Today I’m starting up a new feature. Each Sunday, instead of opening up a single hobby pack, I’m going to open up either a jumbo pack of the most recent release or 5 hobby packs of a past Topps release.

2010 Topps Series 2 Jumbo Pack:

1. #444 Yuniesky Betancourt
2. #360 Justin Morneau
3. #517 Cliff Pennington
4. #603 Gerardo Parra
5. #338 Brett Cecil
6. #374 Scott Feldman
7. #403 Jimmy Rollins
8. #569 Jacoby Ellsbury
9. #495 Carlos Pena
10. #437 Luke Hochevar
11. #363 Joba Chamberlain
12. #556 Chicago White Sox (Team Card)
13. #366 Hiroki Kuroda
14. #498 Sergio Santos (Rookie Card)
15. #651 Mike Aviles
16. #496 Rajai Davis
17. #357 Scott Downs
18. #365 Logan Ondrusek (Rookie Card)
19. #512 Scot Shields
20. #492 Brian Wilson
21. #339 Jose Reyes
22. #381 Miguel Montero
23. #555 B.J. Upton
24. #629 Oliver Perez
25. #399 Matt Garza
26. #384 Chris Johnson (Rookie Card)
27. #469 Alex Burnett (Rookie Card)
28. Gold Border #631 Marc Rzepczynski (Serial#0267/2010)
29. The Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT60 Mickey Mantle
30. History of the World Series #HWS15 Bob Gibson
31. Million Card Giveaway #TMC-13 Bob Gibson
32. 2020 #T10 Evan Longoria
33. Vintage Legends #VLC25 Honus Wagner
34. Turkey Red #TR63 Nate McLouth
35. Legendary Lineage #LL-38 Cal Ripken Jr./Hanley Ramirez
36. Peak Performance #PP-61 Hunter Pence
37. #616 Franklin Gutierrez
38. #576 Paul Maholm
39. #625 Grady Sizemore
40. #579 Trevor Cahill
41. #540 Sean Rodriguez
42. #483 Daisuke Matsuzaka
43. #334 Jayson Werth
44. #408 Detroit Tigers (Franchise History)
45. #647 Alfonso Soriano
46. #623 Miguel Cabrera
47. #551 Everth Cabrera
48. #422 Vin Mazzaro
49. #383 Derek Lowe
50. Attax #JV Justin Verlander

50 cards, no Nats… I guess Topps realizes that there are about 10 Nats fans collecting cards out there.  Maybe Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper will change that in the future.

I don’t have the Beckett values on Series 2 yet, but I can guess that the Mantle was the best pull out of the pack:

“The hand-painted image of Mantle on his 1953 card depicted a striking 21-year-old coming off a season in which he made the AL All-Star team for what would be the first of 17 consecutive times.  His ’52 rookie is the only more valuable Topps “Mickey.””

Some of the other nice pulls:

And I’m sure you were all wondering what I got from the Million Card Giveaway this time…

1977 Topps #551 Bill North

Not bad, but I still haven’t gotten anything from the 50′s or 60′s yet.

2009 Topps Series 1:

1. #303 Zach Duke
2. #244 Sean Rodriguez
3. #111 Troy Percival
4. #221 Cliff Lee/Roy Halladay/Daisuke Matsuzaka (League Leaders)
5. #246 B.J. Upton/Carl Crawford/Evan Longoria (Postseason Highlights)
6. #259 Tim Lincecum/Johan Santana/Dan Haren (League Leaders)
7. Topps Town #TTT6 Johan Santana
8. #248 Scott Lewis (Rookie)
9. #185 Randy Johnson
10. #269 Hunter Pence

“The Rays, in their first postseason, captured the AL pennant thanks to their booming bats.  B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria accounted for half of the team’s 16 ALCS homers (each slugging .780-plus) while Carl Crawford tied the series lead in hits.”

If the Rays keep doing what they have been doing this season, they’ll be headed to the World Series again this Fall.  Upton, Crawford, and Longoria are all still with the team.

Another one for my Randy Johnson collection:

2010 Topps Series 1:

1. #330 Brandon Allen (Rookie)
2. #52 Billy Butler
3. #122 Carlos Ruiz
4. #233 Mark Teixeira/Jason Bay/Adam Lind (League Leaders)
5. #154 Pedro Feliz
6. The Cards Your Mom Threw Out #CMT-58 Evan Longoria
7. Peak Performance #PP-8 Justin Morneau
8. Topps Town #TTT11 Brian McCann
9. #272 Jair Jurrjens
10. #37 Garret Anderson

“Longoria took his place in the 2009 Topps set as the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.  His photo renders his hustle, and his “Niche in History” text on the reverse reveals that he was the first rookie third baseman in 56 years to hit three homers in a game.“

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH248 Doug Mientkiewicz
2. #UH116 Odalis Perez
3. #UH158 Chad Durbin
4. #UH161 Asdrubal Cabrera (Highlights)
5. #UH178 Lance Berkman (Home Run Derby)
6. #UH10 Evan Longoria (Rookie)
7. #UH174 D.J. Carrasco
8. #UH329 Jeremy Sowers
9. Gold Border #UH67 Jamey Carroll (Serial#1893/2008)
10. Year in Review #YR150 Scott Baker

“Flashing what former Twins slugger Gary Gaetti called “light-tower power,” Evan walloped 26 homers in 2007 to solidify his place among baseball’s top handful of prospects.  On June 9, 2008, Longoria smashed a pair of longballs against the Angels in Anaheim, about a half-hour drive from where he grew up.  “Shoot, what a homecoming for me,” he beamed.”

And Odalis Perez, who was released by the Nationals after the 2008 season and not picked up by any team.  He’s effectively retired now:

2008 Topps Updates and Highlights:

1. #UH224 Angel Pagan
2. #UH206 Russell Branyan
3. #UH320 Heath Bell
4. #UH268 Alfonso Soriano (All-Star)
5. #UH286 Aaron Cook (All-Star)
6. #UH137 Evan Longoria (Highlights)
7. #UH282 Carlos Marmol (All-Star)
8. #UH312 Ivan Rodriguez
9. #UH138 T.J. Beam
10. Gold Foil #UH91 Billy Buckner

“Evan hit his first Major League walk-off home run with one out in the ninth inning, breaking a scoreless tie and giving starting pitcher James Shields a 2-0 win over the visiting Angels.  After making two sterling plays at third base in the top of the inning, the rookie hit a 1-1 Justin Speier sinker over the 370-foot sign in left-center field.”

And current Washington National Pudge Rodriguez:

A few random cards to be integrated into my collection:

1996 Metal Universe Platinum Portraits #7 Hideo Nomo

2002 Nestle Ice Cream #6 Ichiro

2008 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP35 Tim Federowicz

2008 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Hobby Preview #UD-77 Evan Longoria

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH19 Johnny Estrada
2. #UH250 Pedro Feliz
3. #UH43 Jason Bartlett
4. #UH274 Albert Pujols (All-Star)
5. #UH4 Brent Lillibridge (Rookie)
6. #UH172 Evan Longoria (Home Run Derby)
7. #UH162 Eric Stults
8. #UH108 Shin-Soo Choo
9. World Baseball Classic Preview #WBC17 Frank Catalanotto
10. Gold Foil #UH58 Scott Kazmir (All-Star)

“Fans participating in the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote made a wise decision when they cast a record nine million ballots to add Longoria to the 2008 AL All-Star Team.  The rousing Rays rookie kept the AL (which won in 15 innings) in business with a game-tying double in the eighth inning.  It was the first ASG RBI by a rookie since one by Tom Tresh in 1962.”

I guess since Longoria only hit 3 home runs during the Home Run Derby, Topps decided to just talk about his performance during the All-Star Game, and ignore mentioning the Home Run Derby on his Home Run Derby Card…

To wrap up my tour of Topps Traded/Updates, today I bring you 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH145 Kip Wells
2. #UH50 Matt Garza
3. #UH180 Scott Rolen
4. #UH159 Mike Aviles (Rookie)
5. #UH280 Max Scherzer (Rookie)
6. #UH9 Shawn Riggans
7. #UH102 Matt Murton
8. #UH251 Mark Redman
9. #UH288 Evan Longoria (All-Star)
10. Ring of Honor World Series Champions #RH-ML Mike Lowell

…and Checklist 3 of 3.

“Winning the 2008 American League Monster All-Star Game Final Vote put Evan in the Midsummer Classic just three months after making his Major League debut.  Boasting a .281 AVG with 16 home runs at the time, he made the most of his opportunity.  Longoria’s eighth-inning RBI double tied the contest, 3-3, setting up a dramatic 4-3 victory in 15 innings.“