Christmas Came Early

Since 2017, my Dad and I have had a tradition of purchasing a hobby box of Bowman's Best in time for the holidays, mainly because the release is timed perfectly (it's either the Wednesday or Friday before Christmas).

Our first box back in 2017 didn't deliver anything too noteworthy, especially as far as autographs are concerned, but that didn't deter us from continuing the following year. The checklist of the 2018 release was so spectacular that it seemed likely that we'd pull something fabulous.

And we did. First, there was the phenomenal box from Christmas Day, 2018; then, we lucked out again a little while later.

Though the product went up in price between releases, Bowman's Best will forever rank as one of my favorite sets in that it combines everything I like into a cohesive melting pot of chrome glory.

The checklist features both rookies and veterans as well as this year's top prospects. The design is always quite modern and features a range of different parallels.

There are typically 4 quality insert sets, including one that pays homage to a previous Bowman's Best design, and a dynamic autograph checklist to finish things off.

Even though we won't be celebrating Christmas for another week, Bowman's Best was actually released today, 7 days before I was set to open up a box of it and continue the tradition.

For whatever reason, my Dad wanted to get a box on release day as an early Christmas gift, so he got to the card shop as they opened today and saw the owner open the case before his very eyes; then, he chose the box and just like that, we had a hobby box of one of my all-time favorite products.

Similar to 2018, the designs differ slightly from veterans/rookies to prospects, but the main idea remains consistent. The cards are ultra-modern, just as they've been in the past, with the prospects having more of an intricate design compared to the "splatter paint-esque" style of the vets/rookies.

Because of how similar the 2 variations are, it's hard to pick a clear-cut favorite, but I happen to like the extra splash of color on the Ohtani card over the more futuristic details on Franco's.

Each 5-card pack guarantees one base refractor, a card that looks much more stunning in-person than scanned and shown on a computer.

Because of how common they are, you end up with a wide variety of non-numbered refractors, 12 to be exact, when all is said and done, including a healthy mix of prospects, rookies, and veterans.

As far as the latter of the 3 is concerned, I can't complain about ending up with not 1 but 2 Red Sox stars. Mookie Betts, who's coming off another impressive season and is now entering a period of uncertainty regarding his future, and Xander Bogaerts, who seems to just keep on improving year after year.

From a value standpoint, however, the best of the refractors would likely be the Pete Alonso rookie shown above. I have no idea what the value is for these cards, though being 1 per pack probably ensures that it's nothing too crazy.

With that being said, I'm growing increasingly fond of the set design and while I prefer Tatis Jr in the long run, there's no denying that Pete Alonso is an incredibly special player. I just wish my scanner did these cards more justice.

As I mentioned, there's a small handful of insert sets featured in Bowman's Best each year, and my hobby box gave me a sampling of all of them.

Though I liked seeing Power Producers (right) return for the 2nd consecutive year, I took particular interest in the Future Foundations die-cuts shown on the left.

I'm not sure if Topps' goal was to have the card resemble the building blocks that make up a foundation, but that's what I got from the cards nonetheless.

Neophyte sensations is another returning insert set from 2018 but with more of a modern vibe this time around. If someone hadn't seen these cards before, they'd be very difficult to explain, but I like what Topps has done, nevertheless.

In comparing them with last year's design, I think I'll give the 2019 cards a slight edge only because I think all the minor details come together better than they did beforehand.

My favorite inserts, undeniably, would have to be the 1999 Franchise Favorites recreates in which Topps pays homage to a beautiful insert set design from 20 years ago.

In this version, players from '99 as well as today's active stars and prospects are featured in the checklist. There are also autographed versions that serve as case hits.

The favorable pack odds (1:3 packs) allowed me to end up with 4 of these Franchise Favorites cards by the end of the box break, including Vlad Jr, Joey Bart, and Chipper Jones.

Another benefit of purchasing Bowman's Best is the lower print run when compared with sets like Topps Chrome and maybe even Finest. This production is what allows for there to be at least 1 numbered card per box as well as the guaranteed atomic refractor.

Forrest Whitley isn't a guy I know a lot about, but the same certainly cannot be said about Kris Bryant. His stock may not be as high as it was 2-3 years ago, but he'd still be one of my first choices along with other Red Sox and Cubs players.

Atomic inserts fall at approximately 5 per 8-box case, so the odd's are in your favor to end up with one of them in an individual box. Luckily for me, that ended up happening, and towards the middle of the break, this gorgeous Ken Griffey Jr insert was mine.

