2012 Topps Premier League Sticker Collection

I need another pursuit like I need a hole in my head. I am attempting this because I feel it will be easier than trying to track down 2011 Baseball stickers. I want to help Big B with a completed collection as well.
462 stickers to collect. Onward and Upward.

I need 363 stickers to complete the whole book:
1
ARSENAL 3 6 7 10 11 12 13 16 19 20 21 22 23 24
ASTON VILLA 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 46
BLACKBURN 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68
BOLTON 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
CHELSEA 91 92 94 95 96 97 100 102 103 105 106 107 108 109 111 112
EVERTON 113 116 119 121 122 123 125 126 128 131 132 133 134
FULHAM 135 136 137 139 141 143 145 147 149 150 151 152 153 155 156
LIVERPOOL 157 158 159 163 164 168 170 173 174 175 177 178
MAN CITY 180 183 184 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 196 197 198 199 200
MAN UTD 201 202 203 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222
ANNIVERSARY 223 224 225 226 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 241
NEWCASTLE 243 244 246 247 248 249 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 263 264
NORWICH 265 266 267 269 270 272 274 275 276 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286
QPR 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 308
STOKE 309 311 312 313 314 316 317 318 319 320 324 325 328 329 330
SUNDERLAND 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 340 341 342 343 345 347 348 349 350 351 352
SWANSEA 354 356 357 358 361 362 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 372 373 374
TOTTENHAM 375 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 385 386 387 388 389 390 392 393 394 395 396
WEST BROMWICH 397 398 399 400 401 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418
WIGAN 419 420 421 423 424 425 426 428 429 430 431 432 434 435 436 437 438 439 440
WOLVES 441 442 443 444 445 446 448 449 450 451 452 453 458 459 460 462

21/12/2011 50 stickers (10 packets) purchased from newsagents £5.00
24/12/2011 49 stickers (10 packets purchased local newsagents £5.00
28/12/2011 (10 packets purchased from newsagents £5.00

2011 Topps Series 2 Blaster

The third and final blaster from a recent three blaster haul. I have become pretty lucky to pulling a number of getting Red Sox from packs, that is until the last blaster. Usually Dodgers appear by their multitudes but they are evading me a present too. Hopefully this 2011 Topps Series 2 will get the blog back on track.

BaseballCardPedia has this to say about the 2011 Topps Series 2. Watch out for the Diamond Sparkle Gimmicks... or maybe not.

The Red Sox available from Series 2 are:
#351 Jacoby Ellsbury *
#357 Mike Cameron
#364 Tim Wakefield
#372 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#406 John Lackey
#423 Hideki Okajima
#425 Adrian Gonzalez *
#464 Daniel Bard
#480 Dustin Pedroia *
#500 Kevin Youkilis
#576 Jed Lowrie
#610 Josh Beckett *
#653 J.D. Drew
*diamond sparkle gimmicks possible

The blaster contains 10 packs, including 2 packs of black background parallel cards and a commemorative patch card.

Pack 1:

#353 Cliff Pennington Athletics diamond

#533 Lorenzo Cain Royals
#571 Jeremy Affeldt Giants

#574 Brandon Kintzler Brewers

#605 Brandon Belt Giants

#642 Jason Hammel Rockies

#652 Edwin Jackson White Sox

#60YOT-69 Stan Musial Cardinals

Pack 2:

#334 St Louis Cardinals

#357 Mike Cameron Red Sox

#383 Ryan Ludwick Padres

#388 Kenley Jansen Dodgers

#440 Grady Sizemore Indians

#602 Ivan DeJesus Dodgers

#609 Juan Francisco Reds

#DS-19 Josh Hamilton Rangers

Pack 3:

#396 Adam Jones Orioles

#435 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#462 Daric Barton Athletics

#532 Erik Bedard Mariners

#546 Los Angeles Dodgers

#647 Jeanmar Gomez Indians

#DS-25 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies

#T60-58 Hank Aaron Braves

Pack 4:

#381 Michael Gonzalez Orioles

#382 Travis Snider Blue Jays diamond
#467 Wade Davis Bay Rays

#486 Francisco Rodriguez Mets

#595 Micael Pineda Mariners

#648 Cody Ross Giants

#60YOT-62 Jackie Robinson Dodgers

#KC-58 Mel Ott Giants

Pack 5:

#352 Colby Lewis Rangers

#408 Benard Span Twins

#413 Derek Holland Rangers

#461 Eric Sogard Athletics

#492 A.J.Burnett Yankees

#582 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#T60-98 Marlon Byrd Cubs

#TDG-18 Diamond Giveaway

Pack 6:

#331 Carlos Guillen Tigers

#362 Doug Fister Mariners

#378 Mark Reynolds Orioles

#520 Jorge Posada Yankees

#626 Dan Harden Angels

#654 Chris Getz Royals

#60YOT-107 Roy Halliday Blue Jays

#DD-4 Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford Red Sox

Pack 7:

#438 Ryan Theriot Cardinals

#453 Joe Saunders D-Backs

#509 Michael Bourn Astros

#524 Michael Martinez Phillies
#530 Felix Hernandez Mariners

#560 Chris Iannetta Rockies

#KC-74 Eddie Murray Orioles

#TT2-26 Trevor Cahill Athletics

Pack 8:

#421 Domonic Brown Phillies gold 1115/2011

#469 Joe Blanton Phillies

#518 Michael Morse Nationals

#521 Joaquin Benoit Tigers

#529 Maicer Izturis Angels

#592 Dayan Viciedo White Sox

#641 Travis Wood Reds

#DD-9 Adrian Beltre/Elvis Andrus Rangers

Pack 9: black background

#352 Colby Lewis Rangers

#410 Prince Fielder Brewers

#492 A.J.Burnett Yankees

#574 Brandon Kintzler Brewers

#628 Blake DeWitt Cubs

#638 Ryan Madson Phillies

#DS-15 Cliff Lee Phillies

#KC-67 Pee Wee Reese Dodgers

Pack 10: black background

#355 Justin Verlander Tigers

#380 Jose Reyes Mets

#435 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#454 Alberto Callaspo Angels

#462 Daric Barton Athletics

#524 Michael Martinez Phillies

#632 Scott Kazmir Angels diamond

#60YOT-108 Chris Carpenter Blue Jays

Pack 11: Throwback patch

#TLMP-MG Matt Garza Cubs

Ho hum. A few more Kimballs to knock off the wants list. 2 Red Sox and a bunch of inserts/parallels. As always any cards are up for trade.

2011 Allen and Ginter Blaster

The second of the gifted blasters is the extra nice Allen and Ginter. I am still hammering away at the 2010 complete base set, so I have pretty much ignored 2011. That is until this blaster came along. Since 2006 Topps have excelled with  the Allen and Ginter branding, making it a popular and interesting set to complete. BaseballCardpedia lists the cards available in the 2011 Allen and Ginter set. Besides the Red Sox, there is one particular insert that looks fascinating to me- the US State Cabinet Relics. A 50 card limited set  of every US state and featuring a relic from each state such as a space shuttle parachute from Florida, redwood from California, the green monster from New England and a rollercoaster in Ohio. Now that would be a monumental pursuit.

However this posting concentrates on the Red Sox available in the base set, which are;

#17 Jonathan Papelbon
#19 Daniel Bard
#50 Carl Crawford
#55 Dustin Pedroia
#88 David Ortiz
#116 Josh Beckett
#120 Adrian Gonzalez
#121 J.D. Drew
#149 Lars Anderson RC
#171 John Lackey
#182 Clay Buchholz
#208 Marco Scutaro
#270 Kevin Youkilis
#294 Jacoby Ellsbury
#320 Jon Lester SP
There are 6 cards per pack and 8 packs in the blaster.

Pack1:

#7 Mickey Mantle Yankees

#25 Nelson Cruz Rangers mini A+G back

#180 Kyle Drabek Blue Jays

#243 Mike Nickeas Mets

#FF19 HMS Revenge

#HH26 Torii Hunter Pine Bluff Arizona

Pack 2:



#142 Michael Young Rangers

#153 Scott Cousins Marlins mini

#169 Dan Harden Angels

#175 Jose Bautista Blue Jays

#323 Orlando Hudson Padres

#HH90 Ryan Howard St.Louis Missouri

Pack 3:

#107 L.L.Zamenhof Esperanto Inventor

#232 Picabo Street  Alpine Skiing

#337 Drew Storen Nationals

#BHS-8 Cody Ross Giants

#HH3 Brain Wilson Londonderry New Hampshire

SRU4 The Flea Circus mini

checklist 2/5

Pack 4:

#7 Mickey Mantle Yankees code card

#53 Chipper Jones Braves black border mini

#179 Shane Victorino Phillies

#218 Bobby Abreu Angels

#281 Adam Lind Blue Jays

#HH38 Andre Ethier Phoenix Arizona

Pack 5:

#48 Edinson Volquez Reds

#205 Kendrys Morales Angels mini

#296 Derek Lowe Braves

#HH58 Jimmy Rollins Oakland California

#AGR-PS Pablo Sandoval Giants jersey relic

Pack 6:

#26 Edwin Jackson White Sox

#100 Albert Pujols Cardinals

#186 Yunel Escobar Blue Jays

#189 Dexter Fowler Rockies

#327 David DeJesus Athletics black border mini

#HH2 Colby Rasmus Phenix City Alabama

Pack 7:

#204 Jim Thome Twins

#229 Juan Pierre Whie Sox

#250 Ichiro Mariners

#312 Cody Ross Giants

#MMF3 Eli Whitney Cotton Gin

#PP1 Antonio Meucci Telephone

Pack 8:

#29 Johnny Cueto Reds

#71 Chris Perez Indians

#207 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#335 Jason Heyward Braves

#AOM4 Porifera (sponges)

#UG9 RMS Queen Mary

What the..?
Not a single Red Sox.
Plenty of interesting inserts, minis and a jersey relic. All lovely cards but no Sox. I need to try a little harder.

2011 Topps Opening Day

The second to last pack sent by Dayf of Cardboard Junkie. The Red Sox available from this set are:

 3 Jon Lester

13 Carl Crawford

29 Jonathan Papelbon

99 Clay Buchholz

135 David Ortiz

148 Kevin Youkilis

181 Josh Beckett

183 Jacoby Ellsbury

192 Dustin Pedroia

198 Adrian Gonzalez

and there is only 1 card I need to complete the Red Sox set #29 Jonathan Papelbon. Will the former Red Sox pitcher be amongst this lonesome pack.

The pack:

#14 Ben Zobrist Bay Rays

#24 Andrew Cashner Cubs

#100 Migual Cabrera Tigers

#155 Cole Hamels Phillies

#156 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals

#UL-4 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#7/10 David Wright Mets Spot the Error

Please tell me you can see it? I am having trouble.. Still no Pap.

2011 Topps Chrome rack pack

A 2011 Topps Chrome value pack or Rack Pack if you prefer. Included are 3 packs plus 3 orange refractor parallel cards. For infinite details on this set, go to BaseballCardPedia 2011 Topps Chrome for all the inserts, parallel and game used etc. 
The Red Sox available from the base set are:
3 Carl Crawford
12 David Ortiz
25 Adrian Gonzalez
34 Josh Beckett
49 Jonathan Papelbon
55 Jon Lester
90 Kevin Youkilis
116 Clay Buchholz
124 Jacoby Ellsbury
161 Dustin Pedroia
There are only 4 cards per pack. So collecting the base set of 220 cards is no mean feat.
Firstly the three orange refractors were:

#50 Ichiro Mariners

#64 Vernon Wells Angels

#209 Cory Luebke Padres

Pack 1:

#10 Hanley Ramirez Marlins refractor

#86 Drew Stubbs Reds

#107 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

#198 Eduardo Nunez Yankees

Pack 2:

#25 Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox

#61 Yovani Gallardo Brewers refractor

#180 Hank Conger Angels

#188 Alexi Ogando Rangers

Pack 3:

#75 Roy Halladay Phillies

#164 Jered Weaver Angels

#172 Brandon Belt Giants

#VC14 Matt Kemp Dodgers

I may finally have a package to send along to Nightowl, the Dodgers cards have been slowly drifting in again. Any Angels collectors out there?

1 Red Sox from three packs, a little underwhelming...

2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia

This is a surprise pack that arrived with some other cards I purchased from eBay. The Absolute Memorabilia brand ran for for a few years from 2001 to 2005, which was when the Playoff/Donruss/Leaf deal expired. Absolute Memorabilia is an amazing set. The base cards were limited to between 100 and 200 but the number of inserts, parallels and relics defies belief. The 2005 set have no less that 40 different inserts available.
The 2002 Absolute set has 200 base cards, which includes 150 veterans and 50 rookie/prospects. The rookie/prospects were limited and numbered to 1000 each. There is also, randomly inserted into packs, parallel cards called 'Spectrum'. The veterans were numbered and limited to 100. The rookie/prospects numbered and limited to 50 of each.
The most interesting and notable inserts  are called 'Signing Bonus'. Inserted one per box, the 313 plaque set varied in print run from 1 to 250. Measuring roughly 8inches by 10inches, each framed plaque featured a numbered jersey piece, an autograph of the player and either an American flag or an Absolute card. However this isn't the interesting part, it was more the list of names available which  includes, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Tris Speaker, Ted Williams, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Collins, Ty Cobb and it goes on.
The very thick pack contain four base cards and a signing bonus entry card or presumably one of the many relic/autograph/memorabilia cards on offer.

The Pack:

#26 Nomar Garciaparra Red Sox

#33 Mark Buehrle White Sox

#75 Shawn Green Dodgers

#142 Alex Rodriguez Rangers

 The extremely thick insert was an entry in to the 

#16 Reggie Jackson autographed framed piece.

So a free added extra. Very nice.