Topps Now Mail Days: Chipper N' Belly

I can't believe it, but I'm FINALLY getting the last of my Topps Now Purchases. After these last two, I'm just waiting for one now. So here's what I got this past week


So one of the two Bellinger's I'm waiting finally came in. Strangely he signed these Rookie of The Year autos and not the NL HR Record Breaker auto which was released like a couple of months earlier. I bought both the Judge and Belly ROY autos at the same time so it's nice to officially have the pair together in hand.


This one coming in already was definitely a pleasant surprise! It didn't take long at all to get in. I opted for the blue parallel to 49 because I had a $30 coupon for Topps Now that I could use. Very nice card celebrating Chipper's induction to the Hall of Fame.

So after alllll that ordering last year, that just leaves one card left to receive. The Bellinger N.L. Home Run Record Breaker card, which is ironically, the first card I ever ordered off Topps Now.

Topps Now Mailday: Los Angeles Dodgers Postseason Set Autograph Edition

So my final postseason set came in today..and honestly I'm beyond upset and deflated to go into much detail. Same format as the others. 15 team cards an additional 2 bonus cards for the Dodgers winning the NLDS and NLCS and an auto. Here's the team set







So onto the once again predictable depressing part. There were only 3 signers..Kershaw, Bellinger and Alex Wood, with the base auto being numbered to 99 and parallels to follow. You wanna just take a wild guess who I got and what version despite having a 66% chance of not having the worst guy on the checklist?


Yep..Alex Wood to 99..just like the damn Baez. Unbelievable. I really hate the way these are distributed. I know it's random and I know they probably random'd the order before shipping anything out but I hate the fact that it just seems like you don't even get a shot at Kershaw or Bellinger because they haven't signed their cards yet. I'd rather all autos be distributed at the same time when everyone signs. It probably wouldn't make ANY difference..but it's just perception of it feeling more fair. And of course I get the worst player and the highest print run possible. I knew the risks, i'm not blaming anyone, and I still love Topps Now cards, but I'm NEVER doing this team set with the random auto again. It's definitely not worth it to me.

Topps Now Mailday: Chicago Cubs Postseason Set Autograph Edition

So my Chicago Cubs Topps Now Set came in today and it's just like the other sets I bought. A full team set, a bonus card (since the Cubs won the Divisional Round) and an autograph. Here's the team set






So onto the autograph. Now here's the kicker..Cubs autograph sets were released weeks ago already so I've seen tons of Javier Baez and Ian Happ autos out on the market. The 3rd guy on the checklist? Kris Bryant. One would assume that maybe Bryant hadn't signed his cards and that's why they only released two of the subjects so when I FINALLY got confirmation my set was sent out and thought for sure I was getting a KB. Imagine my disappointment when I see this


Not only was it NOT Kris Bryant, but the easiest card to find, the numbered to 99 version. The reason I'm so outraged and mad is that there is ZERO excuse that Topps shouldn't have sent me my set weeks ago when the rest of the Baez sets were sent out. You are not telling me he only signed a few sets and then signed a few more weeks later. A very crap move on Topps part for giving us collectors false hope into thinking we got a Kris Bryant auto. This definitely left a sour taste in my mouth and I doubt I'll ever buy Topps Now sets with Random autos again. 

Maildays From January

So instead of making random posts throughout the month with my pickups, I've decided from this point on to make one mailday post for the entire of month after the month has ended. So here's what I got in January

2017-18 Panini Prizm Jayson Tatum Ruby Wave RC

 

Tatum's one of the rookies I'm collecting and I'm a sucker for the Prizm rookie parallels. I'd love to add the higher end parallels, but with those going for a ton, I'll have to stick with the lower end ones, like this retail only parallel.

2017 Leaf Certified Alvin Kamara Auto/Patch RC (#8/299)

 

One of the things I had been wanting to do was add some Kamara cards to my collection as he was my fantasy football SAVIOR. I didn't win my league, but it was 3 points away from making it to the title game, and that's after a disasterous 2-6 start. Thanks in large part to Kamara, I was able to win the last 5 weeks of the regular season, make the playoffs and win one playoff game before losing barely by 3 in the semifinals against the #2 seed. I did end up winning 3rd place though so all in all not a bad season, but back to this card. It's a sticker auto, but still a nice card with a giant patch. I really like it and it was super affordable.

17-18 Absolute Memorabilia Jayson Tatum Tools of the Trade Triple Relic/Auto (#35/199)

 

My first Tatum auto, though I hope to add an on card auto of him very soon. Not too flashy, just a couple of plain green swatches, a piece of basketball and a sticker auto, but it's still a nice card overall.

2017 Topps Archives Active Players Edition Luis Severino 2016 Topps Gold Label Auto (#1/1)

 

If you remember my horrific 8 box break of Archives Active Player Edition, I pulled a redemption for a Luis Severino Autograph. Well I got it in last month and was pleasantly surprised to get a 1/1! I know 1/1's are everywhere in this product, but it still made this pull a little bit better getting one. I also love Topps Gold Label cards so I think it's a really nice card.

2017 Panini Prizm Christian McCaffrey Green Scope Prizm Auto RC (#76/99)

 

This year's running back was super deep and I was hoping to add at least one auto rookie of each of the top guys. I decided to go with this Prizm of McCaffrey because although it's a sticker, I love Prizm Parallels and this just looked really cool.