I don't think this card would've been the same if they'd shown Griffey Jr on the Reds instead of the Mariners. There's something about the Seattle jersey with the atomic refractor design that simply cannot be matched by any other card product.

That's what makes Bowman's Best such a special product for me. No other set delivers such beautiful and creative cards, not to mention reasonable odds of pulling them, as far as Topps is concerned.

I can't believe I've gone on this long without even getting to the autographs yet, so I promise I'll wrap up the post fairly quickly. Because of the fact that you get 4 autos per box, not every one of them is going to be a star player. I've learned that from my previous few years of Bowman's Best.

Furthermore, 3/4 of the guys are usually prospects, so the best you can hope for without being unreasonable is position players that could potentially blossom into the next big thing. Who knows? That could happen with Greg Jones and/or Owen Miller.

There's usually some sort of base (non-numbered) refractor auto as well, though the scanner has once again caused the card to resemble a superfractor more so than a refractor parallel.

As I mentioned, a box of Best guarantees 4 autographs, meaning I have 1 left to show off. Throughout this post, I haven't alluded to any kind of massive pull; rather, I've spent my time addressing a product that I absolutely adore.

However, it's worth mentioning now that the following card is, undoubtedly, the greatest pull of my entire life.

I pulled this card roughly 5 hours ago, shaking as I placed it into a penny sleeve and top loader. Even now, it still seems totally surreal; I truly cannot fathom that this actually happened. I cannot believe that I have a Mike Trout autograph in my collection.

And not just any Mike Trout autograph, an atomic refractor, numbered 8/25 and something that you can't get out of any other Topps product.

Though he's on the autograph checklist every year, I always thought the Trout autos would only end up in the hands of lucky collectors on Twitter and case breakers.

Well, I guess I'm one of those lucky Twitter collectors now, and after a year of "meh" pulls from hobby boxes, this Trout auto truly makes it all worth it.

Yeah, I'm still kind of in shock, so I don't have a whole lot to say, but I do intend to get this card graded ASAP. When it comes to a card of this magnitude, it's only right to have it permanently protected.

And as if my past pulls hadn't given me enough of a reason to love Bowman's Best, this Trout autograph did the job a million times over.

Red Sox PC Pickups; Card Show Recap #20 Part #3

Every once in a while, I think about how fortunate I am to be a fan of the Boston Red Sox while also living in Massachusetts. 

Not only am I frequently surrounded by fellow Red Sox fans, but it's incredibly easy to purchase Red Sox cards and memorabilia when I go to Baseball card shops and shows, something that not every team collector gets to experience.

In particular, every Baseball card show that I often attend, no matter how big or small, features dealers who specifically designate certain sections of their table for Red Sox cards only. Whether it's a small stack or an entire bin, I never have much trouble finding Sox cards for my player and team collections.

Obviously, this has paid dividends over the years, for I have more Red Sox cards than that of any other team by a substantial total. Furthermore, some of my largest PCs (Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz), are Red Sox players, and I've been steadily adding to my team collection for months now. 

I don't typically set goals for myself before attending a Baseball card show, but I keep a few things in mind that I'd like to check out. Usually, I try to make a Red Sox-centric purchase in which I purchase primarily Red Sox cards from a certain dealer.

Judging by the title of this post, it's clear that I fulfilled this goal during my trip to the Shriner's show last Sunday. While I would rate the entire show as a definite success, I was pleased to make a purchase that consisted solely of Red Sox cards, especially after their 3-game sweep of the Oakland A's following their 7-3 victory earlier today.

Another one of my largest player collections, Pedro Martinez achieved gold tier status years before I created the tier system towards the end of last year. His player collection currently sits at 198 total cards, the 8th largest PC in my collection.

At the time in which I'm writing this post, I haven't updated my player collection inventory to include the cards from Sunday's show. This means that the 4 cards shown above took Pedro over the 200-card mark, making him the 8th member of the platinum tier.

All the cards except for 1 come from a time when Pedro was playing in the major leagues. By contrast, the 2019 Diamond Kings card in the top left corner is from a very recent release, honoring the 2002 Donruss DK product.

Speaking of 2019 Diamond Kings, Panini is paying tribute to a surplus of past products with this year's set, and I'm quite satisfied to find that multiple Red Sox players are included. Basically, most of the insert sets in this year's product pay homage to a past design, featuring today's stars as well as Baseball legends.

