2012 Topps Series 2 packs

Here are half of the 12 packs of series 2 that were recently sent by the Alley family in North Carolina. I can't believe it has been just under 3 years since they contacted me regarding some Match Attax football cards for their son. They have been very generous with their packs.
The last jumbo of series 2 I opened  had three Red Sox, but I have yet to pull a Red Sox insert.
There are 12 cards per pack with the possibility of a red bordered Target exclusive cards.
The first 6 packs.

Pack 1:

#391 Rod Barajas Pirates

#397 Hector Noesi Mariners

#483 Alex Gordon Royals

#478 Rajai Davis Blue Jays

#498 Joey Votto Reds

#501 Matt Capps Twins

#511 Ervin Santana Angels

#524 Martin Prado Braves

#584 Daric Barton Athletics

#599 Zach Britton Orioles gold

#628 Sean Rodriguez Bay Rays

#GF-49 Liam Hendriks Twins

PONY!

Pack 2:

#338 Jose Constanza Braves

#444 Rafael Betancourt Rockies

#459 Eric Surkamp Giants

#486 Jerry Sands Dodgers

#521 Rusen Tejada Mets

#528 Bryan Petersen Marlins

#617 Jimmy Rollins Phillies

#627 Justin Smoak Mariners

#633 Chris Narveson Brewers

#637 Brad Brach Padres red border

#646 Francisco Cervelli Yankees

#GS-33 Bob Gibson Cardinals

PONY!

Pack 3:

#331 Albert Pujols Angels

#336 Gavin Floyd White Sox

#362 Dayan Viciedo White Sox

#469 Vinnie Pestano Indians

#499 Francisco Rodriguez Brewers

#569 Travis Hafner Indians

#599 Zach Britton Orioles

#638 Derek Lowe Indians

#647 Bruce Chen Royals

#653 Jordan Walden Angels

#GS-49 Roberto Clemente Pirates

#TM-60 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

PONY! This is looking pretty bad so far.

Pack 4:

#363 Fernando Salas Cardinals

 #394 Bryan LaHair Cubs

#396 Yoenis Cespedes Athletics

#412 Don Kelly Tigers

#455 Jed Lowrie Astros

#477 Edinson Volquez Padres

#566 Jason Donald Indians

#600 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

#626 Alexei Ramirez White Sox

#657 Dave Sappelt Cubs

#GF-29 Chris Sale White Sox

#GM-17 Cliff Lee Phillies

PONY!

Pack 5:

#341 Edwin Encarnacion Blue Jays

#423 Colby Rasmus Blue Jays

#489 Andres Torres Mets

#516 Charlie Morton Pirates

#531 Joel Hanrahan Pirates

#562 Henderson Alvarez Blue Jays

#591 Aubrey Huff Giants

#602 Alejandro De Aza White Sox

#616 Tyler Pastornicky Braves

#641 Derek Jeter Yankees red border

#ACA-11 Nolan Ryan Astros

#MD-11 Warren Spahn Braves

PONY!

Pack 6:

#371 Jim Thome Phillies

#372 Daniel Descalso Cardinals

#482 Chris Capuano Dodgers

#502 Collin Cowgill Athletics

#532 Tim Stauffer Padres

#573 Kyle Farnsworth  Bay Rays

#596 Freddy Garcia Yankees

#598 Reid Brignac Bay Rays gold

#611 Neftali Feliz Rangers

#619 Tyler Greene Cardinals

#643 Chris Young D-backs

#GGC-16 Johnny Bench Reds

PONY!

That is just depressing! 6 packs and no Red Sox. I can pull the Jeter card in many different variations but can I pull a Red Sox?

2012 Panini Triple Play Complete Set

There are 300 cards and 30 stickers to collect to complete the whole set.

