Joy of a Completed Set - 2011 Topps Heritage

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

I got home from work today ad saw a thick yellow envelope in my box from Sportlots.  I knew.  My quest to complete 2011 Topps Heritage was complete.  Yes I am missing 5 New Age Performers and all of the gimmicks, but I have every card from 1 to 500, so it is a completed set.  Joy and hallelujah.

What was my final card you ask?

Now I may not be the first to complete it, but I am currently the happiest to complete it.  Now I just have to wait for the High Numbers Series to fully complete this set before the end of the year.

After yesterday's coolest card ever pulled and today's completed Heritage set, I just can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

comments | | Read More...

Sunday's Afternoon Blaster - 2011 Topps Value Pack

Sunday, 24 April 2011

Welcome to this week's Sunday Afternoon Blaster.  This is one of those purchases that I just had to make.  The Topps set I haven't bought this year (other than one blaster), the Heritage is my favorite set in a long time.  The two Diamond Giveaway cards inserted in every box will put me over the first gift threshhold as well.  I think for the money this is one of the better values for cards.  I say this before opening it, I may complain at the end though.  I do have a few specific goals for each set.  With the Topps I need 2 specific non-parallel cards #141 Ubaldo Jimenez base and KC-1 Ubaldo Kimball Champions.  I would also be happy with a parallel Rockie as well. The Heritage, since I have completed the base set, I simply want a SP or insert I need.  I would also be happy with one of the 2 non-SP Rox I need for the team set. 

Card coloration is it's availability

white = I'm keeping it

green = available for trade

red = already claimed/traded



Today's "blaster" is a 2011 Topps Baseball Value Box.  5 Series 1 packs, 2 Heritage hobby packs, 1 bonus pack.

On with the show.

Topps

pack one

307 Alex Rios - White Sox

46 Hong-Chih Kuo - Dodgers

184 Brandon Morrow - Blue Jays

29 Josh Hamilton MVP - Rangers

314 Ryan Kalish - Red Sox

134 League Leaders Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies (and others)

217 Yunel Escobar - Blue Jays

154 Marlon Byrd - Cubs

267 Jose Contreras - Phillies

inserts

DD-PG Price/Garza Diamond Duos - Rays

60YOT-32 1983 #540 Ozzie Smith - Cardinals

TT-13 Chase Utley Toppstown - Phillies

pack two

188 Pablo Sandoval - Giants

33 Max Scherzer - Tigers

221 Scott Hairston - Padres

49 Angels team card - Angels

198 Buster Posey - Giants

53 Dbacks team card - Diamondbacks

283 Rockies team card - Rockies

113 Arthur Rhodes - Reds

191 Jay Bruce - Reds

inserts

T60-3 Babe Ruth Topps 60 - Yankees

HOT-10 2009 Topps receives MLB Exclusive - History of Topps

TT-32 Mike Stanton Toppstown - Marlins

pack three

121 Brandon Inge - Tigers

35 Shin-Soo Choo - Indians

317 Yonder Alonso - Reds

70 Kyle Drabek - Blue Jays

15 David Wright - Mets

234 Miguel Montero - Diamondbacks

273 Derrek Lee - Braves

90 Yadier Molina - Cardinals

171 Garrett Jones - Pirates

inserts

143 Jeremy Jeffress diamond parallel - Brewers

60YOT-39 1990 #701 Bernie Williams - Yankees

TT-33 Victor Martinez Toppstown - Red Sox

pack four

284 Reid Brignac - Rays

67 Vladimir Guerrero - Rangers

218 Victor Martinez - Red Sox

117 Brett Sinkbeil - Marlins

196 Jose Ceda - Marlins

7 Mickey Mantle - LET HIM REST IN PEACE

230 Aaron Cook - Rockies

325 Jayson Werth - Phillies

313 Chris Coghlan - Marlins

inserts

TDG-4 Albert Pujols Diamond Giveaway - Cardinals (see below for results)

KC-1 Ubaldo Jimenez Kimball Champions - Rockies WOOHOO!

