2015 Bowman Baseball Value pack

This one has been sitting for a while gathering, dare I say it, dust. Shame on me.
The 2015 Bowman set consists of 150 base cards, including 30 Rookies. This is a reduction from last year,which had a 220 card base set. There are a number of base parallels including Silver, Purple, Blue, Gold, Retail-only Green, hobby-only Orange, Red, Black, Silver Ice, jumbo-only Red Ice and White Ice.  
Traditionally Bowman is known for its prospects, which has grown to 150 cards. These are also available in a number of parallels; Purple, Blue, Gold, Retail-only Green, hobby-only Orange, Red and Superfractor. There are also parallels that were released in the Asian market only Black and Red. 

The Red Sox checklist contains:
#27 Mookie Betts
#76 David Ortiz
#81 Xander Bogaerts
#117 Mike Napoli
#122 Anthony Ranaudo
#125 Rusney Castillo
#126 Bryce Brentz
#133 Edwin Escobar
#143 Matt Barnes
Prospects 
#BP34 Rafael Devers 
#BP57 Jantzen Witte 
#BP64 Jordan Betts 
#BP70 Carlos Asuaje 
#BP92 Henry Owens
#BP133 Trey Ball 
#BCP215 Simon Mercedes 
#BCP230 Manuel Margot
As of yet I have not collected any of the Bowman cards.

I have a value pack that contains 3 packs of 10 cards plus 3 yellow parallel cards (which are retail exclusive parallels).

Pack 1:
#69 Victor Martinez Tigers
#85 Kurt Suzuki Twins
#101 Greg Holland Royals
#126 Bryce Brentz Red Sox
#128 Cory Spangenberg Padres
#BP56 Hunter Dozier Royals
#BP84 Nick Petree Cardinals
#BP122 Hunter Renfroe Padres
#BCP26 Hunter Harvey Orioles
#BCP68 Raimel Tapia Rockies

Pack 2:

#18 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Marlins

#24 Alex Cobb Bay Rays

#75 Jacob DeGrom Mets

#84 Henderson Alvarez Marlins

#117 Mike Napoli Red Sox

#BP14 Marco Gonzalez Cardinals

#BP45 James Dykstra Whie Sox

#BP101 Rio Ruiz Astros

#BCP49 Sal Romano Reds

#BCP104 Robert Refsnyder Yankees

Pack 3:

#20 Paul Goldschmidt D-backs

#29 Ian Kinsler Tigers

#99 Ian Kennedy Padres

#145 Xavier Scruggs Cardinals

#BP10 Logan Moon Royals

#BP49 Sal Romano Reds

#BP138 Mike Yastrzemski Orioles

#BP150 Carlos Rodon White Sox Silver Ice

#BCP65 Gabriel Quintana Padres

#BCP118 Domingo German Marlins

Bonus pack:

#BP48 Erik Gonzalez Indians

#BP57 Jantzen Witte Red Sox

#BP142 Albert Almora Cubs

Not a bad couple of packs, three Sox and a famous Red Sox sibling.

The first pack had way too many 'Hunters'.

2009 Goudey Memorabilia

In keeping with my Pursuit of 2009 Goudey Graphs, I will attempt to complete the 2009 Goudey Memorabilia at the same time.
According to baseballcardpedia there are 84 memorabilia cards to collect,

