Hobby Box Break and Review: 2011 Bowman Sterling

As most of you know my interest in cards has more or less vanished recently for various reasons mentioned in a previous post. When I saw the box from Topps, that little feeling of excitement came back.... It was nice to know that it was still in there somewhere.

This year 2011 Bowman Sterling looked a little sharper out of the pack with the stealth stickers instead of those terrible silver ones, so that was an instant plus.... I shall wait for the day we see them on card... One day at a time, one day at a time...

Each box delivers 6 mini boxes, one pack per box with the following in each pack:

-1 rookie

-2 autographs

-1 game used

So as you can imagine this box does not come cheap, they retail for roughly $200 per box. If you like rookies and prospects, this is well worth the price of the box for the crazy number of hits you come away with.

Oh, I guess you want to see what was in the box? Fine.

The base cards

Refractors

Team USA game used cards and rookie game used cards.

Autographs (I feel so out of the loop reading these names. Then again I am not a prospector so I guess I shouldn't be upset if i don't know these dudes right off the bat.)

Now these guys are familiar. Hello, boys.

Joe Panik refractor auto /199 - This is the second autograph of Panik that I have pulled, which makes me think someone is trying to tell me to collect him.

Travis Harrison gold refractor auto /50

Team USA dual autograph /99 Hoby Milner and Andrew Mitchell (Hooray? I have no idea who these guys are but I'm hoping they are really good when they get to the majors.)

Box topper, dual game used of King Felix and Michael Pineda. I thought this card was pretty awesome before the Yankees traded for Pineda, so this is cooler now.

This product is absolutely loaded with hits and it a really great product- if you can afford it. The downside to liking a product packed with hits and not too many base cards is the price. I guess if you skipped the products that promise 1 hit per box and only picked up the higher end releases it would even out in the end? If i had money I would test that theory.

2011 Bowman Sterling Report Card:

Design: B+

The design is nice don't get me wrong, but I feel like it just looks recycled from other higher end products. I know continuity between years seems to be a thing with this type of product but when all the collectors are always saying they are looking for something new and fresh, well this isn't exactly the answer.

Value: A

Clearly if you collect veteran players you would not buy this type of product, but since it is marketed towards prospectors and rookie collectors it delivers big time. With 13 autographs and 7 game used cards you can't beat it for $200. You could hit one or two big cards in the box and easily justify the price point.

Quality: A

There were no centering issues with the cards in the box, everything was inside as promised. (And they did not smell like maple syrup.)

Overall: A-

It's really hard not to like a product that delivers 20 hits for $200. If you are someone who buys products to flip cards, I don't see how you could go wrong here. Heck, even if you do what I normally do (buy a box sell what you don't want a keep a couple), you could still stand to almost break even or completely break even. And if you don't break even.... well, that really wasn't the point of opening a product like this if you are a collector. You were looking for the high thrill of getting 2 or more hits per pack. Everyone wins here.

Random card that isn't that random...

Well, it was random a few months ago. At the national I wanted to get my mitts on a 2011 Topps Heritage Dustin Ackley NSCC exclusive RC. As it turns out, I ended up with a Michael Pineda RC which disappointed me then and now I don't know how I feel about it.

When I got the card, I admit I didn't care much for it and really didn't give Pineda a second thought. I actually had planned on selling it on eBay, however like most cards I don't want and plan on selling it ended up in a box next to my desk.

The fact that the Yankees traded Jesus Montero for Pineda is a little bittersweet for Yankees fans. Many of us have been waiting and waiting to see this kid come up and get a look at what he can do. He was up for a short time when rosters expanded this season and showed that he isn't afraid of the New York pressure and can hit. So much for that. While it is very clear that the Yankees desperately need pitching with A.J. Burnett constantly needing therapy for his head and his arm, I think we will all wonder how he would have fit into the Yankees lineup. Luckily, with a team of aging veterans there will be plenty of people to fill the DH slot.

There are plenty of pissed off prospectors out there who were sitting on a boatload of Montero autographs and now will likely take a huge profit hit because he's no longer a Yankee. (My condolences, Wes.)

I don't plan on collecting Pineda other than if I pull a card of his, it will end up in my binder. I would still be willing to trade this one for someone I do collect. So if you have something I want, feel free to give me a shout.

If you want to have a little fun, take a look at current Pineda listings vs. completed ones on eBay.

Hobby Box Break and Review: 2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects

I know, I know... You have all already opened this and seen it. However, it took me forever to get to writing this review and to be able to scan anything to do so. My apologies. I will make this one short and sweet.

Getting right down to business, here are the goods that were in the box:

I skipped scanning the base cards because they are the same as the rest of the Bowman releases from this year. I did scan a base card of the Draft Picks because I love that they are not white this year. I think they look so much sharper with black borders, and I said the same thing last year with the wrapper redemption cards.

I scanned this card obviously because he is a Yankee, but he is also Joe Girardi's best friend. Girardi also has a son named Dante, named after Sr.

