T206, you've left me torn. That's where I'll begin.
There are quite a few very cool cards in this set. Take for instance this Jake Peavy card, or the Ryan Braun card in the post directly below. Heck even that mini-Markakis card below. I very much like the cards that have the background broken up by two different colors or an image.
However this is offset, for me, by a variety of nits. Yes, the fake stains are terrible, we know this, but what else? I hate the rookie card logo, for any card, ever, but what I hate more about the T206 is that they replace the team name with "Rookie". Why? I can't find any reason for this especially since every rookie card is emblazoned with that terrible logo.
Next on my list of gripes are the packs. Sure, some of you will just say "don't buy packs". I hear you, but I'm weak. I did take a stand against these cards though.
1 pack = 4 base cards, 1 bronze parallel, and 1 mini. Does anyone collect parallels at all? Anyone? Seriously, a fat bronze parallel. You are guaranteed one card in every pack that you absolutely don't need or want. Topps, it's like you're stealing from me. On top of that, you throw a mini, in every pack. Every single pack. To collect this set would be an exercise in learning to be schizophrenic for me. There's just no value here in the packs. I absolutely detest sets that take one card out of every pack and designate it as possibly worthless. Be it mini or parallel, just randomly seed these things. Please.
I feel like I spent part of December preaching this next thought on the comments of many of the other blogs out there, and I just want to go on record for saying this here.
If you take the concept of Goudey, with a small base set, randomly seeded short prints that don't seem borderline impossible to pull, and use the player pictures from T206 or Allen & Ginter, and sprinkle in some of the well done backgrounds from T206 or possibly even Goodwin Champions, top off with on-card autos that aren't easy to pack search for and I think you've got a heck of a set to collect.
I've thought of something, I can use the fat bronze parallels as coasters. Maybe I should take up a collection.
ReplyDeleteIt is for the reasons list above that I have had a problem with Allen and Ginter and T206 (somewhat Goodwin, but not as bad). The problem is because the same types of card are in every pack, there is not a lot of drama to the rip. In Ginter you knew you would get one mini, one NP insert, and several base cards....in every pack.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I preach so much about the greatness of Topps flagship. Each and every pack has different seedings (minus that damn Topps Town cards).
Agreed on Topps flagship. There is something to pulling SPs though. I like that feeling, and I got the feeling there was no chance of pulling any of those via retail packs.
ReplyDeleteI also found the Topps Flagship boxes not to be worth the hype. Re: Auto OR Relic. I just really don't like most relics. And for whatever reason, I don't like perfect collation (minus the inserts), but I should? I pin that one on me.
But there's a ton to like about the flagship for pack ripping.
I do like the idea of a larger first series checklist. My perfect product would give me reason to rip packs searching for SPs, hits, or whatever while still building a set. The 200-300 cards contained in each series or base set these days limits my willingness to continue to purchase packs or boxes, because the return on investment is so low. Sure I may want to have some dups to trade off, but I'm not going to go SP hunting in a box where I've completed the base series months ago and have nothing else to gain.