I have 44 and need 40

GM-AB A.J. Burnett Toronto Blue Jays
GM-AE Andre Ethier Los Angeles Dodgers
GM-AH Aaron Harang Cincinnati Reds
GM-AJ Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
GM-AR Aramis Ramirez Chicago Cubs
GM-BC Bobby Crosby Oakland Athletics
GM-BE Carlos Beltran New York Mets
GM-BG Bob Gibson St. Louis Cardinals
GM-BH Bill Hall Milwaukee Brewers
GM-BM Brian McCann Atlanta Braves
GM-BP Brandon Phillips Cincinnati Reds
GM-BR Brian Roberts Baltimore Orioles
GM-BS Ben Sheets Milwaukee Brewers
GM-BW Billy Williams Chicago Cubs
GM-CA Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
GM-CB Clay Buchholz Boston Red Sox
GM-CG Carlos Guillen Detroit Tigers
GM-CH Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies
GM-CL Carlos Lee Houston Astros
GM-CR Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
GM-CS Curt Schilling Boston Red Sox
GM-CU Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies
GM-CY Chris Young San Diego Padres
GM-DA Johnny Damon New York Yankees
GM-DJ Derek Jeter New York Yankees
GM-DL Derrek Lee Chicago Cubs
GM-DM Daisuke Matsuzaka Boston Red Sox
GM-DO David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
GM-DS Denard Span Minnesota Twins
GM-DY Delmon Young Minnesota Twins
GM-FH Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
GM-FL Francisco Liriano Minnesota Twins
GM-GA Garret Anderson Los Angeles Angels
GM-HK Howie Kendrick Los Angeles Angels
GM-HR Hanley Ramirez Florida Marlins
GM-HU Tim Hudson Atlanta Braves
GM-JA Reggie Jackson Oakland Athletics
GM-JD Jermaine Dye Chicago White Sox
GM-JE Jacoby Ellsbury Boston Red Sox
GM-JF Jeff Francoeur Atlanta Braves
GM-JG Jason Giambi New York Yankees
GM-JH J.J. Hardy Milwaukee Brewers
GM-JJ Josh Johnson Florida Marlins
GM-JM John Maine New York Mets
GM-JN Joe Nathan Minnesota Twins
GM-JO Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds
GM-JS Joakim Soria Kansas City Royals
GM-JT Jim Thome Chicago White Sox
GM-JV Jason Varitek Boston Red Sox
GM-JW Jered Weaver Los Angeles Angels
GM-KF Kosuke Fukudome Chicago Cubs
GM-KJ Kelly Johnson Atlanta Braves
GM-KS Kevin Slowey Minnesota Twins
GM-KW Kerry Wood Chicago Cubs
GM-KY Kevin Youkilis Boston Red Sox
GM-LB Lou Brock St. Louis Cardinals
GM-LE Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians
GM-MA Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins
GM-ME Melvin Mora Baltimore Orioles
GM-MK Matt Kemp Los Angeles Dodgers
GM-MS Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies
GM-MY Michael Young Texas Rangers
GM-NM Nick Markakis Baltimore Orioles
GM-NR Nolan Ryan Texas Rangers
GM-NS Nick Swisher New York Yankees
GM-OS Ozzie Smith St. Louis Cardinals
GM-PA Jonathan Papelbon Boston Red Sox
GM-PE Brad Penny Los Angeles Dodgers
GM-PF Prince Fielder Milwaukee Brewers
GM-PH Phil Hughes New York Yankees
GM-PN Phil Niekro Atlanta Braves
GM-RF Rafael Furcal Los Angeles Dodgers
GM-RJ Reggie Jackson New York Yankees
GM-RO Roy Oswalt Houston Astros
GM-RS Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs
GM-RY Robin Yount Milwaukee Brewers
GM-SH Gary Sheffield Detroit Tigers
GM-TG Troy Glaus St. Louis Cardinals
GM-TH Trevor Hoffman San Diego Padres
GM-TS Takashi Saito Los Angeles Dodgers
GM-TT Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
GM-VM Victor Martinez Cleveland Indians
GM-WI Josh Willingham Washington Nationals
GM-YG Yovani Gallardo Milwaukee Brewers

2013 Panini Cooperstown baseball trading cards

 The final packs from a box of 2013 Cooperstown, which I purchased in an effort to complete the 165 Colgan's Disk inserts. At a ratio of 1 per pack,possibly not the best way to knock out the whole set, but enjoyable all the same. 

Follow my progress towards the complete set of Colgan's 'Stars of the Diamond' on round disks here. 

