The 2018 Hobby season is finally here and I was excited to open my first product of the year. After "selling back" ten of the twelve hobby jumbo boxes I had preordered, I was left with two hobby jumbos and my 24 silver promo packs.
Here's how I did.
Box 1
Hits:
Jesse Winker 1983 Auto, Anthony Rizzo jersey, Giancarlo Stanton Spring Training Patch
The hits were ok, but only because as a Cubs fan I love the Rizzo Game-Used Jersey card. The Winker auto and Stanton Spring Training Manufactured Patch were kind of meh.
Parallels:
This is where I did much, much better!
I received nine base card parallels in this box. Miguel Sano was the best of the five rainbow foils I received, and I don't know, A.J. Pollock was probably the best of the three golds. But the winner of this category was the Photo Negative parallel of Mike Trout! This parallel isn't numbered, but should still bring some decent value if I decide to sell it.
Short Print Photo Variation:
I also did pretty well here. I received a Alex Bregman short print which is a pretty solid name. As a reminder, the code on the back of the card is one way to tell the short prints apart. Short prints end in 43 and the Super Short prints end in 44.
Inserts:
I received 31 insert cards that spanned a variety of star veterans and rookies.
Box 2
I uploaded a video of my opening of box 2 onto youtube. It's my first attempt at video and I'd love if you checked it out!
Hits:
Max Fried Salute Autograph, Marcel Ozuna Game Used Bat, Bryce Harper Manufactured All-Star Medallion Relic/99
Once again, the autograph could have been better, the Ozuna bat card is ok, but the Harper is pretty solid. I'm not a huge fan of these manufactured relic cards, but I like Harper and the fact that it is numbered to /99 is cool. In fact it is serial number 34/99 which matches his jersey number!
Parallels:
The parallel cards in this box were pretty strong. I received an Aaron Judge Salute insert parallel /299, Don Mattingly 1983 insert blue parallel, and Alex Bregman black parallel /67. I also received five rainbow and three gold parallels for a total of 11 in this box.
Inserts:
This box had 30 inserts and it included a bunch of the big first and second year players. Bennitendi, Bregman, Seager, Swanson, Hoskins and Happ are a few who I'll be holding on to for the collection!
I should have enough base to put together one set for my personal collection and one to sell. After I pull out a few of the others for some fellow trade partners, I'll be selling the rest of the base and inserts on Sportlots!
Silver Promo Packs
Finally, I have 24 Silver Promo packs I received with the purchase of the two cases.
These packs contain chrome versions of 50 of the 1983 insert cards and I think they look real sharp. In addition to the normal cards, there are serial numbered color parallels and autographs available.
I ended up with four colored parallels out of my packs with a Clayton Kershaw /5 being the best. Unfortunately I did not get a single auto out of the bunch. I haven't sorted them yet, but I should have the full set of these and will be able to sell off doubles for a bit of profit!
Closing Thoughts
Overall, Topps came through again with a fun product! A jumbo box should provide a base set, a variety of inserts, and 3 "hits" at a nice price point. Personally, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to resell 10 of the 12 preordered boxes and guarantee myself a profit while still getting to open two boxes and my silver packs. 2018 is off to a good start!
Read more about my 2018 Two Case Plan here and I'd love to hear any comments you have!
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