Lineage Blaster w/ HOFer Relic

I've been wanting to get my hands on Topps Lineage, but hadn't come accross any until I stopped by a Modell's over the weekend. Since I refuse to step foot in my rip-off LCS and Target is a bit of a hassle to get to, I stop in Mo's once a week to see if they have any new cards. Most of the time they don't, but once in awhile I'll find a fresh shipment of blasters or packs. This was one such occasion.

I eagerly opened the box and expected a lesser relic. It's just how I've been conditioned. I was extremely delighted and surprised to find this:

Nice! A HOFer! And the orange jersey is particularly cool. This was the first time I had actually seen one of these up close, and I love them. The "Game Used Memorabilia" words are a little too small and blend together illegibly, but otherwise I think these are a great set. I like that it's a mini relic, but is unframed.

I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do with the card just yet. I could easily use it as trade bait. I could sell it on eBay and use those funds to contribute to a vintage Mantle that I want. Or, I could just keep it because it's a cool little card and I don't have any relics of HOFers. As a baseball fan, the third option is enticing.

I enjoyed the rest of the box. I hoped to pull an auto (which I didn't), but I did a decent job of beating the odds a few times considering there were only seven packs in a blaster. I didn't get a pop-up, but I did get some nice inserts and a bunch of Yankees (including two inserts). I also really like the base cards, and it was fun to open a pack where every player was either a past or present star for the most part. I wish there were stats on the back instead of the write-ups, that's my only real disappointment. This is by far my favorite set of the year, which shows how different my taste is than most collectors. Many went gaga over A&G while I hated it and thought it was awful, and many hate Lineage while I think it's great.

Pack 1:
67 - N. Cruz
74 - Brooks Robinson
84 - Kershaw
TV4 - Zimmerman Venezuelan (nice! I didn't even know I got this until I looked at the card for this post)
189 - Jaime Garcia
114 - An elf named Dustin
120 - Ichiro
166 - Gallardo

Pack 2:
7 - Mantle
42 - Jackie Robinson (not a bad first two guys to get)
56 - Victorino
154 - Fergie Jenkins Diamond Anniversary shiny
14/20 - Nishioka Rookie
138 - Prince Fielder
167 - Corey Hart
178 - Pujols

Pack 3:
48 - Fisk
34 - K. Drabek
25 - Whitey Ford
16 - Walter Johnson
82 - Ike Davis Mini
125 - Mark Teixeira
117 - Torii Hunter
109 - Latos

Pack 4:
82 - Ike Davis
91 - Morel (I pull this dude's cards in like every pack)
99 - Honus Wagner
52 - Andre Dawson
140 - Albert Belle Platinum Diamond (it's kind of cool to see him back in a set)
23 - A crazy person whose last name starts with the letter Z
141 - Ozzie (or Ozzy to Topps) Smith
131 - Carlos Lee

Pack 5:
38 - Carpenter
24 - Nishioka
12 - Andrus
50 - Gehrig Mini (awesome!)
152 - D. DeJesus - wait, this isn't autographed?! Does he have cards that aren't autographed?!
169 - Cliff Lee
142 - Haren
133 - Greinke

Pack 6:
2 - Jeter
19 - Larry Walker (good to see him recognized here too!)
26 - Grady Sizemore
37 - J. Upton
49 - Matt Kemp Diamond Anniversary shiny
124 - F. Gutierrez
116 - Pedro Alvarez
108 - Hank Aaron

Pack 7:
45 - Ryan Howard
57 - McCovey
71 - Kurt (If Ichiro Suzuki can go by his first name, so should Kurt Suzuki)
Jeter 3D!!!!!!
164 - Beachy
181 - Frank Thomas
177 - Hughes
197 - Andre Dawson Rookie Cup

How did I do against the odds? Each blaster had seven packs:
Diamond Anniversary 1:4 (got 2)
Platinum Diamond 1:4 (got 1)
Minis 1:4 (got 2)
3D 1:12 (for 1)
Cloth Sticker 1:12 (none)
Topps Venezuelan 1:12 (got 1)
Rookies 1:6 (got 1)
Stand-ups 1:12 (none)
No autos or additional relics.

So, overall it was a pleasant experience. I wanted to run out and get another blaster, but I decided against it. I'm not a set builder, but I'm tempted here because I really like the mix of players. Hmmm, I'll think it over. In the meantime, if you see any non Yanks you really like/need, let me know and we can work something out.