One of my favorite Baseball card products ever produced, Panini recreated the 2003 Topps 205 card with an insert set that features Mookie Betts along with some other guys I collect whose inserts I also purchased on Sunday.

On the other hand, the Ted Williams card mimics the Hall of Fame Heroes mini set that was produced during the 1980s. It would be interesting to compare today's checklist to the one from 35 years ago, for there would definitely be some new players included in the set.

I was pretty disappointed to hear that the Cleveland Indians designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment so early on in the 2019 season. While he may have driven in their first home run of the year with a moonshot against the Twins, he did little to impress following that moment.

I've always been a huge fan of Hanley Ramirez, especially during his sensational 2016 season with the Red Sox. With that being said, being DFA'd by the Indians likely makes this the end of the road for the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year.

Understandably so, neither one of these Hanley Ramirez cards, even the 2017 Topps Bunt parallel, numbered 34/99, were too expensive. I've always been a huge fan of Hanley Ramirez, and his impending retirement gives me zero reasons to stop collecting cards of a player who has achieved gold tier status as far as my PCs are concerned.

I probably paid a little too much money for these 2 refractors of Andrew Benintendi from 2018 Topps Chrome, but I feel like it's justified following his stellar 2018 season in which he hit .290 with 16 homers, 87 RBI, and even 21 stolen bases.

Topps Chrome is also a marquee product, so it makes sense that these 2 cards would cost a little more than your average non-numbered parallel. Moreover, I've never tried to complete a refractor/parallel rainbow before, and, if I ever decide to do so, Andrew Benintendi's 2018 Topps Chrome rainbow could be a relatively inexpensive way to start. 

As I mentioned yesterday, I stumbled upon a 2019 Bowman Chrome card of Michael Chavis that was already in the dime bins just 11 days after the product was initially released. Now, following his incredible start to the 2019 season, I considered it wise to add another couple of Chavis prospect cards to my collection.

Clearly, the highlight here is his 1st Bowman card from 2014 which I believe set me back only $1 or $2. It may not hold as much value as a chrome 1st Bowman card, but this card is certainly nothing to look down upon, especially if Chavis continues to blossom into a superstar slugger. 

Last week, I mentioned how the retail-exclusive green parallel of this very card was one of the best pulls from my 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen rack pack and blaster box break. Thus, when I saw the indigo parallel, numbered to 250 copies, at the show for a very fair price, I made the easy decision of purchasing this stunning card.

The image is truly unlike anything that I've ever seen before on a Baseball card, and I mean that in an amazing way. The card is incredibly unique, and I'm ecstatic that I have 2 different parallels of it. 

Even though the black and white parallels from 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen look awesome, something tells me the full-bleed colors would take away from the beauty of this card.

I doubt that Topps Finest made relic cards like the one above for all that many years, for this is the first time I've ever seen a jersey card from this product. Admittedly, the chrome cardstock and a jersey swatch aren't a traditional pairing, but I'm still a fan of this Derek Lowe relic card, especially since it only cost me $2.

Not only is the design very sleek and modern, especially for the mid-2000s, but it's hard to pass up a relic card, featuring a member of the '04 World Series team, for such a low price. 

With relics on the decline and rookie autographs becoming more desired, it's comforting to have a card like this that takes you back to the height of relic card popularity. 

Speaking of which, this could very well be one of the most beautiful relic cards that I've ever seen before in my life; I was beyond thrilled to add this no-brainer of a card to my collection, especially since it features game-used memorabilia of Red Sox legend, David Ortiz.

If I could select any of Topps' previous products to be revived, it would likely be the 2010 Topps National Chicle set. I purchased the base set from a vendor at the Baseball card show back when it was released, and the cards are downright beautiful.

I'm not a huge fan of the "C" that covers up part of the jersey relic, but everything else about the card works in tangent with the product. There are many different colors that are used, the art looks fantastic, and the blank squares adjacent to the uniform piece are a nice touch.

On the back, the card is serial numbered out of 199 copies, for it features a National Chicle back. Still, I'd choose this card hands-down even if it wasn't numbered. 

I don't have all that many David Ortiz relic cards, so this card could very well be the greatest purchase made throughout Sunday's entire show.

