I had a thing for Topps' old Gallery set. It was one of my favorites, and was disappointed that they discontinued it a few years back. I also had a similar thing for Diamond Kings -- that is, before Donruss paralleled the crap out of it to the point of self-parody. So when I first saw singles from Upper Deck's new UD Masterpieces set, I was impressed.
This past weekend I went to the card show looking for a Hobby box of UD Masterpieces. $100? For 18 four-card packs? I don't think so, jerky. I don't care if a Hobby box yields (on average) three gamers, a player-touched autograph, seven framed parallels, and an over sized chiptopper. All I'm asking for is less sizzle, and more steak.
(And yeah, I could have bought a hand-collated set; but dammit, I write for A Pack A Day! That's not how a Doctor of Gonzo Baseball Card Journalism rolls.)
So thank God for Wal-Mart Blaster boxes. They give you everything you want (base set cards) without the stuff you don't -- and at a fraction of the price. I picked up two $19.99 eight-pack Blasters, which is slightly less than a Hobby box.
Pack #1
Billy Butler (RC)
David Wright
Ryan Howard
Curt Schilling
Pack #2
Andy LaRoche (RC)
Cole Hamels
Jered Weaver
Carl Yastrzemski
Pack #3
Vladimir Guerrero
Ryan Howard
Albert Pujols
Phil Hughes (RC)
Pack #4
Kirk Gibson
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Roy Campanella
Delmon Young (RC)
Pack #5
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Ozzie Smith
Chase Utley
Albert Pujols
Pack #6
Hideki Matsui
Andrew Miller (RC)
Richard Nixon
Luis Aparicio
Pack #7
Carlos Beltran
Travis Hafner
Roberto Clemente
Don Larsen
Pack #8
Stephen Drew
Bill Clinton
Chase Utley
Roger Maris
For the record, some players (i.e. Howard, Pujols, et al) have multiple cards.
The first thing I have to say is WOW! To say that the images UD chose are iconic is the understatement of the year. You don't even need to look at the reverse side of Kirk Gibson's card to tell that he just took Dennis Eckersley deep. But that's not all. "The Perfect Game," "2131," "The Bloody Sock" -- they're all here too.
But my favorite is card #19: a head-over-heels Ozzie Smith captured in mid-flight. Fuckin-A!
And to think, I still have another Blaster to go!
This set is killer. Absolutely gorgeous. It's also another example this year of a UD product where retail is light years ahead of hobby in value. You can either drop over 100 bucks on a hobby box, or buy 3 blasters, get most or all of the set, and still have 40 bucks to spend on ebay for autos relics and a box top if you want them.
ReplyDeleteLuis Aparicio is the only card I need to complete the set. Can we trade for it? Love the blog. Keep up the good work.
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