Bustin' Wax - New Product Box Breaks

Donruss Classics 2008 Football

2008-07-03T17:13:41.7550000-04:00

Welcome to another football day at Bustin' Wax. Joining me on screen is Steven Bloedow, football price guide analyst for Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly. We've got another product hot off the press, so let's roll.

Today's Feature: Donruss Classic 2008 Football

18 packs/ box ($90)
5 cards/pack

What are we looking for? Autos, game-used memorabilia cards - at least three in this box. This product also has some neat subsets, of which Donruss provides plenty to keep things interesting. Let's break it down.

1 Significant Signatures: Rookie Felix Jones (numbered to 125)
2 Sunday's Best: Patch and auto of Reggie Bush (numbered to 5) and Donald Driver (numbered to 250)
2 Membership: Marshawn Lynch (numbered to 1,000) and Dwayne Bowe (numbered to 250)
2 Saturday Stars: Matt Ryan (numbered to 1,000) and Brian Brohm (numbered to 250)
1 Classics Legend: Hank Stram (numbered to 999)
1 Monday Night Heroes: Derrick Mason (numbered to 1,000)
3 Timeless Tributes: Kellen Nelson rookie parallel (numbered to 250), Jordy Nelson rookie parallel (numbered to 250) and Fred Taylor parallel (numbered to 250)
2 Classic Singles: Jim Brown (numbered to 250) and Roger Staubach (numbered to 1,000)
1 Classic Triples: Merlin Olsen, Joe Greene and Jack Youngblood (numbered to 1,000)
2 School Colors: Kenny Phillips and Robert Killebrew (both numbered to 1,000)
2 Old School Colors: Lee Evans (numbered to 1,000) and Thurman Thomas patch (numbered to 100)

A nice pull of the Reggie Bush card (though it was pretty beat up coming out of the pack), and the Jones sig. would make anyone happy. There are a lot of little additions that keep this line busy and interesting, and we found a good variety. To get a glimpse of these cards, check out the video below:

Tristar TNA Impact

2008-07-03T16:25:42.6730000-04:00

Bustin' Wax is breaking new ground in this edition, opening some wrasslin' cards. Joining me is Chris Nerat, writer for Sports Collectors Digest and author of the Gavel Chat blog on the SCD site. Check out his vintage wrestling article in the July 25 edition of SCD.

Today's Feature: Tristar TNA Impact

18 packs/box ($55)
8 cards/pack

We didn't really know what to expect in this box except for the four "guaranteed" hits - two autos (i numbered to 60 or less) , a event-used memorabilia card and 1 parallel (numbered to 50 or less).

Our hits included a:

Christy Hemme event-used card (numbered to 250)
ODB auto and Don West auto (no number run given)
Booker T parallel (numbered to 50)

These cards are interesting to say the least. Some of the characters are a little weird, and the tatoo cards are different, but wrestling fans will love. Roll the the tape:

Upper Deck Series 2 Baseball

2008-06-23T16:44:49.8980000-04:00

Welcome to a Monday edition of Bustin' Wax. Joining us today are Scott Fragale, editor of Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly and T.S. O'Connell, editor of Sports Collectors Digest.

Today's Feature: Upper Deck 2008 Series 2 Baseball

20 cards/pack
16 packs/box ($70)

This box is a heavy load, with more than 300 cards in each box. That's great for quantity, but what did we find inside? Team USA baseball is a great insert in this product, along with Presidential Predictors and the ever-present Yankee Stadium Legacy.

1 National Team Auto and Jersey: Brett Hunter (numbered to 50)
1 National Team Auto: Tyson Ross (numbered to 500)
1 National Team Jersey: Ryan Flaherty
1 Yankee Stadium Legacy Buyback: Bobby Murcer Glory Days jersey patch
2 Presidential Predictor cards: both depicting Clinton vs. McCain
4 Yankee Stadium Inserts
7 other Team USA cards.

The pack opening started slow, but we found some good stuff later on, including Kosuke Fukudome's rookie card. And now is the time we roll the tape:

2008 Topps Chrome Baseball

2008-06-20T14:16:05.7370000-04:00

It's Bustin' Wax time once again. Joining us for this box break is Joe Clemens, baseball pricing analyst for Tuff Stuff's Sports Collecting Monthly.

