. The headshot and the sky background easily makes Morgan's card my favorite of the lot.

Though Morgan's card happens to be my favorite, that doesn't discount the fact that my Dad found a new card for our Ron Santo player collection, something that certainly doesn't happen every day. 

Although he's a 9-time All-Star and a 5-time Gold Glove award winner, Santo is one of the most underappreciated and underrepresented players in Baseball history. He wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame until after he passed away in 2010, and his most recent Baseball card (excluding fancy hits), according to COMC, is an insert card from 2016 Topps.

I urge Topps to feature Santo in sets like Allen & Ginter and Archives to give this Baseball legend the respect he deserves. However, if I can't have my wish, at least I have his awesome '70 Kellogg's card.

As focused as I often am on boosting my 250 player collections, my Dad is quite the opposite. He has no qualms about buying cards of non-PC guys so long as there are some parameters to what he purchases. 

Though I likely wouldn't have chosen these cards myself, I'm pleased that he ended up buying some vintage Red Sox and Cubs cards from the 1950s. As many Cubs and Red Sox cards as I have, my collection is somewhat limited as far as the early and mid-1950s are concerned (i.e. anything before 1957).

In fact, I didn't even have a single Topps card from 1952 or 1953 going into The National this year. Thankfully, I was able to make some progress with the absence of those 2 sets.

Though we never got our hands on a '53 Topps card, we finally landed our first ever 1952 Topps base card, and the player of choice is Red Sox catcher Gus Niarhos. I also added another '52 Bowman Red Sox card to my collection (Vern Stephens) to go with my other one (Clyde Vollmer).

Even though the players on and the condition of these cards aren't the greatest, that's not a significant concern of mine when it comes to cards from as far back as 1952. 

Frankly, I'm just pleased to have these in my collection in the first place, for I would have difficulty tracking these cards down at the shows I attend.

Now that I have all the photos scanned for this post, I realize that most of the cards shown were ones that my Dad picked up. However, there is a handful that I chose myself, including the 2 1977 Topps cloth cards above which will fit nicely in the Willie Stargell and Lou Brock PCs.

These cards, along with Hostess and Kellogg's sets, are my personal favorite oddballs from the 1970s. Lou Brock's card, in particular, with the powder blue uniform and funky hat, is definitely a standout. 

I'm sure there's a more technical name for these that I'm forgetting, but, for now, I'll simply refer to them as cloth cards.

Out of all the things that make vintage Baseball cards so phenomenal, my Dad and I, collectively, love the various combo cards the most. Whether it's Mays and McCovey's Fence Busters card or Mantle and Mays' Manager's Dream, combo cards were extremely prominent, particularly throughout the 1960s.

I suppose our collective appreciation of combo cards is what led my Dad to grab a whole bunch of them when he had the opportunity to do so. Most of these cards feature just 1 player that I collect, but the Pride of the NL includes 2 (Mays and Musial). 

After deliberating it for a while, I decided to add this card to the Willie Mays PC for no particular reason other than I haven't bought a card of his in a while.

As pleased as I am with my Dad's choices for vintage cards, specifically the oddballs, I'm especially proud of the vintage cards that I was able to grab for bargain prices. 

Starting off with my final purchase of the show, this gorgeous 1955 Topps Monte Irvin card which ended up being one of the biggest bargains of the entire convention at just $5. 

Though 1955 Topps isn't one of my favorite sets of the decade, Irvin's card is pretty close to perfect, from the blue background to the action shot on the left.

As I mentioned, this card was my very last purchase of the entire show. Earlier on, however, I seized the opportunity and grabbed another of Irvin's Topps cards.

Although the surface leaves something to be desired, Irvin's 1954 Topps card is another fantastic pickup, and I couldn't be more pleased to add it to my collection. Thanks to these 2 cards, I've built up a nice vintage Irvin collection, and I definitely see myself adding to it when presented with the opportunity.

I'm equally glad to have both of these vintage cards in my possession, but there's something about the '54 card that's more organized and refined than the '55 Topps alternative. I don't have strong opinions about either set, but I do have positive opinions on each of these 2 cards.

Despite how fabulous the 2 vintage Irvin cards are, I couldn't think of a better vintage pickup than this 1966 Topps Jim Palmer rookie in terms of bargain vintage cards. 

For less than half the cost of a blaster box, I added this sought after rookie of one of the greatest pitchers of all-time to my collection. Now that's what I call a steal.

At a Baseball card show last year, I purchased a redemption card for a Jim Palmer autograph in which he signed a reprint of his iconic '66 rookie card. Now, roughly 1 year later, it's all come full circle, and I have this treasured card in hand. 

