Tag Archives: 2015

Breaking Down the 2015 Bowman Twitter Packs

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If you havent been on Twitter, this post might be something that gets you signed up. Although it goes without saying that social media mediums like Twitter have become a new hub of hobby activity, Topps has taken that hub to a new level in recent weeks. For the first time ever, packs of cards have been given away on Twitter that are not available any other place. Even though they are contest prizes and not available for sale, things have to start somewhere.

Here are the cards up so far:

2015 Bowman Carlos Rodon Twitter Auto 1/3

2015 Bowman Tyler Kolek Twitter Auto 2/3

2015 Bowman Austin Meadows Twitter Refractor /10

2015 Bowman Archie Bradley Twitter Refractor /10

For a product like Bowman, where parallels drive the product, creating a new one for this giveaway is a great way to leverage the power of the people who populate the Twitter landscape. The cards are light blue to commemorate Twitter's trademark color, and there are even autographs in the packs as well. Some of the cards are going for quite a bit of money, as there are only 150 packs of these cards.

Autographs are out of only 3, which shows how limited these packs really are. It also makes them the second rarest parallel available, just ahead of the red refractors at /5. In a very clever twist, some of the players have even signed their Twitter handles. I am curious to see how many players are on the checklist, as it could be limited to only a select few. We do see that Rodon, Kolek and a few others are already live, and surely more will surface as the packs are sent out.

I would love for stuff like this to be more of a focus in the future, offering more special content through the different outlets that exist. If they could offer other small runs of stuff for sale instead of just giveaways, I think that would work well too for the collectors, although cost to the manufacturer might be prohibitive. They have offered online exclusives before in all the sports Topps has run, and they only work under very specific circumstances. Chrome is a perfect situation because of the prominence of the parallels, and similar to the Blue Wave cards in 2012 Football, it could work with some controlled factors.

Overall, this hobby has a long road to getting back to anywhere close to where things were in the 1990s, and though promotions like this are minor, at least Topps is trying something new.

To get access to the promotion, follow @BowmanCards on Twitter, and look for posts mentioning the packs.

SCU Go-Live Report: 2015 Contenders Draft Picks Football

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There isnt many more adjectives that serve as a synonym for horrible that I can apply for this product. Being that this is the first set that is offered under their new exclusive license, you would think they would like to make more of a splash. Instead they have used an old design, sticker autos, and risked their biggest product's identity in the process. Its the equivalent of opening a restaurant and using a menu from the restaurant that was there prior to you buying it. I would even go so far as saying its probably the equivalent of using some of the old food itself as well.

Here are the bigger hits up so far:

2015 Contenders Draft Picks Marcus Mariota Cracked Ice Auto /23

2015 Contenders Draft Picks Amari Cooper Cracked Ice Auto /23

2015 Contenders Draft Picks Jameis Winston Auto Ticket

2015 Contenders Draft Picks Drew Brees Alumni Ink Auto

2015 Contenders Draft Picks Melvin Gordon Auto

Now, some of the big breakers want to equivocate the new draft picks set asking prices with the values from NFL contenders released a few months ago. They would love it if you can ask 1100 dollars for a Mariota Cracked Ice and get close to that price. At first, they might, because there is a sucker born every minute. However, every single aspect of this set, save checklist size, is inferior to their competition.

I have heard from people, “WELL, WELL, WELL, MY COLLEGE HAS MORE CARDS IN THIS SET!” This would be great if that meant those cards achieved a higher price just for existing. If the presence of more players meant a larger market would be interested in those cards, creating a demand for them above the 2 dollars they are getting, it might be a bit different. Instead, the checklist may be bigger, but all that means is that the bigger hits are further diluted more than they would be in other boxes.

Similarly, the fact that this is all sticker autographs compared to on card should indicate another reason why the checklist shouldnt give this product a pass. If Panini’s license prevented on card autographs from being made, who’s bright idea was it to release a product with the Contenders name attached? Why would you risk that? Makes no sense. Why not risk a brand that has no bearing in football like Elite Extra Edition or create something new like Rated Rookies?