Unbeatable Dime Boxes; Card Show Recap #20 Part #2

While my Dad spent the first hour or so of Sunday's Baseball card show searching for a wide range of different oddball vintage cards, I took more of a safe approach with the first vendor that I visited that day. 

Virtually every time I look through dime bins at the Baseball card show, they're from a particular vendor that I've known for years. Whether it's the local Woburn show, the larger one in Mansfield, or the twice a year Shriner's show, this dealer always shows up, this time with 5 total Baseball card dime bins.

I didn't even finish looking through my 2nd dime box before I met the pecuniary limit that I set for myself before I began searching through the bins. While I could've kept going and doubled or even tripled the number of cards that I purchased, I wanted to save my funds for other aspects of this show.

After wandering around for 10 minutes or so in search of this vendor, I landed at his booth and found myself standing directly in front of the 5 previously mentioned dime boxes that he brought to the final day of this 3-day show. 

Without hesitating, I chose one of the 3 bins, started in the first row, and began shuffling through the cards. The selection wasn't incredibly strong at first, but it continuously improved as I progressed through the various rows and bins.

Even though I've most definitely stumbled upon dime bins in the past that featured an exorbitant number of refractors and chrome cards, I don't believe I've ever seen something this impressive ever before. 

Scattered throughout the rows in 1 of the boxes that I looked through must've been 100 or so refractors from Bowman Chrome, Topps Finest, and Topps Chrome. Out of all those cards, a respectable number of them are players that I collect, making this dime box find one to remember.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that I only had 9 2015 Topps Finest cards in my collection before Sunday's show. It was exciting to acquire so many different cards from a product that I'm unfamiliar with, especially since they can boost a lot of my modern day player collections.

A couple of pitchers whom I still collect; guys whose lives were cut far too short. RIP Yordano Ventura and Jose Fernandez. Man, the black background of that Jose Fernandez card is especially somber.

On a lighter note, the refractor-crazy dime box didn't stop with cards from the 2015 Topps Finest set. In fact, it ended up delivering a surplus of different cards from varying sets and brands. Among these products, there was 2014 Topps Finest, 2012 Bowman Chrome, and 2011 Topps Chrome. 

I've been purchasing dime cards for as long as I can remember, and I don't recall ever seeing a selection of chrome cards quite this strong. There are all sorts of different refractors, brands, sets, and players featured, every one of which is a guy that I collect.

It's truly challenging for me to pick a favorite from this wide range of different refractors. That said, the Evan Longoria x-fractor from 2014 Topps Finest is pretty incredible, the first of those refractors from '14 Finest that I've ever seen.

After the initial refractor craze began to die down, I noticed another trend as I continued to make my way through the dime bins. Now, instead of running into Bowman Chrome, Topps Finest, and Topps Chrome cards everywhere I went, there were oodles of cards from various Bowman products, featuring both veterans and prospects alike.

For starters, there were a bunch of colored parallels from 2012 Bowman Platinum, parallels that I didn't even know existed as a part of this set. Green, gold, and pink were all present, and while none of them are serial numbered, I can't complain given that they cost me only 10 cents apiece.

As I continued to scan through the stacks of cards, I found another group of the same cards in a small stack together. This time, it was a bunch of light blue parallels from 2010 Bowman. They're also serial numbered out of 520 copies, some of the only numbered cards that I picked up from the entire dime box.

As I explained yesterday about Curt Flood, I don't add cards to my Adam Dunn or Tim Lincecum player collections too often, so it's always rewarding to find a card or 2 in order to boost one of those PCs. 

The same goes for quite a few of the players that I collect. Since I don't come across their cards all that often, I'm always very pleased when I can track down some cards to add to those player collections.

Although I've purchased a few value packs of 2019 Bowman so far this year, the last thing I consider myself is a prospect collector. I don't stay up-to-date on how certain top prospects are doing, and I certainly stay away from spending too much money on Bowman products that I'll likely never get my money back from.

With that being said, there's no harm in picking up a few different prospect cards if they're available for the right price. In this case, I grabbed 4 prospect cards of guys who have either already made their MLB debuts (Flaherty and Torres) or top prospects waiting to get called up to the big leagues (Adell and Bichette).

I also picked up a couple of Red Sox prospect cards for my brand new rookie and prospect binder. Moreover, I was quite shocked to find 2019 Bowman cards already in the dime bins. I half-expected some veterans and rookies to be in there, but it was surprising to see the highly-desired chrome prospect cards for only 10 cents each.