Today's Feature: 2008 Topps Chrome baseball

4 cards/pack
24 packs/box ($60)

Topps Chrome isn't the most bang-for-buck product, but it does offer plenty of eye appeal and variety to the average collector. There are Refractors, inserts, autos and, of course, Mickey Mantle. Roll the tape below for the video, and here's the breakdown:

1 Auto redemption: Clay Buchholz
3 Topps Heritage Chrome: Brett Myers, Jake Peavy and Kevin Youkilis (all numbered to 1,959)
2 Copper Refractors: John Lackey and Ryan Braun (both numbered to 599)
1 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractor" Carl Crawford (numbered to 1,959)
8 Refractors
13 inserts: Topps All-Star Rookie Team Fielder and Holliday, 3 Mickey Mantle Home Run History inserts and the Ichiro Japanese card, among others.

We didn't get the two autos per box quota, but again, there's a lot of variety here to keep collectors entertained. Roll the tape:

2008 Donruss Elite Football

2008-06-13T15:23:36.9570000-04:00

Welcome once again to Bustin' Wax. We've got something hot off the press this week - 2008 Donruss Elite Football, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The box we opened live (see video below) offered some nice surprises, so let's get started.

Today's Feature 2008 Donruss elite Football

5 cards/pack
20 packs/box ($110)

The cards lend themselves to those who enjoy flashy graphics and great color. In other words, they are very eye-appealing. We got some pretty good pulls, including a couple of Passing the Torch cards, a sweet dual auto and those coveted rookies. Here's the breakdown.

1 College Ties Dual Auto: Michigan alums Shawn Crable and Jamar Adams (numbered to 50).
1 Prime Target Jersey Swatch: Reggie Wayne (numbered to 199.
1 Zoning Commission Jersey Swatch: Steven Jackson (numbered to 50).
2 Passing the Torch: Roger Craig/Frank Gore (numbered to 800) and Dan Marino/Brett Favre (numbered to 400)
4 Rookies: Anthony Alridge blue die-cut (numbered to 78), Sam Keller (numbered to 999), Allen Patrick (numbered to 999) and Steve Slaton (numbered to 999)
1 base College Ties: Darren McFadden (numbered to 800)
1 base Prime Targets: Randy Moss
1 base Stars: Vince Young (numbered to 200)
2 base Zoning Commission: Vince Young (numbered to 800) and Antonio Gates (numbered to 400)
2 Elite Teams: Eagles McNabb, Westbrook and Curtis (numbered to 800) and Chiefs (Johnson, Gonzalez and Bowe (numbered to 400)
2 base Chain Reaction: Brandon Jacobs (numbered to 800) and Willis McGahee (numbered to 800)

We got the requisite three auto/jerseys cards and other nice cards. There's a reason this brand has stuck around so long.

Check out the video:

2008 Topps Rookie Progression Football

2008-05-29T16:15:22.6470000-04:00

Welcome to another segment of Bustin' Wax. This week we have Tuff Stuff's Sports Collectors Monthly Editor Scott Fragale as a guest opener, providing some good insight into the NFL rookie class we had hoped to uncover in this product. Let's get started.

Today's Feature: 2008 Topps Rookie Progression Football

5 cards/pack
20 packs/box ($75)

The cards themselves are of nice stock with decent action shots. There is a lot of text on the back with just the last year's stats. The product itself is intriguing because of the rookies, and we did get some good pulls. We got about what was expected in terms of auto and memorabilia cards, too.

Here is the breakdown:

1 Auto redemption: Glenn Dorsey single sig. bronze parallel
1 Rookie auto: Kevin Smith (numbered to 20)
1 Rookie Patch: Andre Woodson (numbered to 99)
1 Veteran Patch: Steven Jackson (numbered to 299)
5 "Veteran" cards: Braylon Edwards, Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Willie Parker and Brandon Jacobs
3 "Legends" cards: Troy Aikman, Drew Brees and Terrell Owens
4 "Rookie" cards: Tom Zbikowski, Yvenson Bernard, Adarius Bowman (numbered to 399) and Eddie Royal (numbered to 299)
6 parallels: Derrick Ward (numbered to 389), Jerricho Cotchery (numbered to 99), Daunte Culpepper (numbered to 299), Greg Jennings (numbered to 199), DeSean Jackson (numbered to 389) and Ali Highsmith (numbered to 299)

Click on "play" below to check out the video of the break:

2008 Upper Deck Draft Edition Football

2008-05-21T14:49:20.3660000-04:00

Welcome to another round of Bustin' Wax. Joining me on this break was Steve Bloedow, long-time staff member of Tuff Stuff and head of the pricing group. Having just come back from the NFL Rookie Premier, it was fun opening this this box because I had just seen a lot of these players.

