Pack of the Day 163: 2017 Topps Archives Rack Pack

This is going to be a pretty quick post, as I have a pretty big test tomorrow and I need to get to bed very soon. I had to make a Wal-Mart run this evening, and I happened to stop by the card aisle to see if they had any 2017 Topps Archives. They only had rack packs, so I grabbed one. I feel like rack packs cost too much for what you get, but that's what I had available to me.

Here's the front of the pack. There are 18 cards inside, plus a little security tag on a blank card. These packs didn't even appear to have been felt up by the local pack searcher, so that was nice. Usually he gets to everything first and damages it and leaves the shelves a mess.

Here are the pack odds. Remember, these are for rack packs, so the odds on other packaging will be different. There is also the NPN info, for people who are into that. I keep meaning to give it a try, but I never do. I guess Topps is probably counting on that.

Here are the vertical cards from the pack. There are some 1992-patterned cards at the top, and beneath them are the 1982-design cards. Tom Seaver's got some good UPF (Ugly Pitching Face) going on up there. It was very pleasant to see that the cards this year are printed on thicker stock. It doesn't feel quite as thick as Heritage, but it's thicker. The 1960 and 1982 designs also have a rough texture to the backs, while the backs of the 1992 design are smoother. But the thick stock is nice, and I am glad that Topps listened to the collectors on that.

That Rollie Fingers 1960-design card was the first one out of the pack. I was pretty happy to get it. I am also a big fan of the Randy Johnson card up there. I scanned a couple of card backs, but Julio Teheran's card apparently took a ride on the scanner glass. You'll just have to imagine what the missing edge looks like. The Dansby Swanson card at the bottom right is the promised 1960 Topps Rookie Star insert mentioned on the front of the pack. I also pulled his base card. I guess it's a Dansby Swanson hot pack.

Tucked into the middle of the pack was this Al Kaline tallboy insert, a 1959 Bazooka insert. I scanned the back because I think it looks better than having a single card photo centered in the post, not because it is particularly exciting. It would have been nice to pull a parallel in the pack, but it wasn't to be.

Overall I like the design and execution of this year's Archives product based on this small sample. Topps listened to the complaints about the card stock, which is a nice move on their part. I don't know how much more of this I will pick up, but if the prices don't go crazy I could see myself trying out a Hobby box of Archives this year.