At the beginning of January I won a contest that Topps was running on Twitter. The prize was a box of 2017 Topps Inception Baseball cards. I sent Topps my mailing info, and nothing happened. Last week I sent them a message, asking about the status of the prize. They told me that it was sent out a while ago, but that they would check on it. Then they told me that they don't know what happened, but they will send another one out. Translating that from customer service-speak: "Oh shit, we forgot all about that contest!" A little bit later I got a shipping notification from FedEx and today I got the package.
Here's the front of the box. It promises 7 cards inside. The side of the box tells me that there is one autograph included among the 7 cards, and that some autographs may be redemption cards.
Here are the odds from the back of the box. There are plenty of parallels and autograph subsets available.
A single thick foil pack was nestled inside the box.
Here are the base cards and parallels. The Kyle Seager and A.J. Reed cards are Green parallels, which seem to be the most basic parallel. They are not numbered. The base cards look nice enough, and they are plenty thick.
The autograph is an Orange parallel of Matt Strahm, a former Royal who was traded to the Padres. It is numbered # 08 / 50. He's had a couple of major injuries in his career, and doesn't seem to be on the radar as a big up-and-comer.
I hate to be too critical of a free box of cards, but I am so glad I didn't spend the current $95 - $100 asking price on this box. It was fun to win a prize, but in this case the anticipation was much more exciting than the actual break. Thanks to Topps for holding the contest and providing the prize!
AJ Reed hot box!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was kind of a downer of a box.
It was nice to get a couple of Astro cards, but there's not a lot else to get excited about here.
DeleteI'm glad that you didn't pay for that box either! It just feels like something's missing, especially at that price point. But at least you ended up with a couple of Astros.
ReplyDeleteYeah, at the price I would expect another autograph or something. Maybe more parallels. I don't know. Topps High Tek gives you a lot more cards and a couple of autographs at a price that isn't too different.
DeleteYikes! That would definitely be a downer of a box if you purchased it. Also, if I wasn't an Astros collector, I'd be kinda bummed that I got two of the same player in the pack, even if one is a parallel.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of a letdown to get two of the same player in a pack. Sure, it's a parallel, but it's still kind of the same card.
Deleteouch - too bad there was proof of delivery.
ReplyDeleteWell, there was proof of delivery on the "second" try. On the first one I didn't get anything, which leads me to believe that they just forgot all about it. They told the other winner the same story. Hard to believe that both shipments malfunctioned.
DeleteMan... I'd be pretty bummed if I dropped $50 on this product... let alone $95 to $100. But for free... it's pretty cool. In general... I do love the on card autographs of Inception. Congratulations on winning their contest!
ReplyDeleteThere are some pretty nice cards that come out of this product, but for what you get in a box I just can't stomach that price tag. For the price of two or three boxes, you can get a complete base set and/or a handful of single hits or parallels.
DeleteCongrats! That is a lot of inserts and pack odds they had to spell out. I wonder if it is for legal protection?
ReplyDeleteI have wondered at times what the legal requirements are for printing odds and print runs on packs. Topps lists out the insert set names and pack odds, while Panini lists insert set names and print runs, but not pack odds.
DeleteThis is why I'll probably never buy high end. This is the kind of box I would get - while hoping for big names or my local DC & Baltimore team players.
ReplyDeleteHigh-end is pretty tough. There seem to be plenty of folks who like the thrill of it, but I can't usually do it. I think most folks go the route of busting a whole case or buying into group breaks to help even out their odds a little.
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