I need 100 cards and 12 stickers, which are;

The 90 Base cards- COMPLETE

The Puzzle cards 9 for each player

91, 92, 97, 98, 99 Justin Upton

100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 Starlin Castro

113, 114, 115, 117 Carlos Lee

118, 119, 124, Albert Pujols

128, 129, 130, 131, 133, 134 Jose Reyes

139, 140, 141, 143, 144 Alex Rodriguez

145,146 Yoennis Cespedes

155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162 Roy Halladay

170, 171 Andrew McCutchen

172, 174, 175, 176 Orlando Hudson

181, 182, 185, 186, 187, 188 Buster Posey

194, 198 Ichiro

202, 205, 206 Matt Holliday

211, 216 Evan Longoria

220, 224 Josh Hamilton

227, 228, 231, 232, 233, 234 Jose Bautista

Focus
239 Matt Garza
242 Asdrubal Cabrera
247 Jered Waver
252 Johan Santana

Baseball 101
  265 Batters Box
270 Scoring Runs

Hall of Fame
  274 George Brett
275 Nolan Ryan
280 Reggie Jackson
 281 Al Kaline
282 Willie McCovey
 283 Paul Molitor

When I Was A Kid
285 Albert Pujols
288 Josh Hamilton
290 Roy Halladay

294 Chipper Jones

Stickers

2 Flaming Bats
3 Happy Baseball
7 Yer Out
8 Manager Arguing
12 Home Run
18 Brian Matusz
23 Troy Tulowitzki
27 Rickie Weeks

Feel the Real
295 Real Feel Base
296 Real Feel Bat
297 Real Feel Pants
298 Real Feel Glove
299 Real Feel Batting Glove

2012 Topps Series 2 jumbo

The second jumbo that a lovely student I teach bought back from Florida.
The Red Sox available form Series 2 are;
#368 Carl Crawford
#441 Mike Aviles
#506 David Ortiz
#539 Andrew Bailey
#540 Dustin Pedroia (in SP variation)
#586 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#610 Cody Ross
#631 Ryan Kalish
#648 Josh Beckett
#651 Ryan Sweeney

The Jumbo contains 36 cards. This jumbo contained;

#380 Daniel Murphy Mets

#398 Buster Posey Giants

#401 Kenley Jansen Dodgers

#411 Tsuyoshi Nishioka Twins

#415 Rafael Furcal Cardinals

#458 Kyle Kendrick Phillies

#461 Victor Martinez Tigers

#466 Lance Berkman Cardinals

#476 Ramon Hernandez Rockies

#488 Nick Swisher Yankees

#505 Fautino De Los Santos Athletics

#513 Gaby Sanchez Marlins

#519 Gio Gonzalez Nationals

#540 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox

#546 Matt Thornton White Sox

#554 Raul Ibanez Yankees

#574 Kerry Wood Cubs

#581 Jason Kubel D-backs

#597 Hank Conger Angels

#601 Dan Haren Angels

#603 Lonnie Chisenhall Indians

#606 Mike Carp Mariners

#610 Cody Ross Red Sox

#625 Tommy Hunter Orioles

#634 Jose Cantreras Phillies

#635 Brett Gardner Yankees

#639 Justin Verlander Tigers

#640 Jemile Weeks Athletics

#644 Andy Dirks Tigers

#648 Josh Beckett Red Sox

#656 Carlos Santana Indians

#659 Homer Bailey Reds

#ACA Mike Schmidt Phillies

#GF-33 Madison Bumgarner Giants

#GM-5 Johnny Bench Reds

#GS-33 Bob Gibson Cardinals

That's more like it! Three Red Sox, base though. I have yet to pull a Red Sox insert.