Base RC refractors:
First Year/USA refractors. I must say, there is something about the USA refractors that makes me want a whole set of the USA cards. Considering I still haven't finished the one set I tried building in 2009, I don't see me trying this but I'd like to.
Blue refractor. My absolute favorite color refractor out of all the colors that are used in any set, any year. They are just the nicest looking to me.
Blue parallel. Contrary to the blue refractor, these do nothing for me. They aren't that nice in this color. Love the goofy face in the photo though.
Joe Panik autograph. Something is telling me that I should hold onto this kid.

I am going to forgo the usual report card because I would score this just as I would Bowman Chrome or base Bowman with the exception of one area. I was somewhat happy about not having a bajillion different inserts in this box and just straight cards that were a part of the main two sets (and the parallels obviously). I would also sooner build a set of Draft Picks than any other prospect set solely based on the black borders.

Did anyone pull any Dante Bichette cards they would be willing to send me or trade me? I would like to build a small collection of his cards.

Happy New Year!

Well, it sure has been a while since we last posted something around here.

I can only speak for myself as for the reason we kind of fell off the map for a little while here. For me the lack of interesting products or any sort of variety of products, combined with the fact that I have no money to spend on any of it has helped to keep me from buying my usual random blasters that are "for the sake of the blog". I had been hoarding my money for Christmas gifts and things that were a higher priority. My computer had also been acting like a giant pain in the ass for weeks at a time. I had to get out the paddles and jump start it from the blue screen of death twice.

I did end up getting a new laptop so the internet access and blogging wouldn't be a problem anymore, however my printer/scanner decided it will not be compatible with new laptop. I expected nothing less than something to not cooperate, so no surprise there. I do have a review or two coming up that I need to put out there so you will be seeing my lovely commentary again very soon.

Despite the lack of blogging, I have still spoken to many of you either online or through text messages which has been great. I enjoy speaking to the friends I have made through the blog so that has helped keep me in the loop with things.

But for those of you who I have been out of touch with or have never met, the consensus on why many of you guys are not interested in cards or have blogged less and less has been a very consistent answer. "No money and/or no interest in the products coming out." While it is nice not to feel alone, I'm not sure all of us going through this at the same time is good. Good for our wallets, yes.... Good for Topps, not so much. Not sure there are many people right now who can drop $150 on a box of cards that contain only autographs of players who are around 1-3 years away from being in the majors. But, we will save that for my next post.

OK, I think I have jammed enough random information into this post for now.

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season with their family and friends, and I am looking forward to getting my cardboard on in 2012 (providing a find a way out of the funk). Cheers.

Hobby Box Break and Review: 2011 Topps Tier One

When 2011 Topps Tier One was first introduced into the product line I thought it sounded exciting. It appeared to mirror some of the designs of products that are no longer being produced by other companies but were popular amongst collectors. Then when the product finally hit the streets it seemed to anger and disappoint many collectors. I must admit that made me all the more curious to see the cards in person and see what a hobby box had to offer.

While a product like this is hard to give a good review based on one box (there is only one pack), I will give it my best attempt (i.e. hiding my disappointment). The product offers one pack per box with 7 cards per pack, including 2 autographs and one game used card guaranteed. This is a hobby only product with a retail price around $100 per box at the release date and now they are currently about $75, which seems more reasonable based on this box.

The base cards are numbered /799, while the inserts range from being numbered /199 - /25, and the autographs and game used cards vary in the same fashion. The cards that I pulled are below. Am I excited about the base cards? Not at all.

The base cards are boring to me, with the exception that Topps actually went ahead and embossed the lettering on the cards which makes it a little nicer for the price point of the product but... the cards are printed on what basically feels like the decoy cards from the packs that we all used to pad better cards with in the mail.

The design appears to have been created to be simple and attractive. One out of two ain't bad.






The parallels look nicer than the base cards. Notice how the halo highlights how off-center the card really is...


I like the game used card, but I wish they would have laid off the gold a little bit around the Mets logo. Just a trim of it around the home plate outline would have been nice, but this is overkill on gaudy gold.


Rookie autograph- Brandon Guyer

Serial numbered? Check. Slightly raised lettering? Check. On card auto? Check. Design? No check. This doesn't feel like it fits in the scheme of things with the cards that I have looked up on eBay. This design just fails me in every way.


Pablo Sandoval on card autograph, picture appears to have been taken from a game in Heaven.


While this box was to serve the purpose of a review for the collectors and readers out there, it still grinds my gears that this product ended up turning out this way. The card stock is terrible, the design is so-so, but the bright side is that it seems to be moving in the right direction as far as working on making higher end sets that are more like the products we all loved from that company whose name rhymes with tupper neck.

I am going to skip the typical report card type of review here because I don't think it's fair to base it on one box when there is only one pack. If you want my honest opinion, if you haven't seen these cards in person and are a player collector who enjoys breaking wax- buy singles and wait for 2012 products. I don't see this product being up there with Triple Threads, Sterling, or the likes of those cards.

If you want a lower high end product to break for Christmas, this may be fun only because you get 3 hits for $75 and may be able to score one cheaper on a best offer on eBay.