16-17 Optic Anfernee Hardaway Dominators Gold Autograph (#6/10)

 

There was just no way I wasn't going to win this card. My favorite player of all time PLUS it being a gold prizm refractor, which is my favorite parallel. Numbered to only 10 copies, I paid quite a pretty "Penny" (yes, pun intended) but it's well worth it. Such a beautiful card, even with the sticker auto. Definitely a new favorite in my Penny PC.

2016-17 Panini Prizm Mosiac Ben Simmons RC PSA 10

 

Although collectors don't really view this with the same reverence as regular Prizm, I still found it to be a really cool rookie card and getting a graded 10 version was definitely an added plus. Simmons has a bright future, and has had a tremendous rookie season this year. I think all Simmons rookies have potential to grow, so why not take a stab at this one while it's still relatively affordable?

17-18 Panini Revolution Rookie Autographs Dennis Smith Jr.

 

I may have HATED opening that master case of Revolution last year, but that doesn't mean I don't love the look of the cards. I love that the autos are all on card and I'm a big fan of the sparkly design. Dennis Smith Jr. is another one of the rookies I'm collecting and this is my first auto of him.

13-14 Panini Preferred Anfernee Hardaway Silhouettes Auto/Jersey (#20/25)

 

Another Penny that I saw and said "Yup..I'm winning that". On card auto, popular Silhouettes design and large jersey swatch.  Great addition to my Penny collection.

99-00 Topps Finest New Millennium Refractor Vince Carter BGS 9 (#151/300) 

 

Man, I LOVE old school Topps Finest inserts and this one is just so awesome. A 2nd year Vince Refractor numbered to 300 when that actually meant something. I think this is a very underrated card and think I got a heck of a deal getting this for under $20.

2017 Bowman's Best Cuts Alex Bregman Autograph (#45/50)

 

This Bregman looked just so nice I had to have it. Also being an on card auto didn't hurt. Bregman is part of that young Astros core that should be contenders for years to come.

17-18 Panini Prizm Dennis Smith Jr. Sensational Swatches Starburst Parallel (#5/10)

 

Couldn't help myself with this, the patch may be a litter lackluster, but I just love the overall design of the card. It's also numbered to only 10 copies.

1996 SPX Gold Michael Jordan PSA 8

 

I have ALWAYS wanted this card. During my first stretch of collecting, I owned the base version, but I have always wanted the gold version and I finally got it. I really don't care about the grade much, I just jumped at it because it was an auction. It's not worth a ton, but it's still in my opinion one of the coolest MJ's ever made.

2017 Donruss Optic Alvin Kamara Auto RC (#6/150)

 

So earlier in the month, I got a Kamara sticker rookie with a patch, but I really wanted an on card auto of him and what better than a Donruss Optic auto rookie? It's on card and it's chrome. Great combo.

2017-18 Panini Prizm Russell Westbrook Cracked Ice Parallel (#6/99)

 

This was only 8 bucks, but it's a SUPER sweet looking parallel card of Russ. This card really pops in person. 

2017-18 Panini Prizm Dwyane Wade Green Pulsar Parallel (#9/25)

 

I know D-Wade has probably fallin a bit off the map hobby wise, but there's no way I could pass on this numbered to 25 Prizm Parallel for only 6 bucks shipped. A great card of a future Hall of Famer.

2017-18 Panini Totally Certified Karl Anthony Towns Emerald Parallel (#5/5)

 

I was pleasantly surprised to win this for under $20 considering it's an emerald parallel numbered to only 5 copies. Very nice card and I'm a big fan of KAT.

2016-17 Immaculate Collection Jamal Murray Auto/Patch RC (#87/99)

 

Murray's not a guy I actively buy, but I wanted one nice RC of him because I think he has the potential to be a star in this league. What better than an on card auto/patch from a high end set like Immaculate. If I'm right, this could be a great card to own. He's had a great sophomore season so far and here's hoping he continues to trend upward.

2017 Flawless Ken Griffey Jr. Dual Patch (#7/10)

 

Again, when I set my sights on a card I want, I make damn sure I'm going to win it! The minute I saw this, I put it on my watch list and actually put a $100 bid with 5 seconds left just to make sure I was going to get it. I actually won it for a little less than half that which is great because this card has some NICE patches, and it's numbered to only 10 copies. I know unlicensed Panini baseball is a pass for some, but here, the lack of logos is barely noticeable thank to the pic. Overall clean design, just a great looking Griffey and I'm thankful that maybe it being a Panini card drove the price down!

2017 Immaculate Alvin Kamara Authentics Laundry Tag Patch (#5/5)

 

Some people think tags are ridiculous and of course this is a player worn jersey not game used..but this card just..I dunno stood out to me and I had to have it(I have to have a lot of stuff huh? lol). It's just a really cool looking card.

2012 Topps Tier One Sandy Koufax Autograph (13/25)

 

And my best pickup of the month. I've been wanting a Sandy Koufax auto ever since I got back into collecting. I saw this, made an offer and the seller accepted. This card is just wow..so great. I love the bold silver sig, and it's just a smooth looking card. So excited to have ended the month with such a great card!

And those are my pickups for January!