TT-50 Albert Pujols Toppstown - Cardinals

pack five

311 James Shields - Rays

224 Milton Bradley - Mariners

69 Brett Gardner - Yankees

52 Rays team card - Rays

83 Greg Halman - Mariners

236 Nelson Cruz - Rangers

86 Carlos Silva - Cubs

229 Jonathan Sanchez - Giants

10 Stephen Strasburg - Nationals

inserts

T60-16 Carl Crawford Topps 60 - Rays

60YOT-05 1956 #113 Phil Rizzuto - Yankees

TT-47 Dustin Pedroia Toppstown - Red Sox

Heritage

pack one

255 Edwin Jackson - White Sox

47 Kosuke Fukudome - Cubs - Spiegel

296 Ian Desmond - Nationals

86 Alex Presley - Pirates

C56 Edwin Jackson chrome - White Sox 1831/1962

321 Matt Mangini - Mariners

415 Dexter Fowler - Rockies

398 Joey Votto All Star - Reds

55 AL ERA Leaders Felix Hernandez - Mariners (and others)

pack two

240 Xavier Nady - Diamondbacks

287 Neftali Feliz - Rangers

83 Chris Carpenter - Cardinals

345 Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox

350 Joey Votto - Reds

44 Justin Upton - Diamondbacks

121 Buck Showalter - Orioles

413 Chris Young - Diamondbacks

97 Grady Sizemore - Indians

Bonus

TDG-6 Roy Halladay Diamond Giveaway - Phillies

TDG-4 Albert Pujols Diamond Giveaway - Cardinals

MBC2 Jackie Robinson refractor - Dodgers - Spiegel

Code Redemptions

Pujols from pack = 1991 #174 Ken Caminiti and Colorado Rockies ring

Halladay = 1987 #200 Pete Rose and New York Mets ring

Pujols bonus = 2005 #327 Orioles Future Stars and St. Louis Cardinals ring

BONUS PRIZE for 5 Rings

2005 #194 Bobby Abreu and Oakland Athletics ring

IMPRESSIONS
Design: A
The Topps design is great, but after 4 years it's about time for a non-white bordered set.  Hopefully 2012 will change it up a bit and be like 1971 or 2003 instead of 2002 or 1990.  I have already stated multiple time how much I love the 1962 Topps design.  This set is the one I had been looking forward to since I got back into the hobby and learned of Heritage in 2006.

Inserts / Hits: C-
I have railed on all of the Topps inserts from the flagship set this year before, but I am thrilled with getting the last Rockie I need in Ubaldo's Kimball mini.  With the Heritage I got about as blah as a could get for the 2 hobby packs, especially since the Chrome card I got was a dupe and I only have 12 of them.  The less said about the Diamond Giveaway codes the better.

Value: A
It is called a "value" box.  For the price, this is one of the best retail values there are.  A Heritage hobby insert or Jackie Robinson SP would have made this a slam dunk A+.  But still not bad at all, I just wish they had these before I had virtually the whole Heritage set put together.

Rox in the Box: 5...6 (counting virtual junk)
Great box for a Rockies fan.  Getting one of the two cards I need for my flagship team set is fantastic.  The Fowler was not one of the 2 (Wigginton, Gonzalez AS) I need for the team set, but I am never going to complain about this year's Heritage.  The ring is what it is, eh I guess it's better than a Giants or Dodgers ring.

Will I Collect This Set: B/A+
The flagship set I will eventually get around to building, but it's not anything I am in a big hurry to do.  Heritage I hope to have fully complete (including the High Numbers) by the end of 2011.  I am pretty close already and only need 24 more short prints and 6 inserts. 

Overall: A
For the price this value box can't be beat for the average collector.  It was only $3 more than my usual discount blaster and a bunch of people are actually still collecting these sets.  So maybe I can work out a few trades and get what I need with this box.

comments | | Read More...

2011 Topps Heritage Want List + Trade List

Saturday, 16 April 2011

Hey everyone my Heritage trade list has grown quite a bit so I thought I would repost for those of you collecting this bear of a set. 


