2014 Topps Opening Day blaster

The 2014 Topps Opening Day is a 220-card set. As in previous Opening Day releases, the cards are just like the Topps Series One, although this year Topps added relics and short printed variations.

There are the usual variety of inserts: Between Innings (10), Breaking Out(20), Fired Up!(30),
Mascots (25), Opening Day Stars (25) and Superstar Celebrations(25).
Each of the 220 base cards has a blue serial numbered parallel set.

The Red Sox checklist from the set includes:
#2 Dustin Pedroia 2 variations
#8 Mike Napoli
#19 Koji Uehara 2 variations
#22 Clay Buchholz
#51 David Ortiz 2 variations
#75 Will Middlebrooks
#110 Jonny Gomes
#113 Jon Lester
#178 Xander Bogaerts RC 2 variations
#194 Shane Victorino

The blaster contains 11 packs, each pack has 7 cards. 

Pack 1:

#1 Mike Trout Angels

#72 Jose Fernandez Marlins blue 0563/2014

#111 Aroldis Chapman Reds

#117 Michael Choice Rangers

#191 Derek Holland Rangers

#197 David Freese Angels

#M16 Braves mascot

#ODS12 Stephen Strasburg Nationals

Pack 2:

#12 Mark Teixeira Yankees

#17 Aaron Hicks Twins

#69 Jason Grilli Pirates

#128 Manny Machado Orioles

#176 Yovani Gallardo Brewers

#182 Adrian Gonzalez Dodgers

#M24 Billy the Marlin

Pack 3:

#89 Julio Teheran Braves

#95 Todd Frazier Reds

#112 Billy Butler Royals

#140 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#164 Sonny Gray Athletics

#218 Everth Cabrera Padres

#M25 Mr Met

Pack 4:

#25 Torii Hunter Tigers

#51 David Ortiz Red Sox

#172 Josh Hamilton Angles

#183 Aramis Ramirez Brewers

#212 Mark Trumbo D-backs

#220 Derek Jeter Yankees

#SC8 Buster Posey Giants

Pack 5:

#33 Ben Revere Phillies

#87 Jayson Werth Nationals

#122 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#146 Howie Kendrick Angels

#186 Jonathan Schoop Orioles

#209 Alfonso Soriano Yankees

#UP21 Mike Trout Angels

Pack 6:

#24 Michael Wacha Cardinals

#99 Pablo Sandoval Giants

#124 Madison Bumgarner Giants

#139 Jarred Cosart Astros

#202 Jake Marisnick Marlins

#BI9 Royals

#UP30 Jason Kipnis Indians

Pack 7:

#12 Mark Teixeira Yankees blue 0676/2014

#14 Trevor Rosenthal Cardinals

#97 Wilmer Flores Mets

#125 Tim Lincecum Giants

#163 Chris Johnson Braves

#188 Andrew Lambo Pirates

#BO18 Felix Hernandez Mariners

Pack 8:

#9 R.A.Dickey Blue Jays

#40 Wil Myers Bay Rays

#47 Matt Harvey Mets

#79 Nick Castellanos Tigers

#155 Kendrys Morales Mariners

#ODS1 Mike Trout Angels

#ODA-SC Steve Cishek Marlins

Pack 9:

#6 Adrian Beltre Rangers

#23 Felix Hernandez Mariners

#92 Coco Crisp Athletics

#135 Zack Greinke Dodgers

#159 Adam Wainwright Cardinals

#200 Bryce Harper Nationals

#SC3 Torii Hunter Tigers

Pack 10:

#56 Jedd Gyorko Padres

#70 Craig Kimbel Braves

#105 Brain Dozier Twins

#116 Yunel Escobar Bay Rays

#126 David Price Bay Rays

#170 Billy Hamilton Red blue 0977/2014

#BO9 Joe Mauer Twins

Pack 11:

#31 Hunter Pence Giants

#52 Carlos Santana Indians

#104 Jason Kipnis Indians

#106 Matt Moore Bay Rays blue 1572/2014

#129 Joey Votto Reds

#213 Hyun-Jin Ryu Dodgers 

An opening day autograph with odds of 1 in 278 packs-not bad. The last time I opened some Opening Day the sole Red Sox I pulled was also Big Dave.

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.

