Pack Break: 2015 Topps Series 2

I swear it just feels like the beginning of the baseball season was here and I was tearing through packs of Series One 2015 Topps...but here we are at the cusp of the All-Star break and Topps has released Series Two. In my need to open some packs to get my fix, I went a little overboard earlier this year and bought a Hobby box of Series One...which I still haven't even collated. I decided before the start of the 2015 baseball card "season" that I wasn't going to build the flagship brand of Topps, opting to stick with just Allen & Ginter. Well it turns out that hasn't been the case as I've ended up with chasing Gypsy Queen and to some degree Archives and Stadium Club.

Eventually I'll get those lists updated (or created in the case of Archives and TSC), but for now I'll satisfy my baseball urge with a retail pack of 2015 Series Two I picked up from Target a few weeks ago. While I've discarded the idea of building the entire set, I had to check out at least one pack of the newest set of Topps, right?

Most of the pack was filled with more basic base cards...although the photography on the Garcia card is quite nice. I don't hate this year's design, but the more I handle these cards the more I'm starting to dislike the "fingerprint" design. I guess now I'm spoiled by some of Topps' other designs...or lack there of such as Stadium Club!

Easily my favorite card of the back is this awesome card of Andrelton Simmons, stretching out at Short Stop to rob someone from a base hit. The first half of the 2015 season for the Braves has been better than what I expected after GM John Hart essentially gutted the team, sending away a lot of last year's team including fan favorites such as Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel. However the team still finds itself hovering at .500 and only a few games out of first place. Andrelton's glove has been one of the few consistent things so far this season and I'll never get tired of watching him make those spectacular plays in the field w/ the leather.

I ended up with one more Braves player, but Alberto is no longer on the team. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Juan Uribe. Even though his card has him at 2nd Base, he played the majority of his time at 3rd Base. The trade has been good for the Braves as Juan has really been a good fit. So good a fit that he has made Chris Johnson expendable to the point the Braves have been shopping him around. As far as Callaspo, I'll have to reach out to Night Owl or Greg Z to see how the trade has faired for the Dodgers.

Speaking of the Dodgers, my one insert per pack ended up being this Hot Streak card of Clayton Kershaw. The card looks much better in hand versus this scan. I'm guessing these cards come in sticker autograph variations as there seems to be some "empty" space. I don't search out Kershaw cards, but when I pull them from packs they end up in my keep pile.

Overall Series 2 is more of what you've come to expect. I think I have one more pack laying around here somewhere, but for the most part I'm done with the flagship brand. Now I just need to get my lazy butt moving and update my GQ Want List and decide whether or not I'm really going to go after 2015 Archives and or Stadium Club.

One parallel down, a million more (it seems) to go

The only parallels I even bother with to this day are cards of Tim Hudson. He's my defacto guy I collect for so I'll buy up whatever I can find / afford...this includes the smattering of colored parallels Topps keeps releasing in their flagship sets.

This Rainbow Foil parallel is my first of 2015. The gold version is on it's way in the mail. So by my calculations that leaves me with the Black, Pink, Silver and Snow versions left to pick up. Oh and believe it or not I still need the base card.

Once I manage to find those I'll be set...until Opening Day comes out, then Series 2, then the Mini set (if Topps does that again). Then of course they'll be the Bowman sets along with Gypsy Queen and Allen & Ginter and so on and so forth. Man, when will this insanity end?!

A little 2015 Topps swag

Only a week or so into the release of series 1 of 2015 Topps and I've already landed a few nice Freddie Freeman inserts. I'm not going crazy this time around buying up any and every Braves card I can find as money is just too tight, but these were priced right and look beautiful in hand.

I'm still on the fence trying to determine how I feel about all of these manufactured "relic" cards, such as these new MLB Silhouetted Batter Logo Pin cards. It looks beautiful, but it's so thick I'll never be able to put it in a page with other cards of Freeman.

The Career High cards as a normal insert set are just meh. Throw in a little piece of jersey and they are a little more interesting. While searching out this card I discovered the little swatch of jersey also comes in red and white...or was that cream? Any who, I'll probably seek those variations out too as long as the price is right.

It feels weird to be buying cards again. A good weird though. I needed the time away from things, but just holding these 2 cards made me remember just how fun collecting (and blogging) can be.

It's Your Fault!

I've stated several times since I've dusted off this blog that I was done set building (outside of maybe GQ and A&G). I wasn't planning on buying any packs of 2015 Topps Series 1. I was just going to live vicariously through other blogs with the pretty scans and witty dialogue.

But no, everyone had to keep talking about how marvelous the front and backs of these new 2015 Topps are. You just had to keep posting scan after scan of your retail and hobby hits. You just couldn't stop, could you. Just the other day I found myself standing in the check out lane at my local Walmart with a rack pack of 2015 Series 1 in hand. Yes, this is all your fault!

One of the first cards that really stood out in the pack was this World Series card of NC native, Madison Bumgarner. While not a fan of the Giants, it was fun watching him pitch in the Series. Glad my man Tim Hudson also got a ring.

Not a single Braves base card in the pack to be found, bummer. At least I got two cards for my other PCs.

Parallels. 2014 seemed to have too many. I still haven't counted how many exist this go around, but at least the annual gold parallels look nice this year. The Rainbow Foil...I could do without those.

If I'm being honest, these inserts look like crap. Especially these 1st Home Run cards. Silver foil or gold foil, they still look horrible. So glad I'm not building insert sets again.

Bingo! Nice design, check. Braves player, double check.

And to round out the pack a 2nd gold parallel. This time it's a keeper.

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with these cards, outside of a few. I do have to admit that you are right. These do look nice. So much nicer than 2014. I still can't put my finger on it (pun intended) of why I like this design so much, but rest assured if I buy any more packs I'm still blaming you.