I’m finally getting around to sorting out the cards I’ve accumulated over the past several months while I was busy with work and kids.  A few months late, here are the top 5 cards I got out of my 2012 Topps Update Series HTA jumbo box break.  It’s a decent haul, but I’m a little disappointed about the autograph card.

2012 Topps Update Gold Hall of Fame Plaque #HOF-RC Roberto Clemente (Manufactured Relic)

Finally, Topps made a decent manufactured relic set.  I hate manufactured relics, as they are really just cheap made-in-China baubles attached to a card.  But a set of Hall of Famers with replicas of their Hall of Fame plaques attached?  I can see myself collecting that.

2012 Topps Update Black #US184 Stephen Strasburg (Serial#19/61) (All-Star)

With the 2013 season around the corner, I’m really psyched to see what Strasburg can do with a full season.  And it’s always refreshing to pull a Black or Gold card of a star player.

2012 Topps Update All-Star Stitches #AS-CUG Curtis Granderson (Jersey Relic)

Nice looking jersey card.  Blue looks much nicer than white.

2012 Topps Update #US271b Ryan Braun (Short Print) (All-Star)

I probably would have missed this short print if I hadn’t gotten 2 other Ryan Braun base cards from the box.

2012 Topps Golden Moments Autographs #GMA-MH Mark Hamburger (Autograph)

All the other cards I got from this box are nice, but I’m really an autograph collector, and I’m a little bit disappointed to find a 26-year-old minor-league middle relief pitcher as my autograph.  At least his autograph looks interesting.  Any Hamburger fans out there wanna trade?

Apologies for my really long “short” hiatus.  I didn’t make it back before the All-Star break as I had hoped, but at least I made it back before what could potentially be the final MLB game of the year (I’m rooting for Detroit to prolong this thingy to Game 7; can’t go wrong with more baseball).

I finally got around to busting my jumbo box of 2012 Topps Series 2.  I did get a complete base set out of the box.  However, the “big hits” are nothing I really need, so if anyone sees something intriguing, they’re all negotiable for trade.

Here are the top 5 cards from the box (according to Beckett valuations):

2012 Topps A Cut Above #ACA-9 Cal Ripken Jr. (Die Cut)

2012 Topps Golden Moments Relics #GMR-BA Bobby Abreu (Game Used Memorabilia)

2012 Topps Golden Moments Autographs #GMA-JW Jordan Walden (Autograph)

2012 Topps Gold World Series Champion Pins #GWSP-WB Wade Boggs (Commemorative Gold Pin Card)

2012 Topps Black #648 Josh Beckett (Serial#50/61)

All in all, 2012 Topps Series 2 doesn’t yield many surprises beyond the formula set forth by Series 1.  Topps has streamlined the insert sets, which actually makes box breaks a bit more monotonous than they used to be.  Perhaps a return to the more variable, seemingly random, inserts would add more excitement.

A jumbo pack of 2012 Topps Series 1:

His save streak ended at 49 last week.

1. #155 Matt Cain
2. #301 Alexi Ogando
3. #226 Ryan Hanigan
4. #47 Luke Hochevar
5. #126 Eduardo Nunez
6. #107 Luke Scott
7. #75 Jordan Zimmermann
8. #117 Carlos Ruiz
9. #80 David Price
10. #255 Scott Rolen
11. #213 Alex Avila
12. #244 Sergio Santos
13. #199 Adam Dunn
14. #284 Tony Gwynn
15. #86 Brett Cecil
16. #32 Detroit Tigers (World Series)
17. #167 Starlin Castro (Checklist)
18. #319 Justin Verlander/CC Sabathia/Jered Weaver (League Leaders)
19. #232 Mariano Rivera/Johan Santana/Felix Hernandez (Active Leaders)
20. #224 Matt Kemp/Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (League Leaders)
21. #62 Ben Revere
22. #241 James McDonald
23. Gold Sparkle #181 Jose Reyes/Ryan Braun/Matt Kemp (League Leaders)
24. Golden Moments #GM-22 Willie McCovey
25. Golden Greats #GG-5 Lou Gehrig
26. Gold Standard #GS-1 Nolan Ryan
27. Gold Futures #GF-5 Eric Hosmer
28. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-43 Mat Latos
29. Golden Giveaway Code Cards #GGC-6 Albert Pujols
30. Golden Moments Relics #GMR-JA John Axford (Jersey Relic)
31. Timeless Talents #TT-1 Paul Molitor/Ryan Braun
32. #189 Alberto Callaspo
33. #229 Yunel Escobar
34. #210 Zack Greinke
35. #173 Ryan Roberts
36. #251 Jason Bay
37. #287 Antonio Bastardo
38. #55 Michael Young
39. #43 Brett Wallace
40. #99 Michael McKenry
41. #247 Clay Buchholz
42. #89 Dontrelle Willis
43. #15 Melky Cabrera
44. #133 Ivan Nova
45. #325 Chris Schwinden (Rookie Card)
46. #70 Brett Pill (Rookie Card)
47. #175 Jared Hughes (Rookie Card)
48. #98 Domonic Brown

