Card of the Day: Bruce Yang Wang 2019 Onyx Futera Prospects & Legends Auto

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Guess The Set – September 20, 2019

Can you Guess The Set?  This evening I’ll post the correct answer in the comment section and on Twitter.  Good luck!

Hint – Refractors.

Card of the Day: Mike Lieberthal 2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Auto

Guess The Set – September 13, 2019

Can you Guess The Set?  This evening I’ll post the correct answer in the comment section and on Twitter.  Good luck!

Hint – A Robin Williams autograph would’ve made this set very valuable.

2019 Topps Luminaries Baseball Hobby Box Break & Review

How could I possibly forget the day when Luminaries arrived on the scene.  It was during the fall of 2017.  Upon opening my box I found a redemption card waiting for me.  That redemption card was for a Frank Thomas Autographed Letter Patch Book #’ed 1/1.  One of the best pulls of my life.  I immediately redeemed it, and within a matter of weeks it arrived.

In 2018 Luminaries moved to a summer release.  From that box I pulled a Ozzie Smith Autograph #’ed/15.

Sticking to a late summer release, Luminaries makes it’s return for 2019.  This product is for the real gamblers out there.  Packaged inside each box is (1) card.  That card is guaranteed to be an autograph or autograph/relic numbered to (15) or less.

As of this writing a box will cost $220.

Hits come in a variety of forms – Hit Kings Autographs, Home Run Kings Autographs, Masters of the Mound Autographs, Lighting the Way Dual Autographs, Hit Kings Autograph Relics, Hit Kings Autograph Patches, Home Run Kings Autograph Relics, Home Run Kings Autograph Patches, Masters of the Mound Autograph Relics, Masters of the Mound Autograph Patches, Lighting the Way Dual Autograph Relics, Hit Kings Autograph Patch Dual Book, Hit Kings Ultra Book, Hit Kings Ultimate Book, Home Run Kings Autograph Patch Dual Book, Home Run Kings Autograph Patch Triple Book, Home Run Kings Ultra Book, Home Run Kings Ultimate Book, Masters of the Mound Autograph Patch Dual Book, Masters of the Mound Ultra Book, The Greatest Book, Letters Autograph Book, Cut Signatures, Cut Signature Relics, Cut Signature Bat Knob Book, and Lighting the Way Autograph/Cut Signature Book.

Its quite the gamble for $220.  Then again, if all you’re doing is opening these boxes for the money you’re not in this hobby for the right reasons.  If the box price is too high and you’re a player collector picking up singles on the secondary market might be your best way to go.  Quick-thrill.  Lots of potential big hits.

Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto

• Chris Sale Masters of the Mound Red Auto #’ed/10

2019 Topps Fire Baseball Collectors Box Break & Review

Heading to Target soon?  If so, take a wander over to their card section to see if they have any boxes of 2019 Topps Fire left.  This artistic set with designs by Tyson Beck is one of the most colorful products Topps issues.

As a retail-only product exclusive to Target there are a few different formats as to how you can enjoy this brand – Collectors Box, Blasters, and Fat Packs.  Each one has their own special stuff to look for.  Fat Packs are the only place you’ll find Blue Chip parallels.  Blasters contain Gold Minted parallels.  A Collectors Box is what a hobby box would be.  It has (2) hits.

2019 Topps Fire is a colorful explosion that features (200) cards.  Parallels include Blue Chip (Fat Pack), Gold Minted (Blaster), Flame (1:4), Orange #’ed/299 (1:11), Green #’ed/199 (1:17), Purple #’ed/99 (1:33), Magenta #’ed/25 (1:129), Onyx SSP (1:242), and Inferno #’ed 1/1 (1:3,568).

Autographs include Fire Autographs, Dual Autographs #’ed/20 or less, Triple Autographs #’ed/5, Flame Throwers Artist Autographs #’ed/10, and Fired Up Artist Autographs #’ed/10.

Relics include Fire Autograph Patch #’ed/25 or less, Fire Autograph Laundry Tag #’ed 1/1, and Fire Relics.

The inserts really shine with Fire.  En Fuego, Fired Up, Flame Throwers, Lasting Legacies, Maximum Velocity, and Smoke and Mirrors highlight the inserts.

Like I mentioned earlier, a Collectors Box is equal to what a hobby box would be.  One should cost $70.  If there isn’t a Target near you, they do sell them online.  The 2019 set seems a bit brighter to me when comparing it to last year’s set.  As nice as the base set and it’s parallels look, the inserts are what pop out to me the most.

Not everyone has access to a local card shop.  If a retail setting is the only place you purchase your cards, I highly recommend giving 2019 Fire a try.  Even if you don’t get a life altering hit, after all of those packs have been ripped there should be a nice selection of inserts and a decent amount of rookies to add to your collection.

Way above average box here.  Nice surprises!  Bonus hit!

Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Relic

• Alex Verdugo Fire Relic

Auto/Relic

• Ramon Laureano Fire Auto/Patch Blue #’ed/15

Auto

• Pete Alonso Fire Auto

Parallels

• Taylor Ward Purple #’ed/99
• Brandon Crawford Green #’ed/199
• Joey Votto Orange #’ed/299
• Manny Machado Orange #’ed/299
• Stephen Strasburg Flame
• David Fletcher Flame
• Austin Hedges Flame
• David Ortiz Flame
• DJ Stewart Flame

Inserts

• Giancarlo Stanton/Reggie Jackson Lasting Legacies
• Carlos Correa Fired Up
• Franchy Cordero Maximum Velocity
• Corey Kluber Smoke and Mirrors
• Luis Severino Smoke and Mirrors
• Chris Sale Flame Throwers
• Aroldis Chapman Flame Throwers
• Ivan Rodriguez En Fuego
• Miguel Cabrera En Fuego
• Freddie Freeman En Fuego

2019 Topps Heritage High Number Baseball Hobby Box Break & Review

Last October while diving into my box of Heritage High Number I was greeted with a Shohei Ohtani Real One RC Auto.  Trust me.  I did not see that coming.  Sure it was always a possibility, but the odds of pulling one were incredibly rare.  But that’s proof big hits can happen anywhere and to anyone.

Hobby boxes of 2019 Topps Heritage High Number cost about $100 right now.  Every box has (24) packs and a box topper.

Continuing where the regular Heritage set left off, Heritage High Number goes from #501-#725.  The last (25) cards are Short Prints.

Parallels include Black Border #’ed/50 (Hobby), and Flip Stock #’ed/5 (Hobby).  Those Flip Stock parallels are the easiest ones to miss.  That’s why you need to take you’re time with a product like this.  A Flip Stock parallel could easily end up being the big hit of the box.  CMP codes don’t apply to them either.  Feeling the front and back of each card is a must to be sure the sides aren’t reversed.

Outside of the Black Border and Flip Stock parallels there are a bunch of cards that can be pulled where the CMP code does come in handy:

• Base (#501-#700) – #321
• Base SP (#701-#725) – #329
• French Text – #322 or #330
• Silver Metal – #340
• Error – #341
• Trade – #342
• Throwback – #343
• Action Image – #344
• Team Name Color – #345
• Nickname – #346

Minis #’ed/100 and Chrome cards are also possible pulls.  The Chrome cards have Hot Box Purple, Base Refractor #’ed/570, Black #’ed/69, Gold #’ed/5 (Hobby), and Superfractor #’ed 1/1 parallels.

Inserts include 1970 Topps Candy Lids (Target only), 1970 Topps Cloth Stickers (Walmart/Meijers only), 1970 Topps Player Story Booklets (Retail only), 1970 Topps Scratch Off, Award Winners, Combo Cards, Now and Then, Rookie Performers, The Hammer’s Greatest Hits, 1970 Topps Super Baseball Box Topper, 1970 Topps Poster Box Topper, and 1970 Topps Originals Box Topper.

Hobby boxes each contain (1) autograph or relic.  Most of the time you’re hit will be something from the Clubhouse Collection.

Relic types include Clubhouse Collection Relics, Clubhouse Collection Dual Relics, Clubhouse Collection Triple Relics, Clubhouse Collection Quad Relics, Clubhouse Collection Autograph Relics, and Clubhouse Collection Dual Autograph Relics.

Autograph types include Real One Autographs, Real One Dual Autographs, The Hammer’s Greatest Hits Autographs, and 1970 Cut Signatures.

2019 Topps Heritage High Number is one that most set collectors should enjoy.  The mix of parallels, variations, and new rookies gives you plenty to look for outside of the main hit.  Its a relatively small set you should be able to put together quickly.  Former Phillies Manager and current Hitting Coach Charlie Manuel’s rookie card comes from 1970 Topps.  I wonder if any of those made it into the 1970 Topps Originals Box Toppers?

We have one more set this year to feature the 1970 Topps design – 2019 Topps Heritage MiLB.  Then we move on to the 1971 Topps design.  1971 Topps is one of the most condition sensitive sets ever made because of the black borders.

Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Relic

• Yaisel Puig Clubhouse Collection Relic

SP Photo Variation

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. RC Action Image

Parallels

• Alex Wood Black Border #’ed/50
• Carter Kieboom RC Chrome Refractor #’ed/569

Short Prints

• Chris Paddack RC #703
• Victor Robles #701
• Adam Jones #705
• Luis Cessa #724
• Mychal Givens #721
• Cameron Maybin #710
• Hunter Strickland #712
• Thomas Pannone RC #715

Inserts

• Jack DiLauro 1970 Topps Originals Box Topper
• Salvador Perez Scratch Off
• The Hammer’s Greatest Hits – Hank Aaron #10
• Lorenzo Cain/Christian Yelich Combo Card
• Keston Hiura Rookie Performers
• Jon Duplantier Rookie Performers
• Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Performers
• Zack Greinke Now and Then
• Cody Bellinger Now and Then
• Khris Davis Now and Then
• Shohei Ohtani Award Winners
• Alex Bregman Award Winners
• Steve Pearce Award Winners