2014 Topps Series One

Picked up a few more packs of 2014 Topps recently in the search for Red Sox.
Still need the following base cards:
#11 Mike Carp
#22 Mike Napoli WS
#48 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#53 Clay Buchholz
#131 Junichi Tazawa
#133 Xander Bogaerts RC 
#136 Will Middlebrooks FS 
#146 Jonny Gomes WS 
#166A Dustin Pedroia
#166B Dustin Pedroia SP/In dugout
#194 Joel Hanrahan 
#206 Jon Lester WS
#258 Jon Lester
#259 David Ortiz WS
#274 Jonny Gomes 
#289 Matt Thornton 
#301 Shane Victorino
#307 Jake Peavy 
#475A David Ortiz SP/Goggles on face
#475B David Ortiz SP/Goggles on head

There are 10 cards in a pack and I have 5 packs.

Pack 1:

#3 Jarrod Dyson Royals

#67 Yasmani Grandal Padres

#183 Darwin Barney Cubs

#184 Yunel Escobar Bay Rays

#220 Ryan Doumit Twins

#260 Zoilo Almonte Yankees

#274 Jonny Gomes Red Sox

#302 Carlos Gomez Brewers

#FN-27 Yu Darvish Rangers

#TM-5 Tim Raines Expos

Pack 2:

#132 checklist

#186 Clayton Richard Padres

#197 Onelki Garcia Dodgers

#205 Seth Smith Athletics

#214 James Shields Royals

#327 Pablo Sandoval Giants

#271 Justin Ruggiano Marlins

#305 Steve Cishek Marlins

#FN-30 Bryce Harper Nationals

#TM-28 Mike Trout Angels

Pack 3:

#106 Shin-Soo Choo Reds

#146 Jonny Gomes Red Sox WS

#190 Kevin Gausman Orioles

#210 Jose Altuve Astros

#228 Jayson Werth Nationals

#257 C.J.Wilson Angels

#289 Matt Thornton Red Sox

#313 Brad Peacock Astros

 #RCT-5 Derek Jeter Yankees

#TM-38 Johnny Bench Reds

Pack 4:

#8 Coco Crisp Athletics

#44 Matt Carpenter Cardinals clear 9/10

#102 Matt Lindstrom White Sox

#179 Gerrit Cole Pirates

#209 Carlos Quentin Padres

#245 Ross Detwiler Nationals

#251 Sergio Romo Giants

#282 Rex Brothers Rockies

#296 Domonic Brown Phillies

#UC-29 Felix Hernandez Mariners

Pack 5:

#34 Buddy Boshers Angels

#58 Dan Straily Athletics gold 1123/2014

#79 Garrett Jones Pirates

#133 Xander Bogaerts Red Sox RC

#136 Will Middlebrooks Red Sox

#122 Jonathan Papelbon Phillies

#155 Daniel Murphy Mets

#199 Matt Davidson D-backs

#265 Yordano Ventura Royals

#316 Mike Minor Braves 

Well, two packs containing two Red Sox. Oddly the final pack didn't contain an insert card, but I'm not complaining. A very nice 'plastic' parallel and I think I have found a new favourite player, 

Buddy Boshers !

What a name, pity he isn't a Red Sox player as he would have his own pursuit going today.

2014 Topps Series 1 baseball

Here is another quick few packs of 2014 of series 1 in search of Red Sox.
The Red Sox base checklist is:
#11 Mike Carp
#22 Mike Napoli WS
#48 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#53 Clay Buchholz
#131 Junichi Tazawa
#133 Xander Bogaerts RC
#136 Will Middlebrooks FS
#146 Jonny Gomes WS
#166A Dustin Pedroia
#166B Dustin Pedroia SP/In dugout
#194 Joel Hanrahan
#206 Jon Lester WS
#258 Jon Lester
#259 David Ortiz WS
#274 Jonny Gomes
#289 Matt Thornton
#301 Shane Victorino
#307 Jake Peavy
#475A David Ortiz SP/Goggles on face
#475B David Ortiz SP/Goggles on head

Each pack conatins 10 cards.

