So, It's Come to This: A Blaster of 2024 Allen and Ginter

I've griped about this in so many words, but it's been a very difficult year for me to keep up as a collector. I've been in between jobs, making what I can, saving mostly, and...not buying a ton of new cardboard. And when I CAN go to Target, there's never any there. These TCDB trades have been scratching that itch, I've been catching up on a lot of more recent stuff, but the other part of getting new cardboard is the chance of getting the rookie in question. Obviously you collect the way you collect, and I collect the players I like, but if there's a chance to get a centerpiece card, that always helps. I remember starting out collecting in the late 2000s, getting a ton of 2008 Updates and Highlights, and that's how I've ended up with 2 Clayton Kershaw rookies, a gold parallel of an Evan Longoria rookie, and that Al Gore gimmick. And all are still integral parts of my collection.

In the last few years, I've missed out on finding big rookies of people like Julio Rodriguez, Luis Robert, Gunnar Henderson and more. Now, I've got enough Ohtani rookies to choke a commissioner, but I worry I'm gonna be missing out on what could be the next windfall. And right now that is Paul Skenes. It's worrying to me that I've been unable to find any Topps Update from 2024, and all the online suppliers have hiked up the price solely because of the Skenes factor. For the first time basically ever, I've resigned myself to just...not being able to find any Topps Update, a set that was once one of my favorites. 

So I was in Target today, at the very least seeing if I could find Archives or Stadium Club or something to at least fulfill that want for newer stuff. The card aisle, as it has been, was bare. Nothing going on. A hanger box of MLS cards. Some packs of stickers. A few 2024 factory sets. Nothing. And the fact that it took me hanging around the backs of the action figure aisles to check for discounts to find a completely different card endcap, with much more options and lines of Allen and Ginter blasters, says a lot. Why wouldn't they put those up in the front? Y'know, with the sports cards??

Nevertheless, I saw the shelf of A&G blasters, amidst the other sports stuff I had no interest in, and resigned myself to it. Sure. Why not? I'm not really an A&G guy, there's too many cards that don't fit in my collection, but I'm a TCDB trader now (at TallestJord, I forgot to point that out last time), and at the very least I can offload the stuff that won't fit in binder pages.

You know the drill. 8 packs, 6 cards per pack. Every pack contains a mini and a subset. SPs are seeded 1:2, so we should get 4. There's also new chrome cards seeded 1 per I think. I don't think A&G needs chrome, but since Topps thought it'd be a good idea to overhaul Stadium Club with parallels, A&G wasn't safe.

Pack 1- Yeah, this is kinda what I expect. The HOFer/legend selection is still great, I'm always down for Roy Campanella sightings. The base design is...an understandable step for A&G. I think those first 3 years were perfectly simple and they had to keep overcomplicating things. 

The Dog show subset is standard, but the 50 States mini, of Nebraska, is seeded 1:21. 

Pack 2- By several metrics, a very good pack. An Elly rookie, an A&G back rookie of Heston Kjerstad, and an SP of Pablo Lopez. Also, Jason Aldean is here for some reason. I wanna know what Topps's criteria for earning a non-sport base card in Ginter is. Didn't Mark Sanford get one right after the sex scandal? If you're gonna do Aldean, I'm kinda shocked it took you this long. Like, after 'Try That In a Small Town'? The window has passed, man. Anyway, my lasting impression of Aldean is the one Mean Tweet he read that was something like 'Jason Aldean looks like his dick got caught in his sister'. Bodied.

Sister Sister is seeded 1:5. Mildly amusing idea.

Pack 3- More non-sport guys I do not care about. A Westburg rookie, that's pretty cool. We got a gold mini, that's 1:11, of the great Edgar Martinez, and a lovely card of a bee that's seeded 1:6. 

Pack 4- A Ted Lasso supporting guy and a schnauzer. Gotta love A&G. Blackburn is an SP. He is also on the wrong team. A sobering reminder of how early the checklist cutoff for this product was. Carter looks awesome though. That Thomas black border is a 1:11 pack card, so that's pretty cool. 

Pack 5- What do these four people have in common? None of them played in an MLB game in 2024. Clemens getting pictured as a Jay is cool and all but man I do not enjoy continuing to pull his cards. I really hope Mauricio turns out to be as good as people have said he will.

