Getting Tekkie

 A couple more Topps offerings from the BASEball lot today - one I know and one that's new to me.

Apparently a lot of Cubs on offer from Topps Chrome here. A bit unusual but must be a reason, still, quite the bunch. I like the Seager dive in the chrome offering, very cool. Chrome, I know, but High Tek...nope...

If you like differing designs, this is a set for you. Seem to be a base pattern with a couple variations on offer for the cards, and thn you can get into a number of different effects for parallels. I mean, it's not as bad as some offerings out there, but the metallic look definitely goes with the High Tek name for the set.

I'll have to look at whether I should consider the different base designs as "variations" or not, but the effect, like on Ted Williams, are definite parallels. By the way, I can't get over the complete contrast of having Ted Williams, a player of years gone by, on a card that is designed like it's from the far distant future in comparison. Just doesn't work to me. Don't get me wrong, love having the card for sake of Ted being on a parallel I get to keep is a plus, but it's not a card I ever would have said I'd need to see exist.

Archiving Another Set

Keeping through the 2018 sets within the BASEball lot, we cover Archives today and can take a look at the different designs, and a few keepers. 

A single Jays addition today, and though not new, nice to pick up. Love the look of the 1981 sets, and we have three short print base cards. It's a 300 card base set with another 30 cards tacked on which are short prints, so all good there, and Ichiro is a good pick up on one too!

The first hundred cards are the 1959 Topps design revisited...

Though I like the retro design, the faux stained backs are not my favourite. I get what they are looking to get out of it, but just looks too forced. Would rather they just be clean and cardboard coloured instead of this stained white look, but small complaint.

The second 100 cards are the 1977 TOpps design revisited...

The front designs look a lot crisper than the originals, but the overall design is there, including the fantastic cartoons on the back to go with the full stats. Nice Roger Clemens - much as I disliked him through most of his career spent against the Jays....he was solid during his short run with the team.

Last 100 cards are the 1981 Topps design...

Of the three designs, it's my favourite but that will be because it is the one I think I have more represented with the early years of the Jays. I wasn't around for the very start of the Jays, being born in 1980, so this one is more what I remember from early collecting in the late 80s.

I did take a second glance at whether I should pick this set up as one to collect given over 40% of the set here, but I am sticking to my thoughts on Archives - I'd rather not collect the sets, just my Jays (and anything insert/parallel/short print related.

Hot Indeed

I generally like Topps Allen & Ginter sets for the design and look, though I do not specifically collect all of the sets, but today does bring more 2018 keepers than I expected.

The base set is comprised of 300 cards plus 50 short prints. For here, I am considering the base set just the 300 cards, as I will keep short prints as they are like inserts to me (same with base card variants). As it turns out, most of the base cards here are short prints.

Not sure why so many short prints but I am not going to complain. Add in the following and this is quite the "set" for me.

These are glossy silver parallels which only appear in "hot boxes" where all the base cards are of the design.

Though I don't think hot boxes need to be a thing, it must be pretty cool if you happen to buy one.

Prices look to have a small premium over the base cards, but nothing to excessive. Too bad there are no Jays today in the bunch.

As with typical A&G, you have the dabbling of non-baseball personalities involved which gives the set a taste of being like a Goodwin Champions set.

Also like the dabbling of former stars that are used in the set too, like Gibson.

Well, asclose to a Jay as we are going to get seems to be the "when they weren't Jays, Jays" like Ryu and Chapman.

Can't go wrong with a solid Eckersly who always looked menacing on the mound. Great bunch of cards today though - definite highlight from the BASEball lot.

Made a couple small updates finally to some of the numbers above - when filing away some of the cards, I noticed a couple minor *thank you Donruss/Panini) small parallel items I hadn't originally. Good news is, it means a couple more keepers than I had expected, bad news is, it means continuing to try and look for small variations I haven't been before....so be it I guess!

Do Optics Matter

 Before we get more into the 2018 Topps machine from the BASEball lot, some other 2018 sets to work through today, though not in great number. Still, some keepers with inserts/parallels/variations.

I have not been a big fan of the Donruss / Donruss Optic sets since these became a thing in the last decade or so. That said, I think my mind may be changing on them a bit. Maybe it's because of the Fanatics monopoly but I am looking at even this set from 2018 and thinking - is it really that bad? Is it maybe even, okay or possibly good? 

In the long scheme of sets over the years, no, the set doesn't do much for me, but if I want to collect more recent sets at all, am I just going to limit myself to Topps? I really don't enjoy the non-licensing issues which is a turn off, but the design compared to Topps isn't what I would consider "bad", but it is different.

