Series 1 + A Little Extra Card Show Recap #27

I realize that I've yet to share my highlights from the 2 blaster boxes of 2020 Topps Series 1 that I ripped last week aside from overviewing my first pack of the year.

Rest assured, I'll get to Series 1 as soon as I can, but I purchased my 3rd and likely final blaster box at the card show on Sunday, so I'm currently debating how I want to go about recapping the cards that I pulled.

Speaking of Sunday's show, I decided to attend for a variety of reasons, the first being to talk to dealers and other attendees about the Mookie Betts trade which, as of yesterday, was revised and completed.

I also wanted to check out what 2020 Topps Series 1 is like at a much larger scale which I was able to do by looking at all the different inserts and hits, though the vendor had already sold a reasonable number of his cards.

Lastly, as long as I was there, I figured that I'd pick up a few singles, some of which are from Series 1, others are not. This type of card show recap post lines up with how I've been collecting over the past few months: retail/some hobby boxes along with smaller purchases at the card show.

One of the most exciting things about the new card collecting season is that the big-name rookies from last year's products, most notably, for me anyway, being Fernando Tatis Jr, are now veterans, meaning their cards are less expensive.

Some dealers are still charging more for these guys' cards because of their All-Star rookie status, but that'll only continue on for so much longer. As soon as the new rookie class begins playing come March and April, the price point for Tatis Jr and other 2nd-year players' cards will be even fairer.

Finding cards for my Boston Red Sox PCs, particularly those of active players, has become a routine part of virtually all of my trips to the baseball card show, and last Sunday's was no exception. 

Even though I only picked out 2 cards, I believe it's crucial to continue adding cards, especially inserts and parallels, to the player collections of guys like Betts, Bogaerts, Devers, and Benintendi.

Both of the cards above are non-numbered base refractors, one from '19 Chrome and the other from '17 Best. Despite the heart-shattering trade that sent Mookie and Price to LA, I'll never stop buying Betts' cards, even if he doesn't come back to Boston this offseason.

From all the box breaks and recap posts from 2020 Series 1 that I've seen on YouTube and Twitter, the 1985 relics stood out to me as affordable yet, at the same time, spectacular cards. The dealer at the show had 2 of them left from his hobby case, one Kris Bryant base and a Manny Machado #/199.

The cards were the same price, but clearly, Bryant was the obvious choice for me. Even though I haven't had a problem or much to do with Machado since he left for San Diego, Bryant's still a member of the Chicago Cubs, my 2nd favorite team, though his future with the organization remains unclear.

The reason why I didn't grab both of the '85 Topps relics is that, for the same amount of money, I went for this Eduardo Rodriguez on-card autograph from 2013 Bowman Sterling instead.

While injuries plagued Chris Sale, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi throughout the 2019 season, E-Rod emerged as the ace of the Boston staff. The 26-year old finished 6th in the AL Cy Young Award voting with an ERA of 3.81 and 213 strikeouts.

So now, I have 3 blasters of 2020 Topps Series 1, all of which treated me well, to recap. I'll likely turn them into a 2-parter during which I overview my thoughts on the set and, of course, get to my top pulls.

After that, it's only a couple of weeks before Heritage is released, then Gypsy Queen, and before we know it, it'll be opening day for all 30 teams, and the Red Sox will take the field without Mookie Betts.

I don't know if I'm going to be okay when that happens. 

Optic Opulence: Card Show Recap #26 Part 2

I've been teasing the 2nd of my card show recap posts from last Sunday's show since, well, last Sunday, but I ultimately decided that the end-of-year posts, like set rankings and analyzing my card collecting goals, would take priority.

Now, several days later, I'm ready to finish up my card show recap posts and before getting right into 2020 by setting roughly 7 card collecting objectives for the new year.

Although it may be January 3rd, think of today's post as a transition between 2019 and 2020, and what better way to do it than by showing the highlights from some packs that I brought back from Sunday's trip.

As you can tell by the title, the post is centered around Panini Donruss Optic, 2018 to be exact. I did not, however, buy a hobby box of this stuff. Rather, it's a retail box of 12 rack packs, each containing 16 cards.

You've probably seen one of these online instead of at your local Target/Walmart. Regardless, the price of this retail box was extremely fair, especially given the caliber of the 2018 rookie class, and I thought it would be an enjoyable alternative to the traditional blaster and hobby boxes.

