Big League IS Bunt

I finally found a single pack of Topps Big League at Target last week. That was all that was there. Literally one lonely, loose pack. Having not seen or received any, I bought it to sample the product.

I've seen it enough on the blogs and Twitter to know what I was getting, so I wasn't surprised by anything. What does surprise me is all the praise this set is getting for replacing Topps Bunt. That's because this set is Topps Bunt, with a different name and $.99 more per pack (although I do believe a pack of Bunt had 7 cards versus the 10 that Big League provides).

It's not exactly apples to apples, but these sets are far more alike than many will admit or want to hear, starting with the card stock. Bunt seems to have been taboo because of the connection to the digital card app, which I never understood. To me, the set could easily be enjoyed without worry about any connection to app.

As for the Big League cards, I expected a more traditional cardboard feeling product, almost like a late '80s card or a modern day Heritage (maybe a little less thick). The card stock reminded me exactly of...

Hmm, 2016 Topps Bunt. 2017 Bunt were inexplicably slippery and glossy, but holding a 2016 Bunt against a 2018 Big League is nearly identical.

I also found a retired legend in my pack. Hmmm, you know what else had legends in the set? 2016 Bunt.

 I even found - gasp - an ad for a Topps digital product.

True, this set is twice as big as both 2016 and 2017 Topps Bunt, which came in at 200 cards. But the set does have legends plus ballparks and league leaders, so I wouldn't exactly call it a 400-card set of current players.

And the backs of the cards resemble a more traditional card back with a few years of stats and a write-up versus the few-sentence write-up that Bunt has. I do like that better. But does that justify $1.99 per pack versus $.99? 2018 Bunt, if it existed, could have easily had both of these things.

Both Bunt and Big League have similar parallels as well. 2016 Bunt had Platinum, Topaz, and Crimson (1 of 1). 2017 had a parallel per pack, just like Big League, which has one gold card per pack (although it looks very yellow to me...I thought I got a rare yellow/canary card), Rainbow Foil, Black and White, and Red Foil (1 of 1). Interesting that Crimson was the color of Bunt's 1 of 1s, and Red is the color of Big League's 1 of 1s.

They both have a few inserts too. The first year of Bunt had: Unique Unis, Future of the Franchise, Light Force, Programs, Title Town, Moonshots, Stadium Heritage, and Autographs. Big League has Players' Weekend, Ministers of Mash, Autographs, and Rookie Republic autographs. And of course, the inserts have parallels.

None of this is to poo poo on Big League. It's a fine set and a good effort and I like it a heck of a lot more than A&G or Gypsy Queen. I just find it interesting how many people dismissed Bunt the last two years because of the digital connotation to the app, while praising Big League as a set that really gets what collectors want. They are by and large the exact same product, but the dollar price point was taken away from us. That's a big deal, at least to a frugal collector like me.

I tip my cap to Topps Marketing team for this one. They created a product that could have easily been branded as the third year of Bunt, gave it a generic baseball name (Big League!), and increased the SRP from $.99 to $1.99...and seemed to have created a winner in the minds of collectors. It truly was just a re-brand, but I think they did a great job making it feel new and different. That's some sound marketing.

JBF's World Cup of Trading

As many have undoubtedly seen, JBF of Willinghammer Risingheld his World Cup of Trading. In return for the good below, I sent Wes an 8x10 acrylic on canvas painting of Josh Willingham:

I’ll start by showing what I claimed. First and foremost, a signed Kevin Mitchell jersey:

I did feel a little bad about claiming this, as I feel a Giant fan would have really liked it. However, in a previous Big Fun Game held by Wes, I had a Mookie Wilson signed jersey and some point that was stolen from me, so I felt like this was a second chance at adding a signed jersey to my collection, which is a first for me. I do plan on hanging it alongside the area in my attic where I am organizing my cards.

I also claimed two cards:

The Andy Carey, because 1956 Topps. And the Carmelo relic? Well, I don’t really collect basketball, but Melo is a favorite of mine from my Syracuse days, and I thought it’d be cool to add a jersey swatch of his to my collection. I have a rookie card too, so I guess now I need an autograph?

As Wes usually does, he included a stack of Yankees.

