2010 Topps Best of Chrome box break recap

2010 Topps Best of the Chrome value box [$19.99 each] - I thought $30 was a little extravagant to pay for any one retail box of cards and spending $20 on blaster boxes is something I do once in a while.

However, I wanted to pick one of these up since Target knocked off $10 from the price listed on the boxes - does anyone else do the literal calculations in their head as to how much each of the contents maybe worth together?

The two 2010 Topps Million Card code cards showcased on the box are worthless but there still might be some value among the other stuff - including five 3-card retail packs of 2010 Bowman Chrome, five 4-card retail packs of 2010 Topps Chrome, a hobby pack of 2010 Bowman Platinum and a set of five [scratched up], but shiny refractor cards featuring Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Starlin Castro, Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.

2010 Bowman Platinum hobby pack - I busted this first because I figure this was the 'best' pack in the box and unlike in previous years, I'm less patient in saving the 'best' for last.

#PP 4 Jesus Montero
#BPA-RP Rich Poythress - refractor auto; it's an autograph but I want to say no fireworks went off in my head, since Poythress must have signed at least five or six cards for me in-person when he was playing in the Cal League in 2010.
#21 C.C. Sabathia
#84 Vernon Wells
#23 Carlos Santana

2010 Topps Chrome

Pack one
Checklist one of two
#177 Austin Jackson
#192 Chris Heisey

#179 John Ely - auto; another player whose autograph I got in-person in 2010; BAD scan.
#2 Derrek Lee

Pack two
#186 Cole Gillespie
#178 John Jay

#116 Jimmy Rollins - refractor
#135 Carlos Beltran

Pack three
#204 Tyson Ross
#197 Brandon Hicks
#46 Tim Hudson
#150 B.J. Upton

Pack four
#214 Ivan Nova
#200 Jenrry Mejia
#26 Joe Saunders - X-fractor

#143 Troy Tulowitzki - seems like he's been on a tear lately.

Pack five
#133 Carlos Quentin
#220 Wade Davis
#45 Chone Figgins - refractor
#21 C.C. Sabathia

2010 Bowman Chrome - these packs were stuck together with some sort of glue which got in the way of busting them quickly.

Pack one - the cards are packed facing backwards, so you see the cards fronts if you tear from the back of the pack. Hopefully that tidbit isn't too confusing.

#40 Todd Helton
#USA-4 John Hochstatter
#BCP-217 Noel Arguelles

Pack two
#102 Ryan Doumit
#7 Josh Beckett
#BCP 154 Brady Shoemaker

Pack three
#73 Jorge Posada
#43 Jose Lopez

#BCP 171 Ethan Hollingsworth - purple refractor; was traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Oakland A's for Clayton Mortensen this past off-season.
Checklist 1 of 3

Pack four
#109 Chase Utley

#116 Torii Hunter - refractor; he has snuck up and earned the distinction of my favorite current Angel.
#BCP 162 Evan Bronson

Pack five
#15 Chris Carpenter
#71 Ben Zobrist - refractor
#BCP 201 Ehire Adrianza

Featured autographs - Mike Trout and Michael Kohn

The atmosphere at the 2011 Angels FanFest was OK - there were things to do for individuals and families who didn't want to be slaves to the autograph lines, which kept growing as the day went on.

I think the earliest scheduled players signed for 45 minutes, the middle block of scheduled signers signed for 30 minutes and after a two hour 'intermission' [##@$@#!] the last group of signers 45 minutes.

There were a couple of carnival rides for people to ride - there was a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" contest for adults and kids.

This band consisting of kids were sort of interesting - they were up on the main stage entertaining the people.

There was an Angels trivia contest and random booths selling snacks, offering food samples and also featuring various other things like baseball memorabilia and baseball cards - there were interviews with coaches and players.

Angels alumni members Jim Abbott, Jay Johnstone, Gary Disarcina, Bobby Grich and Clyde Wright were taking pictures for season ticket holders - though I think all took pictures or signed autographs for 'regular' fans at some point.

I think I was walking around and saw Mike Trout was signing, so my friend and I jumped in the line for him - for those living under the dark Trout is has been hyped up as the uber prospect of uber prospects, only with some kid named Bryce Harper ahead of him on the totem pole.

I was tempted to bust out my official MLB baseball for Trout - but I used the unsigned cards I had since I'd gotten him on a baseball already.

Reliever Michael Kohn was signing next to Trout and I got him to sign his minor league card from 2008 - Kohn made his Major League debut in 2010 and looks to build upon a pretty good start to his MLB career.

2010 Bowman Platinum Value Pack recap

2010 Bowman Platinum Value Pack [$8.99 x1 purchased at Target] - four cards in a pack/three packs and a bonus pack of three Platinum Purple refractors in a 'rack.'

I like these cards because it gives me another product to chase some base/cheap refractor parallel cards of prospects / rookies - when Bowman/Bowman Chrome/Bowman Draft lines get a little boring as far as how the cards look in general.

Maybe the inclusion of USA players in this product is too much overkill - especially when Topps is angling to put amateur players in a baseball card product strictly for profit [and perhaps not as a fundraiser for USA Baseball].

Maybe 2010 draft picks / 2010 pro debut guys or even the addition of baseball's chosen one would been much better for this product - but I guess Topps has to milk its USA license to make trading cards.

Pack one
#23 Carlos Santana
#86 Mike Stanton
#PP 48 George Springer - USA
#18 Buster Posey

Pack two
#100 David Wright
#55 Wade Davis - Gold refractor parallel / serial #'d 132/549
#PP 3 Jeremy Hellickson
#81 Gordon Beckham

Pack three
#31 Brian Matusz
#94 Justin Morneau
#PP 40 Mikie Mahtook - USA
#6 Domonic Brown

Bonus refractor pack
#PP 43 Brett Mooneyham
#PP 10 Aroldis Chapman
#PP34 Jason Esposito

2010 Bowman Platinum Jerry Sands Purple

I think I feel a little buyer's remorse because I bought the card for a dollar but I had to pay another $2.50 for shipping / handling - late in 2010, I wasn't able to trade for a Bowman Chrome retail Green refractor and wanted some kind of refractor of the Los Angeles Dodgers' farmhand.

I just had to have the Platinum retail Purple refractor when I first saw it - even though I had the base version already.

From looking at Sands' minor league stats - he maybe the type of player who emerges from relative obscurity to contribute at the Major League level as a rookie star or be the next Billy Ashley FWIW.