So Much Oddball Vintage; 2019 National Recap Part #3

If I'm being honest, I forgot about some of my goals for The 2019 National when I walked into the show last Wednesday in Chicago. 

The purpose behind those objectives was to add some structure to what can be a hectic event. I was successful in accomplishing my goals for last year's show in Cleveland, but for some reason, things were different this time around.

The 2019 National was definitely larger than last year's show in Cleveland. The fact that Chicago is such a dynamic sports city certainly helped, but there seemed to be more vendors and a stronger buzz surrounding the convention this time. 

Throughout my 2 1/2 days at the show, one thing remained on my radar nonstop; vintage cards. The shows that I usually attend have a fair amount of vintage, but the prices are often steep and the selection limited.

Because of the sheer scale of The National, you can't walk for 2 minutes without stumbling upon boxes and display cases full of cards from the 1970s and before.

I brought my want list along to make progress with 1961, 1976, and 1979 Topps, but I soon found myself filling in some other holes and venturing out towards oddball cards as well.

My Dad has always told me that his ideal set to complete is 1955 Bowman Baseball (mine's 1953 Topps). Although the checklist consists of just 320 cards, there are a significant number of Hall of Famers in the set, including 2nd-year cards of Ernie Banks and Al Kaline. 

The small set size is something that '55 Bowman has going for it that most vintage sets do not, so it makes sense to begin collecting these beautiful cards. The sole key rookie is Elston Howard (#68), and my Dad was able to track that card down for only $3.

I'm not big on starting a project that I likely won't finish, but I don't necessarily believe that's the case with 1955 Bowman. We may choose to go forward with this product with the understanding that it'll be a challenge, but I far from believe that completing this set is impossible.

Another one of my Dad's mini-projects throughout our time at The National was building a small collection of these Baseball's Famous Feats cards, a set put out by Fleer in 1973. 

Upon seeing these for the first time, I drew comparisons between the oversized cards above and the Fleer World Series sets from the early 1970s (which I'll get to later). 

The bold colors and cartoon design are used to honor significant events in Baseball history, like Hornsby's Triple Crowns and Cobb's batting titles.

These cards aren't quite large enough for vintage penny sleeves, meaning I'll have to buy some individual sheets the next time I'm at the Baseball card show to protect this set.

A couple of weeks ago, I left a comment on The Chronicles of Fuji's post, stating how fond I am of the 1970 Topps Posters. I could go on for hours about them, so I'll keep in brief. They're colorful, the perfect size, and feature some of the greatest players in MLB history.

While I can't say I was actively searching for these throughout my time at The National, I didn't spot any 1970 Topps Posters while I was there. Thankfully, my Dad landed one of Dodgers outfielder Willie Davis for only $2. 

There are just 24 posters in the set, so I might start putting this set together as well now that I'm wrapping up '76 and '79 Topps Flagship.

More old school oddballs, because where else would you be able to find 1983 Milwaukee Police Department cards of Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers? Sometimes this hobby can get pretty strange, and I absolutely love it.

Like the Fleer Famous Feats, these cards are oversized, so I'm not sure where I'm going to store them since they won't be able to fit with the other cards in the Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers PCs. However, these were my Dad's pickups as well, and for $1 each, I can figure something out.

Before I get into the vintage oddballs from a couple of sets, here's one of the coolest things that we picked up during our time at the show; a ticket stub from game #3 of the 1972 NLCS between the Reds and the Pirates at Riverfront Stadium.

I forget where exactly this came from or what my Dad paid for it, but this thing is pretty cool. We don't have all that many old tickets besides a couple of Red Sox ones from the late 70s, so I'm thrilled to add this to our collection of Cincinnati Reds memorabilia.

I stated earlier in this post that I'd talk more about the Fleer World Series cards from the early 1970s. What I didn't mention is that my Dad picked up a huge lot of these cards from the 1970 and 1971 sets, one of his largest pickups of the show.

Last Thursday, he found a vendor who was selling these cards by the page and received a substantial discount when he purchased almost everything the dealer had. We've both taken a liking to these oddballs in the past, and the fact that we barely had any beforehand only inspired my Dad more. 

All the cards above are from the 1970 set, but Fleer did the exact same thing in '71 by creating a cartoon for each Fall Classic. On the back, there's a quick blurb about the series as well as who won and how many games it lasted.