Today's Feature: 2008 UD Draft Edition Football

10 cards/pack
16 pack/box ($90)

The product, hence the name, is loaded with rookies in nice action shots and collegiate stats on the backs. Oh, there are established pros, too, but that not why people are buying these packs.

The video below gives an overview of what we found, but here's a breakdown of the goodies:

5 - Rookie autographs, just as advertised on the box: Adarius Bowman (red parallel, numbered to 125), Joe Flacco, Dorian Bryant, Dan Connor (not from the Roseanne TV show) and Erik Ainge.
4 - Red parallels: Adarius Bowman, Jonathan Hefney, Donnie Avery and Tashard Coice.
2- Bronze parallels (numbered to 175): Derrick Harvey and DeMario Pressley.
3 - Pigskin Pairings: Jake Long/Sam Baker, DeJaun Tribble/Antoine Cason, Colt Brennan/Dennis Dixon and Brennan/Dixon red parallel.
3 - Conference Clashes: Marion Manningham/J. Lehman, Dennis Dixon/Keith Rivers and Harry Douglas/Mike Jenkins
4 - Alumni Association: DuJaun Tribble/Matt Ryan, Early Doucet/Glenn Dorsey, Brian Brohm/Mario Urrutia and Brohm/Urrutia red parallel
5 - Campus Combos: Chad Henne/Mario Manningham, Jonathan Hefney/Erik Ainge, Peyton Hillis/Felix Jones, Vince Hall/Xavier Adibi (blue parallel) and Peyton Hillis/Felix Jones (red parallel)
4 - Franchise Foundations: Fred Davis/John Carlson, Chris Long/Quentin Groves, Antoine Cason/Terrell Thomas and Cason/Thomas (red parallel)

All in all, this wasn't too bad. The Flacco card is pretty sweet and the cards themselves are very nice. There are a lot of sub-lines to keep things interesting.

Now, let's roll the tape:

Donruss Classics 2007 Football

2008-05-12T10:25:14.1240000-04:00

For this installment of Bustin' Wax, we went back to the archives a bit and busted open a a box of Donruss Classics 2007 Football. And we brought along the editor of Sports Collectors Digest, T.S. O'Connell. Check out the video, and we have the breakdown below.

Today's Feature: Donruss Classics 2007 Football

5 cards per pack
18 packs per box ($80 per box)

When you think classic cards, these fit right in, with a staid brown background and foil script. I like a few more stats on my cards, though the commentary on the back isn't bad. The subsets are all right. I liked the Classic Singles and Legend subsets, as did Mr. O'Connell, as you'll see.

Here's the breakdown:

2 rookie autos (Tim Shaw and H.B. Blades (both numbered to 999)
1 Sunday's Best jersey swatch, Andre Johnson (numbered to 250)
1 Sunday's Best base card, LaDainian Tomlinson (numbered to 250)
1 Daunte Culpepper parallel (numbered to 25)
2 limited rookie cards, Dwayne Jarrett and Adam Carriker (both numbered to 1,499)
1 Timeless Triples insert card, Romo, Owens and Glenn (numbered to 1,000)
1 Legend insert card, Ron Mix (numbered to 999)
1 Legendary Player insert card, Bill Bates (numbered to 100)
1 Classic Singles insert card, Mike Singletary (numbered to 1,000)
1 Monday Night Heroes insert card, Marc Bulger (numbered to 250)
1 Saturday Stars insert card, Reggie Bush (numbered to 1,000).

Here's the unveiling:

2008 Topps Co-Signers

2008-05-02T17:37:10.3410000-04:00

Well, now we've done it. Attached with this Bustin' Wax edition is some video to go along with the summary below. It's sort of a trial balloon of what we'd like to do on this site, so bear with the quirks (including the abrupt ending).