I could never have enough of this card.

This is a great card. It’s like a 20 year old Superfractor, although not 1/1. It’s from 1994 Pacific Prism. I really don’t need to show any more proof on why Pacific was awesome, but I’m going to keep showing off their cards because they dominated the ‘90s, most people just didn’t know it.

Circa Thunderboomers! I already had this card, although this one is in better condition than the one I had. The hole in the wooden fence is actually clear cut. Pretty neat.

Classly looking Jeter card.

I liked these Bunt Lightforce cards. Pretty fun design, and in my opinion, what an insert card should be.

Last but not least, a confusing, yet cool set: Topps Stars N Steel. I’m not surprised this had a short shelf life, but they were actually pretty cool. They were metal! It’d be neat to see this come back as a one-off, maybe in some high end product.

Wes, my man, thank you as always!

PWE-Town Tom does it again

It's always nice to get a PWE from P-Town Tom. I know he's been busy with the end of the school year and his baseball team's advancement through the playoffs, so I appreciate the time he took to send two cards my way.

I sent him a few Bunt Cubs, and he returned the favor with this 2017 Bunt Blue Parallel of Masahiro Tanaka.

It's been a weird season for Tanaka. He went nearly all of spring training without giving up a run, then has basically been the worst starter in the AL during the regular season, despite a couple of dominant starts. It's like he and Pineda switched places. As long as he's healthy, I fully expect him to go on a roll at some point.

Speaking of going on a roll, Aaron Hicks is having a phenomenal, All-Star caliber season. Last year's trade for John Ryan Murphy is now looking like a complete heist. Hicks was not great in 2016, but showed some life at the end of the season with regular playing time. This year, he has really come into his own as a player.

This cool RC is from Panini Prizm. I hope Hicks has some Yankee autographs on the market soon, as I'd love to snag one.

Tom, thanks for taking the time to send me a couple great cards!

My box of 2017 Topps BUNT

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I know many of our moms were instrumental in enabling us as collectors. Mine always seemed to bring a pack pack from the drugstore, or bribe me to babysit my siblings with packs of cards as payment.

Yesterday, my hobby box of 2017 Topps BUNT arrived, a day earlier than the tracking info told me! It looks like I've started a tradition, as this is the second straight year I've bought a box. It's hard to go wrong with 36 packs for around $30.

I was in the middle of painting my bedroom when it arrived, so I quickly cracked one pack and stashed the rest as a reward for finishing the job.

Just like last year, it was a blast to open. There are no major sick hits - at least ones that are attainable - but there are plenty of colorful base cards, parallels, and some sharp-looking inserts.

Here are the base cards:

Nice, simple design. Pretty different from last year. I think I like the base design more than the flagship. One additional thing Topps did was eliminate retired players from the base set, although they are well-represented in insert sets.

So colorful too!

I will say, I noticed the cards are exceptionally glossy and slippery, which I was bummed about. I received TTM autos on a few of these last year, as the surface was PERFECT for it. This one definitely is too glossy for a signature.

Here are the blue parallels, which fall one per pack.

There are also black parallels (one per box), green (1:32), orange (1:62), purple (1:125), and red (1:3,095). My one black parallel was Yoenis Cespedes.

 I beat the odds and got two green parallels, which are numbered to 99.

The insert sets also have colored parallels, so there are a lot of different variations.

Program inserts make a return, which is a really fun set. It was one of the best inserts of 2016. I liked last year's design a little more, but they still look good.

Here is 2016, as a reminder.

As I noted, there are also colored parallels of inserts, and I lucked out and pulled an orange program insert. These fall 1:414. Pretty decent pull! This is numbered to 50.

In most packs, you'll find either a Perspectives or a Infinite insert. Both consist of current and retired players.

Infinite look amazing. Such a simple, yet elegant design. The blank white space in the background looks awesome, and you can also see the player's stadium faded in the bottom of the card. I want to get one of these signed.

Perspectives are all horizontal. It took me a few packs to realize this was a different set than Infinite. It also features some players you don't see in insert sets very much, like Martin Prado. But there are big stars too.

And, as promised by the odds, there were 12 of these BUNT code cards.