My Major Player Collection Purchase; 2019 National Recap Part #1

Last year, I had an absolute blast writing posts recapping my time at the 2018 National in Cleveland, Ohio. At that moment, I had never experienced something so exciting as it pertains to cards, and I was equally ecstatic to share my pickups right here on the blog.

This time around, I'd go as far as to say that The National in Chicago was even better than the Cleveland convention. Because Chicago is such a major sports city, there appeared to be more vendors at this show with a greater appeal to collectors like myself.

Of course, I came to the show not knowing exactly what I wanted to purchase, but I made sure to set some parameters for myself so that I wouldn't be completely all over the place. My 6 goals seemed achievable at the time, but I haven't assessed myself on whether I accomplished them or not since I returned.

I recall that one of my objectives for the show was to add to my player collections without focusing on them too extensively. Since PC cards are widely available online as well as at Baseball card shops and shows, it wouldn't make sense to focus too heavily on them at The National.

However, by the time Saturday came along, I realized that I hadn't made one strictly player collection purchase. Luckily, I found a vendor who was selling hundreds of parallels, rookies, and numbered cards, ranging from $1-$3 each.

Thanks to those boxes, I was able to land a ton of cards for my player collections, all in 1 giant purchase.

One of the greatest things about attending The National is that the prices of Red Sox cards aren't insane like they are at the shows in Massachusetts. I'm not saying that I blame the dealers at the shows I attend for jacking up the prices, but it's refreshing to pay reasonable prices for cards of my favorite players.

5 of the 9 cards above are serial numbered, and one of them is a Benintendi rookie from The National 2 years ago. Each of the cards above cost me just $1, something you'd never see here in MA. 

Though this wasn't intentional, my Red Sox cards haul was mainly centered around 3 players (Benintendi, Betts, and Sale with 1 card of Bogaerts). I also grabbed a few cards of Devers, but I ended up not showcasing them in this post.

Even though he's not shown as a member of the Boston Red Sox on this card, the dealer had a die-cut of Craig Kimbrel available for only $1, a price that I couldn't resist. 

The card is from 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter and is designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the set, hence the X design (10 in roman numerals). 

This has been an extremely challenging year to collect Craig Kimbrel because of how long it took him to sign a major league contract. Hopefully, 2019 Topps Update will be the beginning of a much better time for The Kimbrel Collection.

The show being in Chicago resulted in a high number of White Sox, Bears, and especially Cubs cards throughout the entire show. However, the Cubs cards in the bins that I searched through weren't priced any higher than the others.

From the Kris Bryant image variation to the Anthony Rizzo refractor (#/499), the Cubs cards were priced extremely fair. Being that they're my 2nd favorite team, and I saw them beat the Brewers 6-2 at Wrigley last Friday, I was pleased to boost some of my Cubs PCs without breaking the bank.

There were also a plethora of low-numbered cards across these sensational boxes as well. Though almost every card in each bin was serial numbered, cards #/50 and below were quite prominent and, once again, priced fairly.

The Fergie Jenkins refractor from tribute (#/50) was the most expensive card of the bunch at $3 while the Andre Dawson (#/25) has a lower print run yet was less money. 

I've been collecting cards of these 2 Hall of Famers for years, but it's The National that provided me with the lowest-numbered cards for each of the respective PCs.

As soon as I realized that this would be my significant player collection purchase of the entire show, I realized that I needed to go all-out with the best possible cards of my favorite players. Thus, I decided to stick primarily to serial numbered parallels, preferably chrome cards or high-end products.

Purple parallels and refractors of silver/gold tier players that I collect adhere perfectly to this rule. 3/4 cards above are purple parallels from Topps Triple Threads, a high-end set, while the 4th is a refractor from Finest, both a chrome and high-end product.

As excessive as looking through 3 boxes of parallels and rookie cards could've been, setting these basic rules for myself promotes quality over quantity which can be beneficial when each card is priced between $1-$3 each.

9 times out of 10, I'll take a Topps card over its Panini equivalent, but there are some instances in which Panini does such a phenomenal job that I have to give them the respect they deserve and praise their cards. 

I did this when 2018 Chronicles and 2019 Prizm were released, and I want to do the same thing regarding Crusade, a spectacular and colorful Panini product featuring a surplus of Hall of Famers and MLB legends.

This brand was featured in 2018 Panini Chronicles, but I hadn't come across the initial Crusade cards until this show where I picked up purple and gold parallels (#/50) as well as red and yellow refractors (#/75).