Today's Feature: 2008 Topps Co-Signers Baseball

6 cards per pack
12 packs per box ($120 per box)

The cards themselves are all right. I think the base cards could use some more color. I was a little thrown off by the additional name and silhouette player on some of the parallel cards, but I get it with the Co-Signers theme. We achieved the expected parallel count (12) and got three autographs (if you include the redemption card).

Here's the breakdown:

1 autograph redemption for Sam Fuld

1 dual auto card of Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez (no edition number noted)

1 auto card of boxer Shannon Briggs (no edition number noted)
3 red parallels - Prince Fielder, J.R. Towles and Joe Blanton (numbered to 400)
2 gold parallels - Richie Sexson and Vernon Wells (numbered to 150)
2 blue parallels - Daisuke Matsuzaka and Mike Lowell (numbered to 250)
2 bronze parallels - Bobby Abreu and Ken Griffey Jr. (numbered to 300)
1 green parallel - Jake Peavy (numbered to 200)
1 red super refractor - Vladimir Guerrero (numbered to 100)
1 blue super refractor - Hideki Matsui (numbered to 50).

To see these cards being opened, see below:

Bowman Sterling 2007-08 Basketball

2008-04-29T15:46:42.3220000-04:00

Here's another edition of Bustin' Wax. We're going to try and add some video to the next Bustin' Wax, but until then, here's another rundown.

Today's Feature: Bowman Sterling 2007-08 Basketball

- 5 cards per pack
- 6 packs per box ($250 per box)

Some initial views upon opening include a nice finish, good photos, but they have that curved aspect coming out of the pack again. I hate that. For those that like swatches (relics here), this is the box for you. There are two relic cards in every pack. However, with the design of the cards, I bet it's easy to get other cards caught in the nameplate area of the card, mangling it in the process.

All right, here's what we opened:

1 Rookie redemption for a certified rookie base auto of Jameson Curry.
1 Rookie box loader of Brandan Wright (numbered to 99)
1 Dual Auto Relic of Andre Iguodala and Luke Walton (numbered to 85)
1 Gold Refractor Relic of Kobe Bryant (numbered to 25)
1 Black Refractor Relic of Luol Deng (numbered to 99)
2 Auto Relics - Daquan Cook (numbered to 113) and Wilson Chandler (numbered to 218)
2 Autos - Javaris Crittenton and Alando Tucker
2 Jeff Green Refractors (numbered to 199 and 399)
3 Relic Refractors - McGrady, Nowitzki, Brewer (numbered to 199)
7 Base Relics (Richardson, Bynum, J. O'Neal, Noah, Brewer, Nick Young, Bargnani.

Nothing earth-shattering here. We got pretty much what was expected in the box.

Upper Deck 2008 Baseball Spectrum

2008-04-22T16:38:25.4640000-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Bustin' Wax. After a week at the Hawaii Trade Conference (in Phoenix?), I'm a little behind with this blog and I apologize.

Some initial feedback received thus far requests per pack and per box pricing, along with some scans of best pulls. The pricing will be taken care of no problem. As for the scans, I'll usually add them later because I like to post the findings quickly, and sometimes scanning takes a little bit to get finished. With that, let's roll.

Today's feature: Upper Deck 2008 Baseball Spectrum
- 5 cards per pack (about $7.50 at hobby outlets)
- 20 packs per box (about $135 per box)

My initial thoughts on opening this product is that the set definitely lives up to its name. Flashy colors dazzle in the light, so kids will like it. The parallels really stand out. Backside stats cover the last eight years, which is something I like (entire career listings are even better).

Here's what we found:

2 autographed cards: Rookie sigs of Bill White (Rangers) and Lance Broadway (White Sox). This lives up to the two autographs per box average.
7 Spectrum Swatches: Way more than the two memorabilia cards per box average. Pulls include:

Jorge Posada (numbered to 20)

Joba Chamberlain (numbered to 35)

Jose Reyes (numbered to 50)

Jerad Weaver (numbered to 75)

Adrian Beltre (numbered to 75)

Chris Carpenter (numbered to 75)

Andruw Jones (numbered to 99)

6 Derek Jeter Retrospectrum cards (including a parallel numbered to 99)
5 orange parallels numbered to 399: Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Zito, Aramis Ramirez, David Wright and Victor Martinez.
5 Yankee Stadium Legacy cards
2 Spectrum of Stars (better than the one-per-box average): Autos of musicians Steven Sweet of Warrant and Miljenko Matijevic of Steelheart.

