1) Potential BGS 9.5s. Historically, the cards grade very well. I'm hoping to get a few quality base, mini, relic and autographed cards to submit to Beckett for grading.
2) Hotties!! I mean, who wouldn't be excited about Kate Upton and Erin Andrews being added to the checklist?
3) Globe Trotters. The Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon cards should be really cool. I'm picturing red, white and blue relics from their uniforms. Awesome!
4) Yaz-Tastic! I'm glad that Topps has added Carl Yastrzemski to the set again. Can someone explain what happened to Ted Williams though? Topps adds the same retired players to all of their sets but the lack of Ted Williams is disturbing.
5) Man's Best Friend. As a dog owner, I'm actually looking forward to the Man's Best Friend Mini set. While I typically don't collect the mini insert sets, I think I'll make an exception this year for this one.
6) The Pictures. I'm always in awe of the drawings used in the Topps Allen & Ginter set. I posted a picture of the Manny Pacquiao card from last year, as I found the picture to be stunning. A great picture of a champion who just prevailed after a hard fought battle. I'm sure Topps won't disappoint with this year's pictures as they are usually one of the best pieces of the release.
7) TTM Autographs. After making a Master Set (only the regular sized cards), I love to use my extra cards to request through the mail (TTM) autographs. The card stock is perfect and the vintage look makes the autographs look stunning.
8) Sweater or No Sweater? The Bob Knight relic has been piquing my interest ever since I heard that he would be included. Topps dropped the ball last year on the Shawn Michaels relic (camo, really?!?) and I'm hoping that the Knight relic will include a piece of one of his legendary Indiana University sweaters.
9) Historical Turning Points. The Historical Turning Points set should be interesting and I'm glad that it's a normal sized insert set. I'm curious to see if they include baseball related "turning points" (like Dave Roberts "The Steal") or if it will be strictly historical dates in time.
10) EVERYTHING!!! I am excited for the 2012 release more than in past years. I love the addition of the retired players, the non-baseball checklist and am DYING to see what I pull from my case. Is it July 10th yet???