Pack 1:

#19 Nap Lajoie Cleveland

#42 Jackie Robinson Kansas City Monarchs

#48 Rick Ferrell Boston

#66 Billy Williams Chicago orange matrix 228/325

#90 Carl Yastrzemski Boston

Disk 7 George Wright Boston

Pack 2:

#17 Satchel Paige Kansas City Monarchs green shard

#24 Goose Goslin Washington

#31 Mel Ott New York

#81 Orlando Cepeda Atlanta 

#88 Bruce Stutter Atlanta

Disk 83 Frank Robinson Baltimore 

Pack 3:

#19 Nap Lajoie Cleveland green shard 

#29 Jim Bottomley St. Louis 

#36 Bill Dickey New York

#86 Phil Niekro Atlanta 

#93 Carlton Fisk Boston 

Disk 137 Ryne Sandberg Chicago

Pack 4:

#20 Rube Marquard New York

#32 Buck Ewing Lumberjack

#34 Harry Heilmann Detroit

#77 Steve Carlton Philadelphia

#91 Tony Perez Cincinnati 

Disk 100 Red Schoendienst St. Louis

Pack 5:

#3 Historic Ticket October 7, 1920

#9 Johnny Evers Boston orange matrix 063/325

#10 Frank Chance Chicago

#44 Dave Bancroft New York

#68 Yogi Berra New York
Disk 162 Gary Carter Montreal

Pack 6:
#1 Lou Gehrig New Yrok
#3 Tris Speaker Cleveland orange matrix 172/325
#9 Johnny Evers Boston
#51 Bob Feller Cleveland
#75 Al Kaline Detroit
Disk 35 Rabbit Maranville Pittsburgh

Pack 7:
#25 Lefty Grove Philadelphia
#32 Jimmie Foxx Boston
#67 Hoyt Wilhelm Baltimore
#74 Luis Aparicio Chicago green shard
#89 Juan Marichal San Francisco
Disk 16 Roger Bresnahan New York

Pack 8:
#2 Cy Young Cleveland
#26 Lloyd Waner Pittsburgh
#60 Whitey Ford New York
#65 Vin Scully Los Angeles orange matrix 269/325
#83 Willie Stargell Pittsburgh
Disk 94 Bobby Doerr Boston 

Pack 9:
#6 Rogers Hornsby St. Louis
#18 Rod Carew Induction
#57 Al Barliek Umpire
#64 Pee Wee Reese Brooklyn
#99 George Brett Kansas City 
Disk 30 Mel Ott New York

I now have 50 disks. A little way to go yet! 

2013 Topps Chrome baseball cards

Topps Chrome is always a popular choice with collectors, who like me like shiny.

The 220 card base set with the 25 base card variations, inclusion of die-cut cards, a rainbow of coloured parallels for player collectors and on-card autographs make these great packs to open.

I still need these (which is all of the Red Sox) from 2013 Topps Chrome: 

#29 Shane Victorino 
#46 Mike Napoli 
#79 David Ortiz 
#92 Dustin Pedroia 
#111 Jon Lester 
#112 Allen Webster RC 
#133 Will Middlebrooks 
#166 Jackie Bradley Jr. RC 
#204 Jacoby Ellsbury

I have seven packs to open, each pack contains 4 cards.

Pack1:
#34 Felix Hernandez Mariners
#191 Dexter Fowler Rockies
#199 Yu Darvish Rangers
#CC-JR Jose Reyes Blue Jays

Pack 2:
#51 Sergio Romo Giants
#56 Carl Crawford Dodgers
#80 Shelby Miller Cardinals
#146 Yadier Molina Cardinals

Pack 3:
#4 Jon Jay Cardinals
#137 Mat Latos Reds
#176 Wilin Rosario Rockies
#220 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals

Pack 4:
#33 Marcell Ozuna Marlins X-fractor
#78 Nolan Arenado Rockies
#87 Kyle Gibson Twins
#134 Kendrys Morales Mariners

Pack 5:
#72 Victor Martinez Tigers
#75 Robinson Cano Yankees
#82 Robbie Grossman Astros
#170 Carter Capps Mariners

Pack 6:
#43 Adam Wainwright Cardinals
#76 Cole Hamels Phillies
#220 Bryce Harper Nationals
#72C-MC Miguel Cabrera Tigers


Pack 7:
#52 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
#64 Tim Lincecum Giants
#136 Albert Pujols Angels refractor
#180 Zack Wheeler Mets

Nuts no Red Sox again. 

2013 Panini Cooperstown Baseball trading cards

I few more packs from the retail box of Copperstown I purchased in an effort to collect the set of Colgan's Chips. Follow my progress here.

I have 18 packs to go in the box, which means 18 more Colgan's Chips.

