There’s not much to be said about series two of the basic Topps release that hasn’t already been said. I guess I’ve gotten more used to the design, but it still doesn’t feel like Topps, for some reason. It features the continuation of many Series One insert sets, including the Wrigley Field celebration.
They also seem to really be cutting back on the amount of inserts in a box. This is great for set collectors, but not as much for the value of a box. Maybe it will lead to better values for the inserts in the long run.
The jumbo box advertises 10 packs with 50 cards each, including one autograph and two relics per box.
Not a lot of surprises with the regular Bowman releases. The 150 card base set features a few top rookies and a handful of players from around the league. This release has always been much more about the prospects, however. You’ll find some top prospects, but for the most part, the majority of these players are pretty far away from the majors.
You can definitely find some hidden gems, but you may not notice it for a few years.
This follow up the very successful movie release late in 2015, with a second series of cards. The first series was released in late 2015 along with the movie. This one is officially called a second series, even though the numbering has been reset.
The base set is 100 cards, featuring scenes from the entire movie, with a number of possible parallels. There are also two reported short prints in the set, numbered 101 and 102. Many familiar inserts return from series 1 or the Journey to The Force Awakens set, with Character Stickers, Concept Art, Heroes of the Resistance, Power of the First Order, and manufactured Medallion cards.
The Hobby Box release advertises 24 packs of 6 cards, with two hits per box.
We get a pretty standard release from Topps this time. Topps Opening Day is an entry level release with a lot of fun features for a very affordable price. You miss out on the guaranteed autographs and relics of the more expensive releases, but you get fun insert sets featuring the team mascots or players blowing bubbles.
That’s not to say there are no autographs. There is a limited autograph checklist, but you do find some stars. The hits are few and far between, but that’s not really what this set is about. For the price, it’s tough to beat.
It took a couple of years, but it seems the yearly Donruss release is becoming a low key fan favorite. It offers a nice and fun alternative to the Topps baseball monopoly. It would be impossible to dethrone Topps, at least while there is no mlb license, but it still offers a lot of affordable features. I know some people are completely turned off by the idea of no team names and logos, but there is really so much more than that.
Once again, Donruss offers a mix of current players along side recent stars from the 80s and 90s. They also take advantage of the lack of MLB license. What other set do you see featuring Pete Rose? You can even find special San Diego Chicken memorabilia cards!