Both Michael Chavis and Yoan Moncada have been playing stellar Baseball over the last few weeks, so it makes sense for me to grab these 2 Bowman Chrome cards. 

With Chavis called up, the Red Sox farm system is almost completely depleted, making it even more imperative for the Red Sox to break out of their World Series hangover.

A significant departure from Bowman Chrome prospect cards, cards from a couple different Upper Deck Masterpieces sets was the next as I continued to search through these unbeatable dime boxes. 

One of the many different art sets attempted by card companies throughout the 21st century, Masterpieces encompasses both retired and current players in the checklist. Thankfully, old school uniforms are included as is evident with the Steve Carlton and Willie Stargell cards in the photo above.

Even though all the Baseball card shows near my house take place in the Boston area, that never stops me from finding Red Sox cards in the dime bins. This time, it wasn't just any Red Sox cards, but high-end cards of Boston legends, all of whom played on the 1975 team.

The Fisk and Yaz cards are very sleek looking base cards from 2012 Topps Triple Threads. Even though the Fred Lynn card from '05 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants is nothing to look down upon, my favorite card of the 4 shown above is the Jim Rice bronze parallel from Topps Museum.

Given how fond I am of anything that has to do with the Montreal Expos, I always try to find at least 1 Expos card each and every time I look through dime boxes. This time, I landed, at least, 4 different cards, including 2 guys who I rarely see in Expos uniforms.

Yes, I'm ecstatic to add cards to my Vladimir Guerrero player collection, but Pedro Martinez and Brandon Phillips aren't guys I see too often in Montreal Expos jerseys, especially the latter. 

This makes sense, however, because while Martinez played some of the best seasons of his career with the Expos, Phillips was only there for (I believe) 1 year or so.

Unlike 2019 Bowman, a set that has only been out for around 2 weeks, 2019 Topps was released roughly 3 months ago, so I understand why these insert cards from that product are starting to appear in the dime bins. 

Even so, that doesn't take away from how fantastic these 1984 inserts look. For the 3rd year in a row, Topps took a beloved Flagship set and enhanced it for modern times with a healthy mix of veterans and retired players.

There's no denying that Topps did an incredible job with these cards. Now, let's hope they don't burn us out on yet another 80s set, but something tells me they most definitely will.

Oh, and I also tracked down 2 of the Scratch Off inserts that I need to complete my 2019 Topps Heritage master set. Because I only pulled 1 or 2 of these cards per hobby box of Heritage, I was shocked that these cards ended up in the dime bins.

Yes, they don't feature rookie players or Mike Trout-caliber veterans, but these cards are pretty tough pulls out of 2019 Topps Heritage. With that being said, I'm, in no way, complaining. Finding these cards simply capped off a nearly unbeatable search through the dime boxes.

Perks of Joining the Team Collectors

For years now, I've struggled to find a balance between Red Sox team collecting and my Red Sox player collections. I've accumulated impressive PC totals of multiple Red Sox players that I collect, but I haven't done much when it comes to everything else that's out there for Sox cards.

When I purchase Red Sox cards at the show, they usually consist of the usual player collections like Wade Boggs, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia. While I'm constantly building up my Boston Red Sox player collections in addition to all the others, I still have tons of miscellaneous Red Sox cards that can't go unnoticed.

Even though I've struggled to find a way to properly organize them (other team collectors, please give me some advice), I've always considered myself a Red Sox team collector. All I've needed is some easy way to acquire new Red Sox cards in addition to my various player collections, and I'm pleased to say that I've found the perfect way to do it.

Recently, I joined The Team Collectors, a group of collectors dedicated to boosting the team collections of fans of every MLB team. When I saw they had an opening for a Tier II Red Sox collector, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. If you have any questions, I highly 

I knew that this was the perfect way to start adding to my Red Sox team collection. What I didn't know was the sheer variety of cards that I'd get in return for sending out a few team bags of cards from other teams.

I've always seen the appeal of both vintage and modern cards, leading me to ask for both types of cards with my first Team Collectors order. 

Since I'm a Tier II collector, I receive all my Red Sox cards from the Tier I Red Sox collector, who made certain to include some nice new vintage Sox cards, including a '67 Lee Stange from the Impossible Dream team.

From the Impossible Dream to 2018, all sorts of different years, players, brands, and products were represented throughout this 100+ card order. It included a nice variety of cards from 2018, including my first card of prospect Michael Chavis as well as a few cards from members of the 2018 World Series team.