Wow, this was an action-packed box. I'm guessing not all boxes are like this, but it was fun opening. I don't know about anyone else, but I get a little excited seeing swatches with such low runs.

As for the musicians, well, I wasn't expecting that, and I'm not sure those two in particular added much to the box for me. but it's something different I guess.

Here are some pix:

2008 Topps Finest Baseball

2008-04-08T13:07:19.5390000-04:00

Welcome to the latest Bustin' Wax feature. We're going to try and update more on this site, as suggested by some of you. There is a lot of product coming out, so we'll get it posted so you can share your thoughts on the product, too.

Today's Feature: 2008 Topps Finest Baseball
- 5 cards per pack
- 3 six-pack mini boxes per box (18 packs total)

First off, and this might be just me, but all of the cards are already curved straight out of the packaging. What happened to flat cards?

Here's what we found in this box:

3 autographed cards; Mark Ellis, Josh Anderson and Chris Seddon (living up to the one auto card per mini box promise). The Anderson auto is also a blue refractor numbered to 399.
4 Blue Refractors (numbered to 299): Vladimir Guerrero (Finest Moments), J.J. Hardy, Seth Smith and Chris Young.
2 Green Refrractors (numbered to 199): Tom Glavine and Noah Lowry.
1 Black Refractor (numbered to 99): Joba Chamberlain.
1 Gold Refractor (numbered to 50): Brian Bannister (Finest Moments).
1 Rookie Redemption Card (#5 of 10). Topps just announced the first one in the Redemption Set - Johnny Cueto. These will be mailed out after Aug. 30.

We also received nine other Finest Moments cards and six Topps Team Favorites cards. I don't mind the Team Favorites cards with the color team logos in the background. Younger audiences will really like that.

Overall this is a decent product. Nice, thick cards with good photography. The backs have a Finest Moment for the player from 2007, with the rookies having their "moment" in the minors.

These cards have a nice sheen, too, but don't look for patches and such. Now if we can get some of these cards without the curved features, all the better.

As a side note, I'll work on getting some photos up on here, too. But for the first batch, I just wanted to get the ball rolling.

- Tom Bartsch

2008 Upper Deck Series One

2008-03-25T12:23:07.8038756-04:00

2008 Upper Deck Series One

16 packs per box
20 cards per pack

Box 1

2 Presidential Predictors
8 O-Pee-Chee inserts
1 1997 UD Game Jersey
1 Signature Sensations
1 UD Game Jersey
4 Yankee Stadium Legacy
1 Gold Parallel numbered 20/99

Box 2

2 Presidential Predictors
8 O-Pee-Chee inserts
1 1999 UD Game Jersey
1 Season Highlights Autograph
1 UD Game Jersey
4 Yankee Stadium Legacy
1 A Piece of History 500 Club

This popular product once again offers top notch action photography on a full bleed design. Each box produced one autograph and 2 Game Jerseys, with the top pull a Curt Schilling Season Highlights Autograph. The Piece of History 500 Club Jim Thome game-used bat was an added bonus from the second box. Upper Deck also went retro with their Game Jerseys, utilizing their designs from 1997-1999. A nice added touch to some of the most popular inserts from the late 1990's.

- Joe Clemens

2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures

2008-01-23T09:35:39.5978760-05:00

2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures

One pack - 6 cards per pack

Box 1

Albert Pujols base card serial numbered to 99
Jeff Baker Rookie Autograph serial numbered to 150
Jeff Baker Rookie Autograph serial numbered to 25
Reflections Dual Autograph of Phil Hughes and Homer Bailey serial numbered 14/20
Josh Fields Exquisite Quad Materials Autograph serial numbered 64/199
Sean Gallagher Exquisite Imagery Autograph serial numbered 20/25

