2019 Topps WWE Raw Hobby Box Break

While I guess this is technically a new release, it seems to really be splitting how the long time flagship release worked. In years past, the main wrestling release featured all the current brands on cards using the same style as the flagship baseball release. It gave the wrestling release a big time feel, to be sure.

Those days are now gone. Rather than include all the brands, as in previous years, this set focuses on the Raw roster, along with 205 Live. It also uses a different design from the flagship baseball. This, coupled with the lack of some big names seems to hurt this release. We’ll see if it grows on me over time, but right now, it feels like a disappointing set.

The box contains 24 packs of 7 cards. Each box advertises 2 hits, with one of those guaranteed to be an autograph.

This box contained:

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2019 Topps Opening Day Box Break

Opening Day fills an interesting role within the hobby. It’s never been about the big hit or the hot rookie. Instead, it focuses on fun inserts and a reasonable price point. There are hits in the product, but you are not guaranteed one in a box. You chase cards of the mascots and team celebrations, rather than the next big thing.

The release doesn’t really get the attention it deserves. It’s not flashy, but it offers a nice alternative to the other pricey releases. The cards feature the same design as the flagship release, but include an Opening Day logo and different pictures.

A box advertises 36 packs with 7 cards per pack. There are no guaranteed hits.

This box contained:

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2019 Donruss Hobby Box Break

I’m not sure there is another release that receives the same type of attention as Donruss. It’s not always positive, mostly due to the licensing with Major League Baseball. Topps has recently extended their exclusive license agreement which allows them to be the only baseball card company licensed by Major League Baseball. This limits what other companies are able to do.

Donruss still puts out a few baseball releases featuring current and former players, but due to this license, are unable to show team names or logos. That’s a shame because it really limits the appeal for some collectors. A lot of people are missing out on what has become a fun release every year. The base design is one of my favorites in recent years, and the tributes to 1985 Donruss really stand out.

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2019 Topps Heritage Hobby Box Break

While it is one of the first releases of the year, I suspect Heritage is also one of the most anticipated. It doesn’t hurt that 1970 is one of my favorite sets from the era. It’s a pretty well known format by now.

This release follows a well established format at this point. The base set consists of 400 cards, with an additional 100 Short Prints , rounding out the 500 card set. There are also a number of base variants, including action photos, errors, traded, and color swap. We also see Baseball and News Flashbacks to the year.

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2019 Topps Series One Jumbo Hobby Box Break

With Spring Training right around the corner, we get the first new signs of spring. After a very cold few days, any sign is welcome. It’s a fairly standard release, but it seems to have a few unwanted surprises this year. It seems the production has greatly increased once again. As a result, the chances at many of the number parallels are much more difficult than recent years.

Another unfortunate surprise is the apparent reconfiguration of the Jumbo box release. Aside from the more difficult odds for parallels, it seems many possible cards are either completely unavailable in Jumbo boxes or are on much steeper odds than the regular hobby release. In particular, the alternative image SPs and legends SSPs seem to be much more available in regular hobby box.

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