2012 Topps Series 1 jumbo pack

A child from school went to Florida for the holidays and all they bought back was a jumbo pack of Topps Series 1 and  2 baseball cards. It is nice of the children I teach to remember, it's not as if I tell them very often.
330 Total Cards in the base set of which there are;
265 MLB Veteran Players,
30 Rookie Cards,
10 League Leaders,
2 Cy Young Award Winners,
2 League MVP's,
2 Rookie of the Year,
5 Record Breakers,
4 World Series Highlights,
10 Active Leaders
 and 6 Post Season Highlights.
There are some short printed variations of the base set. As per the usual, contained within the Topps set are plenty of inserts such as; Golden Moments, Golden Futures, Golden Greats, Solid Golden Greats,Timeless Talents, 1987 mini's, Classic Walk-offs. It doesn't stop there either. Each of the inserts has autograph and relic variations.
The Red Sox available from the Series One base set are:
#10 Jon Lester
#33 Adrian Gonzalez LL
 #50 Adrian Gonzalez
#61 Daniel Bard
#137 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#158 Josh Reddick
#160 Kevin Youkilis
#170 Jacoby Ellsbury
#212 Tim Wakefield AL
#239 Adrian Gonzalez LL
#247 Clay Buchholz
#318 Erik Bedard
#328 John Lackey
There are 36 cards in the Jumbo pack. Included within this jumbo was:

#10 Jon Lester Red Sox

#19 Yonder Alonso Reds

#34 Derek Holland Rangers

#39 James Loney Dodgers

#45 Jhoulys Chacin Rockies

#61 Daniel Bard Red Sox

#75 Jordan Zimmermann Nationals

#106 Mark Trumbo Angels

#107 Luke Scott Orioles

#120 Hunter Pence Phillies

#121 Josh Bell Orioles

#130 Asdrubal Cabrera Indians

#132 Will Venable Padres

#136 Casey McGehee Brewers

#147 Orlando Hudson Padres

#154 Ty Wigginton Rockies

#171 Koji Uehara Rangers

#181 League Leaders Reyes, Braun, Kemp

#201 Doug Fister Tigers

#211 Kelvin Herrera Royals

#234 Mark Teixeira Yankees

#250 Jered Weaver Angels

#258 Jon Jay Cardinals

#273 David Freese Cardinals

#277 Jeremy Moore Angels

#309 Kurt Suzuki Athletics

#313 Phil Hughes Yankees

#317 Tyler Chatwood Angels

#323 Jason Isringhausen Mets

#324 Active Leaders Rodriguez, Thome, Giambi

#GG-51 Hank Aaron Braves

#GGC-9 Ichiro Mariners

#GM-2 Jose Bautista Blue Jays

#GS- 2 Stan Musial Cardinals

#TM-45 Shane Victorino Phillies

#TT-6 Felix Hernandez/Michale Pineda Mariners

All done, Two Red Sox.





2012 Topps Opening Day

 Opening day is a highly underrated set. The inclusion of some great looking inserts has raised my estimation of this set.
There are 220 cards in the base set, which also come in a blue border parallel.
The great looking inserts I referred to are; Elite skills, Fantasy Squad, Superstar Celebrations, mascots and the lovely 3D Stars.
I think for the first time some autographs are included as well.
There are 7 cards per pack and the 4 packs come from the Alley family in North Carolina.
The Red Sox available are:
#4 Jacoby Ellsbury
#18 David Ortiz
#37 Josh Beckett
#45 Mark Melancon
#73 Kevin Youkilis
#86 Jon Lester
#149 Adrian Gonzalez
#172 Dustin Pedroia
#198 Carl Crawford
#218 Clay Buchholz

Pack 1:

#13 Bobby Abreu Angels

#107 Rickie Weeks Brewers

#163 Heath Bell Marlins

#199 Felix Hernandez Mariners

#210 Freddie Freeman Braves

#FS Troy Tulowitzki Rockies

#ODS-14 Hanley Ramirez Marlins

Pack 2:

#2 Stephen Drew D-backs

#10 Jose Valverde Tigers

#84 Dan Uggla Braves

#172 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox

#204 Cory Luebke Padres

#FS-9 Jose Reyes Marlins

#ODS -15 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

Pack 3:

#14 Buster Posey Giants

#25 Eric Hosmer Royals

#53 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#101 Todd Helton Rockies

#119 Ricky Nolasco Marlins

#133 Sergio Santos Blue Jays

#ES-24 Jered Weaver Angels

Pack 4:

#50 Ichiro Mariners

#71 Ian Kennedy D-backs

#82 Phil Hughes Yankees

#86 Jon Lester Red Sox

#148 Shin-Soo Choo Indians

#216 Jason Kipnis Indians

#SC-5 Joey Votto Reds

I'm still impressed, although I may be easily impressed when it comes to packs of cards.