Pack 1:

#5 Tyrus Cobb Detroit

#6 Fergie Jenkins Canada international play

#54 George Kell Detroit

#63 Warren Spahn Milwaukee

#96 Mike Schmidt Philadelphia

Disc 89 Herman Killebrew Minnesota

Pack 2:

#16 Historic Ticket October 7th, 1944

#38 Mickey Cochrane Detroit

#46 Charlie Gehringer Detroit

#95 Catfish Hunter Oakland 

#103 Carlton Fisk Chicago

Disc 50 Casey Stengel New York

Pack 3:

#30 George Sisler St.Louis

#37 Arky Vaughan Pittsburgh

#59 Phil Rizzuto New York green

#80 Johnny Bench Cincinnati

#87 Tom Seaver New York

Disc 66 Josh Gibson St.Louis

Pack 4:
#3 Phil Niekro Induction
#7 Walter Johnson Washington 
#49 Bob Lemon Cleveland
#58 Duke Snider Brooklyn
#100 Nolan Ryan Houston
Disc 62 Lefty Gomez New York

Pack 5:
#5 Roy Campanella's Shin Guards
#13 Dan Brouthers Detroit 
#28 Buck Leonard Homestead Grays
#55 Roy Campanella Baltimore Elite Giants
#71 Frank Robinson Cincinnati
Disc 23 Ed Walsh Chicago

Pack 6:
#5 Historic Ticket October 7th, 1922
#39 Dizzy Dean St.Louis
#47 Al Lopez Cleveland
#82 Rod Carew Minnesota
#94 Jim Palmer Baltimore blue 259/499
Disc 13 Rogers Hornsby St.Louis

Pack 7:
#2 Numbers Game Young/Johnson
#4 Christy Mathewson New York
#11 Cap Anson Chicago
#53 Lou Boudreau Cleveland
#62 Casey Stengel New York
Disc 154 Connie Mack Philadelphia

Pack 8:
#10 Frank Chance Chicago red 343/399 
#16 Edd Roush Cincinnati
#23 Hack Wilson Chicago
#65 Vin Scully Los Angeles
#73 Richie Ashburn Philadelphia
Disc 47 Luke Appling Chicago

Pack 9:
#15 Frank Frisch New York
#22 Zack Wheat Brooklyn
#72 Robin Roberts Philadelphia
#79 Bill Mazeroski Pittsburgh
#86 Phil Niekro Atlanta orange 264/325
Disc 30 Mel Ott New York

Just a little bit closer.

2014 Topps Series Two baseball cards

I only the David Ortiz short printed variations to complete the series two Red Sox set. Which are:
#475A David Ortiz SP/Goggles on face
#475B David Ortiz SP/Goggles on head.
I have three packs of 2014 Series 2 each containing 12 cards and as directed I will be looking for exclusive cards. (and Red Sox naturally)

Pack 1:

#380 Tyler Chatwood Rockies

#410 A.J.Griffin Athletics

#419 Lucas Harrell Astros

#499 checklist

#529 Jesus Montero Mariners

#578 Tyler Thornburg Brewers

#613  Mark Teixeira Yankees

#617 Greg Holland Royals

#634 Gaby Sanchez Pirates

#652 Edinson Volquez Pirates

#659 Ervin Santana Braves

#BM-21 Shelby Miller Cardinals

Pack 2:
#343 Nate Freiman Athletics
#364 checklist
#365 Dan Uggla Braves
#369 Erick Aybar Angels
#414 Michael Wacha Cardinals
#555 Adam Eaton White Sox
#559 Asdrubal Cabrera Indians
#623 Chad Billingsley Dodgers
#624 Alex Presley Twins
#626 Tommy Hanson Rangers
#642 Brandon Kintzler Brewers
#FN-32 Michael Wacha Cardinals

Pack 3:
#354 Donnie Murphy Cubs
#377 J.J.Hardy Orioles
#390 checklist
#396 Brain Roberts Yankees
#511 Travis Wood Cubs
#534 Ian Kinsler Tigers
#538 Jon Jay Cardinals red hot foil
#580 Todd Frazier Reds
#590 Brett Cecil Blue Jays
#599 Jason Motte Cardinals
#616 Zach McAllister Indians
#625 Albert Pujols Angels

OK. I understand that people like to see variety in their cards, but I am not sure about these 'Red Hot Foils' Does any collector seriously try to complete the set?
It was the closet thing to red in these packs as well!