Here are the cards I need for my 2011 Topps Heritage set.

red = pending arrival / traded already

I NEED

Base Set

COMPLETE

Checklists
COMPLETE

Baseball Flashbacks

COMPLETE

New Age Performers

5

News Flashbacks
COMPLETE

Then and Now

COMPLETE

If anything piques your interest contact me at hiflewATyahooDOTcom.  Thanks for reading.

comments | | Read More...

2011 Topps Heritage Box Break (Woohoo I'm not last with this one...just close)

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

I got back from work today to find that my 2011 Topps Heritage retail box had arrived.  I am so looking forward to this set, because I love the 1962 design.  It is probably my favorite design of the 1960s, although 1965 is a close second.

I am planning on buying 3 boxes of Heritage (plus one high #s when it comes out) this year, because one of my Mountains to Climb in 2011 is to get this set completed.  I had a choice to make, $90 for a hobby box or $70 for a retail box plus shipping of course.  Since I have very little interest in any of the hobby exclusive inserts, saving the extra seemed to be the no-brainer solution.  I got one box off eBay and if it works out well I will buy the other two as retail also.  If not I will get 2 hobbys a little later.  Let's see how this box goes.

24 packs 9 cards per...I am not going to list every single card, just the highlights

THE WRAPPER

 

I don't dislike Halladay or any of the Phantastic Phour (better nickname than the silly R2C2) except Hamels, but I liked him a lot more when he was in Toronto shutting down the Yanks and Red Sox.

THE HIT

David Wright with a solid BLACK jersey.  You don't see the solid black jerseys that much let alone on the Mets (or maybe YOU do but I don't).  This is much better than the two Clubhouse Collection cards I got from the 2008 set, which were the last boxes of Heritage I bought.  Greg Zakwin collects Wright and displayed a lovely Troy Tulowitzki card a few days ago.  Me thinks we have a nice trade here.  If for some reason Greg doesn't want it, I'm sure someone will.  HINT: rhymes with DJLenny.

THE SHINIES

Woohoo, aside from the Ubaldo Jimenez, this was the Chromie that I wanted most (no, not the Chris Johnson).  TWO Rockie great floating heads + two players that aren't Giants or Dodgers...can there be a better card?

THE SHORTIES

YES, the box is working out pretty good.  Getting one of the 3! Rockie short prints (Street and Tulo AGAIN are the others).  Actually, Card #441 (JDLR) was listed on the sell sheet as a checklist.  I am happy it wasn't.  I am on the fence on the team cards, I sorta like them but it looks like the front row is sitting on air, weird.  I LOVE the floating head rookies, although I don't think there is a Rockie in there this year.  Maybe next year with Friedrich, Matzek, and Rosario.

THE INSERTS

This year features the usual suspects as inserts in Heritage.  They look pretty good, but maybe a new idea every now and then could work.  I do love getting another JFK card though.

ROX IN THE BOX

Only two base Rockies were in this box.  Normally I would be disappointed, but with the shortie and shiny Rockie I am okay with this.  Todd Helton is three years older than me.  Why is he not losing his damn hair?  I like the design of the All Star cards as well, the NL were not short printed, but the AL were.  Odd.

ROOKIE CUP CARDS

I got 5 of the rookie "cup" cards, although calling these cups is stretching it.  Rookie trophy cards would seem to fit better, but I am sticking with cup.  I like the two red gloves on Garcia and Feliz, nice and different.

ONE I WAS SURPRISED I LIKED

 Yep, I like this checklist card.  The best part is these are not part of the set or considered as an insert.  They are just randomly thrown into about every 1 in 8 packs.  I got cards 1, 2, and 6.  They really remind me of being a kid, plus these are a thousand times better than putting twice as many checklist cards in a set but only using the back.

Overall, I am thrilled with this retail box and will buy two more without a doubt.  Save $20 and miss out on what a chance at a coin card or some stamps.  I can always use the $60 to buy whatever Rockies (I don't think many) are in those hobby exclusives and with the leftover buy another box (or two) of something else.

comments | | Read More...