2013 Topps Series I blaster recap

I've read complaints about not being able to pull any game-used / autograph cards out of 2013 Topps blasters - but with the potential for pack searchers to pull their chicanery, hits shouldn't be the important thing to come out of any retail break.

Commemorative Patch pack
#RCP-16 Don Mattingly - there is a chance I might not pull one, but the commemorative rookie card patch relics make picking up 2013 Topps Series I blasters appealing.

Pack one
#240 J.J. Putz
#214 Curtis Granderson
#88 Jamie Carroll
#CH-39 Jim Thome - Chasing History insert
#213 Alex Rodriguez - Walmart Blue parallel
#75 Barry Zito - Walmart Blue parallel
#235 Jake Westbrook
#314 A.J. Ellis

Pack two
#8 Ryan Braun
#37 Max Scherzer
#10 Adam Jones
#270 Manny Machado
Million Dollar Chase code card
#68 Colby Rasmus - Walmart Blue parallel
#201 Jonny Venters - Walmart Blue parallel
#419 Brian Bogusevic

Pack three
#20 Kevin Youkilis
#225 Will Venable
#CTC-20 Roberto Clemente - Cut to the Chase die-cut insert
#TM-49 Matt Kemp - 1972 Topps Mini insert
#302 Aaron Hill - Walmart Blue parallel
#200 Scott Downs - Walmart Blue parallel
#165 Ramon Hernandez

Pack four
#15 Dustin Pedroia
#331 Jose Reyes
#40 Chien-Ming Wang
#CD-19 Yu Darvish - Chasing the Dream insert
#191 Chris Capuano - Walmart Blue parallel
#227 Jose Altuve - Walmart Blue parallel
#251 Sean Marshall
#299 Darwin Barney

Pack five
#105 Freddie Freeman
#16 Andre Ethier
#119 Chris Davis
#330 Ryan Raburn - the blonde bonus babee...awesome outfield action card.
#CH-15 Willie McCovey - Chasing History insert
#70 Todd Frazier - Walmart Blue parallel
#126 Dan Uggla - Walmart Blue parallel
#167 Luke Hochevar

Pack six
#52 C.C. Sabathia
#81 Clayton Kershaw, R.A. Dickey and Johnny Cueto - 2012 NL ERA Leaders
#266 Albert Pujols
#192 Javier Lopez - Emerald parallel
#36 Jered Weaver - Walmart Blue parallel
#123 Jemile Weeks - Walmart Blue parallel
#212 Eric Chavez
#188 Brian Fuentes

Pack seven
#137 Edinson Volquez
#269 St. Louis Cardinals - 2012 NLDS Game 5
#304 Kyle Drabek
#TM-9 Adam Jones - 1972 Topps Mini insert
#80 Ryan Zimmerman - Walmart Blue parallel
#11 Yu Darvish - Walmart Blue parallel
#262 Kevin Correia
#190 Daniel Descalso

Pack eight
#34 Felix Hernandez
#29 Adrian Beltre
#83 Darin Ruf
#CC-8 C.C. Sabathia - Calling Card insert
Million Dollar Chase code card
#55 Tim Lincecum - Walmart Blue parallel
#33 Cliff Lee - Walmart Blue parallel
#162 Kyle Seager

Pack nine
#233 Edwin Jackson
#112 Mark Reynolds
#290 Tom Layne
#CH-32 Brian Wilson - Chasing History insert
#147 Ivan Nova - Walmart Blue parallel
#320 Michael Young - Walmart Blue parallel
#292 Matt Thornton
#51 Jonathan Broxton

Pack 10
#47 Howie Kendrick
#72 Gerardo Parra
#23 Jemile Weeks
#CD-9 Devin Mesoraco - Chasing the Dream insert
#281 David Hernandez - Walmart Blue parallel
#134 Jake Arrieta - Walmart Blue parallel
#226 Derek Lowe
#146 Kyle McClellan

More 2013 Topps - a couple of manufactured relics and a random Daniel Descalso base card

I wasn't going to be caught up in the new release hype of Topps' flagship brand but after browsing through eBay - the manufactured patch card set featuring Topps first cards / rookie cards of various star players caught my eye.

