REVIEW:2016 Topps Update Baseball Hobby Box (1:1,055 pull) And GIVEAWAY!

Topps Update is a late season release where collectors are chasing key rookie debuts from 2016 and key players that changed uniforms. I mean, you gotta update your team or player PC and not wait for the following year. I know I want to.

How did this years version go? Well, check it out and READ ON!

In every box of 2016 Topps Update baseball hobby box is 36 packs of 10 cards. So you are getting a ton of cards per box. There is also one autograph or relic card per box. Boxes will run you roughly $50.

The base set is loaded, as I said above, with key rookies and players in new uniforms. It also has a very HEAVY All-Star game presence. There are 300 cards in the base set with key rookie cards of Julio Urias, Jameson Taillon, Byung-Ho Park, Blake Snell, A.J. Reed, Tyler Naquin, Michael Fulmer, Nomar Mazara, Jose Berrios, Albert Almora, Hyun-Soo Kim, Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, and Willson Contreras.

There are a few subsets to find and....

Some very nice base card images. This one, despite being a hated rivalry player, is one of the best.

  

As expected, there are also base card variations with different photos. I didn't pull one and did find it easier to search pack to pack to see if I did. I don't match the photos to find the difference, I use the codes on the back in the small print in the right hand bottom. It makes things much easier as the last few digits is all that matters instead of matching photo to photo.

The base cards will end in a 14, the Rookie Photo Variations will end in a 35 and the All-Star Photo Variations with a 58. I hope this helps you too.

Parallel time!

Gold parallels are always a find in any Topps flagship related product. They are numbered to 2016 and fall 1:7 packs.

Rainbow foil, 1:10 packs, find their way in the product as well.

There are tougher parallel finds such as Negative 1:87 packs (not numbered)

And Black (1:67 packs) that is numbered to 64

Other parallels not found in my box are, 

• Pink numbered to 50.
• Platinum numbered 1/1.
• SILVER FRAME numbered 1/1/
• PRINTING PLATES numbered 1/1

Now onto the inserts. 

There are plenty to find. I either got a parallel or insert per pack on average in my box.

Ichiro's major hits continues in the Update series. They are inserted 1:8 packs.

Elite players in the 3,000 hits club are found in this insert set and they are inserted 1:6 packs.

The fun and popular designs from Topps Fire found their way in the Update Series and are inserted 1:8 packs.

Can't argue with this card. The Mariners throwback colors look great with the splash paint appeal of Topps Fire. Don't you agree?

 

First Pitch pays tribute to the pop culture icons who threw out a ceremonial first pitch during the 2016 MLB season. These rank in my Top 20 favorite insert sets of all-time and are inserted 1:6 packs. You can also find inspirational Brady Kahle included as well. That's one for sure I want to find.

And finally, there are TEAM FRANKLIN showcasing top MLB players who are a part of the premier batting glove company's team and are inserted 1:8 packs.

Now onto my hit.

To be strictly honest, I was really expecting a single color relic in the box. It's my usual pull from Topps Series 1, Series 2 and Update. I have never pulled an autograph or anything else but one of those. So when this 3,000 Hit Club Gold Medallion showed up at an alarming 1:1,055 odds, I was in shock. It's numbered to 50.

 

Other hits not found in my box include:

 

Every relic card showcases material from the official 2016 MLB All-Star Game Workout Jerseys!

All-Star Stitches Autographed Relics numbered to 25, All-Star Jumbo Patches Autographs numbered to 6, All-Star STITCHES with a Gold Parallel numbered to 50 and a PLATINUM Parallel - numbered 1/1. ALL-STAR JUMBO PATCHES showcases National League or American League logo patches and are numbered to 6. ALL-STAR STITCHES DUALS are numbered to 25.ALL-STAR STITCHES TRIPLES are numbered to 25.

3,000 Hits Club Medallions like the one above are like the insert set but include an medallion. with a Gold Parallel numbered to 50, a PLATINUM Parallel numbered to 10 and a PLATINUM Parallel autograph numbered to 10. 500 Home Run Club Stamp Cards, First Pitch Relics have the actual ticket stub from the game featured and are numbered to 10. That's a great addition!! I would love to see future autographed versions Own the Name: Feature a letter from the nameplate of a game-worn jersey. Each card features one letter and is a 1/1!

Scouting Report Autographs, CHASING 3,000 autographed versions of the Ichiro set, 3,000 Hits Club Autographs are numbered to 25.Fire Autographs are numbered to 25.TEAM FRANKLIN autographs are numbered to 25.

Overall, this product will not be for the big hit seekers for hobby boxes anyways. Jumbo boxes come with an autograph and two relics. They run almost twice as much as the hobby as you would expect with bonus hits. But, better chances at some of the bigger epic pulls above I listed.

For those who can't afford the jumbo boxes, hobby is for the set collectors, team and player collectors, rookie collectors, ones who collect photogenic base cards and just those looking for an affordable rip on a rainy day.  Which today is one of those days so I expect you to rip one.

NOW GIVEAWAY TIME!!
WIN SOME 2016 TOPPS UPDATE PARALLEL CARDS INCLUDING THE /64 BLACK ABOVE!

RULES:

1. Please make sure to take a minute out to thank Topps for providing this box for me to review and to host this/these nice giveaways with. Follow them on all social media sites and visit their site, HERE, as well.
2. ***VERY IMPORTANT***MUST BE A U.S. RESIDENT to enter or have a shipping address in the U.S. Shipping costs have gone haywire and I can't afford to ship everywhere.This is always hard to do as I appreciate all readers but I hope you all understand non-U.S. readers.
3. Random winner(s) will be chosen after 7 randoms
4. Card(s) may be shipped PWE. I like to forewarn on this.
5. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW telling me ONE PRO AND ONE CON OF THE PRODUCT.
6. EARN AN EXTRA ENTRY FOR SHARING THIS CONTEST ON YOUR BLOG AND/OR ON TWITTER. Make sure to leave your link in comments too so I can count it. If not, I won't be able to give you the credit. Commenting with it is very important or you WILL LOSE OUT an extra entry!
7. Sport Card Collectors or it's owner (person who runs the blog), WILL NOT be held responsible for lost, stolen or damaged mail. Sorry had to add this in since someone tried to scam me once about this.
8. Contest starts today, ends on November 8th 2016. Winner will be announced in a separate post on November 9th 2016
9. If you don't follow all of the rules above, you will be disqualified.
10. Don't forget to thank the above sponsor of this contest and I won't mind a thank you as well :)

Good luck to all that enter and thanks for reading!