Pack 1:

#6 Josh Beckett Dodgers
#14 Yoenis Cespedes Athletics
#15 Paul Goldschmidt D-backs
#17 Todd Helton Rockies
#32 Reymond Fuentes Padres
#99 Melky Cabrera Blue Jays
#116 Hiroki Kuroda Yankees
#156 Kendrys Morales Mariners
#174 Bobby Parnell Mets
#UC-49 Al Kaline Tigers

Pack 2:
#60 Jon Niese Mets
#74 John Mayberry Phillies
#83 Jonathan Schoop Orioles
#117 AL ERA leaders
#149 Miguel Cabrera Tigers checklist

#208 Dayan Viciedo White Sox
#261 Michael Brantley Indians
#324 Elvis Andrus Rangers
#328 James Loney Bay Rays
#RCT-6 Jim Rice Red Sox

Pack 3:

#18 Jurickson Profar Rangers

#49 Enny Romero Bay Rays

#75 Brandon Barnes Astros

#141 Chris Tillman Orioles

#194 Joel Hanrahan Red Sox

#221 Brian Dozier Twins red hot foil

#236 Joel Peralta Bay Rays

#256 Abraham Almonte Mariners

#297 Max Scherzer Tigers

#330 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

Pack 4:

#100 Bryce Harper Nationals

#114 Francisco Liriano Pirates

#128 Erasmo Ramirez Mariners

#169 Nick Franklin Mariners

#275 Nolan Arenado Rockies

#290 Chad Bettis Rockies

#303 Andres Torres Giants

#304 Juan Lagares Mets

#307 Jake Paevy Red Sox

#UC-48 Hank Aaron Braves

A nice smattering of Red Sox.

2014 Topps Baseball Series One

These 6 packs of 2014 series one are my first packs in a long while, they were a birthday gift from my boss. She always remembers...

The 2014 series one base set consists of 330 cards. 

There are at least 7colour parallels (and variations) including an interesting 'clear', although limited to 10.

There are insert, after insert, after insert

Pack 1:

#100 Bryce Harper Nationals

#114 Francisco Liriano Pirates

#131 Junichi Tazawa Red Sox

#138 Wei-Yin Chen Orioles

#148 Chris Sale White Sox

#169 Nick Franklin Mariners

#204 Adrian Gonzalez Dodgers

#229 Justin Upton Braves

#304 Juan Lagares Mets

#567 Bob Oliver Royals 1970 reprint 

Pack 2:

#4 Cody Asche Phillies

#38 National League Home Run Leaders

#46 Kolten Wong Cardinals

#80 Jack Hannahan Reds

#104 Kurt Suzuki A's

#129 Yonder Alonso Padres

#130 Scooter Gennett Brewers

#135 Eric Sogard A's

#252 Kevin Pillar Blue Jays

#UC-41 Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox 

Pack 3:

#96 Wily Peralta Brewers

#113 National League ERA leaders

#119 Brandon Crawford Giants

#120 Kevin Correia Twins

#206 World Series Game 5 Jon Lester

#325 Trevor Plouffe Twins

#326 Khris Davis Brewers

#BG-19 Nolan Ryan Mets 

Pack 4:

#28 Brayan Pena Tigers

#61 Nick Markakis Orioles

#108 J.D.Martinez Astros

#111 Mark Ellis Dodgers

#118 Ian Desmond Nationals

#145 Jason Castro Astros

#166 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox

#218 Matt Dominguez Astros

#287 Migual Montero D-backs

##FN-12 Zack Wheeler Mets

Pack 5:

#35 Trevor Cahill D-backs

#110 Wil Myers Bay Rays

#115 Brett Oberholtzer Astros

#140 Jonathan Broxton Reds

#253 Checklist

#283 Andrelton Simmons Braves

#262 Jeff Keppinger White Sox

#288 Julio Teheran Braves

#292 Aaron Hill D-backs

#FN-8 Jean Segura

Pack 6:

#53 Clay Buchholz Red Sox

#129 Erasmo Ramirez Mariners

#185 Howie Kendrick Angels

#248 Travis D'Arnaud Mets

#264 Huston Street Padres black border 38/63

#275 Nolan Arenado Rockies

#290 Chad Bettis Rockies

#303 Andres Torres Giants

#307 Jake Peavy Red Sox

#FN-29 Bryce Harper Nationals

That felt nice opening packs once again. Good mixture of Red Sox and some of the many inserts. The short printed black bordered Huston Street was a surprise. All available to good homes.
Just checking to see if there any variations....