The 1971 design differs slightly from the previous year. The top corner features the MLB logo and the year of the World Series instead of a Baseball. Other than that small difference, there's no real way to tell them apart, for the style of the cartoons is nearly identical. 

Following this significant purchase, our next step regarding these 2 sets is to add them to the want list. Because of how uncommon they are, I assume we'll have to rely on major shows and the internet to complete the respective products.

Last but certainly not least, I'm thrilled to announce that we worked towards completing yet another vintage set in Chicago, the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set. 

Like '55 Bowman and the '70 Topps Posters, the checklist is on the small side (80 cards), and we actually see this set somewhat regularly at the Mansfield show.

However, the price of these cards often gets out of hand, especially when they're in stellar condition. As far as completing sets is concerned, I've never cared too much about the shape that the card is in so long as it's all in 1 piece.

Thus, while searching for cards from the '59 Ted Williams set, neither my Dad nor myself put much emphasis on the condition of the card. As you can see, many have creases, frayed edges, and are slightly miss-cut. 

However, there's no card in horrible shape, and our open-mindedness is what allowed us to purchase as many of these set needs as we did.

If I wanted to build a set in which all the cards were in a certain condition, I'd have to be a bit more careful with what I purchase. However, that's never been and likely never will be the case with the cards that I buy, so I, truthfully, don't care that these cards have creases. 

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.

An Update From Chicago

My apologies for not posting for the last few days. I've been far busier at this year's National than I was at the 2018 event, between trips to the city, meals, and an unforgettable show. 

I don't want to reveal too much about what I've done/purchased, for I want to save almost everything for the recap posts which will begin this Sunday or Monday. 

However, I did want to write another couple of posts while I'm still in Chicago, so I thought I'd share some cards from one of the most special aspects of the show thus far; the exclusive Bowman Chrome packs from Topps.

In case you're unfamiliar with this promotion, you can take a 2018 or 2019 Topps hobby box to their booth at the show. They'll break the factory seal off your box and give you 1 or 2 (depending on the product) bonus packs with cards exclusive to The National.

These packs, in a way, are comparable to the Bowman mega box mojo packs. They're loaded with serial numbered cards and autographs of tons of players, from current rookies and veterans to prospects and even retired legends.

Some hobby box purchases (which I'll elaborate on once the recap posts begin) plus a generous collector who gave me one of his packs in exchange for me bringing his boxes to the Topps booth resulted in some epic cards for the blog today. 

After this, I'm going to hold off on cards from the show until I return home on Sunday.

The lighting in my hotel room isn't the greatest, but as you can see, the 50-card set consists of 4 groups. There are active veterans, retired stars, top prospects, and young rookies. As far as I know, the idea behind the checklist has been routine since Topps began this promotion several years back.

I never opened a pack of these cards until last year, my first time at The National. I redeemed them at the Topps booth with the box of Chrome and Allen & Ginter that my Dad and I purchased. Our greatest pull, undoubtedly, was a gold refractor (#/50) of Ronald Acuna Jr which we later had graded.

Although I don't have much experience with the promo packs, my sensational pulls from last year inspired me to wait in line for well over an hour to get my hands on these exclusive cards.

For most collectors, Vladimir Guerrero Jr is the #1 rookie on their radar, and I get that. He has the power and sheer talent to become one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history, and fans have been anticipating his MLB debut for over 3 years.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to pull his card towards the end of my Bowman Chrome pack break. I'm not huge into amassing rookie card collections, but the Vlad Jr base cards alone are going for a fair amount on eBay.

However, my top pick as far as 2019 rookies are concerned is 100% Fernando Tatis Jr, so you can imagine how stoked I was to pull not 1 but 2 rookies of his out of these Bowman Chrome packs. 

He doesn't quite have the same hype as Vlad Jr, but that can definitely be beneficial at times. Guerrero's .267 batting average leaves a little to be desired, but Tatis Jr's rookie year stats have been unbelievable. At 20 years old, he's hitting .329 with 19 homers, 45 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in fewer than 300 at-bats.

Tatis' major issue appears to be strikeouts, for he already has 95 on the year. However, he has excellent power and contact hitting, something few players have nowadays. 

Last year, I suspect Topps had some issues in the packaging department with their Bowman Chrome National cards. Many of the packs, including 1 of mine, contained all gold cards, meaning each of the 4 cards in the pack was numbered out of 50 copies.