Box 2

Carl Crawford base card serial numbered 24/75
Justin Verlander Game Dated Debut Autograph serial numbered 19/20
Chris Stewart Exquisite Rookie Biography Autograph serial numbered 15/15
Bill Hall Quad Materials Autograph serial numbered 40/85
Ensemble Triple Autographs Sean Gallagher, Mike Fontenot and Rocky Cherry
Connor Robertson Rookie Autograph serial numbered 214/235

This extremely high end product features autographs from many of 2007's top rookies featuring Ryan Braun, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Lincecum and Troy Tulowitzki, to name a few. Our two boxes didn't produce any "big hits", as the best card we pulled was a dual autograph of Phil Hughes and Homer Bailey. Detroit Tigers collectors will love the Justin Verlander Game Dated Debut Autograph, spotlighting his debut on July 4th, 2005. One of the packs also had two Jeff Baker Rookie Autographs

- Joe Clemens

2007 Bowman Heritage Baseball

2007-11-06T14:48:43.7575000-05:00

2007 Bowman Heritage

24 packs - 8 cards per pack

Box 1

Pieces of Greatness Relics - Joe Mauer (jersey), Eric Chavez (jersey) and Mark Mulder (jersey)
Signs of Greatness Autograph - Elliot Johnson
Foil Parallel (1:pack) - 22
Black Parallel (numbered to 52) - Matt Cain
A-Rod Road to 500 - 2
Box Topper (one per box) - Kei Igawa

Box 2

Pieces of Greatness Relics - Jeff Kent (jersey) and Paul Konerko (bat)
Signs of Greatness Autograph - Johnny Whittleman and Cody Strait
Foil Parallel (1:pack) - 21
Black Parallel (numbered to 52) - Michael Saunders
A-Rod Road to 500 - 2
Box Topper (one per box) - Daisuke Matsuzaka

This is the final Bowman Heritage product that will be released and is based on the 1952 Bowman design. The second box had a bonus autograph, as we received two and each box also produced one of the five Mickey Mantle reprints. The second box also had the regular base card #7 of Mantle too.

The base set will once again pose a challenge to set builders as 46 short-prints are in the set including both veterans and rookies. The short-prints are seeded 1:3 packs. The short-prints have not been announced by Topps yet, but the short-prints will be posted to the Tuff Stuff site when we get the information.

- Joe Clemens

2007 Leaf Certified Materials Football

2007-11-05T15:51:33.5387500-05:00

10 packs - 5 cards per pack
Rookie cards - Eric Frampton (#'ed 627/1500) and JaMarcus Russell (Freshman Fabric #'d 196/849)
Mirror Red - Reggie Brown (#'ed 13/100)
Mirror Red New Generations Autographs - Ahmad Bradshaw (#'ed 57/100)
Certified Skills Mirror - Donald Driver (#'ed 380/500)
Certified Skills Materials - Shaun Alexander (#'ed 57/100)
Fabric of the Game NFL Die-Cut Signatures - Mike Bell redemption

This box provided a rookie card of the top pick from the 2007 NFL Draft. There were also two autograph cards included in the box, although one of them was a redemption card. All in all, it was a decent assortment of cards from the box.

Upper Deck Masterpieces

2007-10-30T10:58:48.9081250-04:00

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces

18 packs - 4 cards per pack

Box 1

Stroke of Genius Autograph - Jered Weaver
Captured on Canvas Memorabilia - Vladimir Guerrero (jersey), Roy Oswalt (jersey) and Tony Gwynn (jersey)
Green Parallel - (5) Andy LaRoche, Chris Chambliss, Babe Ruth, Bucky Dent and Bill Clinton
Blue (numbered to 75) - Lou Gehrig
Gray (numbered to 50) - Chase Utley
Jumbo Box Topper (one per box) - Lou Gehrig

Box 2

Stroke of Genius Autograph - Josh Hamilton
Captured on Canvas Memorabilia - Carlos Beltran (jersey), Carl Yastrzemski (jersey) and Dontrell Willis (jersey)
Green Parallel - (5) Brooks Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr., Phil Hughes, Ichiro and Cole Hamels
Black (numbered to 99) - Frank Thomas
Red (numbered to 75) - Andrew Miller
Jumbo Box Topper (one per box) - Babe Ruth

This "throwback" product has a unique look and feel with its canvas stock and top notch artistry. A truly exceptional product that should appeal to "old school" and modern collectors with its blend of retired greats and current stars. The base set features exceptional artwork that captures some memorable moments in baseball's rich history including Carlton Fisk willing his Game 6 World Series home run to stay fair, Lou Gehrig at his Yankee Stadium farewell speech, Reggie Jackson's 3 home run World Series game and capturing Ozzie Smith airborne during one of his signature flips.