Once I took off the factory seal, moreover, I learned that each 16-card value pack contained 4 purple parallels. As you can imagine, I ended up with a large stack of them that I'll get to towards the end of the post.

The design, as far as non-licensed cards go, isn't too shabby. The set design certainly works a lot better for Optic than it does for standard Panini Donruss. Usually, I'm not overly fond of Panini's card backs, but they did a respectable job with the 2018 Optic set.

Despite the sleek, silver lines that run across the card and the grey banner on the lefthand side, the cards aren't too busy, in my humble opinion. A fair amount is going on, but that's what's supposed to happen when it comes to chrome cards.

Obviously, these cards would be elevated to another level if they had logos, and just because it's a new year, it doesn't mean I'll stop pleading for Panini to get the MLB licensing rights.

Another nice touch is the inclusion of retired players in the base set, and a large number of them to boost. Whether you're looking for 70s stars like Reggie Jackson or 90s Hall of Famers like Barry Larkin, Panini's got you covered with a base set featuring dozens of legends.

I always love to see Tony Gwynn get some love, but the Jackson card is easily my favorite of the group. Despite the blankness of his helmet, the angle is perfect so that you almost can't notice the missing logos. Not to mention, the gold and green look spectacular on chrome card stock.

Inserts ran at approximately 1 per pack and, like the retired players' cards, I ended up with a wide variety. As far as I know, these cards are based on inserts from the initial '18 Donruss release, only they're enhanced with beautiful chrome card stock.

Seeing these in past trips to the dime boxes as well as pulling them from packs has given me an idea of which 2018 Donruss Optic inserts I like the best. The Long Ball Leaders cards are a vibrant, unique take on an ordinary idea, but if I were to choose a favorite, it would be Out of this World.

The Ken Griffey Jr insert from that set, in particular, is magnificent and can be found at the top of this post.

As I mentioned earlier, purple parallels were the rack pack-exclusive in 2018 Donruss Optic, running at 4 per pack. Thus, I ended up with 36 refractors at the end of the break, and despite the absence of logos, I find this shade of purple superior to the one used in Topps Chrome.

There's a purple parallel for every base card in the set, including Diamond Kings, Rated Rookies, All-Stars, and veteran base. As I opened the packs, I was searching mainly for big-name rookies in addition to players I collect.

Here's a closer look at one of the rack pack-exclusive purple parallels which is more of a magenta shade while Topps Chrome is definitely pure purple.

Because Topps Flagship hasn't had borders in years, Chrome refractors have appeared significantly different than how they did in the first half of the 2010s. Panini, however, uses borders in Donruss, so by the time Optic rolls around, the colored parallels look more traditional, and that's another thing I appreciate about their cards.

Optic parallels may not carry as much value as Topps Chrome refractors, but if there's one veteran you'd want to pull above all others, it's Angels superstar Mike Trout. In addition to the purple parallel on the right, I landed a holo refractor of the same card which, to my knowledge, is also an action image variation.

After checking with COMC, I can confirm that neither one of these cards is all that valuable whereas a Topps Chrome base and pink refractor would be worth a little more, but this retail box was also significantly cheaper, so I'm not going to complain.

Both 2018 Donruss and Optic were loaded with variations that were noted with a filled-in Baseball on the back of the card. You can also tell a variation by the front, such as Mickey Mantle's "The Mick" and Clint Frazier's "Red Thunder."

Variations, as a result, were not only prominent among the base cards in the 12 rack packs that I opened, but in regards to the purple parallels as well.

Seriously, imagine trying to explain the words "2018 Panini Donruss Optic Purple Parallel Mickey Mantle "The Mick" Variation" to someone who hasn't collected cards since the 1980s. They'd be absolutely lost, and understandably so.

Like I said before, there's not a whole lot of value with Optic or many unlicensed cards come to think of it, but any type of Ronald Acuna Jr rookie card is pretty sought after, so I was stoked to land a purple parallel of his base rated rookie.

I also ended up with a handful of Albies, Ohtani, and Torres cards, but it just so happens that Acuna Jr is one of the hottest players in the game.

People are expecting him to be a perennial MVP candidate for the next several years, so high value or not, this card will be an excellent addition to that player collection.

Select Singles: Card Show Recap #26

Today's trip to the card show marked the end of the holiday Baseball card purchases for my Dad and me.

First came our annual Bowman's Best hobby box which delivered the greatest hit we've ever pulled. Now, a trip to the local card show to check in with the dealers, pick up some singles and grab a surprise that I'll be saving for tomorrow.