David Ortiz and Andrew Benintendi were a couple of names that evaded me when I opened my blaster box of 2018 Topps Fire. With the help of the Team Collectors, I'm able to make additions to 2 of my Red Sox PCs with some awesome and colorful cards from the Target-exclusive set.

I personally love almost all shiny cards and refractors, so I made a small request for some chrome stock cards and refractors if there were any available. Needless to say, I was not disappointed whatsoever. I instantly took notice of the variety of different sets, even as far as chrome cards go. Speaking of which, that Juan Marichal card has to be one of my favorite cards of the entire package without a shadow of a doubt.

Numbered cards were also common in this generous package of Red Sox treasures. A Dustin Pedroia from 2015 Panini Donruss (#/400) and a Will Middlebrooks orange refractor from 2013 Topps Finest (#/99) are 2 of the standouts as far as numbered cards go. 

In fact, the Middlebrooks card is exactly why I'm so fond of colored refractors, particularly in Topps Chrome and Finest.

The inclusion of several different oddball cards was a bonus on top of everything that I asked for, and I'm not complaining in any way. 

It's hard to pick a favorite out of these 4 crazy cards. The High Voltage Nomar, Die-Cut Mo Vaughn, and an oddly-shaped Action Packed Jose Malave are all standouts. But the best of the group would have to be the Drake's Big Hitters card of Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.

J.J. Nissen may not have had the MLB license when producing these 1989 Collector's Edition set, but that doesn't stop these 2 oddballs of Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks from being some of my favorite cards of the whole package. After all, it's not every day that I get a new card of either Greenwell or Burks.

If they're well-done, minis can be one of the most fun things to collect in the hobby nowadays. I was able to land 2 minis from the generous package of cards to help boost my Red Sox collection. 

Acquiring so many Red Sox cards all at once has inspired me to become a more dedicated team collector. I should come up with some organization method similar to what I do for my player collections as long as I'm making these trades on Team Collectors.

I didn't include any autographs when I sent my package out to be distributed to other collectors, so I was pleasantly surprised to find autos included in my Red Sox-only package. Will Middlebrooks recently retired just a few days ago after a career that included 17 homers for the 2013 World Champion Boston Red Sox. 

I haven't acquired a ton of Red Sox autographs during the time that I've been collecting, so to my knowledge, this is my first auto from a member of their 2013 World Series team.

I made sure to save the best, numbered card for last, a Kevin Youkilis gold refractor from 2010 Bowman Chrome. Numbered 34/50, this card will join the other 40+ cards in my Kevin Youkilis collection, including some other numbered parallels. 

A card numbered to 50 isn't the lowest numbering for a Red Sox card in my collection. That title would go to one of my Xander Bogaerts cards which is out of 25 copies.

I'm very limited in my collection when it comes to cards from 1952-1956, having only a handful of cards from Topps' first 5 Flagship sets. It's pretty awesome to be sent a new, original card from the 1956 Topps set as one of the many new Red Sox cards in my collection. 

Bolling's card will join a small stack of Red Sox cards from 1954-1956 in my collection. As I've previously mentioned, I have yet to acquire my first 1952 or 1953 Topps card, something I hope to accomplish this year.

But hands-down, the best card from what was an incredibly surprising and generous package of Sox cards was this 2014 Topps High Tek auto of Mike Napoli, signed on-card by yet another member of the 2013 World Series team. 

Not only was this my first ever autograph from the high-end Topps High Tek set, but, along with the Middlebrooks auto, I now have 2 autographs from members of the 2013 World Series team in addition to well over 100 other unique Red Sox cards that I get to add to my collection. 

Not only am I completely thrilled, but it feels awesome to join something like the Team Collectors where, finally, I can give my Red Sox team collection the attention that it deserves.

A (Jumbo) Birthday Card Purchase

It seems like it's become a tradition to open up a hobby box of baseball cards on my birthday, something I don't usually do unless it's around Topps Heritage release time or the holidays. Other than that, I try not to make too many expensive hobby box expenses. Instead, I attempt to stick to retail when I have an itch for fresh wax.

Last year on my birthday, I went for a bit of an older box and opened up a 2014 Topps Gypsy Queen hobby box with my Dad that eventually proved to be quite successful. This year, as hinted in my post on Sunday, I planned on doing the same thing as last year, this time with a jumbo hobby box of 2018 Topps Chrome. 