2014 Topps Series One baseball packs

Six random packs of 2014 Topps, which for some reason have remained untouched on my desk, along with a box 2013 Panini Triple Play, a couple of packs of 2013 Topps Chrome, 2014 Topps Series Two, 2015 Topps Heritage ( I have opened some of these to be honest),  a blaster of 2014 Topps Opening Day and a blaster of 2013 Allen and Ginter. I'm not sure if it is lack of time or lack of enthusiasm. Not that long ago I would have torn into these so quickly. 

So onto Topps 2014. 

I still need the following cards from 2014 Topps:

#11 Mike Carp
#22 Mike Napoli WS
#48 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#166B Dustin Pedroia SP/In dugout
#258 Jon Lester
#259 David Ortiz WS
#301 Shane Victorino
#475A David Ortiz SP/Goggles on face
#475B David Ortiz SP/Goggles on head
It is a poor state of affairs when you still need cards from Topps flagship even though some are the short printed variations...

I have 5 packs each containing 12 cards, with the tantalising possibility of exclusive Red -bordered parallel cards.

Pack 1:

#13 Juan Nicasio Rockies

#35 Trevor Cahill D-backs

#44 Matt Carpenter Cardinals

#57 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#65 Hisashi Iwakuma Mariners

#88 Oswaldo Arcia Twins

#182 Carlos Ruiz Phillies

#231 J.R.Murphy Yankees

#254 Brett Gardner Yankees

#292 Aaron Hill D-backs

#295 Matt Tuiasosopo Tigers

Pack 2:

#15 Paul Goldschmidt D-backs

#41 Adeiny Hechavarria Marlins

#116 Hiroki Kuroda Yankees

#201 Alex Rios Rangers red hot foil

#213 Justin Smoak Mariners

#223 Joaquin Benoit Tigers

#233 Rafael Soriano Nationals

#243 Ryan Cook Athletics

#255 Billy Butler Royals

#261 Michael Brantley Indians

#286 Josh Fields Astros

#296 Domonic Brown Phillies

#SV-8 Jimmy Rollins Phillies

 

Pack 3:

#29 AL Home Run leaders

#83 Jonathan Schoop Orioles

#94 Mitch Moreland Rangers

#129 Yonder Alonso Padres

#168 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#222 Vernon Wells Yankees

#252 Kevin Pillar Blue Jays

#266 Zack Wheeler Mets

#288 Julio Teheran Braves

#309 Drew Stubbs Indians

#322 Emilio Bonifacio Royals

#FN-4 Jurickson Profar Rangers

Pack 4:

#17 Todd Helton Rockies

#19 Joey Votto Reds

#62 Joe Kelly Cardinals

#84 Todd Redmond Blue Jays

#91 Starling Marte Pirates

#158 Nate McLouth Orioles

#195 Nick Castellanos Tigers

#306 Garrett Richards Angels

#318 Luis Valbuena Cubs

#323 Jose Bautista Blue Jays

#50yd-6 Josh Hamilton Bay Rays

#PP-66 Jay Bruce Reds

Pack 5:

#36 Billy Hamilton Reds

#109 David Freese Cardinals red border

#126 David DeJesus Bay Rays

#139 Rafael Betancourt Rockies

#142 Zack Greinke Dodgers

#202 Jeremy Hellickson Bay Rays

#208 Dayan Viciedo White Sox

#237 NL Batting Leaders

#244 Danny Farquhar Mariners

#276 Alfonso Soriano Yankees

#234 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#UC-45 Ryne Sandberg Cubs

Tough break- not even close to a Red Sox. As a consolation, a very young Josh Hamilton!

2014 Topps Heritage trading cards

I remember writing a post sometime last year on 'my other blog' Pursuit of 80's about being back in the saddle. It was an exaggeration, I never really got back on track with the blogging for a number of reasons. After reading some of my older posts I realised they were not good enough, spelling mistakes, some grammatical errors and half-hearted content. In other words lazy work. Another reason was I wasn't trading very much, which had been the mainstay of the blog for a while. 

In a effort to rectify this I put out 'feelers' to some of my old trading buddies and received some favourable responses. 