The first purchase that we made actually produced the content for this entire post, but I didn't expect our purchasing of singles to end there. I spent time searching through dime boxes, miscellaneous bins, and wandering the show floor, peeking into display cases.

That being said, however, nothing really caught my eye, so after being at the show for over an hour, we regrouped and made a decision as to how we'd spend the rest of our funds. The result will be the subject of tomorrow's post.

For now, I have 4, yes four select singles that I spent the better part of the show choosing. Though the total number of cards is less than what I typically amass, I chose each one carefully, and I'm very happy with the outcome as well as the price.

As you can see, the first card, shown at the top of this post, is a gorgeous combo card from Topps Gallery, the best one I've seen so far that features both Vladimir Guerrero and Vlad Jr. I've seen a few others online and even have one in my collection, but they can't compare to this masterpiece.

The closer I examine the card, the more little details I pick up, particularly the overarching theme of Canada, given that the teams are the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays.

As if the artwork, specifically that of the uniforms, wasn't fabulous enough, the Canadian flag in the background brings it all together.

If you know about the Chicago Cubs teams from the late 1960s and early 70s then you'll understand why my Dad chose for us to add this '66 Topps rookie stars card of Bill Hands and Randy Hundley to our Cubs PC.

The photos may not be the most flattering, but there's always been a market for rookie cards, something that's been significantly enhanced over the last decade or so.

We wouldn't buy a card like this for just any team but in an effort to build-up our Cubs PC, we were more than willing to part with the $2 that this rookie stars card cost.

As far as Topps Flagship and, additionally, Topps Heritage is concerned, there's nothing better, in my opinion, than a well-executed combo card, and the Padres Power from 2019 Topps Heritage High Number is no exception.

Truth be told, I hadn't seen this card before in my life until I was searching through stacks at the card show today. I'm not the biggest Machado fan, but I have promised to "super" collect Fernando Tatis Jr, my favorite non-Red Sox or Cubs player in the game.

Once 2020 comes along, he'll no longer be considered a rookie, and the prices of Tatis Jr cards will be significantly lower than they've been this year.

However, if I'm going to pay for a Tatis Jr rookie card, at least I can find them for affordable prices at the card show, not to mention how lucky I am that they're available in the first place.

I was shut out when it came to Tatis Jr cards in the box of 2019 Bowman's Best that I opened, so I went into today's card show looking for a base card and possibly a refractor. While I didn't find the former of the 2, I found a gorgeous refractor that the scanner, per usual, did not do justice to.

If Topps isn't going to bless me with Tatis cards right out of the pack, at least I have the card show to help me out.

Unfamiliar Territory; Card Show Recap #25

I take pride in having a reasonable understanding of Baseball and cards, particularly the 1960s-70s and the 2010s. It helps when I want to include bits of information on my frankenset page posts or when I'm updating my online player collection inventories following a trip to the card show.

Being able to write a few sentences about Dave Parker off the top of my head or identify some crazy Panini Prizm parallel helps me out big time, but really, the more cards/information I come across, the better equipped I am for when the next stack of dime cards needs to be categorized.

That being said, there's always been one period in Baseball history that's challenged my ability to identify cards and list facts about players. I'm referring to an era chock full of various brands, products, and parallels as well as high print runs and, to make things more confusing, dates printed on the back of the cards that don't match the year the set was released (I'm looking at you, Upper Deck).

The mid-1990s through the end of the decade (~1995-1999) perplexes me to this day. There's just so much inventory that I haven't yet familiarized myself with like I have for virtually all other decades in Baseball card history.

Alas, when updating my player collection inventories, I have to search for most mid-90s cards on COMC to ensure that I'm adding the correct one to the spreadsheet.

I suppose, nonetheless, that continuously buying and adding cards from '95-'99 to my collection will only help me gain more knowledge about this period in Baseball history. This plan, unintentionally so, went into effect when I visited my local Baseball card show earlier today.

Before I get to the glorious cards from the 90s, there was a small portion of pickups from today's post of cards that didn't hail from the last century.

As is always the case when I'm at the card show, I kept my eyes peeled for Red Sox singles so that I can continue adding to and building up my coalition of Red Sox cards, meaning both my player collections and the actual PC.

The 4 cards above, come to think of it, are all from 2019, and most of them will be going to their respective player collections. The only exception is the Wade Boggs card which will go towards my 2019 Panini Prizm project.