2 Red Sox and a mixture of inserts.

2011 Topps Attax baseball

Two six pack cards of a set a really liked. These were purchased from the Dollar Tree in Manchester New Hampshire.
A little reminder about these cards there is a level of rare-ness.

A black diamond is common,
a silver diamond is uncommon,
a gold diamond is rare and,
a white diamond is ultra-rare.

There are 258 cards in the base set, consisting of 206 players, 25 Mascots and 27 Stadiums. The cards are ordered alphabetically by first name. There are foil variations of every card, which should be regarded as a parallel set. There are two inserts, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth Legend cards.
The Red Sox available from this set are:
#7 Adrian Gonzalez
#37 Carl Crawford
#55 Clay Buchholz
#66 David Ortiz
#77 Dustin Pedroia
#102 Jacoby Ellsbury
#116 Jon Lester
#117 Jonathan Papelbon
#123 Josh Beckett
#134 Kevin Youkilis
#230 Wally the Green Monster
#240 Fenway Park SP Stadium
I still need the majority of these cards.
There are six cards in the packs, which are very nicely referred to as 'Boosters'

Pack 1:

#25 Bobby Arbeu Angles foil

#82 Fausto Carmona Indians

#96 Hunter Pence Astros

#101 Ike Davis Mets

#151 Matt Holliday cardinals

#152 Matt Kemp Dodgers

Pack 2:

#19 Arolids Chapman Reds

#42 Carlos Quentin White Sox

#53 Chris Johnson Astros

#70 Delmon Young Twins

#90 Ian Stewart Rockies

#137 Kurt Suzuki Athletics

The less said about these packs the better.

2012 Bowman Jumbo Pack

There is always a great expectation around the Bowman set. The self designated 'Home of the Rookie Card' hasn't failed to deliver in the past few years.

The 2010 Bowman Stephen Strasburg Superfractors sold for stupid money. In  2011 another National, Bryce Harper,  had Bowman cards selling for, not quite the heady heights of the Starsburg, but it was still highly sought after. No players setting the collecting world alight in 2012, although the inclusion of Harper again was enough to make this a desirable product.

There are 220 cards in the base set, available in a number of different variations, red, orange, blue and gold

There are 110 prospects available in base and chrome, also in a number of different variations, red, orange, green , blue and purple. Although it is the Chrome refractors and superfractors that collectors are after.
The Red Sox available from the base set are;
#20 Jacoby Ellsbury
#39 Carl Crawford
#46 Jon Lester
#64 Josh Beckett
#102 Clay Buchholz
#114 Adrian Gonzalez
#141 Dustin Pedroia
#159 David Ortiz
#187 Kevin Youkilis

The prospects are;
#BP25 Raul Alcantara
#BP29 Keith Couch
#BP55 Jose Vinicio
#BP66 Jackie Bradley Jr.
#BP93 Brandon Jacobs
#BP105 Xander Bogaerts

The Jumbo pack:

#25 John Danks White Sox

#37 Dan Harden Angels silver ice

#47 Jaime Garcia Cardinals

#63 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#71 Hanley Ramirez Marlins

#80 Jimmy Rollins Phillies

#145 Brandon Phillips Reds

#172 Bud Norris Astros

#179 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies

#185 Jayson Werth Nationals gold

#207 Adron Chambers Cardinals

#214 Devin Mesoraco Reds

#BP8 Nick Kingham Pirates

#BP15 Jose Campos Yankees

#BP22 Claudio Custodio Yankees

#BP25 Raul Alcantara Red Sox

#BCP43 Rookie Davis Yankees

#BCP46 Anthony Fernandez Mariners

#BCP51 Brett Krill Giants

#BCP81 Taylor Whitenton Mets

Saved from a pony by a guy born in the same town as Julio Lugo.