I ended up picking up two blaster boxes in addition to the 72-card hanger box I purchased at Walmart and pulled a Ryne Sandberg 1983 commemorative rookie patch relic in my first box - I've never pulled a Topps framed silk insert and while reprint cards have been sort of redundant, it's kind of neat to see various Topps first cards / rookie cards this way, from Willie Mays' first Topps card in 1952 to Yu Darvish's 2012 Topps rookie card.

Topps is definitely preying on collectors' nostalgia once again by using cards from previous years' Topps releases to come up with this 25-card insert set - however, the novelty of such inserts however is appealing, so I'll probably be caught up looking to pick up one or two more Topps Series I blasters than I already have.

In my second blaster box, I pulled a commemorative patch relic of Stephen Strasburg - not all blaster boxes will contain a rookie patch relic and while I'd rather have a rookie patch relic, this card features a nice, manufactured patch of the Washington Nationals' logo alongside a mugshot of the franchise's ace pitcher.

This Topps card [#190] is my early favorite of 2013 - it looks like Descalso's about to dunk [or in reality, caught in the air for a moment as he's trying to throw someone out of at first base].

2013 Topps Series I 72-card Walmart recap

I get bored seeing cards from Topps' current year flagship product a couple of months after they are released for public consumption - at the same time however, I can't really stay away from seeing the same cards look like in-hand when they first hit the shelves for the first time.

#274 Miguel Montero
#223 Yonder Alonso
#158 Chad Billingsley
#63 Justin Masterson
#150 John Danks

#143 Jim Johnson
#131 Ian Kennedy
#293 Jeff Karstens
#117 Aubrey Huff
#325 Kevin Millwood
#230 David Robertson
#306 Jerry Hairston Jr.
#104 Jed Lowrie

#317 Baltimore Orioles - 2012 AL Wild Card
#82 Jason Vargas
#103 Evan Longoria
#310 Edwin Encarnacion
#179 Detroit Tigers - 2012 ALCS Game 4
#35 Justin Verlander
#246 Ryan Braun, Giancarlo Stanton and Jay Bruce - 2012 National League Home Run Leaders

#64 Will Middlebrooks - gold parallel serial #'d 0585/2013

#310 Edwin Encarnacion - Emerald parallel

#CH-46 Hanley Ramirez - Chasing History insert
#CD-7 Jesus Montero - Chasing the Dream insert

#TM-49 Matt Kemp - 1972 Topps Mini insert
Million Dollar Chase code card
#68 Colby Rasmus
#201 Jonny Venters
#302 Aaron Hill
#200 Scott Downs
#191 Chris Capuano
#98 Gaby Sanchez
#174 Jason Grilli
#321 Allen Craig
#132 Ryan Vogelsong
#77 Dustin Moseley
#74 Kenley Jansen
#203 Wilson Ramos
#86 Henry Rodriguez
#305 Shelby Miller
#187 Nick Maronde
#111 Casey Kelly
#3 Hunter Pence
#50 Adam Wainwright
#1 Bryce Harper
#313 Maicer Izturis
#279 Vicente Padilla
#168 Kyle Farnsworth
#211 Jarrod Parker
#184 Geovany Soto
#30 Neftali Feliz
#121 Delmon Young
#194 Miguel Cabrera, Josh Hamilton and Edwin Encarnacion - 2012 American League Runs Batted in Leaders
#12 A.J. Pierzynski
#185 Rob Scahill - Walmart blue parallel
#271 Jeurys Familia - Walmart blue parallel
#278 Christian Garcia - Walmart blue parallel

#224 Jon Jay - Walmart blue parallel
#65 J.P. Howell - Walmart blue parallel
#22 Clayton Kershaw
#213 Alex Rodriguez
#75 Barry Zito
#178 Justin Maxwell
#242 Matt Kemp
#21 Lucas Duda
#87 Mike Olt
#296 Didi Gregorius
#78 Dylan Bundy

#CH-12 Evan Longoria - Chasing History insert; these last four Chasing History inserts maybe parallels since they have a foil finish and sort of a bronze / gold finish as opposed to the earlier Ramirez Chasing History insert I pulled, which had a silver finish.
#CH-1 Roy Halladay - Chasing History insert

#CH-46 Hanley Ramirez - Chasing History insert
#CH-21 Frank Robinson - Chasing History insert