All across the country people are ripping 2012 Topps Tier One and Topps Archives.
For every one person who ends up pulling a Mickey Mantle bat knob, hundreds [possibly thousands] of others are pulling
this year's equivalent to these autographs.
I went back and forth on buying a box of Topps Archives and I ended up deciding against it. Tier One has never been something I've realistically ever thought about purchasing. If you are though, may I suggest you take less than half the money you were going to spend, hit up a card shop and pick up some of the same quality autographs you probably would have pulled for a much lower price. Here's what I found when I took my own advice and spent about $30 at
Uncommon Sportscards in the Twin Cities.
We begin with our most expensive card which I paid $6.00 for. It comes from the last time Topps issued an Archives set with a large and beautiful Sal Bando autograph.
 |
| 2001 Topps Archives #106 Sal Bando Autograph |
These next three won't get "hit chasers" very excited but these sort of autographs are of the caliber that you could expect to pull from this year's Archives. These were each $3.00 which is a little less than a single retail pack of Archives.
 |
| 2004 Fleer Greats #GBA-JR2 Joe Rudi Autograph |
 |
| 2004 Fleer Greats #GBA-JC Joe Charboneau Autograph |
 |
| 2004 Fleer Greats #GBA-BC Bernie Carbo Autograph |
You aren't going to find celebrity autographs in Topps Archives but I couldn't pass up this Mark Zupan autograph for $4.00. If you haven't seen
Murderball, what is wrong with you?
 |
| 2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #A-MZ Mark Zupan Autograph |
I also picked up two relic cards, one bat and and one jersey relic. This Bill Russell bat relic is the kind of card I like to add to my collection. A true fan favorite who played his entire career with the Dodgers and finished just short of 2,000 hits.
 |
| 2001 Upper Deck Vintage #LA-BR Bill Russell Bat Relic |
If you are looking for some nice relics from retired players, take a look at
2005 Topps Pristine which has a pretty great relic checklist.
 |
| 2005 Topps Pristine #LI-GP Gaylord Perry Jersey |
Comments
But yes, it's always nice to find a solid group of autos for much less than pack/box price. Although I prefer my autos hard-signed as often as possible which is a great feature of Archives Fan Favorites auto set.