This contest is for a Zack Granite 2018 Topps Gypsy Queen RC Auto. Good luck!!!
Contest Details:
Filed under: contest | Tagged: 2018, auto, contest, granite, gypsy, queen, rookie, topps, zack | 74 Comments »
This August I plan to attend the 39th National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. It’ll be my fourth time visiting the I-X Center, and seventh overall National. One of my collecting goals is to eventually own an original card from the 1880’s. Something from the Old Judge or Gypsy Queen sets would be nice. Tobacco cards from that time period were the first broadly distributed cards in the hobby. Prior to that, what cards were available mainly were issued through localized promotions. I certainly don’t want to pick one up on a whim. I’d like to take my time, do some research, and obtain one in person. The National is a terrific place to find these. I can’t promise that I’ll pull the trigger on any while I’m there though. I’m easily drawn to corporate wrapper redemption programs and vintage bobbleheads.
When it comes to the hobby today, nobody makes artistic sets better than Topps. I don’t care if the art-look comes from using a filter in Photoshop or a hired artist, Topps does it well. 2018 Gypsy Queen continues this tradition.
This year the Gypsy Queen set consists of (300) cards. Parallels include Green (Retail), Missing Team Nameplate, Missing Blackplate, Indigo #’ed/250, GQ Logo Swap, Bazooka Back, Black & White #’ed/50, Red #’ed/10, and Black #’ed/1.
Short prints fall 1:24 packs, and range from card #301-#320. These too have parallels: Missing Team Nameplate, GQ Logo Swap, Bazooka Back, and Black #’ed/1. All short prints are of retired players.
Lots of products today have variations that need to be watched for. That goes double for Gypsy Queen. 2018 Gypsy Queen has three main variations: Capless, Jackie Robinson Day, and Team Swap Error. Now this is where things can get a little nutty. Both of the Capless and Jackie Robinson Day variations have parallels. The Capless variations have GQ Logo Swap and Black #’ed/1 parallels. The Jackie Robinson Day variations have GQ Logo Swap and Black #’ed/1 parallels. You’ll also find that some Jackie Robinson Day variations have autographed counterparts. These autographs also have parallels: Black & White #’ed/42 and Black #’ed/1. Team Swap Errors do not have any parallels.
CMP code list:
Be aware that the CMP codes DO NOT change for parallels. The CMP codes are great for weeding out the regular variations/short prints. But you almost need to check the front and back of every card to see if its a parallel no matter what the CMP code is. While opening my box, I did realize that many of these cards were backwards and/or upside down in the packs.
Gypsy Queen is packed with some great looking “hits”. You’re most likely going to pull (2) on-card autographs from your hobby box. The GlassWorks Box Toppers look even better than last year. I like the chrome and wood grain design. If you get really lucky, you might find a low numbered parallel and/or autographed version.
When Topps revived the Gypsy Queen brand in 2011, they introduced collectors to the Original Art Patch Card. Since then, these have been a staple. Artist Dan Bergren worked on the ones for 2018. He recently did work for 2017 Transcendent Collection. Found at a rate of 1:30,430 packs now they’re called Playoff Performers Portrait Art Patch Originals. Nineteen different players covering the past and present make up this set. Each player has two cards. That’s a total of (38) cards. One of these years it would be fun to see these in a booklet format. A sketch on one side with a jumbo patch on the other.
Ripping through a box of Gypsy Queen quickly just looking for the autographs and relics isn’t in your best interest. I highly suggest examining everything so you don’t miss something. Adding parallels to the variations requires extra attention in order to find them. Take your time and have fun.
You can see the entire checklist here.
Here is what I pulled:
Autos
Short Print
Parallels
Inserts
Rookies
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This contest is for a Adam Conley 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto. Good luck!!!
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This contest is for a Pat Venditte 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto. Good luck!!!
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Easter weekend was spent in Bethany Beach. I took a box of 2017 Gypsy Queen to break along on the trip. While walking around, I did come across a card shop though. As expected, the prices are very high given that its a tourist destination. The shop I was in asks $5+ for single base cards from modern day products. My money was better spent at D.B.’s Fries.
From the artistic design to the Portrait Art Patch Originals, Gypsy Queen has always been an entertaining product to break. You’ll notice that box prices for 2017 are lower compared to previous years. That drop in price comes with a cost. Instead of (4) “hits” box breakers will only find (2). Other aspects like the mini and framed paper parallels did not return either. With that being said, 2017 Gypsy Queen still packs a punch and comes with a slew of great cards to hunt down.
This new configuration introduced us to the oversize Chrome-like box toppers called GlassWorks. You get one of these per box, and they look really cool. Gypsy Queen is not the typical product where you see many foil-based cards. Certain collectors will find parallels of these box toppers which include Purple #’ed/150, Red #’ed/25, and Black #’ed/1. On-card autograph versions also exist #’ed/25.
Rich and deep easily describes the base set which comes in at (320) cards. The last (20) are of retired and/or Hall of Famers and are short prints. Base parallels include:
Photo variations include:
Although it might be difficult to see for some people, Topps did use different codes on the card backs to distinguish between the photo variations.
It was a surprise to see that the photo variations also have parallels. This usually isn’t the case. I was just thinking about this the other week. You rarely see parallels of photo variations.
The high-end “hits” from Gypsy Queen have always been a joy to look at. The Portrait Art Patch Originals continue to impress me each year. You can see a complete gallery of these one-of-one masterpieces here. Brian Kong and Monty Sheldon both collaborated on these for 2017. One of these years I’d like to see these come in booklet form. Having a hand-drawn piece on one side and a jumbo patch on the other would look awesome.
Here is what I pulled:
Autos
Auto/Relic
Parallels
Short Print
Photo Variation
Inserts
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Gypsy Queen is known for having all sorts of fun gems. For 2017, Monty Sheldon and Brian Kong both collaborated in order to bring collectors the Portrait Art Patch Originals. Monty Sheldon made the pencil drawings while Brian Kong did the ink and coloring. You’ll notice each card has their initials on the front and signatures on the back. All of these cards look amazing. Anyone would be thrilled to pull one.
The 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Portrait Art Patch Originals set contains (38) cards covering (19) different players. Players include: Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, Robinson Cano, Roger Clemens, Carlos Correa, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Bryce Harper, Ichiro, Adam Jones, Barry Larkin, Manny Machado, Mark McGwire, Noah Syndergaard, Anthony Rizzo, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, Giancarlo Stanton, and Mike Trout.
Snake eyes!
Filed under: Card Info | Tagged: 2017, art, gallery, gypsy, originals, patch, portrait, queen, topps | 1 Comment »
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