What is wrong with Topps?

Honestly, I want to know how much they pay the people in Quality Control because it really isn't enough. Do they have robots watching what crap they turn out for a $250-$300 per box product?

Look at this ridiculous 2010 Topps Tribute Cano "ERROR" /25. This is the second card I have seen just of Cano that has looked like crap. It really makes me mad because now there are only 24 chances at this card, and maybe 10 of them will actually land on eBay or end up for sale somewhere.

There is absolutely no reason or excuse to produce a card like this and allow it to get into a box of anything much less one of your high end products.

I will NEVER buy a pack of this product much less a box. Way to keep the "value" in the box, Topps.

Have I told you lately....

how much I love the people I have met from Freedom Cardboard? Oh, well I do. On the message boards they do a ton of group case breaks of all different products with All In Cards (@allincards on Twitter), and they recently broke a some 2010 Topps Tribute.

One of my new friends, Lisa was lucky enough to pull a Robinson Cano /50 auto out of her stuff. Lucky for me she is a super nice person who sent me the card a few days later. So the score is Lisa 1, Marie 0 but I wrote an I.O.U. and will hopefully pull something I can send back in return.


There is something interesting about this autograph. If you click and enlarge the scan, you can see what appears to be a mistake by Robbie signing his name, he left the "b" out and went back trying to make it look like he didn't, or the end loop of the b just got carried away. Normally this is the sort of thing that makes me want to punch the Quality Control blind mice at Topps, but the signature kind of grew on me. It is unique in it's own way, and it's a Robbie writing error (maybe), which makes it a little more charming.

I also picked up one other card on eBay and it was actually one night in the hotel room at the National I purchased it. Yup, I bought a card on eBay after spending hours surrounded by them. Did you not read the title of this blog/website?

This card was picked up on a dirt cheap buy it now. It was the lowest BIN I have seen on these, and I might have purchased it even if I already had it.

For those of you that don't know this, Robinson Cano has FOUR variations in this set, all with 4 color versions (Face palm). Due to poor planning and over anxious behavior (as usual), I had no plan of attack on this years cards and ended up with one of each right now. I would love to end up with a rainbow of one version but I am not sure how realistic that is at this point.

If anyone has any of the Robinson Cano auto's for trade please let me know.

Seriously Topps?!

Really? This was the best Topps could do? After meeting the Topps head honchos and them saying that they are going to work on things, I can not wait to see if they do because this card is making me really pissed off.

What the hell is wrong with this 2010 Topps Tribute Robinson Cano auto 1/1?

I met Topps design guy at the National and he was a very nice guy who knew about the blog so.... hopefully he sees it and makes a post it about never, ever making a card that looks like this again.

The end.

Who needs the National...

Who needs the National when you can get great deals on eBay on the cards you want? Not me. I have been scouring the listings carefully to find cards that I need of Robbie Cano. A couple of the cards that I found have come in today and I must say that the scan doesn't do the Tribute card justice. It really is sweet in person. These are the two cards I got...

2010 Topps Tribute Robinson Cano /50

2007 Bowman's Best Robinson Cano Blue /99
I am waiting on one last card to come in the mail and I am hoping to see it when I get back from the National.

If you aren't going to the National, think about allllllll the money you saved, and buy yourself something nice on eBay. (No one said I would give good advice on here.)

My first 2010 Topps Tribute card

While I didn't open any packs, I spent less than half the cost of a pack to get a card I really love. Granted I am not a fan of sticker auto's but this one is just nice because it blends in a little better than most and it has 2.5 stripes. Signature is borderline acceptable but the price was the kicker.

Love it. Robbie Cano, don't ya know?!



I would love to see Robbie win the MVP even if it means I can't afford his cards anymore. He is playing so great this season and it's fun to watch.

How do you choose?

I know there are many other player collectors out there, and I am hoping that some of you are mildly picky about your collections. I know that I would love to have every single card of the players I collect but it just isn't realistic for me. I've mentioned this several times over the years I'm sure, but I wanted to show an example.

Last year I made a rainbow of 2009 Tribute Cano auto's, just one version because that was expensive enough. This year my goal was to pick up one of each version and move on because with the season he is having it will be more than I'm willing to spend on the rainbow.

Here is the challenge: find a signature I like to bid on. I know that must sound crazy but when you look at autographs, there are some that look rushed, scribbled, or just flat out horrible. If I buy an auto, I have to like the sig on the card before I bother bidding. It really doesn't matter if I need it, I won't spend money on it if the sig looks rushed.

Look at this 2010 Tribute Cano /99. That is a signature I wouldn't bother bidding on because it looks sloppy. This one is pretty terrible as well, 2010 Tribute Cano /99.

Here is one I like and would be more inclined to bid on: 2010 Tribute Cano /99. I know it might not seem like a big deal to most people but I would rather have something I really like than a sloppy auto I bought just to say I had it.

I also want you guys to look at this card: 2010 Tribute Cano Triple Jersey /99. How hard is it to assemble the card so that the stripes are straight? They do not wear uniforms that look like candy canes or barber shop poles, so why do that? Furthermore, for the money this product costs I think that it should be straight. And........ that signature is terrible. Bad Robbie, sign nicer next time. (I will refrain from saying anything about the f-ing stickers for today.)

Please tell me that there is someone out there that picks their auto's carefully (generally speaking, not just in Tribute)....

2010 Topps Tribute (and whatever else its called) on the Bay

One seller has listed pretty much his entire case of cards of 2010 Topps Tribute. I am not sure what the release date of this product is supposed to be. I know it was originally this week, but things get shuffled around so much.

However, I don't see any hits. Mostly, it's the base cards - and I use that term loosely. The cheapest base card from this seller is about $4 with the numbered cards easily going into the $50 range. Anyone plan on ponying up that kind of dough for a base card?

Here are some of the auctions (I wish there better scans):

- 2010 Tribute black and white 205 Babe Ruth /99

- 2010 Topps Tribute gold Mickey and Mantle /50

- 2010 Topps Tribute blue Derek Jeter /399

- 2010 Topps Tribute 205 blue Joe Mauer /399

- 2010 Topps Tribute black Chase Utley /99

Looks like there is some kind of subset of rivalries or something along those lines in this set, but it's not what you think.

You get cards of histories biggest foes such as David vs. Goliath (and the blue version in case you have an inkling to make the rainbow), the Hatfield and McCoys, Kennedy vs. Nixon, USA vs. USSR, and (I'm sure not the last) how can we forget about one of the oldest family rivalries in literary history the Montague vs. the Capulets.

Update: Two Stephen Strasburg cards have appeared on eBay already. Auction #1 (auto relic) and Auction #2 (auto dual relic).