I believe they fixed this issue in 2019, so, unfortunately, there don't appear to be any all-gold packs at The National this time around. With that being said, I still got my hands on some colored refractors, including Michael Kopech whose gold prospect card I pulled last year.

Kopech hasn't done too much in his rookie season, so the other 3 gold refractors were certainly the best of the group. Each of the players above (Casey Mize, Jo Adell, and Royce Lewis) are in the top 7 of MLB pipeline's top 100 prospects list at #2, #4, and #7 respectively. 

While I'm somewhat knowledgable regarding the top prospects, I don't make any effort to invest in or heavily research players on the top 100 prospects list. It's simply not who I am or how I collect.

However, I have no qualms about holding onto the prospect cards I pull for a couple of years until the guys start playing in the MLB. These 3, in particular, are all expected to make their big league debuts next season, so I don't mind waiting until then to decide whether to keep or sell these gold prism refractors.

Despite pulling multiple gold refractors from last year's packs, the orange prisms (#/25) evaded me completely. As a result, I got my first ever look at these gorgeous cards when I pulled 2 orange refractors of Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge, the faces of their respective franchises.

In general, I don't have much luck when it comes to orange refractors. I didn't pull one of my own until earlier this year from a hobby box that I opted not to feature on the blog. Now, I have 2 more to add to my collection.

The Altuve is nice in that the orange matches one of Houston's team colors while the Judge card is simply stunning. It seems to me that any color pairs well with Yankee pinstripes, and orange is no exception.

Lastly, I knew that this exclusive checklist had autographs, but I never really thought that I'd pull one of them myself, for the odds never seem to be in one's favor. It may not be the most valuable card in the break, but I was pleased to pull a Jose Martinez autograph, numbered out of 25, following his fabulous 2018 season with the Cardinals.

The autograph is on a sticker, not on-card, but the prism refractor makes it challenging to differentiate the 2. I can't say that Martinez would be my first choice, but an autograph is an autograph, especially since the only thing I invested in these packs was time.

Topps' exclusive Bowman Chrome National cards are beautiful as is, and the colored parallels only draw my attention even more. I'm likely going to hold onto these cards for the time being as they'll remind me of the awesome time that I've been having at the show.

Top 5 Cards; Kris Bryant

Greetings from Chicago!

Earlier today, my Dad and I arrived in the Windy City to attend the 40th National Sports Collectors Convention which begins tomorrow. 

After having the time of our lives at the show in Cleveland last summer, we made the decision, almost instantly, to return for our 2nd NSCC show. The fact that this year's convention is situated in Chicago made this even better, for we're seeing the Cubs battle the Brewers this Friday at 1:20 pm.

Admittedly, I haven't been following the Cubs as closely over the last 2 seasons as I did from 2015-2017. Although the purpose of this trip is certainly to acquire Baseball cards, I hope it also revives my interest in the Cubs as a whole. 

After all, they have an incredibly talented roster, and they're playing extremely well in 2019, led by their franchise player, Kris Bryant.

When healthy, KB is one of Baseball's greatest all-around players. His 2018 season was plagued with injuries, and he was never truly at his best. Now, Bryant, Rizzo, and the rest of the Chicago Cubs are having an incredible season, so this game against Milwaukee is destined to be memorable.

Despite being just 27 years old, Bryant is among my sizeable player collections. Before leaving for The National, I had 72 cards cataloged of the 2016 NL MVP. I'm interested to see if and how that number will grow over the next few days.

#5 2018 Topps Kris Bryant Highlights

Though I'm not typically fond of these single-player insert sets, exclusive to Target and Walmart, I'll admit that I love the design of the Kris Bryant cards from 2018 Topps Series 1. This isn't the final time you'll this iconic photo appear on the list, but that doesn't make the card any less special.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Bryant's reaction to the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series will go down as one of the most iconic photos in recent memory. I was thrilled to see his smile immortalized on cardboard along with an excellent card design, especially with the ivy on the lefthand side.

#4 2016 Topps Heritage

I'm going to ask for you guys' help regarding these Chicago Cubs caps because I am totally unfamiliar with and have never seen these hats before. Regardless, Bryant's 2016 Topps Heritage card was one of the first cards I ever pulled of his, so I remember all the details very well.