2012 Topps Series 1 jumbo pack:

1. #64 Michael Martinez
2. #310 Adrian Beltre
3. #112 Juan Nicasio
4. #54 Jhonny Peralta
5. #311 John Danks
6. #290 Curtis Granderson
7. #37 Mike Napoli
8. #31 Brent Morel
9. #83 Bobby Parnell
10. #73 Brandon McCarthy
11. #262 Shaun Marcum
12. #11 Hong-chih Kuo
13. #279 R.A. Dickey
14. #74 Kevin Correia
15. #289 Casey Kotchman
16. #194 Danny Duffy
17. #160 Kevin Youkilis
18. #243 Justin de Fratus (Rookie Card)
19. #109 Mariano Rivera (Checklist)
20. #156 Ian Kennedy/Clayton Kershaw/Roy Halladay (League Leaders)
21. #113 Craig Kimbrel (Checklist)
22. #128 Lucas Duda
23. #231 Dexter Fowler
24. #170 Jacoby Ellsbury
25. Gold Sparkle #159 Chipper Jones/Albert Pujols/Todd Helton (Active Leaders)
26. Golden Moments #GM-17 Jered Weaver
27. Golden Greats #GG-22 Joe DiMaggio
28. Gold Standard #GS-15 Ty Cobb
29. Gold Futures #GF-17 Dee Gordon
30. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-3 Eric Hosmer
31. Golden Giveaway Code Cards #GGC-8 Roberto Clemente
32. Golden Moments Autographs #MB Madison Bumgarner (Autograph)
33. Timeless Talents #TT-15 Bob Gibson/Roy Halladay
34. #145 Billy Butler
35. #116 A.J. Pierzynski
36. #200 Miguel Cabrera
37. #246 Bud Norris
38. #85 Jason Heyward
39. #144 Marlon Byrd
40. #40 Tom Milone (Rookie Card)
41. #23 Cory Luebke
42. #214 Mike Pelfrey
43. #127 Eli Whiteside
44. #118 Miguel Olivo
45. #66 Nyjer Morgan
46. #184 Wilin Rosario (Rookie Card)
47. #16 Desmond Jennings (Topps All-Star Rookie)
48. #134 Stephen Lombardozzi (Rookie Card)
49. #218 Kyle Hudson (Rookie Card)
50. #87 Craig Kimbrel (Topps All-Star Rookie)

And my virtual haul:

A jumbo pack of 2012 Topps Series 1:

Beautiful card, though I’m not really collecting trinkets and baubles…

1. #265 Aroldis Chapman
2. #257 Seth Smith
3. #276 Scott Baker
4. #254 Philip Humber
5. #209 A.J. Burnett
6. #313 Phil Hughes
7. #164 Carl Pavano
8. #157 Anibal Sanchez
9. #260 Brian Wilson
10. #101 David Hernandez
11. #3 Jaime Garcia
12. #27 John Buck
13. #194 Danny Duffy
14. #160 Kevin Youkilis
15. #243 Justin De Fratus (Rookie Card)
16. #109 Mariano Rivera (Checklist)
17. Gold Sparkle #123 Scott Downs
18. Retired Rings #RR-JR Jackie Robinson (Serial#355/736) (Commemorative Gold Player Ring)
19. Golden Moments #GM-15 Ryan Braun
20. Golden Greats #GG-30 Derek Jeter
21. Gold Standard #GS-12 Al Kaline
22. Gold Futures #GF-20 Mike Moustakas
23. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-37 CC Sabathia
24. Golden Giveaway Code Cards #GGC-1 Ryan Braun
25. Timeless Talents #TT-25 Cal Ripken Jr./Derek Jeter
26. #141 Brandon Belt
27. #195 Ben Zobrist
28. #174 Yadier Molina
29. #187 Jose Altuve
30. #35 Eric Hosmer
31. #268 Miguel Cairo
32. #151 Chris Davis
33. #120 Hunter Pence
34. #134 Stephen Lombardozzi (Rookie Card)
35. #218 Kyle Hudson (Rookie Card)
36. #87 Craig Kimbrel (Topps All-Star Rookie)

Which unlocks a free prize…

…another virtual coin!  ugh…

what am I gonna do with all these virtual coins???  Topps, please bring back the Million Card Giveaway!!!

2012 Topps Series 1 jumbo pack:

1. #303 Danny Valencia
2. #230 Justin Morneau
3. #1 Ryan Braun
4. #161 Dee Gordon
5. #93 Skip Schumaker
6. #197 Brandan Ryan
7. #20 Craig Kimbrel
8. #13 Vernon Wells
9. #178 Edward Mujica
10. #278 Randy Wells
11. #304 Brandon Morrow
12. #267 Joel Pineiro
13. #26 Kyle Lohse
14. #315 Dustin Ackley
15. #216 Jason Kipnis
16. #135 Johnny Cueto
17. #125 Adam Jones
18. #129 Matt Moore (Rookie Card)
19. #119 Ichiro/Joe Mauer/Vladimir Guerrero (Active Leaders)
20. #52 Justin Verlander/Jered Weaver/James Shields (League Leaders)
21. #291 David Freese (World Series)
22. #300 Josh Hamilton
23. #295 Jayson Werth
24. #88 Javy Guerra
25. Black #305 Chipper Jones (Serial#35/61)
26. Gold Sparkle #274 Alex Liddi (Rookie Card)
27. Golden Moments #GM-1 Tom Seaver
28. Golden Greats #GG-6 Nolan Ryan
29. Gold Standard #GS-12 Al Kaline
30. Gold Futures #GF-20 Mike Moustakas
31. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-8 Ian Kinsler
32. Golden Giveaway Code Cards #GGC-7 Willie Mays
33. Timeless Talents #TT-12 Andy Pettitte/Cliff Lee
34. #259 Michael Stutes
35. #22 Alfredo Simon
36. #186 John Lannan
37. #190 Cole Hamels
38. #294 John Axford
39. #215 Freddie Freeman
40. #179 Denard Span
41. #206 David Robertson
42. #299 Mitch Moreland
43. #306 Ubaldo Jimenez
44. #122 Ted Lilly
45. #114 Matt Garza
46. #79 Austin Romine (Rookie Card)
47. #202 Andrew Carignan (Rookie Card)
48. #97 Jim Thome (Checklist)
49. #275 Brad Peacock (Rookie Card)
50. #253 Tim Federowicz (Rookie Card)