Trade packs have been sent!

While waiting patiently for these to land on doorsteps, here are some packs of 2014 Heritage.

Pack 1:

#17 John Mayberry Phillies

#104 Texas Rookie Stars

#171 Gordon Beckham

#183 Robbie Grossman Houston

#238 Josh Beckett Dodgers

#290 Chris Tillman Orioles

#35 Cody Ross D-backs

#JB2 Johnny Bench Reds

#NAP-CD Chris Davis Orioles

Pack 2:

#67 Nick Franklin Mariners

#143 Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Stars

#169 Brain Dozier Twins

#205 Starling Marte Pirates

#210 Erick Aybar Angels

#228 Mitch Moreland Rangers

#279 Evan Cattis Braves

#389 Marco Scutaro Giants

#428 Madison Bumgarner Giants

Pack 3:

#9 AL Pitching Leaders

#223 Miguel Gonzalez Orioles

#229 Colby Rasmus Blue Jays

#234 Johnny Gomes Red Sox

#274 Ron Washington Rangers

#339 Zack Cozart Reds

#393 Lorenzo Cain Royals

#404 Charlie Blackmon Rockies

#459 Ian Kinsler Tigers

Two short prints and a Red Sox. Just love Heritage.

Strange Silver Pack

I was gifted this pack as part of another lot of cards. I'm not sure what to make of it. It feels as if it contains more than one card, so that rules out the manufactured patch card. Box Toppers are usually in a specially marked pack. 
I am at a loss.
Only one thing to do- rip.

Ahh so the answer is simple. Purple border Topps Chrome from 2013.

1994 Leaf 'Slideshow' insert

Take your mind back a few years to the 'Junk Wax' era. While many invested in cards, hoping that one day their 1991 Upper Deck Michael Jordan or box of 1988 Donruss would fetch a pretty penny, Leaf were experimenting with this innovative 10-card set featuring a piece of acetate embedded into the card. The design is meant to resemble a photographic slide -- hence the name Slideshow or perhaps it is a play on the action of sliding.
Although for me slides bring back mixed memories of bed sheets hung on the wall and hours of endless slides of scenery, fish and trees, otherwise known as my parents holiday snaps.  My father was no Lord Lucan Litchfield. I quite like these.
The first five cards were randomly inserted into Series One packs and have a blue 'frame', while the five Series Two cards have a white frame.

Not a large checklist but these cards are fit into the 'Made from anything other than cardboard' folder.
Slideshow Checklist
1 Frank Thomas
2 Mike Piazza
3 Darren Daulton
4 Ryne Sandberg
5 Roberto Alomar
6 Barry Bonds
7 Juan Gonzalez
8 Tim Salmon
9 Ken Griffey, Jr.
10 David Justice

2015 Panini Donruss Value pack

One of the many joys of being a baseball card collector in the UK is that you are fairly unique. So when colleagues from school travel across the pond they now actively search for cards. 

My school had two lovely weeks off, while many others had a single week. I won't go into the details but will say we do extra 'nights' (yes nights) during the term and join all our training days together. 

This colleague, who also a parent, purchased the only cards she could find in Florida. She said this as a way of describing the desperate search she made looking for cards in various shops, including a recommended 'garden' shop. Eventually she bought the last two packs she could find in Walmart. 

I am glad really for any packs and the fact that she actively searched makes me even more appreciative. What my colleague found was a value pack of 2015 Panini Donruss and a 2015 Topps Heritage value pack Sandy Koufax exclusive.   

There are a number of Red Sox base cards and inserts that I still need:

Base
#62 Xander Bogaerts

#151 Pablo Sandoval
#190 Wade Boggs
Inaugural 1981 Edition
#213 Dustin Pedroia
#220 David Ortiz

Rated Rookies                                    
#31 Rusney Castillo

All-Time Diamond Kings

#18 Wade Boggs
#20 Carl Yastrzemski

The Rookies

#1 Rusney Castillo

#6 Anthony Ranaudo

There are 30 Pro baseball Trading cards in the Value Pack.