In fact, there were a ton of high-end and HOF Panini cards scattered throughout these boxes, some of which I didn't even recognize. For example, I'm not at all familiar with these Etched in Cooperstown cards from Panini's 2015 Cooperstown set, but I, nonetheless, grabbed a couple for my PCs.

These cards seem like a crossover between the Ted Williams Card Company's Etched in Stone cards and the Skybox Metal Universe cards of the late 90s and early 2000s. The design is incredibly interesting, and Panini did a nice job of covering up the logoless caps with the positioning of the banners.

Another mainstay throughout these epic boxes was a significant number of cards from the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen set. The list from this product includes Fortune Teller minis and Tarot of the Diamond Cards as well as SPs and even hobby box exclusive chrome cards.

Over the last few years, the Gypsy Queen SPs have been challenging to come by (1 per hobby box). The 20-card short print checklist features primarily retired players who I collect, but I didn't see the SPs in-person before the show.

I'm certainly pleased that I was able to purchase all 4 of the cards above, but there's not a doubt in my mind that my favorite card of the bunch is Reggie Jackson. Everything about the card, from the helmet to the hair, is representative of the team he played for and the era he played in.

While the SPs were available in both retail and hobby packs of 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen, the chrome cards could be found only if you purchased a hobby box, for they were included as a box topper. 

Each 3-card pack had a chance for serial numbered cards and autographs, but most featured all gorgeous base cards like the 4 above. As far as I know, every player in the checklist has a chrome card, but I'm nonetheless shocked that these rare and hobby exclusive cards ended up $1 each at The National.

I've mentioned before that these cards are very similar to Topps Heritage Chrome in terms of the cardstock, but I have to admit that I like the Gypsy Queen chromes just a tad more. The set design is perfect for the chrome cardstock, and they're a bit more common than the Heritage versions.

Like the Gypsy Queen chrome cards, the negative refractors from Topps Chrome aren't serial numbered, but that doesn't mean they're easy to come by. In 2019, for example, these cards are 1:66 packs or almost 3 hobby boxes.

I've always loved the look of these cards, both on paper and chrome cardstock. While I wish that they were serial numbered instead, I can't complain about the refractors considering how low of a price I was able to find them for.

It's rather fitting, since my Dad and I were at The National in Chicago, that there'd be some exclusive Bowman Chrome cards from 2017, the last time the show came to The Windy City. Personally, I prefer the 2017 Bowman Chrome prism refractors because of how bold and noticeable they are.

Maybe Topps changed the style of the cards, but the 2018 and 2019 Bowman Chrome National cards simply aren't as shiny as the 2017 versions. I also appreciate that each player's card pays tribute to some sort of anniversary (10, 20, 30 years, etc.)

I don't recall buying any packs of 2011 Topps Baseball cards, so I've never pulled any of the beloved parallels from this set. In addition to current players, there are Diamond Anniversary and Cognac cards for the retired player SPs like Reggie Jackson and Carl Yastrzemski.

As much as I love the Red Sox and Yaz in particular, Jackson's jersey works beautifully with the Diamond Anniversary card. Out of the dozens of PC pickups that I grabbed on Saturday, the Jackson parallel might go down as my favorite. 

It's hard to explain, but there aren't many cards from this lot that I'd take over this stunning parallel.

I understand that Jose Ramirez has been struggling across the 2019 season, but I'm not taking a huge risk by paying $1 each for his 2014 Topps Series 2. I already have one graded (BGS 9.5) that I pulled from a Fairfield repack box, but, like I said, I didn't see any harm in buying these 2.

In 2017 and 2018, Ramirez was a superstar and an AL MVP award candidate. I'm not sure what's been going on with him in 2019, but when he's at his best, Ramirez is one of MLB's brightest stars. I hope, for his sake, that he finds his groove and becomes the star we know he is very soon. 

It may not be the most flashy card of the group, but Xander Bogaerts' 2012 1st Bowman Chrome card ranks as one of the best pickups of the entire purchase. Given the magnificent season that the 26-year old is having, I didn't want to hold off any further on this card, especially since it was available for only $3.

It's safe to say that Bogaerts and Devers have been carrying the Red Sox team for most of 2019 season along with the perennial superstars J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts. It's frustrating that the team with the best batting average and most RBI probably won't make the playoffs.

If nothing else, however, this will shine a light on how much help the bullpen and, to a lesser degree, the rotation needs. I don't want to talk too in-depth about the dismal state of the Red Sox right now, because these posts are supposed to be about The National.

Plus, I got my hands on a Bogaerts 1st Bowman Chrome card, so it's far from all bad as far as the Red Sox are concerned.