Rack packs, orange refractors and a scrub rookie.

Yesterday at Target I was in the baseball card aisle and as I was walking away 2 2010 Topps Chrome baseball rack packs fell into my wagon. I felt compelled to try my luck and see what orange refractors I could get.

Here are the highlights (note one pack had an extra card):

Cliff Lee

Roy Halladay

Tommy Hanson

Yunel Escobar

Mark Buehrle

Adam Wainwright



Johan Santana Chicle refractor /499



Stephen Strasburg
Go figure, when I finally couldn't care any less about pulling a Strasburg RC he pops up unexpectedly. I'm over the moon. Really.

If the rack packs were priced at an actual bargain it would be more fun to buy them. For $8.99 you get 3 packs ($2.99 each normally) and 3 orange refractors in a pack. I get that the bargain is supposed to be the additional refractors, but making them like a dollar less would be more fun.

I like this years chrome set because there are so many different insert cards and not just a boring base set. I bought one card from this set on eBay which I will show off later. The addition of the Chicle refractors, purple and orange refractors, and the rest make this a fun set to track down if you are a player collector. Well fun and frustrating, but I need something to do besides science so this is a good distraction.

These are all for trade except the Halladay which is going to Stale Gum. I need the Cano and Pujols orange cards. Actually as far as Cano goes, I am looking for purple, orange, red, and xfractor.

Anyone pull anything super sweet from the Chrome yet? Any trade bait to dangle in front of me?!!

4 packs of 2010 Topps Chrome

Hooray something new came out to buy? Yeah, that's it... Hooray.

I had a gift card for Target and since I had heard a rumor about 2010 Topps Chrome blasters ringing up for $17.99 instead of $19.99, I figured I would take a ride and see if there were any left. As luck would (not) have it, there was one lonely blaster left. I grabbed a blaster and 4 packs and left knowing I would be sorry I wasted my gift card on 12 cards and a potential box of air.

I only opened the packs so far because I was so busy finishing schoolwork due Tuesday. I will post the contents of the blaster later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Here are the packs:






One thing to note about the retail version of 2010 Topps Chrome baseball is that the cards seem to have the same centering problem as 2010 Bowman chrome inserts did, they are terrible. The plus side is that it seems that they used better stock to print the photos on. I also noticed the back of the cards feel kind of waxy, if that makes sense. Other than that, I kind of just bought some of this product to check it out and open something.

Want 2010 Topps Chrome - hit up your retail merchants

We all know we see cards on eBay before the official release date. 2010 Topps Chrome has come out even earlier than usual because it is one of those sets that hit retail before hobby.

The hobby version releases tomorrow.

Let’s see what we can expect to find.

- Jason Heyward auto
- Stephen Strasburg xfractor
- Stephen Strasburg T206 Topps Chrome
- Starlin Castro auto
- Austin Jackson blue refractor auto

Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption

Topps is on a roll this week with new ways to either get people into buying cards or help people to get the cards they were missing. Today Topps made an announcement for a special 3 card set that could be redeemed through them by sending in 24 2010 *HOBBY* Topps Chrome baseball wrappers.

Here is the official statement from Topps that the local shops received earlier today.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For every twenty-four 2010 Topps Chrome Baseball Hobby wrappers sent to Topps, collectors will receive an exclusive 3-card pack of Topps Chrome Rookies & Legends variation cards. In addition, every tenth 3-card pack will feature special Chrome Refractor versions!

Send Wrappers to:

PO BOX 2230
Duryea, PA 18642
ATTN: Chrome Promotion

The deadline for the promotion is 2/28/11.


The 15-card subject list:

Rookies

Jason Heyward

Austin Jackson

Stephen Strasburg

Mike Leake

Buster Posey

Starlin Castro

Ike Davis

Carlos Santana

Mike Stanton

Tyler Colvin

Legends

Babe Ruth

Lou Gehrig

Jackie Robinson

Ty Cobb

Mickey Mantle

Hobby Surge: Thumbs up or thumbs down?

I've been thinking about something somewhat random, but entertaining. With all the Bowman that has been sold, sold-out, and that appears to be backordered it has clearly given the hobby a surge for the better of Topps. Now, we all know between here and Twitter I have done my share to add to the lunacy of the whole thing, as did Sooz.

Since this Bowman release is Strasburg's prospect card, there are going to be prospect cards and then rookie cards to be released and definitely there will be autographed rookie cards. This is going to keep this ridiculous trend of not being able to find cards, or buy them for a decent price going for some time if you want my opinion. Could you even imagine the selling price of a 1/1 Strasburg superfractor auto? This blog could also serve as a reminder to head to the bank and apply for a personal loan now so that you don't miss the chance to bid on that card.

There was an e-mail sent the other night from Blow-Out Cards that they were sold out of 2010 Allen & Ginter as well as 2010 Topps Chrome. I have no interest in Ginter whether there is a piece of lettuce from Strasburg's teeth, or some Wooly Mammoths butt hair in it. Topps Chrome I tend to dabble with usually just retail packs or a blaster but never buy much of it since I don't really collect prospect or rookie auto's. Will I buy a box of it? It's tempting.

With all that being said, how many of you have pre-ordered either of these products in an attempt to not get ripped off when they are released? Now... how many of you pre-ordered them to try and pull a Strasburg auto or re-sell the boxes when people are in dire straits trying to find them?

Anyone think that the surge is a bad thing for the hobby or the collectors? I honestly could answer this either way. People like us and most of you have been supporting this industry and been interested in collecting for many, many years but are now paying dearly for product because of people just trying to make a quick buck by buying and re-selling or buying and ripping trying to find the golden ticket. On the flip side, I am enjoying that something is driving kids and adults alike to buy cards and attend games or pay attention to baseball. It cuts both ways, but overall I would go with thumbs up on the recent surge in the industry.