The pack:

#33 Dalton Pompey Toronto RR

#55 Chris Davis Baltimore

#59 David Ortiz Red Sox

#64 Junior Lake Chicago
#70 Adam Eaton Chicago
#73 Devin Mesoraco Cincinnati 
#77 Michael Brantley Cleveland
#80 Yan Gomes Cleveland
#85 Justin Morneau Colorado
#88 Victor Martinez Detroit
#97 Alex Gordon Kansas City
#106 Yasiel Puig Los Angeles
#114 Ryan Braun Milwaukee
#121 Phil Hughes Minnesota
#127 Brett Gardner New York
#154 Kyle Seager Seattle
#151 Pablo Sandoval Boston

#158 Matt Adams St.Louis
#163 Matt Holliday St.Louis
#168 Adrian Beltre Texas
#173 Jose Bautista Toronto
#178 Jordan Zimmermann Washington
#186 Frank Robinson Baltimore
#239 Bob Gibson St.Louis

#2 Jake Lemoine Collegiate National Team
#2 George Brett Kansas City Preferred
#5 Jorge Soler Chicago Studio
#10 Victor Martinez Detroit  Elite
#14 Jake Lamb Arizona The Rookies
#28 Bo Jackson Kansas City Diamond King

At first I didn't like these cards but they are slowly growing on. From the 30 cards there are 7 inserts, all different. Some lovely shiny cards too! 

2015 Topps Heritage hanger pack

There is an expression that goes- 'Does exactly what it says on the tin.' Which means there shouldn't be any surprises. 

Heritage is that sort of product. There are some inserts, autographs and relics but Heritage is not chock full of surprises, it's all about the base cards. 

They have the look and feel of vintage cards. It is not for everyone, especially the 'hit hunters'. Although there is enough other 'stuff', minis, gum stains, punch cards, variations and intentional mistakes to keep the product interesting. Don't expect them in every pack, some of those inserts are very difficult to pull. 

Heritage hasn't changed much over the years as it makes it nostalgic way through the decade. This year we are still in the sixties, which means cards in the News Flashbacks set include Star Trek, Batman and Jimi Hendrix. What a combination! 

I have collected all the Red Sox base cards but I still need the following short prints and inserts;

Short prints
#427 Xander Bogaerts 
#480 David Ortiz 
#499 Dustin Pedroia 
1966 Bazooka
#66B-DO David Ortiz 
News Flashbacks 
#NF-1 Batman 
#NF-2 Lunar Orbiter 1 
#NF-3 Star Trek 
#NF-4 Metropolitan Opera House 
#NF-5 Jimi Hendrix Experience 
#NF-6 Ronald Reagan 
#NF-7 NFL/AFL Merger 
#NF-8 Indira Gandhi 
#NF-9 Marvin Miller 
#NF-10 Sheila Scott 

There are 20 cards in the rack/value pack, which contains exclusive Sandy Koufax cards. 
The Value Pack:
#12 Jean Segura Brewers
#52 Power Plus! Trout Angles/Cabrera Tigers
#87 Torii Hunter Twins
#90 Jonathan Schoop Orioles
#92 Yankees
#118 Jonathan Papelbon Phillies
#122 John Danks White Sox
#281 Mike Napoli Red Sox

#296 Joe Girardi Yankees
#340 Garrett Richards Angels
#355 David Robertson White Sox
#361 Zack Wheeler Mets
#372 Juan Lagares Mets
#383 Mike Moustakas Royals
#387 Shelby Miller Braves
#406 Tom Koehler Marlins
#416 Glen Perkins Twins
#424 Royals Rookies
#SK-15 Sandy Koufax Dodgers
#NAP2 Jose Abreu White Sox

There are meant to be Get Smart, Lost in Space and Batman buybacks but at odds of 1 in 22,000 packs (1 in 100,000 for Lost in Space) I don't like my chances of pulling one of these. A shame really since they are all readily available on ebay and COMC.

2015 Topps Baseball Series One

The cards that I have featured over the last few days have all come from the same store and when opened have a very interesting appearance. The cards have all been shifted in a step configuration, which leads me to believe that the cards have been searched. Bastards...
Still I have eight unopened packs, so I will complain not further.
Taking part in a box break of Series One, pretty much cleared the Red Sox checklist. Although I do not need any base cards, there are a number of Red Sox inserts that I need:

Free Agent 40 
#6 David Ortiz
Gallery of Greats
#8 Roger Clemens
Highlight of the Year 
#6 Ted Williams 
#8 Ted Williams 
#26 Nomar Garciaparra 
Robbed
#15 Mookie Betts
The Babe Ruth Story 
#3 Red Sox Double Threat 
#4 Postseason Pitching Phenom
#5 From Hurler to Hitter 

Although I will take any Highlights of the Year inserts, as they remind me of another set I collect - 1994 Upper Deck All-time heroes

Pack 1:
#59 Jake Odorizzi Bay Rays
#85 NL win leaders
#104 Bud Norris Orioles
#128 Anthony Swarzak Twins
#171 Mike Foltynewicz Astros
#175 Adrian Beltre Rangers
#199 Eric Young Jr. Mets
#204 Eduardo Escobar Twins
#329 Logan Forsythe Bay Rays
#311 Jhonny Peralta Cardinals
#335 Matt Barnes Red Sox
#349 NL RBI leaders

Pack 2:

#9 2104 World Series -Game 4

#37 Arismendy Alcantara Cubs

#52 Fernando Rodney Mariners

#56 Matt Garza Brewers

#57 Lyle Overbay Brewers

#106 Pedro Alvarez Pirates

#169 Adam Jones Orioles

#207 Bryce Harper Nationals

#298 Rymer Liriano Padres

#308 Carl Crawford Dodgers

#I1 Manny Machado/Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles

#JR3 .387 with Kansas City

Pack 3:
#15 Joey Votto Reds
#35 Brandon Moss Athletics
#42 Todd Frazier Reds
#66 Vance Worley Pirates
#110 Tony Sipp Astros
#153 Josh Reddick Athletics
#184 B.J.Upton Braves
#260 David Peralta D-backs
#271 Pittsburgh Pirates 
#310 Jake Lamb D-backs
#8A '74 Gerald Ford
#F40-7 Andre Dawson Cubs

Pack 4:
#61 NL ERA leaders
#78 Yordano Ventura Royals
#86 Tim Hudson Giants refractor?
#94 Tommy Kahnle Rockies
#208 Wilin Rosario Rockies
#209 Daniel Corcino Reds
#232 Andrew Susac Giants
#253 Gregory Polanco Pirates
#276 Conor Gillaspie White Sox
#278 David Phelps Yankees
#342 San Diego Padres
#H12 Roger Maris Yankees

Pack 5:
#28 Alex Cobb Bay Rays
#73 Freddie Freeman Braves
#101 Scooter Gennett Brewers
#119 Anibal Sanchez Tigers
#146 Tony Watson Pirates
#147 Andrew Heaney Marlins
#223 Angels
#257 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Marlins
#330 Brain Duensing Twins
#334 Gerardo Parra Brewers
#FP06 Agnes McKee
#H30 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

Pack 6:
#2 AL batting average leaders
#22 Tyler Flowers White Sox
#30 Tanner Roark Nationals
#33 Oakland Athletics
#62 Nolan Arenado Rockies
#89 Michael Choice Rangers
#234 Brandon Belt Giants
#266 Brandon Phillips Reds
#274 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
#304 Shawn Kelley Yankees
#322 Phil Hughes Twins
#JR-4 Signs for the Dodgers

Pack 7:
#2 AL batting average leaders
#22 Tyler Flowers White Sox
#33 Oakland Athletics
#86 Tim Hudson Giants
#89 Michael Choice Rangers
#100 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers
#156 Santiago Casilla Giants
#234 Brandon Belt Giants
#266 Brandon Phillips Reds
#274 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
#322 Phil Hughes Twins
#A3 Steve Carlton Phillies

Pack 8:
#8 Miguel Gonzalez Orioles
#26 Bryce Brentz Red Sox
#84 Jonathan Schoop Orioles
#87 Eric Sogard Athletics
#123 Ben Revere Phillies
#133 Daisuke Matsuzaka Mets
#135 Matt Dominguez Astros
#170 Tommy Medica Padres
#172 Didi Gregorius D-backs
#186 Rex Brothers Rockies
#261 Lance Lynn Cardinals
#I6 Joe Mauer/Rod Carew Twins

No major surprises from these packs, although the repetition within packs 6 and 7 is odd or poor quality control.
Come on Series 2!