January 30th marked the official release of 2013 Topps Series 1. While the release hit the retail outlets (Target / Walmart) earlier than Wednesday, the official hobby release started off with a bang yesterday with news of hits and box breaks running wild on the internet and Twitter.
I had pre-ordered a Jumbo HTA box at my local card shop but decided to splurge and purchase a second Jumbo HTA box when I went to pick up my pre-order. Here are my results and pictures of my hits below:
Box #1:
Mark Trumbo Chasing History Autograph (1st pack I opened)
Willie Stargell MVP Manufactured Pin Relic
Andrew McCutchen Chasing History Relic
Danny Espinosa Camouflage Parallel #/99
Box #2:
David Justice Chasing History Autograph
Roy Halladay Cy Young Manufactured Trophy Relic
Wade Miley Chasing the Dream Relic
Pablo Sandoval World Series Game 1 #298 Black Parallel #/62
Overall, I was thrilled to rip into 2013 Topps Series 1. I think that they really did an outstanding job with this year's release and the photography on the base cards is some of the best I've seen in quite some time. Personally, I think I am starting to prefer the manufactured relic pieces to the jersey cards, as I find them to be very unique and creative compared to a plain swatch of "something" (jersey, pants, etc) that fails to include more detail around what it is and when it was worn.
I was able to put together a complete base set and have a TON of extra base here that I can use to trade for insert cards that I need for compiling my traditional master set. I was disappointed in the fact that I failed to pull any of the SP variations, which display picture variations of players attempting to catch/field balls in the stands ("Out of Bounds").
The Rookie Card Silk cards, found in retail blaster boxes, is one of the coolest insert sets and created quite a buzz with collectors prior to the hobby release. I purchased two blasters at my local target and pulled the Bob Gibson and Albert Pujols cards.
I've included some pictures of my hits below and I welcome you to provide your thoughts/feedback on this year's Topps Series 1 release. Also, if you have any set needs or would like to make some trades, feel free to send me an email or reach me on Twitter.
Until next time, best of luck with your box breaks!