Bustin' Wax - New Product Box Breaks

2008 Topps Co-Signers
Posted by Tuff stuff

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:

5/2/2008 5:37:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Bowman Sterling 2007-08 Basketball
Posted by Tuff stuff

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.

4/29/2008 3:46:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Upper Deck 2008 Baseball Spectrum
Posted by Tuff stuff

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:

4/22/2008 4:38:25 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

2008 Topps Finest Baseball
Posted by Tuff stuff

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

4/8/2008 1:07:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

2008 Upper Deck Series One
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

3/25/2008 12:23:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Signatures
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

1/23/2008 9:35:39 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [3]

2007 Bowman Heritage Baseball
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

11/6/2007 2:48:43 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [4]

2007 Leaf Certified Materials Football
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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.

11/5/2007 3:51:33 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Upper Deck Masterpieces
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

10/30/2007 10:58:48 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

10/11/2007 11:38:20 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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2007 Topps Turkey Red Baseball
Posted by Tuff Stuff

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

9/18/2007 3:10:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Topps Chrome Football
Posted by Tuff Stuff

* 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.

9/17/2007 11:21:38 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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