1969 Topps Deckle Edge 'Insert'

1969 Deckle Edge insert

In 1969 Topps inserted these 'Deckle Edge' cards into the Series Three regular packs. Each card features a black and white image of the player with a facsimile autograph at the bottom. The edge of cards have a jagged, often called scalloped, edge. There are 33 cards in the set, although cards #11 and #22 can be found with two different players..

A unique oddball set for those who don't necessarily want their cards in perfect condition

Topps returned to the Deckle Edge design in 1974. A larger but rarer 72 card test set was released in a small limited area of the East Coast in the USA. These cards were much bigger than the '69 Deckle Edge and were officially referred to as 'Baseball Photos'. The picture on the front was 'full bleed', Topps had dispensed with the white border. The cards featured the same blue facsimile signature, however the back featured handwritten script of the player's name, team, position plus the date and location of the photograph. A small newspaper article about the player's career appeared beneath the writing.

1974 Topps Baseball Photos

 Topps again returned to the Deckle Edge design in 2012 with a 15 card insert set which featured A Deckle Cut Around The Edges.  Inserted into Topps Archives packs at a rate of 1in 10 packs. This insert is a definite throwback to the 1969 Deckle Edge.

2012 Topps Deckle Edge insert



1969 Checklist
1 - Brooks Robinson
2 - Boog Powell
3 -Ken Harrelson
4 - Carl Yastrzemski
5 - Jim Fregosi
6 - Luis Aparicio
7 - Luis Tiant
8 - Denny McLain
9 - Willie Horton
10 - Bill Freehan
11a - Hoyt Wilhelm
11b - Jim Wynn
12 - Rod Carew
13 - Mel Stottlemyre
14 - Rick Monday
15 - Tommy Davis
16 - Frank Howard
17 - Felipe Alou
18 - Don Kessinger
19 - Ron Santo
20 - Tommy Helms
21 - Pete Rose
22a - Rusty Staub
22b - Joe Foy
23 - Tom Haller
24 - Maury Wills
25 - Jerry Koosman
26 - Richie Allen
27 - Roberto Clemente
28 - Curt Flood
29 - Bob Gibson
30 - Al Ferrara
31 - Willie McCovey
32 - Juan Marichal
33 - Willie Mays

2012 Archives Checklist

69DE-1 Roy Halladay
69DE-2 Evan Longoria
69DE-3 Jose Bautista
69DE-4 Mike Napoli
69DE-5 David Freese
69DE-6 Ichiro Suzuki
69DE-7 Joe Mauer
69DE-8 Bob Gibson
69DE-9 Juan Marichal
69DE-10 Orlando Cepeda
69DE-11 Carl Yastrzemski
69DE-12 Roberto Clemente
69DE-13 Willie Mays
69DE-14 Harmon Killebrew
69DE-15 Joe Morgan

2014 Archives 1969 Deckle Edge minis 
AM Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates
AVS Andy Van Slyke - Pittsburgh Pirates
BH Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals
BP Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
CB Carlos Baerga - Cleveland Indians
CK Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers
CR Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles
DD Darren Daulton - Philadelphia Phillies
DE David Eckstein - Angels
DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
DP Dave Parker - Pittsburgh Pirates
DW David Wright - New York Mets
GN Graig Nettles - New York Yankees
HJ Howard Johnson - New York Mets
HJR Hyun-Jin Ryu - Los Angeles Dodgers
IR Ivan Rodriguez - Texas Rangers
JAB Jose Abreu - Chicago White Sox
JC Jose Canseco - Oakland Athletics
JF Jose Fernandez - Miami Marlins
JK Joe Kelly - St. Louis Cardinals
JO John Olerud - New York Mets
JV Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers
JVO Joey Votto - Cincinnati Reds
MC Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
ML Mark Lemke - Atlanta Braves
MM Mike Matheny - St. Louis Cardinals
MMA Manny Machado - Baltimore Orioles
MS Mel Stottlemyre - New York Yankees
MSC Max Scherzer - Detroit Tigers 
MT Mike Trout - Angels
MTK Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees
MW Michael Wacha - St. Louis Cardinals
OH Orlando Hernandez - New York Yankees
RG Ron Gant - Atlanta Braves
RW Rondell White - Montreal Expos 
TT Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
WM Wil Myers - Tampa Bay Rays
YD Yu Darvish - Texas Rangers
YM Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
YP Yasiel Puig - Los Angeles Dodgers