It definitely hurts that the 2014 Contenders design is about as horrible as it has been over the last few years. The ticket design has off center logos, giant text and a weird bunch of numbers on the side that are supposed to make this a “ticket” but really just look out of place. This was all chosen instead of the Rookie Ink design, which believe it or not, ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A FUCKING TICKET. I cant make this shit up, because they the did it all over again for 2015 draft picks.

Considering that this product inexplicably costs 130 dollars per box, makes me wonder why anyone would choose this box over a product like UD Inscriptions, which features a much more tightly organized checklist, on card autos and inscriptions! Hell, I would even bust Prizm next week at less than 70 instead of shelling out double for this crap.

I get it, my complaining does nothing, because the sheep will line up for bad products every time. Hell, look how many people busted Black Gold, which might have been one of the worst looking products of the year.

At least they wont be taking over the exclusive license for the NFL….oh crap. Kill me now.

SCU Go-Live Report: 2015 Topps Tier One Baseball

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When Tier One first came out, Five Star still hadnt brought a set that featured high end content with on card autos. It was one of the first products to try to get autographs to the forefront of the theme of the set, and it actually didnt do all that much for me. The set was repetitive and had a lot of junk autos. Since that time, the set has evolved, more known now for the Bat Knob cards more than anything. Its a pretty nice set these days, one that I look forward to.

Here are some of the hits up so far:

2015 Topps Tier One Mike Trout Auto SP /30

2015 Topps Tier One Clayton Kershaw Silver Signatures Auto /10

2015 Topps Tier One Kris Bryant Auto SSP

2015 Topps Tier One Bryce Harper New Guard Auto

2015 Topps Tier One Joe Dimaggio Relic

This year’s look is a good improvement over previous years, tweaking some of the main autographs to look a bit more cohesive in the design. They are also looking to add more content of the black background cards with different colored paint pens, which I think need to be worked on considerably. The card design is nice, but the quality of the autograph signed on the card can be terrible due to ink.

As for the Bat Knobs, they are back again for 2015, including some with autos on them too. What I dont get is why companies continually try to prove that you can make a good looking jumbo swatch auto in a vertical format. Stop trying to make it happen. Its not going to happen. The cards look cramped and the player pic is squished into a corner spot that shrinks by the year. Its really too bad, because last year, the cards were horizontal.

My favorite all time subset in Tier One are the rookie reprint and acetate autos that have been a part of the set for a few years. This year’s cards look cool as well, although I am so pissed that they ditched the rookie card look. Last year just didnt have that same appeal to me, and I am sad they went that direction again. The retro was so much more of a captivating idea, as retro cards with on card autographs are always some of my top chases.

Overall, Tier One is structured a lot like how Supreme should be structured, offering on card autographs and some really nice cards in a box that wont break the bank. Its definitely hit and miss, but when you hit, it can be quite the nice piece for your collection.

On the Radar: 2015 Topps Chrome Football

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I am sad. I am sad because this will be the last time I get to talk about a Topps Chrome football preview.

With Panini taking over the NFL license next year, Topps Chrome will likely unable to be made in the same capacity as it will be this year, thus forcing 2015 to be the brand’s farewell tour. Chrome has always been a product I go nuts over more than any other product, save Five Star maybe, and its frustrating that it will be gone next year. Exclusives fucking blow, and now my favorite set of the year will be a casualty of that new deal. Wonderful.

Knowing that this is such a cheap break, its insane what comes out of the boxes:

2014 Topps Chrome Odell Beckham Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Kelvin Benjamin Auto Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Peyton Manning Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

2014 Topps Chrome Teddy Bridgewater Black Refractor Auto BGS 10

2014 Topps Chrome Andrew Luck Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

I think that this version of Topps Chrome is going to have a lot of questions, mainly stemming from the wax breaking train wreck of 2014’s edition. Because of a massively inflated production run, Chrome’s box breaks suffered to the Nth degree. It was close to impossible to pull anything of worth, and even harder to pull one of the better cards in the product. Although Topps Chrome Mini was significantly better in almost every way, it wont curb the collectors from questioning their stance on the product. It could have a lasting effect, as no one will want to buy in until they see the checklist and the odds, and I can guarantee that it may impact how 2015 Chrome goes into play.

