Rodney's Cardboard:2023 Topps Composite Resurgence Black Autograph /2

 Yup! You read that right, Rodney's Cardboard is back!

After a hiatus since December, I brought Rodney back to his original home.

Cards Over Coffee is a really tough place to post football cards and Big Blue Cardboard doesn't have the reach, now it's time for Rodney to take over some Sunday's again.

Speaking of Sunday's, today is Super Bowl Sunday.

If you have read this blog, you know who I will be rooting on today. I hate the Eagles, I like Patrick Mahomes, it's plain and simple. But, I do worry the Eagles will pull off the win today. Saquon has been playing lights out all season so hopefully the Chiefs will plan on that.

Now onto Rodney.

Today's Rodney comes thanks to my friend and fellow blogger Wes who helped me acquire my lowest numbered Rodney from Topps Composite.

This is the black parallel /2. Which the numbering is seen right on the front. Not something you see a lot of.

Back of the card is as lame as can be.

Thanks goes out to Wes for this Rodney and some others that will be coming up.

I hope everyone enjoys today's game, let's hope for a close one and go Chiefs!

Rodney's Cardboard:2020 Select Black Die-Cut Autograph 1/1

Let's get to a new Rodney's Cardboard since the last one I posted was way back in January.

I also figured lets get to a biggie to draw your attention back.

I had two cards left for my 2020 Select autograph chase, both 1/1's. One was a base 1/1 and then there was a die-cut version 1/1. I wasn't ever sure they would pop up especially since the products are getting older and probably sitting in warehouses somewhere with my Rodney's inside of them.

Luckily one of them finally popped up, the die-cut version and my buddy Wes, who many know across the blogosphere as JBF sent me this one for Christmas with his bomb of a package.

For a 1/1, I would say it definitely does well with eye appeal.

Back of the card gives the usual lame duck Panini back with the one of one written at the bottom.

Thanks again to my buddy Wes for sending this my way.

There are still more Rodney's to show off from my Christmas package from Wes and there may be some more 1/1 help in that group.

Thoughts on this card is welcomed in comments.

REVIEW:2017 Topps Series 2 Baseball

Topps is starting to heat up just like the baseball season and more releases are flying on shelves.

This time around we find a sequel to Series 1. You pretty much always expect the similar finds in two except with some new players and a few new toys to play with.

My break of Series 1 was the best I ever had so let's see if Series 2 is the same. READ ON!

 

Each hobby box of 2017 Topps Series 2 baseball comes with 36 packs of 10 cards. There is either one autograph or one memorabilia card per box. Hobby boxes have been running around $70 each.

The base card checklist is 350 total cards deep showcasing superstars, young players and rookies  such as Trey Mancini, Amir Garrett, Jorge Alfaro, Hunter Renfroe, Manny Margot, Mitch Haniger, Jharel Cotton, Matt Olson, Dan Vogelbach, and Gavin Cecchini.

The design is the same as Series 1. One thing that caught my attention in Series 2 is the photography. Great selection of action and non-action shots. Also like in Series 1 there are team cards and nicknames as well embedded in the set.

I have included some of my favorite images from the base set. But, there were plenty others I could have chosen as well.

This one I thought was the coolest of the set.

While we are on the base card topic, as always, there are photo variations to find. Series 2 provides more of them, 50 to be exact, that are extremely tough to pull and are rare. There are some base card variations of the same player and there are variations that replace that player with a legend. Which those are really easy to spot.

Just like in past releases, just look at the bottom of the card to define if you have pulled an Sp or not. Here are the codes you need to define that, Base Code ends in 3535 and Variation Code ends in 3587

This product wouldn't be the same if it didn't have parallels. Well, it has many to choose from and you find a nice amount per box. But, not an overabundance which is good.

These are the golds. I will admit they are hard to spot with the way they were done with just the little splash of gold. I prefer the all of the white be done in gold as well and same goes for all of the parallels except the foil that are obvious.

 

Rainbow Foils fall 1:10 and look spectacular as always.

And to my surprise, a black that I didn't spot the first two times sorting. These are /66. Like I said earlier, would be easier to spot with the white being black as well.