Before you think I am totally throwing this product under a bus, there are plenty of nice cards you could pull on eBay. You need to check out these out, they are amazing I promise.

Hank Aaron jumbo Prodigious patch

Triple autograph with Aaron, Heyward, and McCann

Willie McCovey jumbo Prodigious patch

Sandy Koufax gold auto /25

I suck at blogging.

In light of the ridiculous amount of time that has lapsed between recent posts, I thought I would share a story about a redemption card that took a LONG time to surface.

November 13, 2010 posted a 2010-2011 Panini Limited box break. I redeemed the card later that evening and waited... and waited... and waited...

Then somewhere around November 8, 2011 the card finally arrived. Considering the NBA players are sitting around diddling themselves, Lamar should have had plenty of time between Keeping Up With The Kardashian episodes to sign 49 friggin cards. Just sayin'.

For me personally, this is one of those times of the year where I am bored with cards and don't have much to say about them. It appears Sooz is feeling somewhat the same, at least as far as blogging goes. I'm kind of looking forward to Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects, but at the same time I honestly don't care to go look for it. I am not big into prospect cards unless it's someone I've already been scoping out like Banuelos.

We didn't get a box of 2011 Topps Tier One to review but based on what I have heard through the grape vine, we didn't miss out on much. I do have one more card I got for my PC to show off later on, but I have to dig it out from under the pile here to scan. It's borderline exciting.

Also, stay tuned for contest results.

I'm an eskimo.

I think once you have no power in the cold weather for more than 5 days you are officially a member of some sort of eskimo club. Since the random snowstorm on Oct. 29th we have been without power in my neighborhood. They are supposed to have it back on tonight by 11pm, though yesterday they said it would be back on by noon yesterday....

They estimated that 90% of people would be back on today, and the rest by SUNDAY. There wasn't a single hotel available within about 30 miles of here that took pets so here I am. I can't leave my dog alone for a week and just come back to walk him and feed him, I think it's cruel.

The benefit of having no internet and no power? No eBay. I haven't bought a single thing in almost a week, my wallet is thrilled. I unplugged my tv so I could use my computer off the generator and pay some bills.

I learned not to take electricity for granted after not having power for 5 days during Irene, and this storm taught me to make reservations every time they predict a Nor' Easter this winter.

2 Reasons I'm Over Parallels

I posted a blog a couple of days ago about not bothering with inserts and parallels until I'm at a show or I already found a way to get all the better/harder to find later cards. I thought I would share a couple of my mail days to show you why I stopped bothering.

Mail Day #1

2011 Topps Finest Robinson Cano Finest Moments Auto /274


Mail Day #2

2011 Topps Finest Robinson Cano Finest Moments Auto /20


While writing this I realized something ironic. While I may be done chasing base card parallels it seems as though they still have me sucked in. I'm still buying parallels, they are just autographed now. Yay. The difference to me is that when I get an autograph it thrills me to no end but when I win a refractor version of something the only thing I'm thinking when it arrives is, "oh good I can fill one more pocket on the page of these exact same cards in my binder." Then I'm over it. I am more likely to flip through all my plastic snap cases of autographs then I am to flip pages in my binder unless I am putting the cards away.

Eventually I will try and find the Finest parallels and inserts, or maybe one of you guys have some to trade. In the meantime if anyone has the purple refractor auto of Cano /5 to trade, let me know. One was already sold on eBay and there is one currently for sale in this auction. I want this card pretty badly to complete the Finest set of them, but unless one of you guys feel like buying me a birthday present it may be out of my price range for the time being considering the other one on eBay ended around $108.

I'm going on an eBay break until after Christmas because any money I have from now til then will be saved for shopping. I have one more mail day to show you guys, and one more I've been waiting about 10 days for it to arrive. I don't want you guys to think I lied.

P.S. Please keep me in mind for any 2011 Finest, 2011 Bowman Chrome, and 2011 Topps Chrome cards of my guys you come across. I am definitely interested in trading and have plenty of cards to flip.

Mail Day from Topps....

Yesterday the doorbell rings and I see the mail truck outside. Naturally I am suspicious of this considering the mailbox is outside. I open the door and the mailman tells me that I need to sign for a certified and registered letter. I ask where it is from before signing because who knows what the hell I could be signing for, and he tells me, "Tri-Star Fulfillment". Oh, that's oddly intriguing.

Now I'm thinking there is going to be some sweet ridiculous card inside if they need double signature and delivery confirmation on this envelope.... I even told the mailman, "there better be a Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols autograph in here." He chuckled, kind of in a ha-ha who? kind of laugh but whatever.

I shut the door, tear open the envelope, and......



I see this:



Sigh. eBay or trade bait is all I saw. I actually got good stuff in the mail recently for my PC which I'll show off when I have a chance to scan that stuff. Pretty sweet stuff unlike this junk.

Spot the Error

While putting some of my Bowman prospect cards in order I stumbled across something interesting. There is an error on this card. You figure it out.


Anyone else find other errors in the 2011 Bowman Chrome?