Now, Chrome is still the undisputed king of football cards, regardless of wax issues in 2014, but at the same time, the cards could be the coolest design ever and it wouldnt matter. Wax breaks are just as important to the people that break this product, almost above and beyond design. Last year's product looked amazing, but because of how bad it performed on the breaks, the whole thing came apart at the seems. This year, I would have to guess we will get a run somewhere in between where it was last year and where it was in years prior. I dont think Topps wants to sit on closeout product from their last year in the game.

This could also serve as an opportunity to produce a larger veteran and retired autograph checklist, as they will want to clean out the stickers in the warehouse. Vet autographs have been a valuable part of the set over the last two years, and I would be interested to see how they play it out. This can be both good and bad, as a sticker dump may not be the best situation for a product with a knack for low performance in the box format. It could also be a cool way to finish out the run with some top autographs.

Either way, I love the 2015 design, and I love the way it looks to transfer to Chrome. The autographs will look stunning, as they always do, and the inserts look great too. I love the 1976 throwback cards, and to see the added content is pretty damn cool. There is a lot of dreariness and downtrodden feelings floating around football right now, as I dont see many people happy that Panini is going to be the only game in town. Seeing cards like this really does provide a momentary relief from that impending doom, but its just that – momentary.

Panini is going to fuck up the football hobby like never before, thanks to a number different reasons, and to see Topps and sets like Chrome disappear is nothing but disappointing. You hate to lose that history, and you hate to lose what Chrome brings to the table. Its not every day that one of cheapest boxes of the year delivers the top chase card of the year, and Panini still hasnt figured out how to make a similar concept work. The Superfractors are the cards that all the big buyers want, and pay more than Treasures and Flawless, sometimes combined. All of it will be gone in 2016, and that should be a testimony that things arent going in the right direction.

Its going to be a bitter goodbye for Chrome, and yet I still cant wait for it to come out.

On the Radar: 2015 Topps Finest Football Preview

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Over the last few years, Finest has been one of my favorite releases of the pre-season. It comes out right as things are getting hot with the new class, and the cards look great on the Chrome stock. It is also the first of the pro-uniform Superfractors of the year, and that creates a lot of collector interest. This year will be the last version of the set as it is structured currently, which is easily a bittersweet situation to be in. I am still very upset that we will not get licensed Topps sets in 2016 as it stands now.

Finest has always had some cool cards:

2012 Topps Finest Andrew Luck Die Cut Auto Red Refractor /25

2012 Topps Finest Russell Wilson Blue Refractor Patch Auto BGS 9.5

2008 Topps Finest Tom Brady Auto

2006 Topps Finest Emmitt Smith Auto BGS 9.5

2014 Topps Finest Jimmy Garoppolo Superfractor Auto Jumbo Logo Patch 1/1

This year’s design is very futuristic, something that Finest has always used as a theme. It has a combination of swooping lines and blocky modern patterns, all of which work very well. Last year’s design had a few issues with the way thick borders and elements conflicted with the main subject matter, all of which have been corrected in the 2015 preview. The only major complaint I have is on the Amari Cooper preview, where the design inexplicably features a stupid box around the sticker. Since Chrome mockups never do the cards justice, ill have to wait to see the final product. Either way, that box looks like poop, and hopefully it will be corrected.

Topps is also previewing autographs and retro Finest content from 1995, which is a Finest set that I collected the shit out of. It was the set that had a portion with that protective coating still on the cards, making it one of the more interesting of the run. As a kid, I immediately ripped all of that coating off, which was obviously a mistake. That year of Finest was definitely a fun one, and it only adds to the reason why I love this idea. Its unfortunate the autographs are stickers, but it is what it is.

Lastly, and most importantly, Finest looks to be going back to on card autographs on some of the non-relic rookie cards. I could not be more happy that this is the case. Last year’s versions were less attractive because they were stickers, something that I really was upset about. Glad they are going back to the way they were in 2013 and 2012.

Overall, as mentioned above, I am sad to say goodbye to a set that has been with me since I started in the hobby. I have always loved Finest’s cards, save a few of those awful “dead” years like 2008, and I wish that there was a way to keep it going. At least the product will be going out looking good.