After reading about group breaks (wasn’t such a thing when I collected last), I took the idea to a few friends of mine. Myself, along with five other friends who are baseball fans and casual card collectors decided we would try it with a box of 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen. Each person was allowed to pick their first team, usually their favorite team as I picked the San Francisco Giants. The other five teams that were selected were the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. Then we held a draft to assign the other teams. Each team was a set price and some participants drafted only two teams, some three teams and the remaining were paid for by me. I ended up with 15 teams! Which I didn’t mind since I may decide to attempt to complete the set?
Here is the breakdown of teams –
Barry W. (Rangers, Tigers); Bill J. (Orioles, Twins, Pirates, Mariners); Jason C. (Giants, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Indians, Rockies, Astros, Royals, Marlins, Yankees, Phillies, Padres, Rays, Blue Jays); Jay H. (Angels, Braves); Jaime L. (Brewers, Cardinals, Nationals); Tony F. (Dodgers, Reds, Mets, Athletics)
I will post the pack by pack breakdown and include some photos of random cards.
Pack #1
Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals (#292)
Phil Hughes, New York Yankees (#296)
Josh Beckett, Los Angeles Dodgers (#265)
Dan Haren, Washington Nationals (#249)
Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals (#89)
Dealing Aces – R.A. Dickey, Toronto Blue Jays (#DA-RD)
Mini – Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (#324)
Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres (#287)
Brandon Moss, Oakland Athletics (#175)
Niel Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates (#217)
Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres
Dealing Aces
R.A. Dickey, Toronto Blue Jays
Mini
Stephen Strasburg, Washngton Nationals
I was able to pull 3 out of the 10 cards (Hughes, Dickey, Gwynn) from pack #1.
Pack #2
Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox (#186)
Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals (#209)
Felix Doubront, Boston Red Sox (#232)
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies (#273)
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (##150)
Certified Autograph – Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels (#GQA-GR)
Mini – Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers (#294)
Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians (#242)
Paco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Dodgers (#104)
Matt Holiday, St. Louis Cardinals (#91)
We got out first of two promised autographs per box! Congratulations Jay!
Certified Autograph Card
Garrett Richards, Los Angeles Angels
Besides the autograph this pack was kind of although I was able to pull 6 out of the 10 cards (Ramirez, Moustakas, Doubront, Gonzalez, Jeter, Cabrera) from pack #2. So maybe not too much of a dud?
Pack #3
Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds (#300)
Gary Carter, New York Mets (#48)
Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (#80)
Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers (#10)
No-Hitters – Philip Humber, Chicago White Sox (#NH-PH)
Glove Stories – Travis Snider, Pittsburgh Pirates (#GS-TS)
Mini – Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates (#197)
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (#64)
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves (#56)
Dylan Bundy, Baltimore Orioles (#41)
Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
Gary Carter, New York Mets
Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals
Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers
No-Hitters
Philp Humber, Chicago White Sox
Glove Stories
Travis Snider, Pittsburgh Pirates
As you can tell by the photos I am posting, I am partial to the old-timers!!! I was only able to pull 1 out of the 10 cards (Humber) from pack #3.
Pack #4
Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics (#121)
Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks (#159)
Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox (#203)
Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers (#234)
Hal Newhouser, Detroit Tigers (#131)
Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays (#266)
Mini – Wily Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers (#169)
Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds (#306)
Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds (#12)
Alex Cobb, Tampa Bay Rays (#317)
Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics
Hal Newhouser, Detroit Tigers
Nothing too exciting, I was able to get 4 more cards (Miley, Viciedo, Rodney, Cobb) for my base set though.
Pack #5
Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox (#54)
Michael Bourn, Atlanta Braves (#95)
Jim Palmer, Baltimore Orioles (#154)
Framed Blue – Jose Quintana (040/499), Chicago White Sox (#42)
Dealing Aces – Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds (#DA-JC)
Glove Stories – Roger Bernadina, Washington Nationals (#GS-RB)
Mini – C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels (#224)
Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians (#152)
Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves (#348)
B.J. Upton, Atlanta Braves (#342)
Jim Palmer, Baltimore Orioles
Framed Blue
Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox
Dealing Aces
Johnny Cueto, Cincinatti Reds
Glove Stories
Roger Bernadina, Washington Nationals
Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves
Pulled 3 cards here (Ellsbury, Quintana [040/499], Bauer).
Pack #6
Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants (#323)
C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels (#224)
Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays (#263)
Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals (#303)
Cecil Fielder, Detroit Tigers (#23)
No Hitter – Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (#NH-RH)
Mini – Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers (#174)
Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves (#77)
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (#61)
Fergie Jenkins, Chicago Cubs (#210)
Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants
Cecil Fielder, Detroit Tigers
No Hitters
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
Fergie Jenkins, Chicago Cubs
Pulled 5 cards here (Vogelsong, Morrow, Butler, Halladay, Jenkins) including my first San Francisco Giant.
This will be the end of Part #1 (Packs 1-6). Stay tuned for Part #2 (Packs 7-12).
Back In The Card Game 