There are some really tough-to-pull inserts like Splatter Art and Galaxy, but I didn't snag any of those.

Regardless of your view on digital cards, this box of tangible, physical cards is an awesome bang for the buck. I really enjoyed busting the box, and will definitely be buying another box next year.

A tradition has been born!

Blame it on the meds

I'm still battling the flu. Honestly, I don't remember being this knocked down by an illness in my entire life. I just keep waiting for that night where I make the turn, but it hasn't happened. It's really sapped my desire to blog, that's for sure.

Regardless, I did purchase a card early last week, and once it arrived, the only logical explanation is that I was hopped up on cold meds. Why else would I buy this?

That is one of those Topps Online exclusive 5x7s. It's numbered 9/10, so at least it's fairly rare. But honestly, it's ugly and 5x7s are hard to store. I'm really not sure why I bought it.

Topps has been pumping out these 5x7 sets, and it looks like most people buy them and then break them up on eBay and sell as individual cards. The winning bid on this was well under $2.

I need to set up a rule on eBay that removes all 5x7s from my search listings. That, or just avoid the site when I'm on meds. That's probably the best idea.

My hobby box of Topps BUNT physical cards

I’ll start this by saying that I am not a fan of the Topps Bunt app or digital cards.

Many are, and that is fine. I know some people probably collect digital cards and not physical cards. Some collect physical and not digital. Others do both. Collectors are all different, and despite what stance you take, you do you. No need to bash one group versus the other. I have dabbled in the app, but ultimately have decided that it’s not for me. I’d rather spend money on tangible cards as opposed to in-app purchases, and am happy to share that I never did make a purchase in the app. Again, that’s just me.

When I saw Topps was putting out a physical Bunt product, I was intrigued. When I saw the price point, I was even more intrigued. It costs approximately $29.99 for a 36-pack hobby box. I actually got an eBay seller to take my best offer of $25 shipped, so for $5 more than a blaster, I figured it would be fun to open 36 packs of cards, despite the brand or what Topps Bunt represents. This is about having fun opening physical cards and not worrying about the tie in to the app. It’s completely possible to enjoy these and not worry about the cards in the digital space.

I also grew up at a time when I could buy Topps Bazooka, Upper Deck Collector’s Choice, Score, or NBA Hoops for under a buck a pack. This brought me back to that, as those were the cards I bought most as a kid. While Opening Day does hit that $1-per-pack threshold in current times, it’s also boring for me because it’s so similar to the Flagship. If it were a completely different design with different photos, I think I’d like Opening Day much, much more.

With that, here are a few thoughts.

The base design is nice. The card stock is very thin, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. I’d actually compare it to Archives, which for a cheaply priced product, is fine. The corners ding really easily, as butterfingers me dropped a couple on the floor and they instantly got dinged.

The set, as a whole, is basically 2011 Topps Lineage. It’s a 200 card set with retired players and legends, current stars, and rookies. Also, the back has a short write-up and no stats, a la Lineage.

I do like the design, for the most part. They almost don’t look as much like a digital card as the flagship does, if that makes sense. In some instances, a different team logo is used for retired vs current players.

As for the odds, I was pretty much chalk. I got what was expected. If you are looking for an auto, good luck. They fall at over 1:9000. Other inserts are around 1:7, 1:8, or 1:14. The Lightforce and Programs are pretty cool.

 

I got several Bunt loot cards, which I probably won’t do anything with. They fall 1:3, but I actually got 13 as opposed to 12. As I understand it, these can be redeemed for digital packs.

I did beat the odds with a Platinum Parallel, which fall 1:53 and are numbered to 99 just above the player's name.

A few more impressions:

1. I am not cut out to bust boxes. I got tired opening packs.
2. The checklist is solid, although I feel like it’s disproportionately loaded with Yankee, Cubs, Dodgers, and Red Sox. I’m sure that’s normal, but I really noticed it while opening 36 packs.
3. I got a few dupes. I’m not sure if I got a complete set and don’t intend to check. Not a set collector, sorry.

Overall, a very fun break if you’re looking for an affordable product and a good bang for your buck. I’m sure a few of you will be receiving some of these in upcoming trade packages.