Though my actual birthday isn't for another couple of days, I figured splurging for the Chrome jumbo box back on Saturday would be better than later this week solely because of the fact that I might not have enough time to go to my LCS any other day.

For those of you who don't know, a Chrome jumbo box consists of 12 packs with 13 cards per pack and guarantees you 5 on-card autographs. Let's see how I did.

Considering most of what one pulls out of a box is going to be base cards, I was glad that I was able to find some, including these 2 rookies, that I need in order to complete my 2018 Topps Chrome base set. With the addition of the J.P. Crawford and Dominic Smith cards, among others, I'm officially down to just 3 remaining cards to complete the base set (Miguel Gomez, Gleyber Torres, and Aaron Altherr).

Due to the jumbo pack format, you also receive 1 refractor card per pack for a grand total of 12 different non-numbered refractors throughout the entire 12-pack box. While I wasn't so lucky as to hit a big name rookie refractor, I did end up pulling a couple nice veteran players like Aaron Judge shown at the top of this post as well as Justin Turner, the Dodgers' heroic 3rd baseman from game 2 and Kyle Schwarber, a player I collect.

Similarly, the non-numbered prism parallels are also relatively common in hobby boxes, falling at 1:2 packs as opposed to the 1-per pack refractors. Though I have never truly liked these refractors and have always thought of them as a way to incorporate more cards into the product, I happened to hit 6 pretty decent players, including an awesome card of Richard Urena and a rookie card of one of the Dodgers' many hot young players, Alex Verdugo.

Negatives are another example of a non-numbered refractor/parallel in Topps Chrome that I could do without, though they do happen to look insanely cool. The silver coloring throughout the card looks far more apparent in-person, and even though I didn't hit a huge name Negative refractor, I happen to find these cards some of the coolest looking cards in the entire Topps Chrome product, and that's definitely saying something.

As for the numbered refractors, I must say I had higher expectations than what I actually pulled. I ended up pulling the same number of numbered refractors out of my regular Topps Chrome hobby box at The National, so I was hoping that a jumbo box would at least deliver 3 numbered refractors, if not 4.

The green Lucas Giolito is numbered to 99 and the purple Raudy Read is numbered to 299. There are definitely better players out there than the 2 I pulled, but at least one of them is a rookie card. 

Even though I didn't end up hitting the best refractor cards, numbered or non-numbered, I'm glad to report that I landed cards that I needed from each of the 4 2018 Topps Chrome insert sets throughout this box. For starters, I was lucky enough to pull 4 cards I needed from the Freshman Flash insert set which is devoted to big-name rookies of this year. Among others, I landed cards of Francisco Mejia and Victor Robles, both of whom are expected to become breakout players within the next few seasons. 

Though the names weren't quite as big as they were in Freshman Flash, pulling the Joe Jimenez and Franklin Barreto Future Stars inserts put me 1 step closer to completing this 20-card insert set geared more towards 2nd or 3rd-year players on the brink of becoming baseball's next wave of stars. I also pulled an Alex Bregman Future Stars insert which happens to be a duplicate but is available for trade if anyone wants it. 

I haven't yet checked the pack odds, but I'm fairly certain the Superstar Sensations inserts are slightly rarer than the rest of the inserts from the set, hence why I only pulled 2 in the entire box. Like the Future Stars cards, one of the Superstar Sensations (Bryce Harper) was a duplicate and is available for trade, but the Francisco Lindor card, on the other hand, was a need for that insert set as well as one of my favorite cards that I've seen from the set thus far.

As for the autographs, I definitely can't say I did too well with those either. Before opening the box, I had only heard of 2 of these guys (Garrett Cooper and Giovanny Gallegos), and barely anything about them. 3 non-numbered pitcher autos, 1 non-numbered hitter auto of a Miami Marlin, and a numbered autograph (005/250) of a Minnesota Twins pitcher aren't exactly ideal given what a 2018 Topps Chrome jumbo box costs. 

With that being said, I can look back to the Topps Chrome autos pulled at The National a couple months ago and almost forget about not pulling any big names here. Even with this massive Topps Chrome purchase for my birthday not panning out how I originally wanted, I could still sell one or both of the autographs from Cleveland and definitely make the money back.

Plus, it was a fun break nevertheless, and if I got upset every time I had a bad hobby box, I don't know what I would possibly do.