More Thoughts and The Hobby’s Reaction to 2012 Topps

So now that we’ve had a couple of days to digest it all, most of us can agree that 2012 Topps Baseball isn’t exactly the “game changer” we were all led to believe. Based on what I’ve read on the internet, I’ve yet to see a single positive response or …

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Replace “Diamond” with “Gold” and WAA-LAH!!!!

2012 Topps Baseball!

No really. 2012 Topps is THE SAME FUCKING PRODUCT as 2011 Topps.

Same 330-card base set.

Same insert overload.

Same parallels.

But to be fair, there are some changes.

It’s not t…

Continue reading about 2012 Topps 1st Impressions: You call this a "Game Changer?" »

#1: 2007 Sweet Spot Michael Buysner

Paid: $0.25

If you’re a fan of unintentional irony (and I know you are), than this is the greatest baseball card ever made. It’s an Upper Deck-issued gimmick card spoofing the former CEO of Disney and current co…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #1, Ironic ain’t just the name of an Alanis Morrisette song »

It simple. I challenged Marie of A Cardboard Problem and Chris Thomas to a race. The first to complete a full 2011 Topps Baseball Sticker album (all 309 stickers) wins….

… well, we never decided on that.

You can keep up with the proceedings by …

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#2: One box of 1998 Zenith.

Paid $27.

Do you really want to know why I get angry at gimmicks? It’s all because of Pinnacle Brands. Pinnacle may have been the first instance of a corporation gimmicking itself into bankruptcy.

The spectacular rise a…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #2: The Mother of all junk waxboxes. »

Thank you Topps for allowing me to act like a 12-year old on the Internet for 5:25.

Continue reading about TOPPS. BASEBALL. STICKERS. »

#3 TRADE: A 2009 Triple Threads “White Whale” of Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez AND a 2011 Topps Sterling Albert Pujols bat card serial-numbered to 25 to Marie of A Cardboard Problem for…

… an awkward handshake and an even more a…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #3. Satisfyin’ the ladies, one printin’ plate at a time. »

#4: One Orange 1998 Pinnacle Epix “Season” Mo Vaughn and one Emerald 1998 Pinnacle All-Star Epix of Mo Vaughn.

Paid: $0.25 each.

I guess it’s kind of apropos that I post these cards today, the 13th anniversary of Pinnacle Brands’ bankruptcy fili…

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#5 TRADE: A bunch of Toronto Blue Jays cards “to be named later,” to David of Long Fly Ball to Because.. for a six-pack of Flying Monkey Hoptical Illusion beer.

Yeah, I made a trade at The National for beer. And not just any beer, an imported micro…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #5. What do they know about partying? Or anything else? »

#6: 1993 Finest Bip Roberts

Paid $0.10.

Like 2001 Topps Archives, 1993 Finest is a set that I’m trying to build card-by-card. I saw a stack of about a dozen ’93 Finest commons in a dime box and found this card of Mr. Roberts.

Yeah, I had it alre…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #6. OH NOEZ!!!!! »

#7: One point in the MLS Eastern Conference table for the Philadelphia Union.

There’s an old axiom in football (the real football, not throwball): You play for the win at home, and the draw on the road. Based on that, the Philadelphia Union’s 1:1 dra…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #7. A point is a point. »

#8: 1975 Topps Dave Winfield

Paid $0.25.

Yeah. I can’t believe I found a second-year card of a Hall of Famer in a quarter box either. And it’s a pretty nice looking one, too; a bit diamond cut, but better than the Winfield I have in my ’75 set….

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #8. 75 for 25 »

#9: Three 2001 Topps Archives Future Rookie Reprints.

Given to me, for free, by Chris Thomas.

2001 Topps Archives is a set that I’m trying to piece together for about 10 years now. For the uninitiated, Archives was a 450-card set the featured the ro…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #9. The case of the mysterious rookie reprints. »

#10: 1991 Stadium Club Charter Member kit (w/o membership card).

Paid $10.

