2013 Topps Archives pack break recap

I picked up a pack of the new 2013 Topps Archives [$4.50 each from a card shop] - to see what the cards look like.

I grew up collecting 1990 Topps but out of the retro designs within this product, I probably like 1985 Topps the best - followed by 1982 Topps, 1990 Topps and 1972 Topps.

#5 Allen Craig - 1972 Topps
#92 Ken Griffey Jr. - 1982 Topps
#143 Jake Odorizzi - 1985 Topps
#197 Chris Sale - 1990 Topps
#83-BH Bryce Harper - 1983 Topps All-Star
#78 Johan Santana - 1982 Topps
#141 Adam Jones - 1985 Topps
#151 Jason Motte - 1990 Topps

2008 Upper Deck Timelines retail breaks

2008 Upper Deck Timelines retail [$1.97 each] - I really like the product, but then base cards are off-center. There are just minor nicks and dings [maybe from the way these 'cheap packs' are dispensed from a cardboard like display].

#45 Vladimir Guerrero - a nice Halo card to start the pack.
#50 Erik Bedard - where exactly is his his listed birthplace of Navan, Ontario?
#23 Matt Kemp - potential to be a great outfielder with great tools but not quite a 'baseball player' yet [more of a young, athlete playing off his immense ability].
#104 Chris Duncan 1992 Upper Deck Minor League style - not the greatest player in the world to be 'immortalized' on a classic Upper Deck set design.
#199 Kosuke Fukudome 1995 Upper Deck Minor League SP Top Prospects die cut style - the Japanese import seemed to be a 'rookie' bust who got the bat knocked off his hands at times in the second half of his MLB debut season. Hopefully he gets his act together in his sophomore season with the Chicago Cubs.

#255 Torii Hunter Timeless Teams style - another Halo card, this time to finish the pack.

2008 Upper Deck Timelines retail [pack #2] - I'm going to get a serious 'hit' out of a $2 pack of cards, but the novelty of the classic designs appeal to my collecting palate. I mean it isn't basic 2008 Topps or basic 2008 Upper Deck [which I do like].

#31 Manny Ramirez - he is still fishing for a four or five year deal. While all it matters is him hitting the tar out of the ball, he is 36 and considering his baggage, it doesn't look like there are teams willing to invest in him.
#12 Jimmy Rollins

#48 Ichiro - an actual base card with decent centering; nice looking.

#105 Clay Timpner 1992 Upper Deck Minor League style - off-center

#339 Joey Votto 1994 Upper Deck SP Premier Prospects style
#305 Carl Crawford 2004 Timeless Teams style

2008 Upper Deck Timeline

2008 Upper Deck Timeline [$3.50 each at a card show] - I was going through a prolonged pack withdrawal and had to randomly pick up a loose pack of something at a card show. I won't even bother with 2008 Stadium Club [maybe $25-$30 a pack I would assume] and while I'd like to bust a pack or two of 2008 Donruss Threads [to see what the cards look like], I've got three base sets coming through the mail [hopefully soon].

Pack one [8 cards per pack]
#26 Randy Johnson - the base cards seem a little 'junky' with the silver borders
#35 Roy Halladay
#79 Josh Banks

So apparently I get six short print cards on average - are these all the retro themed cards, because I only got five.

I don't know if it matters at all - but I may have mixed up the order of the cards pulled.

#147 Brandon Webb - 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes; these cards are glossy, but the original cards were not.

#331 Jay Bruce - 1993 Upper Deck SP; if this card was released in some alternate non-first-year, non-refractor, non-autograph baseball card collecting world - it would probably be some kind of hot.

#125 Paul Janish -1992 Upper Deck Minor League; pulling this card makes me long for the clean design of the 1992 Upper Deck Minor League set. Maybe because it featured future Major League stars [Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Carlos Delgado just to name a few] in their formative years.

#205 Ross Ohlendorf - 1995 SP Top Prospects die-cut; it is annoying you can clearly see the damage on the left hand side of the card.

#213 Max Scherzer - 2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams; this maybe the best looking design used in this product.

I like how the product plays tricks on your mind - even if you pull nothing of significance [its a midlevel product after all], it is a novelty to pull several different retro themed cards per pack. You kind of take a double take to pore over each card for a moment, seeing how well [or how poor] Upper Deck's efforts were in recycle the basic aspects of several of their products released in the past 17 years.

While the retro theme is interesting - I think the same core of rookies/veterans appear through different 'retro' themed cards, so it maybe best to 'consume' this product in little portions or wait until the price per hobby box goes down to about $15-$20 off the original release price.