Topps Chrome Update Mega Boxes are all the rage right now. And on Thursday night during a stop at Target to get groceries I lucked into a group of four boxes that were tucked behind some blasters.
This is my third time seeing them “in the wild” since their release. And even though I told myself I was done with them after buying a few last week, the fact that they were 10% off This week made me grab the remaining four.
I opened two in car — pulled a Vlad Jr. rookie and a green Refractor Hunter Pence /99 — and decided to keep the other two sealed until I picked up my kids. I figured I’d let me son pick one and open it if he decided to buy one with his birthday money.
I presented the option to him and of course he opted in at the $18 price tag. He looked at the two sealed boxes I had on the kitchen table and held one in his hand, looking at the odds. And then at the last second he switched the boxes with me … which I didn’t mind. This was about HIM, not me.
He used my keys to pierce the cellophane wrapper and then unboxed the seven packs. He grabbed the first one and ripped the back. It was at that moment — at about 8:50 pm Pacific on 11/5/19 — he had a monumental experience.
“Oh yeah! I got a 1-of-1!” he exclaimed as he pulled off the wrapper.
I was shocked. I stood up to get a better look — it was a yellow printing plate for Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu’s All Star Game card, #70 in the set. My son puts his cards in binders, sorted by team. Because that’s what you do when you’re new to the hobby — he’s only been actively involved for about a year.
“That’ll go in a holder,” he said as he looked at the metal card.
The moment got be excited, and damn near made my cry. Parenthood will do that.
We high-fived. We hugged. We talked about how hard it is to get one.
And not once — not even to this moment — did we talk about value, worth, resell price, etc.
I was 18 when I pulled my first 1-of-1. It, too, was a printing plate. It was a plate for a 1998 Topps Gallery Nomar Garciaparra that literally fell out of a pack I opened at the register at R&K Comics in Sunnyvale, Calif. I was in college at the time and sold it a few weeks later when I realized the card could net me enough to pay for a semester of books.
The market has certainly shifted over the last two decades — printing plates aren’t nearly as desirable, and more people than before argue against their 1-of-1 status since there are typically four plates for each card, even though they are in different colors thereby making them unique as the card states in the rear.
But the experience is what makes this a huge deal, and it’s these father-son moments of bonding that keep me excited about this hobby.
On a side note, I came home last week with a Mega Box of the same product for him. He opened it and also hit an autograph of Yankees pitcher Chance Adams. He was excited do that pull, but nowhere near as excited as he was in this night with his first 1-of-1.
As a player collector there comes a time when you ask yourself: How much is that serial number on that insert or parallel worth? More specifically, how much of a premium do you place on a serial number that matches the player’s jersey number.
Personally, it matters to me … but only to a point. I won’t pay a significant premium for such things, but I will pay more than ai would for every other serial number.
And it’s really an inconsistent thing, truthfully. Like for inserts or parallels that I really enjoy, I’ll definitely pay a bigger premium. But for sets like Topps Moments and Milestones, I may not even care.
The topic came to kind again today as I received my latest Roger Clemens serial numbered parallel : a 2007 Bowman Heritage Black Border serial numbered 22/52.
Clemens is a tricky one, he wore three jersey numbers over the course of his career. He wore 21 with the Red Sox and Blue Jays, and then initially 12 with the Yankees, before moving to 22, which he wore in For the remainder of his New York career and his time in Houston.
I received my latest package from COMC.com yesterday and in it were about two dozen cards including my two newest vintage Mickey Mabtle cards, a 1957 and a 1966.
The condition on these cards leave much to be desired, but they are real.
Mantle passed away 20 years ago this month, and even to this day I continue to chase his cardboard.
Ric Flair is widely recognized as having held a major wrestling Heavyweight Championship title in the WWE(WWF), WCW, and NWA 16 times. Did you know there is a baseball player/coach who won more World Series titles than Flair held wrestling heavyweight belts?
Enter Frank Crosetti of the New York Yankees. Crosetti played 17 seasons in the majors and after his playing days went in to coach the Yankees. In all, he made 23 World Series appearances and was a member of 17 championship teams. Here he is pictured on his 1933 Goudey rookie card, one that I recently picked up from COMC.com.