In addition to new Red Sox cards and 2019 Panini Prizm project additions, I'm always on the lookout for new Craig Kimbrel cards to add to the closest thing I have to a "super collection."

If someone were to ask me for my top 3 focuses as a collector, I'd list the 3 things above, though I'd have to rank my individual player collections above all.

Anyways, I came across a new Kimbrel card while searching through a bin of cards priced 3/$1. One of the easiest decisions I made all day, I added the card to my stack and went on with my time at the show.

I suppose you could include the first couple years of the 2000s (2000-2002) alongside the mid-to-late 1990s in terms of periods in Baseball history that I'm not overly familiar with. Honestly. with all the different brands, sets, inserts, and parallels out there, can you really blame me?

I will, however, stand by my thoughts that the 2000s, leading up to the end of Donruss and Fleer's respective runs as Baseball card manufacturers, was one of the golden ages of card collecting. Even if Panini gets the MLB license, I doubt we'll see as wide of a selection of sets as we did in the early 2000s.

It was that period, for better or for worse, that delivered some picturesque set designs and creative inserts, just like the 2 cards above.

Moreover, stars who debuted in the early 1990s and lasted through the mid-2000s are the recipients of some of the most cards produced of any single player, primarily because they played at a time where there were numerous brands, each of which was striving to produce the best possible cards.

What I got, as a result, was an extensive range of Ivan Rodriguez cards, for example. This sheer variety is what allows for so many of my player collections to reach gold and even platinum tier status. The wide selection and availability of some players' cards are simply unparalleled.

At the end of the day, Baseball cards from this era, more so than most others except for the 2010s, will be viewed with mixed opinions depending on what each collector likes and looks for in a card.

Those who love inserts and parallels as much as I do will be fond of the mid-1990s while those who prefer traditional cards might not be so inclined to pick out either of the 2 Topps Tek cards above.

At the end of the day, these cards have their ups and downs just like all others, but something intrigues me about the unfamiliarity that makes me want to come back for more.

I know that I haven't discovered everything that this period has to offer, and that's both exciting and slightly scary at the same time.

First Dime Box Haul in a While; Card Show Recap #23 Part 2

Despite how much I prioritize my ~250 player collections as the center point of my card collecting habits, it's been many months since I've come back from the card show with a dime box haul.

Though they used to be a common feature on the blog, my card collecting habits over the last several months simply haven't allowed for a proper all-dime card purchase. I took many weeks off leading up to and following the National, and I didn't make the dime bins a priority while I was in Chicago.

I know I have access to terrific dime boxes at my local shows, so I wanted to branch out at the NSCC. Even upon returning, however, I found it challenging to return to my old ways. Thankfully, a trip to my weekly card show, much smaller than the one in Mansfield, allowed for just that.

After all, it's hard to beat coming home with a bag full of dime cards following a card show, just waiting to be sorted, categorized, and properly stored.

Within a few minutes of scanning through the dime boxes, I always get a reasonable idea of what player, on this particular day, is going to appear frequently. Almost right off the bat, while searching through the bins on Sunday, I concluded that one of those players was Ken Griffey Jr.

The 13-time All-Star currently trails Greg Maddux by 8 cards for the #2 spot on my list of largest player collections, and these cards will definitely help to close that gap. I did, however, pick up a few Maddux cards, so we'll have to see where the chips fall, though I doubt anyone will ever catch Nolan Ryan (474).

I don't know when or if I'll ever bite the bullet and add the iconic 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr card to my collection. I know that I either want the card to be graded or in good enough condition to come back at an 8.5 or above.

With that being said, my collection, per usual, is all over the place, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to commit myself to add this prized piece to my collection.

Following my complete reorganization of the Red Sox and Cubs PCs over the summer, I'm now able to actively collect cards of my 2 favorite teams besides my player collections.

I don't have a PC for Heyward, nor Ty Buttrey, but these refractors were only a dime each, and I figured they'd be perfect for the PCs. The way I organized the various binders allows me to find any card I want fairly quickly. The next step? Categorize them all online.

Another of my projects from over the summer was the creation of new player collections to add to my already extensive list. Most of the newcomers are rookies from 2018, like Ozzie Albies and Rhys Hoskins, though it also includes superstars like Alex Bregman, Freddie Freeman, and Javier Baez.