Most importantly, I remember how excited I was to finally be able to collect Kris Bryant without paying a premium. This card, along with his Series 1 base card, allowed me to collect cards of the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year more easily. 

The All-Star rookie trophy definitely succeeds in giving this card a 60s vibe, but it also makes me wish that Topps would bring these back for modern-day cards

#3 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen

Due primarily to the lack of value, I'm always skeptical when it comes to purchasing Topps Gypsy Queen, no matter how much I'm thinking of spending. Even when you take all of my problems with GQ into account, there's no denying that the base cards, especially in 2019, are gorgeous.

The 2019 design is my favorite set since at least 2013, and the beautiful cards may go down as the best of all-time when all is said and done. Kris Bryant's base card is no exception, for it features a beautiful Wrigley Field background and a near-perfect shot of #17.

The set seems perfect for the photo of Bryant while also embodying what Gypsy Queen is all about. However, it was up against some tough competition, so the highest I could rank the 2019 card is #3.

#2 2017 Topps Stadium Club

I don't know what it is about the Oakland Athletics dugout, but it seems to make frequent appearances on Topps Baseball cards. From Xander Bogaerts' 2017 Topps Bunt insert to Carlos Santana's 2019 Stadium Club card, it appears that non-A's players are featured more in this dugout than members of the Athletics.

With that being said, Bryant's 2017 Topps Stadium Club card takes this to another level. For starters, he's wearing the iconic Cubs pajama uniforms in what I assume to be a throwback game against the A's. Second, his teammate Anthony Rizzo appears on this card as well.

If any 2 players could get 1 card together in a set like Stadium Club, Bryzzo would get my vote. These sluggers have been the face of the Chicago Cubs for years now, and they played a critical role in the 2016 World Series.

#1 2017 Topps Heritage Action Image Variation

I mentioned earlier that this iconic photo of Kris Bryant would appear once more on the list. Evidently, that placement is the #1 spot, featuring an action image variation card from 2017 Topps Heritage.

Along with the notorious Cubs quad relic, I remember pulling this card of KB just after the Cubs ended their 108-year title drought. There were a ton of Cubs cards in 2017 Topps Heritage, and this fantastic SP happens to be one of them.

I know the 1968 Topps set has received mixed reviews from Baseball card collectors, but I personally love the risk that Topps took with the set. The burlap design has become one of my favorites, particularly as far as Heritage is concerned.

If you compare the 2 backgrounds, it's evident that Topps photoshopped the 2017 version to include more overjoyed Cubs fans, a thoughtful effort but an inaccurate representation of the game.

That doesn't change my opinion of the card though, because, photoshopped or not, the Heritage SP does an unmatchable job of capturing one of the greatest moments in sports history.

Now that is a card worthy of the #1 spot.

Finalizing a Few Things

Unsurprisingly, I've left a lot of work for myself to do over the next few days before my Dad and I leave for the 40th NSCC show this coming Tuesday.

If last year was any indication of how many cards I'm going to bring back with me to Massachusetts, I need to tidy up the Baseball card room to the best of my ability before I leave. That way, once I return, everything will be much easier to organize and put away.

While I've cleared off a huge portion of counter space for stacking and cataloging cards, there are still stacks that need to be put into the online inventory, then into player collection boxes.

Furthermore, there are a few decisions regarding what I'll be purchasing at the show that I'd like to finalize before I board my flight for Chicago in fewer than 3 days. Even though I've been anticipating The National for months, I can't shift my attention to the show until I finish up a few things.

As I mentioned, I currently have 4 large stacks of cards, all for my player collections, sitting in my Baseball card room, ready to be put away. To be quite honest, I have no idea how these piles got out of control so quickly. 

They consist of cards from a wide range of products; there are some from the 2019 Topps Stadium Club set as while as Panini Prizm, 2001 Topps Archives (which I recently realized I never organized), and some Baseball card show/shop pickups.

I have 1/4 of the cards cataloged online, but I still need to put them all away before I leave for the show. This, undoubtedly, is going to be the most challenging thing to accomplish over the next 48 odd hours, but I have my eyes on the prize and am hoping it'll all work out.

After all, the last thing I want to do is come home on Sunday, August 4th and have stacks of Baseball cards on the table before I even begin to unpack.

This might not be the greatest timing in the world, but I also decided to start collecting a new wave of players right before I head to Chicago so that I can acquire some of their cards at the show. 