When it comes to collecting baseball cards there are just a few names that really strikes a cord with collecting Perhaps the biggest name is Mickey Mantle. Mantle may not have been the best player in the game, but he is probably the most popular among cardboard enthusiasts. When I was a kid I only dreamed of owning a single Mantle card. Any Mantle card. And when I was 16, Topps released the Mickey Mantle reprint series which turned the hobby on its ear. Yes, believe it or not, reprint cards were selling like hotcakes. If you were a collector back then you surely remember the hunt for Topps.
While those reprints were an affordable way for collectors to own reprints of the original Mantles, they are reprints and there is nothing quite like the real thing.
Over the last five years I’ve managed to acquire some real Mantle cards, including his rookie. No, not that 1952 Topps card that is often mistaken for his rookie cards. But his true rookie, the 1951 Bowman. I digress. In addition I’ve added a few of his singles from the 1950s and 1960s, and I figured I’d post them all on my site. Not only for you to see, but so that I have a visual reference to what I already own. As the header to the page says, the cards may not be mint, but they are indeed real. Enjoy.
cardboardicons.com 
“Oh yeah! I got a 1-of-1!” –
Posted in Box / Pack Break, Commentary, Kid Collectors with tags 1-of-1, baseball, baseball cards, DJ LeMahieu, fatherhood, parenthood, Printing Plate, Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Chrome Update, Yankees on November 6, 2019 by Cardboard IconsTopps Chrome Update Mega Boxes are all the rage right now. And on Thursday night during a stop at Target to get groceries I lucked into a group of four boxes that were tucked behind some blasters.
This is my third time seeing them “in the wild” since their release. And even though I told myself I was done with them after buying a few last week, the fact that they were 10% off This week made me grab the remaining four.
I opened two in car — pulled a Vlad Jr. rookie and a green Refractor Hunter Pence /99 — and decided to keep the other two sealed until I picked up my kids. I figured I’d let me son pick one and open it if he decided to buy one with his birthday money.
I presented the option to him and of course he opted in at the $18 price tag. He looked at the two sealed boxes I had on the kitchen table and held one in his hand, looking at the odds. And then at the last second he switched the boxes with me … which I didn’t mind. This was about HIM, not me.
He used my keys to pierce the cellophane wrapper and then unboxed the seven packs. He grabbed the first one and ripped the back. It was at that moment — at about 8:50 pm Pacific on 11/5/19 — he had a monumental experience.
“Oh yeah! I got a 1-of-1!” he exclaimed as he pulled off the wrapper.
I was shocked. I stood up to get a better look — it was a yellow printing plate for Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu’s All Star Game card, #70 in the set. My son puts his cards in binders, sorted by team. Because that’s what you do when you’re new to the hobby — he’s only been actively involved for about a year.
“That’ll go in a holder,” he said as he looked at the metal card.
The moment got be excited, and damn near made my cry. Parenthood will do that.
We high-fived. We hugged. We talked about how hard it is to get one.
And not once — not even to this moment — did we talk about value, worth, resell price, etc.
I was 18 when I pulled my first 1-of-1. It, too, was a printing plate. It was a plate for a 1998 Topps Gallery Nomar Garciaparra that literally fell out of a pack I opened at the register at R&K Comics in Sunnyvale, Calif. I was in college at the time and sold it a few weeks later when I realized the card could net me enough to pay for a semester of books.
The market has certainly shifted over the last two decades — printing plates aren’t nearly as desirable, and more people than before argue against their 1-of-1 status since there are typically four plates for each card, even though they are in different colors thereby making them unique as the card states in the rear.
But the experience is what makes this a huge deal, and it’s these father-son moments of bonding that keep me excited about this hobby.
On a side note, I came home last week with a Mega Box of the same product for him. He opened it and also hit an autograph of Yankees pitcher Chance Adams. He was excited do that pull, but nowhere near as excited as he was in this night with his first 1-of-1.
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