Though I haven't made these new player collections official yet, I'm working to accumulate as many cards as I can just like any other PC. For a dime each, these 2 rookies are a heck of a deal.

Though I try to sample almost every available retail product as it's released, I still miss out on the majority of player collection cards. As a result, I frequently depend on the dime bins so I can hunt these cards down, whether it's a set that I buy a fair amount of (Archives) or a product that I've never opened a pack from (Diamond Kings).

Even though I purchased and opened a fair share of 2019 Topps Stadium Club upon its release, I still missed out on a few key cards for my player collections. Before the show, I wasn't familiar with Rivera nor Bank's card from this beautiful set.

I can sufficiently say that if I had known of the Banks card back when I first opened 2019 Stadium Club in June, it would've been strongly considered for the top 10.

As I mentioned, some players are simply more common than others when it comes to a given dime box haul, and this trip to the show was no different. In addition to Ken Griffey Jr, Padres legend Tony Gwynn showed up several times.

I haven't been collecting cards of the 15-time All-Star for all that long, but Gwynn seems to show up in dime boxes no matter where I go. I've only been collecting his cards for a few months, but he's already surpassed 30, not bad considering my hiatus from dime cards.

There's something so drastically different about each of these Roberto Clemente cards that makes me like them all the more. On one end, you have a classic black and white photo paired with a simple design, reminiscent of a fairly high-end product.

On the other hand, you have a retro-style card all about the 1970s. The design, uniform, and even the set name emulate the era incredibly well.

Oddly enough, these 2 cards were produced by the same company, Upper Deck, in the same year, 2001.

After not making much progress for a little while, I'm back on track to reach 500 cards of Nolan Ryan, my largest player collection, by the end of this year. Taking Sunday's purchase into account, I should be hovering around 480 cards, leaving 20 for the next 3 months.

I hope, obviously, to reach this goal and reach the 500-card mark for the first time, but I hope to get there with something besides Texas Rangers cards. Though the best years of his HOF career were spent in California, Topps loves to depict the all-time strikeout leader with the Rangers at every chance they get.

Even with the surplus of Nolan Ryan cards on the Texas Rangers, it felt great to pay the dime bins a visit again. After all, I don't know if I can go this long without them ever again.

The 2nd Half of Chronicles; Card Show Recap #22 Part 3

The first part of this abrupt 2019 Panini Chronicles hobby box purchase went on for a little longer than I originally would've liked, so I figured I'd jump right back into it and pick up where I left off.

I opened 3 of the 6 packs in the first of these 2 posts and pulled my relic card and 1 of the 3 autographs. I'm also guaranteed (on average) 1 more Spectra card in these next 3 packs as well.

The first card in pack #4 is the Ascension rookie of Michael Chavis, showcased at the top of this post. Now, let's see what the final 23 cards deliver. Keep in mind, I'll be continuing my RC count as we go (Chavis brings it up to 14).

Pack #4

#24 Ronald Acuña Jr Chronicles

Acuña is undoubtedly one of the most talented young players in the game, but the hype surrounding the 21-year old is getting slightly out of hand if you ask me. His HR-RBI ratios aren't too great, and he currently leads all of MLB in strikeouts.

Don't get me wrong, his accomplishments are phenomenal, particularly for someone of his age. However, he needs to learn how to hit all these home runs while keeping his RBI total respectable in comparison.

#5 Kyle Tucker Rookies & Stars (RC Count; 15)

#AP-KA Kolby Allard America's Pastime Autographs (RC Count; 16)

When it comes to hits in Panini Chronicles, as I mentioned when I pulled my first autograph, the odds of walking away with something huge are not in your favor. The variety of hits is still incredible, but I've never ended up with a top tier rookie, this card included.

Part of the thrill of buying this product, however, is coming across all these designs that normally wouldn't be stand-alone baseball sets. Kolby Allard isn't an ideal name, but the signature is on-card, and the glossy finish gives it more appeal.

#14 Nick Senzel Crusade Red Wave Parallel (RC Count; 17)

I spoke highly of the Crusade cards during the first half of this box, but I had no clue the parallels would elevate this insert set to another level. Virtually everything about this card, from Senzel's uniform to the design and, of course, the parallel color is bold red, and the card is beautifully done.

Parallels/refractors that match the team's colors have always been something I've appreciated when it comes to cards, and Panini accomplished just that with this Crusade card and, hopefully, others as well.