Each box produced an autograph, three memorabilia inserts and seven parallels. Collectors will also want to check out the Jumbo Box Toppers that feature many classic shots, the two we pulled were Gehrig and Ruth on their final appearance at Yankee Stadium. Overall, this product is a definite winner that will surely appeal to set collectors of all ages.

- Joe Clemens

2007-10-11T11:38:20.2718785-04:00

2007 Press Pass VIP Racing

20 packs - 5 cards per pack

Box 1

Sunday Best (1:2) - Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, David Stremme, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman
Gear Gallery (1:4) - David Gilliland, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart
Gear Gallery Trans (1:15) - Ricky Rudd
Trophy Club (1:7) - Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson
Trophy Club Trans (1:20) - Jimmie Johnson
Get A Grip Gold (Numbered to 70) - Kasey Kahne

Box 2

Sunday Best (1:2) - Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jamie McMurray, Ricky Rudd, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch
Gear Gallery (1:4) - Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and David Gilliland
Gear Gallery Trans ((1:15) - Kevin Harvick and Dale Jarrett
Trophy Club (1:7) - Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch
Trophy Club Trans (1:20) - Jeff Gordon
Press Pass Signings (1:40) - Tony Raines

Out of the two boxes we opened, we pulled several inserts of the big name NASCAR drivers. Pulling the Kahne glove memorabilia card from the one box was a good pull. We were hoping for a better autograph than Tony Raines from the other box, but you can't always get everything. All in all, both boxes provided good cards.

- Bert Lehman

2007 Topps Turkey Red Baseball

2007-09-18T15:10:18.9923750-04:00

2007 Topps Turkey Red Box Break

Box 1

Turkey Red Cabinet box topper - David Wright
Relics - Nick Swisher jersey and Luis Castillo bat
One Alex Rodriguez Road to 500
One Turkey Red Silk Collection numbered 81/99
Six Gold Chrome parallels
Four Gold Chrome Refractor parallels numbered to /999

Box 2

Turkey Red Cabinet box topper - Akinori Iwamura
Relics - Joe Mauer jersey
Autographs- Shane Victorino
One Alex Rodriguez Road to 500
Six Gold Chrome parallels
One Black Chrome Refractor numbered to /99
Three Gold Chrome Refractor parallels numbered to /999

Out of the two boxes we opened we pulled three Relics and one Autograph. The product is loaded with numerous Mickey Mantle cards, as we pulled a total of 17 Mantle's from both boxes including one Gold Chrome parallel.

– Joe Clemens

Topps Chrome Football

2007-09-17T11:21:38.3673750-04:00

* 24 packs - 4 cards per pack
* Rookie cards - Dwayne Bowe, Trent Edwards, Jonathan Wade, Reggie Nelson, Kenny Irons, Alan Branch, Anthony Spencer and Tanard Jackson
* Rookie Autographs - Selvin Young
* Refractors - Alge Crumpler, Deuce McAllister, Roy Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson, Adam Vinatieri Postseason Highlights, Isaiah Stanback, Darrelle Revis and Vince Young
* White refractors numbered to 869 - Vince Young, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Reuben Droughns and Patrick Willis
* Ring of Honor - Peyton Manning
* LaDainian Tomlinson insert - Card No. 8 & 9
* Brett Favre Flight to 420 insert - Card No. 79, 80, 99, 102, 167 and 168. Refractor of card No. 16 numbered to 199
* Running Back Royalty - LaDainian Tomlinson/Walter Payton and LaDainian Tomlinson/Gale Sayers
* Uncirculated Card numbered to 139 - Frank Gore League Leaders

This box provided a wide variety of different cards, including rookie cards, refractors, inserts and an autographed rookie card. We didn't get any big name rookies in this box, with Dwayne Bowe being the best rookie card. The autographed card of Selvin Young was nice, as was the Brett Favre Refractor card from the Flight to 420 insert.