Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius

They are the Schrödinger's cat of trading cards -- Topps cards from the 90's with the plastic protector still on them. They are cards that are out the pack and yet you truly don't know their condition because there is that second sheet of plastic. When I can't get to sleep, sometimes my mind turns to the card collector's unanswerable existential question: Can there really be a mint Topps Finest card when the protective coating is on the card? Just like the cat in Schrodinger's box that is either alive or dead, the card can be mint or damaged by the plastic protector and there is no way to know without ripping that sucker off. To me it is like grading a card still in the wrapper. You don't know the condition of the card until you open the pack, just like you can't really know the condition of the card until that annoying plastic coating is removed. For years, I've been doing just that in a series of posts I've called "Free the Finest.&q

'We need your stinking patches!' Showing off Topps manufactured patches through the years

I've seen some hot takes that people aren't happy with the commemorative batting helmet cards included as bonuses in 2022 Topps Series 2 blasters. I've only ripped one blaster of Series 2 and my manufactured relic was of current MLB RBI leader Pete Alonso and my pick for the player who had the best rookie season ever. I'm personally a big fans of these and I really like the texture of the helmet and the shininess of the metal on the inside of it that really catches the light when the card is in hand. But honestly, I'm a sucker for just about every Topps manufactured patches that have filled blaster boxes with over the past decade or so. Here are some of my favorite examples from over the years. As a patch collector, I still pick these up whenever I see them at a card show. This beauty showing the Minneapolis and St. Paul twins shaking hands on the old Twins logo was included in the 2011 Topps Update Series. These All-Star Game patches were found in 2010 Topps S

15 Of The Best Cards From 2016 Topps Series 1

I remember people used to joke that opening day of the baseball season should be a national holiday but I propose a national Ripping Day holiday to honor the day the new Topps set hits the shelves! Gather your family around the table, rip some packs, and think about how thankful you are the next baseball season is just around the corner. Use this helpful guide of the best cards of 2016 Topps Series 1 as you rip and sort your first few packs of the year. It is also undisputed that the release of Topps' flagship set is the peak of the baseball card collecting calendar, even at a time when huge group breaks and high-end product hits are the focus of card collecting for many breakers. Many collectors, some who don't follow the baseball card market closely and some who are on a limited card budget, return to card collecting year in and year out to scoop up some packs of Topps Series 1 and reminisce about a time gone by. For the sake of simplicity, I have not included an

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