cbcCards

2021 Topps Stadium Club Hobby Box

Not much to write home about here. I did hit a Ke’Bryan Hayes RC and a Bobby Dalbec Chrome, but other than that, no big autos or parallels.

2021 Topps Finest Hobby Box

The family and I made a stop at The Fantastic Store on the way to a local micro brewery to pickup a few hobby boxes of 2021 Topps Stadium Club. We got there only to find that they only had 1 hobby box left, so I ended up grabbing a single hobby box (2 mini boxes) of 2021 Topps Finest. I typically open a hobby box or two of Finest every year, but was going to pass this year due to the cost increase and typical lack of value, even though I do love the cards, but had the money set aside for cards that day, so I caved. My son and I ripped the box open as soon as we got home. The first box yielded a Pete Alonso Auto, off to a great start, but I figured that would be the highlight. It almost was. We ended up with some good refractors and colored parallels along with Ke’Bryan Hayes RC, the single base card I was really looking for and was pretty lucky to hit. I then turned away for a minute to start putting the cards away as my son opened the last pack. I second later, I hear my son ask, “dad, what is this?” I turned to see a redemption and told him what is was. I didn’t think much of it until he told me who it was so I looked closer to see “red wave auto”! on the card, my first red /5 card of my life. That single piece of cardboard should end up paying for my entire purchase earlier that day.

2021 Topps Series 2 Hobby Case

2021 Topps Series 2 was the first flagship case, and only the second case I’ve every purchased. I was not originally planning to buy a case, but found a deal at just over $80 per hobby box I couldn’t pass up. As a life long Pirates fan, the chase for Ke’Bryan Hayes was on. Although no huge hits, buying this case was one of the better baseball card purchases I have ever made. At a relatively low price, I was able to open a hobby box almost every night for two weeks with my 8 year old son who has been getting more and more baseball cards. Most of the better cards, other than all of the base rookies, are below. Now on to sorting all of the base.

Box 1

Box 2

Box 3

Box 4

Box 5

Box 6

Box 7

Box 8

Box 9

Box 10

Box 11

Box 12

2021 Bowman 4 Blasters & 5 Mega Boxes

I was fortunate one morning to read on the Blowout Forums that 2021 Bowman Blasters & Mega Boxes were available on Targets website and even more fortunate to be able to get a few. I was able to get 4 blasters and 5 mega boxes for approximately $250, about the same as the last hobby box I purchased. With 5 colored parallels, including an Alex Kirilloff neon green RC and an Ed Howard mega box auto, the total break was a little better than the previous hobby box I broke. Overall, very happy with the break.

2021 Bowman Hobby Box #2

I told myself only 1 Hobby Box of 2021 Bowman this year, but after selling the Austin Martin Gold Auto Redemption for the biggest sale of my life, I figured what they heck, I’m playing on house money. Not a ton of value here, but I did pull another non-pitcher Bowman 1st parallel auto. Only 3 other parallels, for a total of 1/2 of what I got in my first box, but this is probably more the norm than the exception. Overall, probably an average to maybe a little above average hobby box. One to buy singles to finish completing the set and then its probably a little break until Topps Series 2 comes out.

2021 Topps Tribute Hobby Box

Topps Tribute! What can I say, I love these cards and always have. Every year I typically buy 2-3 hobby boxes of some of the mid-range premium Topps products like Tribute, Museum Collection, Triple Threads, etc, and Tribute are always the nicest cards. They are beautiful. The value for the cost is always terrible, but man are they gorgeous, and this year is no different. I’ve pulled some nice cards here and there over the past few years, but I believe this was probably the best box I’ve ever opened. I’d be lucky to get back half of what I paid if I sold everything, but I’m still very happy with it. I do not open these for the value, because I know its not there. I just love the cards. I pulled my first Luis Robert auto, a nice Johnny Bench Auto and a Blue Dylan Carlson RC Auto. This is probably it for Tribute this year for me, but I’m sure I will try another box next year.

2021 Bowman Hobby Box

I was not planning purchasing any 2021 Bowman Hobby or Jumbo this year due to the significant cost increase over years past, but found a hobby box at a small local card show for about $35 below the going rate. I figured if I could get lucky and get some retail, I would open some, but other than that it would probably be only singles this year for me. My son really likes Bowman, and considering the deal, he convinced me to buy the box, and boy am I glad I did! I’ve been lucky with Bowman recently, starting with the 2020 Bowman Draft Ed Howard Gold Refractor Auto I pulled on Christmas. The hit in this box was even better! A Gold Refractor Austin Martin Auto Redemption! The Howard had been my biggest pull ever until this box. Considering the crazy market we are in, there is no better time to sell something like this than now, which is what I did. I was able to double what I got for the Howard, making this the biggest single card sale in my life. In addition to the Martin, I feel like I beat the odds on other color. Between chrome, paper and the Martin redemption, I hit 7 colors!