The backs, I don't like overly, but compared here to Finest - are they really that different? Less colour of course, but similar information.

Maybe I am opening the door a little bit to these other sets outside of Topps, but we will see. Depends a bit still on whether I get a good run as to there being a set worth pursuing.

On the other hand, we then have Topps do this - Stadium Club - and with just 2 cards here from the 2018 set, I am almost tempted to start the build on this one with just how gorgeous the photography is.

For those trying to track through, about 2,000 cards that are keepers for me so far from this one. Again, more the fun of the find, but a good go so far and still about 11,000 cards to go if I were to roughly guess.

Draft in Chrome

 Still working through 2018 Bowman products from the BASEball lot, and a bunch of win today - even if no Toronto cards as we have a bunch of 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome insets.

One prospect insert too with Justin WIlliams, but just a sample of the about 1/3 of the 200 card insert set which came in the lot. Definitely cool to end up with much more inserts in the "all base" offering, so bonuses all around there, but is making up for the recent string of not having much Jays content.

I don't think any of the 2018 Bowman products are really going to win me over to want to collect the sets, but that's okay, I really don't need more sets to work on. Now, more sets to complete by using these as draft fodder - I'm all for that. Heck, being able to send off a bunch of cards to make someone else happy with cards they collect - all for it!

Had dupes of most of the cards, though that did work in at least one case as the first card in this scan - Greg Deichman, is apparently NOT Greg, though I can't recognize who it is. Not complaining about a couple error card pick ups as well. Chrome may be the best known baseball shiny product, but tomorrow, some other offerings from 2018 that have a bit of shine, up for offer.

Continuing The Bowman

We continue with more 2018 Bowman cards from the BASEball lot, and today we get Chrome-d.

As you can see, the Chrome design is similar to the base set, and going in, I wasn't sure if Chrome here would be the separate product, but it's actually all inserts so, plus for me as it makes these cards keepers and listed as inserts to me. I always look at Bowman moreso about the inserts to the point, they are like subsets of a base set, but maybe it's just me.

Wasn't just Chrome today though - some Bowman's Best set too.

I am not going to try and build this set, but the handful of refractors will be kept given they are parallels. My biggest takeaway from it, I can at least give Bowman points for making refractors easier to spot with the wording on the back. I am sure some don't like this, but it does make it MUCH easier to know exactly what you have.

I did feel a little duped when I found out that the TP numbered cards were part of the base set - I mean - why renumber a subset? Definitely not how I'd handle, but whatever....lol...

Well, at least I did get a good start on Bowman's Best if anyone is interested in taking the bunch from me. Definitely not changing my mind and going for it, so happy to find a new home for that set, or any of the others even in piecemeal, for any interested party.

Starting Through Some 2018 Bowman

Bowman products can be a bit frustrating looking back. Now, they are not as bad as Panini, but I had a bit of a time finding what were insert sets versus base sets, and where base sets became extended series in an insert in another product, but today, we start into some 2018 Bowman, and find that there may be more keepers in this lot than I thought if some of these Bowman sets have as many inserts as we see today.

There was actually just one true base card from the Bowman set, and then a bunch of prospect inserts. Design is fine but I see as typical more recent Bowman.

Still wish the back of the cards had more than the single year of stats, but it can make a bit more sense on these cards because where and what leagues the past few years would cover, could be more difficult to show.

One Jay card in the bunch, but more impressed with the fact that I picked up almost 90 of the 150 cards in the insert set. The bigger stars are of course seem missing in action, but all good to me, can't hit the lottery every time. 

The Year 2017

 One with more of the BASEball lot today and we get through all the rest of the cards circa 2017. It may sound like a lot, being a WHOLE year, but there isn't really too much.

At first I didn't think there would be much for me except some flagship Topps needs, but as it turns out, these Bowman Platinum cards are all Top Prospect insert cards.

The cards do well to feel and look high end - too bad no Jays, but a small complaint really since they were all new to me here.

Here we are with the base keepers - well, most are keepers anyway. I only had about 120 of the 700 base cards before this, so just a few dupes.

Sweet - one Jay today with Tulo.

Good star power in the base cards too with Mookie and Bryant.

The Chrome are up for grabs though if anyone is interested.

I see a not so surprising pattern so far with flagship sets being in decent numbers so far. Maybe some A&G in good number will come along. I wouldn't complain about that.