Has it really been 20 years since Topps first introduced Stadium Club? Yes, yes it has. Sadly, I am no longer the little bastard who pilfered those $8 Series One packs (…

Continue reading about Top 10 National Pick-Ups: #10. It’s for "Members Only." »

I wasn’t going to do this. But I’ve been reading through all the Stale Gum Blog Bat-Arounds so far, and I still haven’t seen it.Oh, there are plenty of excellent suggestions for improving Topps’ latest product. I agree with just about all of them: Cut …

Continue reading about My quick fix for Topps 2011 »

This week’s cards are courtesy Chris from Stale Gum. He sent these, and a bunch of others over a little while ago.Today we feature triple relic football cards from two high end Topps products. Unique and Triple Threads.First, we see what Unique has to …

Continue reading about Card of the Week How to, and How Not to….. »

You know that a Trade Me Anything package that arrives via Priority Mail for $5.15 is serious business. Chris Harris is serious about cards. This trade should be good.Giving:Well, there was an email mix-up that led to Chris requesting cards that had …

Continue reading about Trade Me Anything IV: Trade #2 »

This past Wednesday, I decided to hit the gym (well on my way to my goal of 1,000 minutes working out in the month of October), and when I got home, I was just in time to see the final inning of the Phillies/Reds game. Now we all know what happened th…

Continue reading about A Stale Gum Sighting! »

Ok, so Frank Zappa day was actually August 9th 2007. I’m not three years late, I’m just trying to create a new holiday. It’s not like there’s a decent holiday in August anyway. So what if such a holiday has no commercial potential, you don’t need greet…

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All the blogging comes down to just one moment, the day you receive an official 1/1 Stale Gum autograph isn’t doesn’t get better than this. Chris of Stale Gum, the home of the acclaimed ‘On location box-break’, whether it be in a cemetery, a stadium, a…

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Last week I opened a 27 year old pack of O-Pee-Chee baseball Cards over at A Packed to be Named Later. As you would imagine the stale gum was affixed to one of the cards, which happened to be a Rod Carew All-Star card.There were a couple of comments o…

Continue reading about The Great Rod Carew Degumming Experiment »

The latest offering for this experiment came from one of the best blogs out there, Stale Gum. Over the past few months, I’ve been Bucked by Chris, then Brewered, and now he’s sent me some 2010 Topps. I am cautious.Things started off fine with a nice …

Continue reading about 2010 Topps Experiment II: Update #4 (Bipped!) »

Join Stale Gum’s very own Chris Harris and myself this Friday at 11pm CST for a brand new episode of the Card Corner Club Radio Hour. Listen live, call in with a comment or question and win free swag. Thank you to Chris for being willing to participate…

Continue reading about Stale Gum and the VOTC- ONLY on Card Corner Club Radio »

Some of you have have read Chris’ blog asking for an all out bip attack/war of some sort against some bloggers, myself included. I was a little worried how this was going to turn out, and since I already have plenty of crappy cardboard I wasn’t lookin…

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Continue reading about A Gentleman’s Bip: Stale Gum Edition »

A few days ago I posted this about how manufacturers might get collectors excited about relic cards again. Chris from Stale Gum correctly noted that one of the cards I mentioned, the Scott Rolen E/X Wall of Fame card, didn’t actually contain a piece of…

Continue reading about Follow Up to “How Relic Cards Should Be Made” »

Continue reading about We’re not going to take it anymore! »

The timing couldn’t have been worse. My announcement regarding the new Beckett wrapper assignment was posted within minutes of the breaking news regarding the Upper Deck case. These things happen.Thursday afternoon, Chris Harris from Stale Gum contac…

Continue reading about New Enemy, New Assignment! »

Continue reading about Looks Like “Baghdad Bob” was able to Land on His Feet. »

Continue reading about Looks Like “Baghdad Bob” was able to Land on His Feet. »

Continue reading about Just Look at the Picture and Read the Comments. »

Continue reading about I will not shed a tear over Upper Deck. »

Continue reading about 2010 Topps HeritageTwitter Break »

Continue reading about On-Location Pack Break: 2010 Upper Deck Retail Looseys »

Continue reading about My Faith in Humanity (and the Cardblogosphere) has been Shattered. »