For the most part, this group consists of last year's major rookies. The new PCs include the 4 players above, Rhys Hoskins, and Gleyber Torres, just to name a few. Now that these superstars are no longer in their rookie seasons, it'll be much easier to collect cards of these talented players. 

Last year, you couldn't find an inexpensive Acuna or Ohtani rookie card if you tried, but now that they're in their sophomore seasons, I wouldn't be surprised to find 2019 cards of last year's ROY award winners in the quarter or even dime boxes.

One of my biggest motivations to start collecting cards of the 2018 rookie stars occurred while I was organizing cards from the 2019 Topps Stadium Club set. As you can see, there are 2 cards of Juan Soto; one shows him in the on-deck circle, the other with a bucket of Gatorade about to be dumped on his head.

After placing these 2 cards side-by-side, I learned that the latter of the 2 Soto's is actually an image variation, a fairly rare pull out of Stadium Club and something that I didn't even notice at first glance. 

One this happened, I became motivated to not only collect cards of Soto but many of the other talented rookies from last year. The 2018 rookie class will likely go down in MLB history, so it would be foolish of me to ignore the cards of these players that I already have and not collect cards of guys like Rhys Hoskins and Ozzie Albies.

However, my new wave of player collections isn't limited solely to rookies from the 2018 season. There are a handful of veterans, some of whom have been around for a while now, that I've decided to begin collecting along with some members of last year's rookie class.

In addition to Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez, I'm going to start PCs for Javier Baez and Alex Bregman before I head off to The National. The latter 2 players had sensational breakout seasons in 2018, and it looks like they're carrying that momentum into this season as well

Barring any injury, I'm also going to see Javier Baez play in person for the first time in 3 years. He's greatly improved since I visited Wrigley back in July of 2016, and I'm truly excited to see him take the field and showcase his growth.

Not all the things that need finalizing have to do with new player collections. Rather, the next and (hopefully) final thing left to do is to figure out exactly how much 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter my Dad and I are going to purchase at this show.

Admittedly, I caved and purchased a little more A&G to have a stronger sampling of the product before making any major decisions. I must say that Topps has done a phenomenal job, once again, with the set. 

Though I was skeptical of the card backs at first, they are very effective, though they are slightly repetitive. The full-bleed photos are something that we haven't really seen before, and the checklist is filled with retired players, including guys like Phil Niekro and Tony Oliva.

The minis look fabulous this year, whether we're talking about the A&G backs, black-bordered minis, or some of the inserts like New to the Zoo and Lost Languages. The set stays true to the Allen & Ginter brand, and that's something that people who cherish this set, like me, can appreciate.

The sole question left is how much A&G, as well as Topps Chrome, my Dad and I would like to purchase at the show. Hopefully, we can sort this out along with all the other things included in this post.

 I realize that it's going to be a slightly hectic few days, but I'm beyond excited for the show.

My First Look at 2019 A&G

As Topps has increased the number of products that they release each year, I realize that I have a slight problem when it comes to these new releases. I often get super attached to these sets when they come out and buy a lot of cards, only to move onto the next set a month or so later.

No matter the product, it seems like a given set captivates my interest for a short time before I turn my attention to another new and exciting set. This cycle was apparent throughout 2017 and 2018, and it's something I'm trying to avoid in 2019.

At this point, I've acknowledged my favorite Baseball card releases as well as the ones that I'd like to avoid. Now, all that's left to do is follow through and purchase packs from sets that I love rather than the brand new set that I'm not going to be collecting a month from now.

In no particular order, my 5 favorite Baseball card sets include Topps Heritage, Bowman's Best, Topps Chrome, Panini Chronicles, and Topps Allen & Ginter which was just released on July 17th.

Each and every one of those products has an extensive range of base cards, inserts, and parallels as well as the possibility to deliver incredible value. Those 2 traits are, in my opinion, essential to any stellar release. 

Last year, I was fortunate enough to open 2 of these fabulous products (A&G and Chrome) at The National, something I'd like to do again in 2019. Even though I'm not as fond of the Allen & Ginter set design this time around, the oddball inserts, in particular, make this set a standout year after year.

Although I'm leaving for Chicago next Tuesday, I wanted to see this year's A&G cards in person so that I can decide whether I want to buy more of this set at The National or not. 