Other parallels include:

• Vintage Stock Parallel numbered to 99.
• Mother's Day Hot Pink Parallel numbered to 50.
• Father's Day Powder Blue Parallel numbered to 50.
• Memorial Day Parallel numbered to 25.
• Clear Parallel numbered to 10
• Negative Parallel
• Platinum Parallel numbered 1/1
• Printing Plates Sequentially numbered 1/1

Insert time and there are plenty to find. At least one per pack.

As always, celebrity fun with First Pitch makes their return. I don't think I could ever get tired of these.

A new insert in Series 2 is Major League Milestones. This helps celebrate milestone achievements from the 2016 MLB season such as David Ortiz passing Ted Williams' HR total and Albert Pujols joining the 600 HR club! These fell 1:8 packs

1987 Topps Baseball makes it return in Series to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this iconic design with an insert set! These have stars of today, future and past and have the feel of the original. They also are each foil stamped with the 30th anniversary stamp. This time they include Rookies and All-Stars. These fall 1:4 packs so you will find plenty of them. They also have red and platinum parallels.

New to Series 2 also is Memorable Moments that recap some of the greatest moments in Baseball history such as rookie debuts, pitching performances, home run records and walk-off wins. These fall 1:8 packs. I found a Griffey, so I am good.

Buyback cards fall 1 in every 6 packs and all but the most valuable cards will be stamped with a new foil "Rediscover" logo so they can be easily found. There will be multiple levels of rarity in the foil logos like blue, silver and bronze. I found a Tex in my box. It's kinda fun finding these especially for the older cards as I think the newer ones are a bit odd to find it with it on it. There are actually some collectors trying to chase all of these down.

Topps Salutes makes it's return for Series 2 and this time commemorate mid-season events highlighting customized MLB uniforms, celebrating top rookies, Spring Training, curtain call moments, vintage uniforms and the greatest legends of MLB. These fall 1:4 packs and also include a Red Parallel numbered to 25 and a Platinum Parallel numbered 1/1.

MLB Network inserts just like in Series 1. These fall one-per-box. This guy is one of the bigger names to get in my opinion.

Just like in Series 1, I pulled an Ultimate Card Giveaway card that I assume are one-per-box for a chance at a free Topps Now card. You can also win Free Topps Bunt '17 cards. Did I win, well, no. I have lost on both now. If you have won on these, would love to hear about it in comments!

Now time to reveal the hit!

My hit of the box wasn't the best, a single color swatch from Jay Bruce. It was my usual expectation for a hit as autograph odds are a bit tougher.

Other hits not found in my box but look great are, Topps Reverence Autograph Patch Cards,Major League Material Autograph Cards, Memorable Moments Autograph Relic Cards, Major League Milestones Autograph Relic Cards ,Topps Salute Autograph Cards, Memorable Moments Autograph Cards,Major League Milestones Autograph Cards,and 1987 Topps Baseball - Rookie & All-Star Edition Autograph Cards. Most of the auto relic cards have red /10 and platinum 1/1/ parallels.

Major League Material Cards, Memorable Moments Relic Cards, Major League Milestone Relic Cards., In the Name Relics, Cut Signatures, MLB All-Star Game Logo Patch Cards and finally, Independence Day Team Logo Patch Cards. Some of these also have much rarer parallels like red and platinum like the autographs.

Lots of hits to choose from as you can see.

OVERALL: My box was a tad lackluster, but it doesn't mean I didn't have fun. Isn't that the point of the hobby. I would say if you are looking at it for an investment end and just want a shot at bigger hits, I would go for a Jumbo Box which promises more hits. But, if you are just looking for something to bust that's at a reasonable price and available for both retail and hobby, this isn't a terrible way to go. Last few years the base rookie cards in here have held their value and occasionally you will find that big hit. But, I think flagship both series one and two targets us set collectors and those who just like a bust that isn't about all of the hits pizazz. It's about the fun, the photography and the stats which is baseball.

Look for a future giveaway with some of the cards you see above in the MLB Pick Em Promo!. Follow Topps on all social media sites and visit their main website, HERE, as well.

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!