#2 Nick Senzel Obsidian (RC Count; 18)

While the Crusade cards, especially the parallels, make use of vibrant colors, the Obsidian set drastically differs. By Chronicles' standards, the cards are on the simple side, but I'm significantly drawn to them because of how few black-bordered cards exist nowadays.

#6 Yadier Molina Certified

#32 Cole Tucker Status (RC Count; 19)

I've already established Obsidian, Crusade, and Spectra as my favorite products in this year's Chronicles, but the colorful design and intricate patterns on the Status cards may force me to include that set on the list as well.

Pack #5

#11 Aaron Judge Chronicles

#256 Vladimir Guerrero Jr Donruss (RC Count; 20)

The inclusion of Panini Donruss in this set without a doubt creates some confusion. I assume the numbering is meant to pick up where the original set left off. Thus, it stands to reason why my first Vlad Jr rookie of the box is a much higher number than all the others.

#7 Chris Paddack Limited (RC Count; 21)

I recognize the name Chris Paddack as a member of the 2019 NL All-Star team. I don't recall where this guy came from, but I do know that I don't need to be pulling this many cards of his from a 48-card box.

#AP-BK Brad Keller America's Pastime Autographs (RC Count; 22)

Well, that box was certainly a letdown as far as the 3 autographs were concerned. I realize they can't all be winners, but I was hoping for one nice hit to make this box a worthwhile purchase, not that it still can't be that.

More significant than the disappointment in pulling this Brad Keller autograph was the shock of landing 2 hits from the same semi-rare insert set. With the scores of different autograph sets, I sure wasn't expecting 2 cards, numbered out of 99, from America's Pastime.

#24 Vladimir Guerrero Jr Titan (RC Count; 23)

The hits may not have gone as well as I would've liked, but I went from having zero Vlad rookies to 2 after opening this 1 pack. Being that it's a brand new Panini product, this is the first look collectors are getting at Titan and the beautiful backgrounds that come with it.

#20 Brandon Lowe Crusade (RC Count; 24)

#18 Joey Votto Status

#23 Kris Bryant Status Green Parallel

I'm not crazy about how the green parallels look within the Certified set, but they're a much better fit when it comes to the Status cards.

Pack #6

#13 Eloy Jimenez Classics (RC Count; 25)

The final pack has only just begun, yet already, over half the cards in the box, hits included, are rookie cards. That surely speaks volume about the type of set that Chronicles is.

If they're going to flood each insert checklist with rookies, at least the big 4 (Tatis, Vlad Jr, Eloy, and Alonso) have made numerous appearances.

#13 Griffin Canning Playoff (RC Count; 26)

#4 Michael Kopech Playoff Gold Parallel (RC Count; 27)

Whether I'm opening Topps Finest, NSCC exclusive packs, and now, Panini Chronicles, Michael Kopech's cards have consistently shown up, especially numbered cards like the one above.

The 23-year old has been plagued with injuries throughout his rookie season, so my best bet is just to hold onto these cards and get an idea as to what type of player he is once next year comes along.

#4 Cavan Biggio Spectra Neon Blue Parallel (RC Count; 28)

The combination of Biggio's blue jersey with the gorgeous neon blue Spectra parallel has created one of my favorite cards of the entire box. It's a challenge just to keep my eyes off of this thing, both in-person and when scanned.

Better yet, Biggio is an up and coming rookie, part of a promising trio in Toronto with Vlad Jr and Bo Bichette. Like the Kopech cards, I'll keep ahold of this Biggio parallel and see what he can do come 2020.

#1 Pete Alonso Crusade Holo Parallel (RC Count; 29)

The holo parallels are never serial numbered but anything that has to do with Pete Alonso is going for a high price at the moment, particularly a rookie parallel.

I was fortunate enough to pull a solid number of the highly-desired rookies' cards from these 6 packs, this Alonso parallel being the best of the group. The scanner doesn't do it justice, for in-hand, it's more like a Topps Chrome refractor.

#12 Jeff McNeil Obsidian (RC Count; 30)

#1 Keston Hiura Status (RC Count; 31)

#27 Christian Stewart Certified (RC Count; 32)

Ending pack #6 as well as the box is Christian Stewart, a Tigers rookie. Given that his team just lost their 100th game of the year, I'm guessing he's not the greatest name from this years' class.

And with that final pull, all 8 cards in my final pack were rookies, bringing the RC count to a grand total of 32/48 cards or 2/3 of the box.

For better or for worse, no other product is quite like Panini Chronicles.