The Series 1 Highlights

With Topps Heritage set to come out a week from this Wednesday, the 3 blasters I purchased of 2020 Topps Series 1 will likely be my only sampling of the product unless it's the only thing available at Target a few months from now when I have the itch to open packs.

Last year's Series 1 had virtually no big-name rookies and contained fewer inserts per pack, so I'm pleased with the adjustments that Topps has made to the set.

The addition of the Turkey Red inserts as well as including Alvarez, Bichette, and Lux, among other rookies, in the checklist only gives it a greater appeal.

In my previous post, I touched on a few specific aspects of the product (RC medallions, inserts, etc), I saved my best pulls for this post, one that'll include rookies as well as variations.

As far as the base checklist is concerned, I usually chase cards for my player collections as well as the major rookies, and there were a lot of them in 2020 Series 1.

Jesus Luzardo and Gavin Lux, although unbelievably talented, are players I know very little about. Brendan McKay and Bo Bichette, on the other hand, have been on my radar for a little longer thanks to the Bowman mega boxes as well as Bowman's Best.

The main draw to this year's Series 1, however, is Yordan Alvarez, the Astros' power-hitting phenom with both an RC logo and an All-Star rookie cup on his 2020 Topps Flagship card.

In the first 2 blasters that I opened, both of which were purchased at Target, I landed 2 Alvarez base rookies, as well as the '85, insert at the top of this post.

Whereas I usually don't start collecting a player's cards until their second full season, I think I'll make an exception for Alvarez who hit 27 homers in 313 at-bats last year.

The Juan Soto image variation above breaks the pattern of featuring only rookie cards in this post, but it's just such an interesting pull that I couldn't help but show it off.

Following his World Series victory, Soto's stock is, arguably, higher than it's ever been before. I'm not sure how I feel about Washington Nationals players wearing Montreal Expos jerseys, but I will say that it's a cool thing for Topps to have captured on cardboard.

Plus, the angle complements the jersey and helmet very well, as weird as it may be to see the Nationals' team logo so close to that of the Expos.

The Soto SP may be the most interesting card of the break, but this Aristides Aquino SP, another image variation, carries the most value. Anything with an RC logo can attract some interest, so I might end up selling it on eBay.

Regardless, Aquino is yet another highly-desired rookie from this year's class featured in Series 1. I actually prefer his base rookie with the throwback uniform, but the image variation is definitely my best pull from the 3 blasters.

Aquino hit 19 homers in just 205 at-bats last season, so, like Alvarez, he's a young, power hitter to watch in 2020. If I hold onto this card, I'll definitely watch him a bit more closely. 

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.