2012 Topps Series 1 jumbo pack:

1. #180 Mariano Rivera
2. #240 David Wright
3. #204 Tom Gorzelanny
4. #248 Stephen Drew
5. #44 Edwin Jackson
6. #2 Trevor Cahill
7. #153 Mark Melancon
8. #48 Wade Davis
9. #317 Tyler Chatwood
10. #258 Jon Jay
11. #39 James Loney
12. #323 Jason Isringhausen
13. #132 Will Venable
14. #61 Daniel Bard
15. #201 Doug Fister
16. #272 Nyjer Morgan (World Series)
17. #273 David Freese
18. #45 Jhoulys Chacin
19. #181 Jose Reyes/Ryan Braun/Matt Kemp (League Leaders)
20. #324 Alex Rodriguez/Jim Thome/Jason Giambi (Active Leaders)
21. #136 Casey McGehee
22. #130 Asdrubal Cabrera
23. #239 Miguel Cabrera/Michael Young/Adrian Gonzalez (League Leaders)
24. #159 Chipper Jones/Albert Pujols/Todd Helton (Active Leaders)
25. Gold Sparkle #136 Casey McGehee
26. Golden Moments #GM-6 Red Schoendienst
27. Golden Greats #GG-73 Babe Ruth
28. Gold Standard #GS-10 Reggie Jackson
29. Gold Futures #GF-14 Mike Stanton
30. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-34 Josh Johnson
31. Golden Giveaway #GGC-10 Sandy Koufax
32. Timeless Talents #TT-10 Ryne Sandberg/Dan Uggla
33. #191 Angel Pagan
34. #94 Logan Forsythe
35. #196 Matt Joyce
36. #51 Alcides Escobar
37. #30 Derek Jeter
38. #228 Brent Lillibridge
39. #96 Grady Sizemore
40. #18 Colby Lewis
41. #328 John Lackey
42. #148 Chris Getz
43. #327 Mark Kotsay
44. #78 Erick Aybar
45. #139 Scott Sizemore
46. #108 Albert Pujols (World Series)
47. #220 Jay Bruce
48. #5 Desmond Jennings
49. #225 Michael Pineda
50. #217 Texas Rangers (Team Card)

I big jumbo pack of 2012 Topps Series 1:

1. #63 Nate Schierholtz
2. #76 Ian Kennedy
3. #293 Eric Thames
4. #305 Chipper Jones
5. #46 Peter Bourjos
6. #102 Chase d’Arnaud
7. #142 Travis Wood
8. #21 Chris Iannetta
9. #72 Rex Brothers
10. #330 Matt Kemp
11. #280 Ryan Howard
12. #6 Nick Hagadone
13. #28 Placido Polanco
14. #4 Jeremy Guthrie
15. #177 Josh Thole
16. #53 St. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
17. #91 Alex Rodriguez/Jim Thome/Jason Giambi (Active Leaders)
18. #29 Livan Hernandez/Roy Oswalt/Randy Wolf (Active Leaders)
19. #90 Adron Chambers (Rookie Card)
20. #292 Ben Revere (Topps All-Star Rookie)
21. #308 Mike Leake
22. #238 Emilio Bonifacio
23. #60 Hanley Ramirez
24. Gold Sparkle #212 Tim Wakefield/CC Sabathia/Mark Buehrle (Active Leaders)
25. Classic Walk-offs #CW-5 Jay Bruce
26. Golden Moments #GM-50 Roy Halladay
27. Golden Greats #GG-14 Willie Mays
28. Gold Standard #GS-23 Tom Seaver
29. Gold Futures #GF-1 Michael Pineda
30. 1987 Topps Minis #TM-48 Paul Konerko
31. Golden Giveaway #GGC-2 Troy Tulowitzki
32. Timeless Talents #TT-23 Edgar Martinez/David Ortiz
33. #163 Justin Turner
34. #307 Vance Worley
35. #203 Jeff Niemann
36. #140 Troy Tulowitzki
37. #316 Nick Blackburn
38. #100 Jose Bautista
39. #9 Jesus Montero (Rookie Card)
40. #150 Roy Halladay
41. #169 Brett Myers
42. #71 Jeff Karstens
43. #193 Kelly Shoppach
44. #158 Josh Reddick
45. #82 Rick Porcello
46. #198 Matt Dominguez (Rookie Card)
47. #81 Liam Hendriks (Rookie Card)
48. #252 Dellin Betances (Rookie Card)
49. #219 Jordan Pacheco (Rookie Card)
50. #41 Devin Mesoraco (Rookie Card)

Here’s what I got in the Golden Giveaway: