A jumbo pack of 2011 Topps Series 1:

1. #205 Ty Wigginton
2. #151 Fausto Carmona
3. #9 Gil Meche
4. #94 Ryan Raburn
5. #177 Brian Matusz
6. #201 Mike Napoli
7. #17 Mark Ellis
8. #62 Jonathan Papelbon
9. #112 Jorge Cantu
10. #258 Rafael Soriano
11. #231 Mark Buehrle
12. #248 Wade LeBlanc
13. #179 Armando Galarraga
14. #113 Arthur Rhodes
15. #191 Jay Bruce
16. #217 Yunel Escobar
17. #154 Marlon Byrd
18. #267 Jose Contreras
19. #230 Aaron Cook
20. #325 Jayson Werth
21. #313 Chris Coghlan
22. #269 Stephen Drew
23. #180 Paul Maholm
24. #13 Billy Wagner
25. #276 Miguel Olivo
26. #56 Johan Santana
27. #89 Placido Polanco
28. Gold #132 Brian Duensing (Serial#1392/2011)
29. Diamond Giveaway #TDG-7 Derek Jeter
30. 60 Years of Topps #60YOT-50 Manny Ramirez
31. Diamond Duos #DD-TU Hisanori Takahashi/Koji Uehara
32. 60 #T60-24 Josh Johnson
33. Diamond #117 Brett Sinkbeil (Rookie Card)
34. Kimball Champions #KC-38 Roy Oswalt
35. CMG Reprints #CMGR-15 Jimmie Foxx
36. #299 Chris Carpenter
37. #185 Peter Bourjos
38. #159 Chris Perez
39. #11 Roy Halladay/Adam Wainwright/Ubaldo Jimenez (League Leaders)
40. #138 Albert Pujols/Carlos Gonzalez/Joey Votto (League Leaders)
41. #34 Rick Ankiel
42. #186 Carl Pavano
43. #235 Felix Hernandez/Clay Buchholz/David Price (League Leaders)
44. #200 Ichiro
45. #87 Daniel Descalso (Rookie Card)
46. #206 Chase Headley
47. #45 Hunter Pence
48. #77 Tim Hudson
49. #181 Magglio Ordonez
50. Topps Town #TT-11 Chris Young

Just when I thought my Diamond Topps luck couldn’t get any worse, I get this:

1987 Topps #256 Royals Leaders

Here are some special shout-outs to people and entities who helped me acquire some awesome new cards…

Special shout-out to Topps Million Card Giveaway for sending me this 1958 Topps #151 Ken Lehman along with 15 other pre-1979 cards:

Special shout-out goes to Steve D. for trading this 2001 Topps Traded Dual Jersey Relics #TTR-MR Manny Ramirez (Dual Jersey Relics), a Randy Johnson Upper Deck rookie card, and 24 base cards I needed for 20 Yankees cards:

Another loud shout-out goes to Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle for trading this 1989 Topps #206 Roberto Alomar along with 138 other cards I needed for completing my sets, in exchange for a John Ely autograph and 7 other Dodgers cards:

And finally, a shout-out goes to eBay Bucks for letting me pick up this beautiful 2010 Topps National Chicle Autographs #NCA-JF Juan Francisco certified on-card autograph for about $5:

Five hobby packs of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

PACK 1:

1. #UH90 Dan Haren
2. #UH325 Clay Hensley
3. #UH211 Brett Tomko
4. #UH297 Cory Wade (Rookie Card)
5. #UH100 Jay Bruce (Rookie Card)
6. #UH105 Dan Giese (Rookie Card)
7. #UH222 Dave Borkowski
8. #UH306 Casey Kotchman
9. #UH96 Vladimir Nunez
10. Gold Foil #UH208 Kerry Wood (All-Star)

PACK 2

1. #UH308 Shelley Duncan
2. #UH314 Wilson Betemit
3. #UH283 Alex Cintron
4. #UH229 Adrian Gonzalez (All-Star)
5. #UH173 Randy Johnson (Highlights)
6. #UH191 Ian Kinsler (All-Star)
7. #UH83 George Sherrill (All-Star)
8. #UH197 Michael Young (All-Star)
9. Gold Foil #UH43 Jason Bartlett
10. #UH131 Manny Ramirez (Highlights)

PACK 3

1. #UH250 Pedro Feliz
2. #UH43 Jason Bartlett
3. #UH60 Jim Edmonds
4. #UH262 Brian Wilson (All-Star)
5. #UH232 Geovany Soto (All-Star)
6. #UH167 Justin Morneau (Home Run Derby)
7. #UH89 Joakim Soria (All-Star)
8. #UH59 Cliff Lee (All-Star)
9. #UH263 Eric Patterson
10. Gold Foil #UH104 Omar Infante

PACK 4

1. #UH176 Brad Wilkerson
2. #UH38 Carlos Villanueva
3. #UH242 Raul Chavez
4. #UH285 Kosuke Fukudome (All-Star)
5. #UH16 Paul Janish (Rookie Card)
6. #UH166 Ryan Braun (Home Run Derby)
7. #UH107 Jason Varitek (All-Star)
8. #UH68 Jonathan Papelbon (All-Star)
9. #UH35 Hanley Ramirez (All-Star)
10. Year in Review #YR144 Carlos Guillen

PACK 5

Mark Worrell’s claim to fame had nothing to do with his pitching.  He hit a three-run homer on his first major league at-bat in 2008.

1. #UH274 Albert Pujols (All-Star)
2. #UH4 Brent Lillibridge (Rookie Card)
3. #UH172 Evan Longoria (Home Run Derby)
4. #UH262 Brian Wilson (All-Star)
5. #UH125 John Smoltz (Highlights)
6. #UH232 Geovany Soto (All-Star)
7. #UH167 Justin Morneau (Home Run Derby)
8. #UH18 Andy Phillips
9. Highlights Autographs #HA-MW Mark Worrell (Autograph)
10. Gold Border #UH310 Kyle Lohse (Serial#0491/2008)
11. Gold Foil #UH281 Chris Aguila

This Sunday of 2011, we’re opening up 5 packs of 2008 Topps Series 2:

PACK 1:

1. #506 Jay Gibbons
2. #574 Scott Baker
3. #630 Chris Carpenter
4. #551 Erick Threets (Rookie Card)
5. #502 Alex Cora
6. 50th Anniversary All Rookie Team#AR73 Carlos Ruiz
7. Stars #TS13 Manny Ramirez
8. #530 Ryan Zimmerman
9. #640 Carlos Pena
10. #369 Luis Castillo

PACK 2:

1. #408 Edinson Volquez
2. #486 Javier Vazquez
3. #394 Mark Ellis
4. Commemorative Patch Relics #CPR-JG Jason Giambi (Serial#071/100) (Manufactured Patch)
5. 50th Anniversary All Rookie Team #AR84 Adam LaRoche
6. #602 Lyle Overbay/Vernon Wells (Classic Combos)
7. Historical Campaign Match-Ups #HCM-1880 James Garfield/Winfield Scott Hancock
8. #380 Grady Sizemore
9. #642 Mark Kotsay

PACK 3:

1. #624 Joe Torre (Manager)
2. #405 Travis Hafner
3. #459 Mike Sweeney
4. #545 Chris Young (Topps All-Star Rookie)
5. #445 Hideki Matsui
6. #476 Johnny Cueto (Rookie Card)
7. Stars #TS25 Matt Holliday
8. #452 Kevin Slowey
9. #646 Rajai Davis
10. #600 Tom Glavine

PACK 4:

1. #393 Michael Cuddyer
2. #504 Conor Jackson
3. #503 Jeremy Bonderman
4. #603 Blake DeWitt (Rookie Card)
5. #539 Clete Thomas (Rookie Card)
6. #417 Brian Bass (Rookie Card)
7. Year in Review #YR103 Ryan Garko
8. #439 Josh Hamilton
9. #464 Rocco Baldelli
10. #559 Jonny Gomes

PACK 5:

1. #568 Jose Guillen
2. #578 Ricky Nolasco
3. #381 Jeff Francoeur
4. #501 Elliot Johnson (Rookie Card)
5. #346 Adam Everett
6. #609 Ted Lilly
7. Gold Foil #348 Craig Monroe
8. #535 Francisco Rodriguez
9. #610 Carlos Beltran
10. #427 Carlos Guillen

Here’s a 5-hobby-pack rip session of 2005 Topps Series 2:

PACK 1

1. #429 Gary Matthews Jr.
2. #505 Nomar Garciaparra
3. #531 Daniel Cabrera (Topps All-Star Rookie)
4. #522 David Bush
5. #711 Andruw Jones (Gold Glove)
6. Gold #381 Brad Lidge (Serial#1946/2005)
7. #504 Craig Monroe
8. #424 Ramon Hernandez
9. #383 Alex Cora
10. #513 Mark Redman

PACK 2

1. #550 Pat Burrell
2. #525 Marlon Byrd
3. #579 Jeff Conine
4. #390 Manny Ramirez
5. #696 Ivan Rodriguez (Gold Glove)
6. Barry Bonds Home Run History #BB161 Barry Bonds
7. #375 Magglio Ordonez
8. #587 Dan Kolb
9. #497 Richie Sexson
10. #681 Bobby Livingston (Draft Pick) (Rookie)

PACK 3

1. #672 Glen Perkins (Draft Pick) (Rookie)
2. #468 Ross Gload
3. #492 Tomas Perez
4. #423 Jose Mesa
5. #714 Roger Clemens (Cy Young Award)
6. Hit Parade #HR10 Manny Ramirez
7. #636 Pedro Feliz
8. #514 Jason Michaels
9. #518 Jose Lopez
10. #554 Jamie Moyer

PACK 4

1. #450 Mike Piazza
2. #608 Luis A. Gonzalez
3. #547 Kevin Brown
4. #410 Joe Kennedy
5. #563 Junior Spivey
6. #697 Darin Erstad (Gold Glove)
7. #446 Chris Capuano
8. #590 Alex Gonzalez
9. #573 Paul Byrd
10. #491 Tony Womack

PACK 5

1. #577 Ryan Wagner
2. #486 Bobby Madritsch
3. #378 Chin-hui Tsao
4. #566 Chris Shelton
5. #732 Curt Schilling (Postseason Highlights)
6. Barry Bonds Home Run History #BB280 Barry Bonds
7. #524 Paul Quantrill
8. #596 Mark Hendrickson
9. #443 Pete Munro
10. #592 Jolbert Cabrera

Today I’m going to bust a bunch of my 2003 Topps Series 1 hobby packs:

PACK 1

1. #262 Mike Scioscia (Manager)
2. #317 Doug Waechter (First Year Card) (Rookie)
3. #301 Matthew Peterson (First Year Card) (Rookie)
4. #314 Mike McNutt (First Year Card) (Rookie)
5. #292 Chris Duncan (First Year Card) (Rookie)
6. #338 Alfonso Soriano/Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter (League Leaders)
7. #96 Alex Gonzalez
8. #63 Andy Ashby
9. #89 Mike Matheny
10. #233 Derrek Lee

I don’t know why Beckett still lists Chris Duncan’s Topps rookie card as being “worth” $3.  Outdated information?  He’s almost 30 and has been hitting under .200 at the AAA level for the past 3 years.  And playing in the Washington Nationals organization doesn’t help.

PACK 2

1. #119 Randall Simon
2. #145 Michael Tucker
3. #44 Jeff Conine
4. #174 Jon Lieber
5. Hobby Masters #HM3 Derek Jeter
6. #360 Torii Hunter (Sporting News All-Stars)
7. #76 Randy Wolf
8. #170 Vladimir Guerrero
9. #152 Steve Trachsel
10. #161 Kerry Robinson

PACK 3

1. #283 Larry Bowa (Manager)
2. #45 Carlos Baerga
3. #280 John Halama
4. #282 Art Howe (Manager)
5. Record Breakers #RB-JB Jeff Bagwell
6. #344 Sammy Sosa/Albert Pujols/Shawn Green (League Leaders)
7. #179 Wendell Magee
8. #199 Scott Sullivan
9. #31 Brian Giles
10. #48 Aaron Boone

PACK 4

1. #326 Orlando Hudson/Josh Phelps (Future Stars)
2. #330 Juan Rivera/Marcus Thames (Future Stars)
3. #331 Brandon Puffer/Jung Bong (Future Stars)
4. #323 Chris Snelling/Shin-Soo Choo (Future Stars)
5. #327 Jack Cust/Rene Reyes (Future Stars)
6. #351 Angels/Giants (Postseason Highlights)
7. #2 Dan Wilson
8. #255 Michael Barrett
9. #64 Mike Williams
10. #116 Mark Mulder

The infamous Puffer/Bong card!  While Jung Bong is still playing pro baseball in Korea, Brandon Puffer is serving a 5-year prison sentence for breaking into a home and trying to rape a woman back in 2008.

PACK 5

1. #21 Denny Neagle
2. #166 Troy Percival
3. #59 Brad Wilkerson (Topps All-Star Rookie)
4. #144 Mark Quinn
5. #41 Kevin Appier
6. #366 Manny Ramirez (Sporting News All-Stars)
7. #37 Brandon Duckworth
8. #156 Jason Kendall
9. #180 Barry Zito
10. #3 Jimmy Rollins

1995 Topps Series 2:

1. #562 Carlos Rodriguez
2. Cyberstats #280 Billy Ashley
3. #526 Gregg Jefferies
4. #477 Manny Ramirez (Topps All-Star Rookie)
5. #512 Greg McMichael
6. #648 Rod Pedraza/Phil Schneider (On Deck) (Rookie)
7. #525 Dave Veres (Rookie)
8. #643 Terrell Lowery/Jon Shave (On Deck) (Rookie)
9. #430 Steve Avery
10. #533 Kevin Stocker
11. #519 Kirk Gibson
12. #610 Brett Butler
13. #474 Alan Trammell

“The much-hyped Ramirez disappointed no one as he finished as runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race.  Among AL freshmen, he had the second-highest totals in homers, RBI, doubles and hits.  Exclusive of one 6-for-52 slide, Manny batted .303 during the 1994 season.”

The man who beat out Manny Ramirez in homers, RBI, doubles, and hits in 1994 was Bob Hamelin.  Bob Hamelin batted .282 with 24 home runs in his the strike-shortened rookie season, then went on to win the 1994 AL Rookie of the Year award.

2010 Topps Series 1:

1. #136 Adam Wainwright
2. #64 Drew Stubbs (Rookie)
3. #46 Chad Tracy
4. #72 Milwaukee Brewers (Franchise History)
5. History of the Game #HOTG25 First MLB Game Played in Japan
6. Turkey Red #TR30 Victor Martinez
7. Topps Town #TTT25 Manny Ramirez
8. #17 Dexter Fowler
9. #62 Kevin Millwood
10. #91 Erik Bedard

“Ramirez has embraced the “Manny Being Manny” phrase that is used to describe his style — so much so that he’s had “MBM” stitched into much of his clothing.“