I'm spotlighting the subsets and minis cause they're both great. X'Ray'd falls 1 per blaster, and this is an extremely cool, CHROME, card of what it looks like when you x-ray a cape porcupine. They even credit the zoo that took the picture, the Oregon Zoo. That's pretty cool.

The big takeaway is the Rookie Design Variation card of Wyatt Langford. These are 1 per blaster, and Langford's one of the better names to pull. Very happy with this. It ain't Skenes, but it ain't, like, nobody.

Pack 6- At the time of pulling this was my favorite pack in the box. A Hall of Famer, a future Hall of Famer, one of my favorite current players, and one of the top rookies in the set. Merrill and Judge help justify the price. Jones is an SP, and a great, and timely, pull at that.

Pack 7- Another dog, an SP mini, a welcome Nolan Ryan, and our one-per-box chrome card of Corey Seager. I'll say this, I was so fixated on finally getting the chrome card that I didn't realize what was directly behind it..

So...I don't rip A&G often, but when I do, I have decent luck. Last time I got a blaster of A&G I pulled a Rafael Devers relic. This is also pretty nice. Austin Riley's a terrific infield bat, and one of the most crucial pieces of these Braves teams. It is a grey swatch, yes, and it is a full size relic, yes, but...it's a relic of a guy I've not only heard of, but is a star. Typically you get an auto or relic of a scrub from a retail blaster. This is not that, this is very good. So I was very happy with this. This is where I mention that a full size pattern B relic falls 1 in every 89 blasters. So that's fantastic. 

Pack 8- A milder finish, but still pretty cool. Pages could be something if he figures it out. There's Riley again. Johnny Bench, in an SP, clearly is picture in a uniform from the late 60s, and my second gold mini is of Daddy Yankee. Not a huge listener of his. Me gusta la gasolina thought.

That did exactly what I wanted it to. Provided me with new cards of people I collect, some decent rookies, some trade bait, and a surprise relic I can get behind. Definitely a success. Hopefully the next time I wander into a well-stocked retail shelf I'll have luck like this as well. 

Two Blasters of 2022 Stadium Club [Part One]

 

The bad news is I'm probably not gonna continue my tradition of breaking a hobby box of Stadium Club this year. Just can't make it work this year.

The good news is I did manage to find two blasters of the stuff on Topaz's website, and I suppose that'll have to suffice. I've been excited for this year's edition of Stadium Club for a while, due to its really awesome base design, handful of nice cards I'd spotted online, and probability of finding a damned Julio Rodriguez card. I'll post one of the blasters today and the other tomorrow.

Each blaster comes with a fuller-size Artist's Proof base variation in the style of 1993 Topps, which is a nice touch. Posey was a pretty great choice for one.

Pack 1- Already we have two 2022 Phillies in Castellanos and pre-trade Marsh, a HOFer in Edgar, and a decent rookie in Baz.

Since this is a 2022 product, here is a Wander Franco card. I think these are still worth something. As you'll soon find out, Team of the Future is one of the better insert designs we have this year.

Pack 2- The best photo obviously goes to Ian Anderson, on the search for Yogi Bear from the looks of things. 

Our one-per-pack orange/sepia parallel, and it's of a guy I don't collect with a photo we've seen a ton of times.

Pack 3- Another 2022 Phillies in Schwarber, a great dramatic shot of Ortiz, one of a few pitchers in batting position photos in this set of Waino, and a good Seager shot from circa May.

Best card in the set. The MVP gets a beaut. No notes.

Pack 4- Here's the other MVP, one of two Cardinals here. I love the Murray one. Also good that A.) Topps got Kimbrel's full lunge B.) in a Dodger jersey. 

Pack 5- Muncy's is the best shot in the pack, though I like Gurriel's, and I love getting a Sox Fisk.

Pack 6- Two HOFers, and Dawson's Expos duds stand out the most. Franmil's is slightly outdated but I love that Little League Classic jersey of his. 

So uh...Power Zone sucks this year. This is a design I'd expect from modern Topps. I assume that with COVID delays they had to choose an insert design that had as little foil as possible, so we get this uninspired one. Lovely. I wish I'd be happier about pulling a Griffey card. 

Pack 7- More good stuff, including a third 2022 Phillie in Harper, a Hall of Famer and a future Hall of Famer.

Also slightly disappointing this year are the triumvirates. Photo choice, design simplicity. Down several pegs from where we were when this set came back in 2014. Vladdie is a good pull though.

Pack 8- Dylan Carlson's got a ton of great outfield shots, it seems. And that is a Lodolo rookie, which is one of the more high profile rookies that landed in these.

And we end with a nice chrome version of Mike Trout's base card. No complaints here.

Tomorrow I'll post the results of the second blaster.

That Which I Desire

 

Not sure if y'all have noticed, but I haven't been buying a ton of cards this year.

There's a few reasons for that, if I can be candid:

1. Cards are still hella scarce at retail stores, and I've only gotten lucky a couple of times at Target or so. But then again,

2. I'm not really hitting Target or any other retail stores much often at all lately. Kinda staying in unless I really need to, working remotely does that. On that note,

3. Work. Lots of little jobs rather than one big one, and I haven't had as much of a card budget as I used to. So I just...haven't splurged as much. Which is at least good for my stability. 

4. I'm also trying to figure out how to sell cards on eBay. I am...still incredibly scared of this because I've never done it before, and I don't want to do it 'incorrectly'. So there's stuff I have graded that I'm sitting on because I don't wanna put it out at the 'wrong time'. This shit is so difficult sometimes if you're like me and don't know the nuances and unwrittens of the hobby.

So I haven't gotten many cards at all in the last few months. Haven't reorganized my binders in longer. Been focusing mostly on making customs for the next two months. And then after that...I dunno.

But I had some gift card money burning a hole today, so I stopped at Target and figured that at this point they must have something. And they did. My choices were:

-Allen & Ginter, newly released. 

-2022 Chronicles, relatively newly released.

-Topps Fire, which came out in, like...August?

No Archives or Update, two of the sets I hadn't found any of and was still looking for. Which kinda blue. But they did have baseball cards. And...a ton of hockey cards. But baseball cards.

So I went with the Fire because it'd at least be interesting. I'm gonna ask you at the end of this if I made the right choice.

7 packs here. 6 cards per pack, but some come with 7 cards because consistency apparently doesn't mean anything anymore.

Pack 1- Seeing this guy right at the top made me feel somewhat alright with my choice. 

So, like usual, Fire's base set is separated into 3 subsets, denoted by difference in design.This is the most striking of the three, using those reds and yellows to catch the eye. It's never not gonna be odd seeing legends like Hank Aaron on these designs.

The other two. Like Judge's. Lewis's is similar to previous Fire designs. 

Also, hey, what if this is the last time I pull a Judge card in a Yankee uniform while he's still a Yankee?

Pack 2- The good thing about this set is that it went to print as a little bit of the season had elapsed, meaning they could have updated uniforms like Jesse Winker's and Matt Olson's. 

The other good thing about this printing in May or whatever is they knew Spencer Strider would be a thing this year, so they could make him one of the prominent rookies of the set. Alongside yet another Wander Franco rookie, which...if they're in every set, are they really that special, Topps?

The big thing to look for in Fire blasters are these yellow, 'minted in gold' or whichever parallels. Unnumbered, but they look hella cool. Similar to the blue fire ones the set began with. Tatis's Flippin Out insert is seeded 1:20 packs, so those are pretty rare.

Pack 3- Here you find one of the downsides of this printing in May. When Fire went to print, Kevin Smith was still looking like a promising replacement for Matt Chapman. He petered off.

And while I see why Topps needed some Torkelson rookies ready, his season didn't amount to the exclamation points his promotion promised. Aaron Ashby's is a red base card parallel, unnumbered. Bichette's Fired Up insert just looks cool. This set does inserts really well.

Pack 4- Meadows and Stroman look great in new uniforms. Bellinger's already looking for a new one himself.

This insert...is frigging incredible, and it's the kind of wild idea I wish Topps did more. Reminds me of 90s Stadium Club inserts. I'll forgive the Cardinal, it's Arenado so I get it. Frigging awesome.

Pack 5- Fairly standard base selections, though Bryson Stott's rookie feels a bit more earned after the postseason. 

Story's is proof that the gold minting just lifts this set so much. And Yelich's die-cut To the Moon is, yes, another incredible insert from this set. I love it so much and want more.

Pack 6- More standard base card selections. 

Two I was excited to find- Rizzo is becoming a Yankee favorite, and Marsh, though in the wrong uniform, is gonna be a fan favorite in Philly.

and then...

I...I mean...

That is an autographed card of the guy who placed 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting this year, and who got a 200 strikeout year for the Braves alongside Charlie Morton. This is...I'm dumbfounded. Spencer Strider is an insanely good auto pull in 2022, even if it is a sticker auto. It's both Topps picking correctly and me picking the correct blaster. I'm honestly impressed.

This is a green parallel auto, numbered to 75, and seeded 1 in 604 packs. I don't know if I've just had better retail luck in the last few years, but I never used to pull this many great hits out of retail product. This is definitely worth the [ballooned] blaster price. And now I have to figure out how to properly sell this on eBay. Lovely.

Pack 7- I forgot how early this year Alek Thomas debuted.

We end on two base parallels we've already seen in this blaster.

So uh...do you think I made the right decision here? Cause I sure did. Yes, Fire is a crazy set with odd logic, but the inserts are beautiful, I got great stars and rookies, and I pulled an autograph of one of the best young pitchers in the league. If I'm only gonna get cards every so often, this is an insanely good outcome to have.

Maybe things will increase eventually. Maybe I'll figure things out. But this definitely whetted my appetite for new product, and I'm alright with that.

Notes from the Retail Shelves: 2022 Topps Heritage

 

For the past few years, Heritage has been kind of weird for me.

I grew up with my dad's card collection, and his collection began with stuff from 1971 Topps, and featured sporadic stuff from the early 70s until he finally got fully into it in 1975. So designs like the 1971 and 1973 design are ones I was familiar with as a kid, thumbing through his collection and sorting by year and such. 

And now...the Heritage sets have caught up with the stuff that my dad collected. And so we're getting new players on these designs. That's a little bit weird.

Especially this year's. 1973 Topps doesn't feel like a Heritage-worthy set to me yet. It's a perfectly solid 70s set that has a lot of nostalgia and fun photography around it. And...here's modern Topps doing its own version of that. It's a little weird finally getting packs of this. 

It is, after all, Heritage, and that's usually a fun set to find blasters of in the wild. Besides, I've got another two blasters coming thanks to a Topps order I made before I found actual retail stuff near me, so I'll rip more of it anyway.

Here now, my findings from a retail blaster of 2022 Topps Heritage:

Pack 1- Literally my first card of the blaster was this guy. So we're already starting on a high note.

This set...looks like a Heritage set. Mix of staged/matted photography and action stuff, just like 73, though here it's a bit more artificial. Actual stars showing up, like Giancarlo, Yadi and Mookie. Anderson is a guy that missed the Update cutoff, so this is nice. 

Pack 2- Tyler Wade seems very miffed about being in an Angels uniform now. I do like the variety of backdrops, from the tarp in Colorado to the practice field behind Bregman's. And I'll take a WS subset card, even if it is Altuve.

Pack 3- You see, this kind of photography I'll take. This looks like the 73 set. Even the recently-dropped Justin Upton looks awesome here. I also like the design of New Age Performers a lot.

Pack 4- And you can easily see the contrast between the posed shots and the more authentic throwback-esque action shots. Straw is the kind of 73 one I would try to recreate back in the early eras of the blog. Pivetta's as well, in a way.

Pack 5- The better end of the posed shots with these. Two much needed updated uniforms with Galvis and Lester, with Lester's being a career sendoff card.

Since I'm not building the set, I don't care too greatly about SPs, but this is a really nice shot of Aquino. 

Pack 6- Solid stuff all around, guys from both my teams, a nice Gallo Yanks one, and a great flashbacks card of Rod Carew. 

This was the best photo in the pack, though. Man, when they really go for the likeness, this set can be awesome.

Pack 7- A hero card with Vlad, another potential final sendoff with Gardy, and two really nice action shots. 

Pack 8- Beaty's is another SP, and he's not even a Dodger anymore. I like Haase's posed shot. Of course, that outfield De La Cruz one is fantastic, and I wish this set was more like that one than Beaty's. 

So, not exactly a super-entertaining blaster, with a generally average load of base and insert and such, but I do like this set, and I like the perks of the photography. It remains to be seen how long it will take for Topps to ship the blasters, though. Might be well into Series 2 season at this rate.