I wasn't a huge fan of the base set when I saw the cards online, so we'll see if anything changes following this hobby pack break.

#8 Reggie Jackson

While the color splashes in the background have become synonymous with the Allen & Ginter set, I'll admit that I like this year's design way more than I originally thought I would. If nothing else, the traditional background works for Reggie Jackson's card.

It's going to take some getting used to, but I was pleasantly surprised with how fond I am of this year's design. 2017 and 2018 were both terrific as far as the base set was concerned, so I'll have to open a little more 2019 A&G to formulate an opinion.

Plus, I'm ecstatic that Topps chose to feature Mr. October as a member of the California Angels instead of the teams that we always see him on (Oakland and New York).

#208 Dawel Lugo mini

From the breaks that I've seen of 2019 Allen & Ginter, the minis are often the 2nd card in the pack, something I don't believe we've seen before. Not that it's a big deal or anything, but we've grown used to finding them in the middle along with an insert or hit.

Per usual, you get 1 mini per pack of Allen & Ginter, and mine happens to be Dawel Lugo of the Detroit Tigers. At this point, my only major complaint about the set design is that it doesn't say the player's position on the front or even the back of the card.

I keep up with Baseball, but only to a certain extent. If Topps doesn't tell me what Dawel Lugo's position is, who knows when I'll actually find out?

#105 Todd Helton

I know that some collectors don't enjoy seeing recently-retired players appear in sets like A&G and Stadium Club, but I don't have a problem with Todd Helton making the checklist. In fact, I'm elated to see Mr. Rockie get some love from Topps.

I'm using Helton's card to point out the card backs, something that's stayed consistent with the Allen & Ginter set throughout the brand's 10+ year history. This time around, they're shaded with a faint yellow to give them more of a vintage feel than we've seen in the past few years.

Come to think of it, the 2019 A&G design is the most authentic reproduction of the original Allen & Ginter cards than we've seen in some time, so I must applaud Topps in that respect.

#186 Wade Boggs

Whether I end up building this set or not, the fact that 3 of the first 4 cards that I pull are players I collect is awesome. Even though he's featured in sets like A&G and Archives almost every year, I never get tired of pulling Wade Boggs cards, even when he's shown as a member of the Yankees.

The closer I look at this year's design, the fonder I'm becoming of the set as a whole. Granted, the base set isn't perfect, and I still prefer the cards from 2018, but Topps did a nice job with A&G, as they always do, in 2019.

#367 Masahiro Tanaka

Don't be fooled, this year's A&G checklist is still 350 cards. For some unknown reason, Topps didn't print any cards from 301-351. Instead, the SPs start at #351 and end at #400. I cannot fathom a reason for doing this, so I'll assume it was completely unintentional.

In addition to being downright weird, this card numbering affects collectors like Night Owl who are trying to build A&G mini frankensets. Although I haven't tracked down minis in a while, I'm also building one of these, and Topps' poor numbering is going to limit my ability to expand the frankenset this year.

#BSS-4 Baseball Star Signs Mookie Betts

I couldn't ask for much more than 3 base cards of players I collect, an SP, and a Mookie Betts insert through the first 6 cards of my initial pack of 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter. The craziness of this product even finds its way into the Baseball inserts, because what other product has Baseball players' astrological signs?

Like myself, Mookie Betts is a Libra and the back of the card talks about how Libra's love trying new things. Clearly, this attitude worked for Betts in 2018, by far the best season of his young career.

Apparently, these are also available as box toppers, and I'm dying to see what those would look like.

#284 Roy Halladay

This was a very bittersweet card to pull, especially in light of Halladay's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday along with his wife Brandy's emotional speech. 

Rightfully so, Doc doesn't have a logo on his HOF cap. It wouldn't be right to choose between the 2 teams, Blue Jays and Phillies, that he played for and that he had a tremendous impact on. I'm just glad that he earned his well-deserved spot in Cooperstown.

RIP Doc

#204 Cionel Perez

The last card of the pack may not be as stellar as the ones that came before it, but all 8 cards helped establish Allen & Ginter as an incredible product once again in 2019. It would be foolish of me to deny myself the opportunity to purchase more A&G when I arrive at The National.

It's far from a perfect set, but there's so much to like about Allen & Ginter no matter what you collect. Whether you want dogs, planes, or just regular Baseball cards, A&G has something for everyone.