Back in the 1960's, 70's and 80's, most card sets didn't have inserts. It was all base cards, with maybe an all star card, or gum. Now flash forward 20 years. Inserts are a defining inclusion in many Topps products. Case in point- The Yo Mamma Cards, the This Day in History, the Vintage Legends, the 2020 set. All blogger acclaimed insert sets. But are the inserts the reason to get the product?
I remember before Series 2 came out this year, I bought packs of Series 1 just for the inserts. I had already completed the base set, I just needed more Yo Mamma cards, or more Topps Town codes, or Million Card Giveaway stuff. I didn't care about the base cards.
Of course, then Series 2 came out. That was when I got it for the base cards, as well as the inserts. But I saw that since it was still a new product, I had to complete the base set- and I'm still trying to do so. I'm also still trying to get the series 2 inserts (As well as the Series 1 inserts. Anyone have any extra yo mamma's?)
But do I collect series 2 because of the inserts? No, I collect it for the base set, then for the inserts.
It does however, bring up an interesting question- Do Inserts matter? Do you buy products for the inserts, or for the base cards?
Ginter inserts, involving some creativity = good. Topps inserts, some so similar to each other they're tough to differentiate = overkill.
ReplyDeleteAre they even considered "inserts" if there are two or three in every pack?!
Inserts help sway my decision to what product to purchase, but I wouldn't say I buy solely for inserts. I rarely pull anything that good anyhow. I haven't been a set builder for very long, but even before then if the base set was crappy I would usually stay away from the product all together. If you're buying for inserts then you'll end up w/ a lot of base cards so why buy something you don't like?
ReplyDeleteI'm an old-school collector. I never buy for inserts. Inserts are a nice little perk of collecting the set that I prefer, that's all.
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