2025 Topps Series 1 blaster box breaks

Box one

Pack one

#218 Zack Wheeler

#120 Cristian Mena RC

#240 Will Brennan

#58 Dylan Cease

#159 Philadelphia Phillies team card

#136 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 

#53 Christ Taylor

#225 Tyrone Taylor

#288 Evan Carter - Future Stars

#332 Riley Greene

#15 Mitch Haniger

#SMLB-21 Rafael Devers - Stars of MLB insert

Pack two

#39 San Diego Padres team Card - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes

#193 Michael McGreevy

#329 Paul Blackburn

#2 Thairo Estrada

#289 Michael Siani

#280 Ky Bush RC

#200 Mike Trout

#81 Carlos Correa - Checklist

#114 Ryan O'Hearn

#104 Yilber Diaz RC

#299 Yainer Diaz

#T90-100 Shohei Ohtani - 1990 Topps Baseball insert

#SMLB-19 Brooks Lee - Stars of MLB insert

Pack three

#293 Tyler Phillips RC

#182 Brandon Pfaadt

#146 Clayton Kershaw

#306 Sonny Gray

#100 Bobby Witt Jr.

#41 Alec Burleson

#80 Jace Jung RC

#279 Trevor Larnach

#342 Davis Schneider

#298 J.P. Crawford

#184 Aaron Judge / Juan Soto / Alex Verdugo - Checklist; Rainbow Foilboard parallel

#SMLB-5 Julio Rodríguez - Stars of MLB insert

Pack four

#305 Max Schuemann - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes

#89 Zach Dezenzo RC

#8 Seth Brown

#57 Nick Gordon

#183 Taj Bradley

#64 Ian Happ

#331 Brandon Nimmo

#151 Tarrik Skubal / José Berríos / Seth Lugo - 2024 American League Wins Leaders

#23 Jorge Soler

#188 Zach Eflin

#310 Jose Miranda

#GH15 Juan Soto - Greatest Hits insert

#SMLB-12 Gunnar Henderson - Stars of MLB insert

Pack five

#99 Cincinnati Reds team card

#21 Nick Lodolo

#147 Bryson Stott

#337 Ben Rice RC

#210 Nolan Schanuel - Future Stars

#295 Elly De La Cruz - Checklist

#224 Reese Olson

#335 Sandy Alcantara

#9 Luis García Jr.

#234 Chris Sale / Zack Wheeler / Shota Imanaga - 2024 National League Wins Leaders

#37 Spencer Steer - Holo Foil parallel

#SMLB-24 Christian Yelich - Stars of MLB insert

Pack six

#330 Jake Burger - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes 

#270 Andrés Giménez

#175 Ha-Seong Kim

#161 Bradley Blalock RC

#242 Logan Webb

#246 Sean Reynolds RC

#117 Josh Jung

#60 Chicago Cubs team card

#207 Ronald Acuña Jr.

#93 Rhys Hoskins

#ATT-8 Jarren Duran - 2024 All-Topps Team insert

#T90-40 Tony Gwynn - 1990 Topps Baseball insert

#SMLB-30 Dylan Crews - Stars of MLB insert

Pack seven

#311 Charlie Blackmon

#232 Jake Cronenworth

#249 Brooks Baldwin RC

#44 Brenton Doyle

#301 Cal Quantrill

#215 Manny Machado

#24 Jhonkensy Noel RC

#228 Geraldo Perdomo

#176 Teoscar Hernández

#281 Corey Seager

#39 San Diego Padres team card

#SMLB-15 Corbin Carroll - Stars of MLB insert

Box two 

Pack one

#101 Nolan Arenado - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes 

#193 Michael McGreevy

#329 Paul Blackburn

#2 Thairo Estrada

#293 Tyler Phillips RC

#165 Joey Ortiz

#33 José Berrios

#244 Yordan Alvarez

#105 Dylan Moore

#54 Austin Riley

#28 Trevor Megill

#ATT-6 William Contreras - 2024 All-Topps Team insert

#SMLB-22 Juan Soto - Stars of MLB insert

Pack two

#182 Brandon Pfaadt

#146 Clayton Kershaw

#306 Sonny Gray

#89 Zach Dezenzo RC

#96 Seattle Mariners team card

#46 Tanner Houck

#149 Jeff McNeil

#97 Will Warren RC

#261 Mike Tauchman 

#130 Nathan Eovaldi

#123 New York Yankees team card

#SMLB-29 Matt Chapman - Stars of MLB insert

Pack three

#67 Trey Sweeney - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes

#8 Seth Brown

#57 Nick Gordon

#183 Taj Bradley

#254 Kyle Finnegan

#184 Aaron Judge / Juan Soto / Alex Verdugo - Checklist

#190 Miguel Vargas

#185 Jazz Chisholm Jr.

#220 Jackson Holliday - Future Stars

#128 Ketel Marte

#1 Shohei Ohtani

#T90-18 Hurston Waldrep - 1990 Topps Baseball insert

#SMLB-2 Aaron Judge - Stars of MLB insert

Pack four

#99 Cincinnati Reds team card

#21 Nick Lodolo

#147 Bryson Stott

#337 Ben Rice RC

#7 Alec Bohm

#320 Drew Thorpe RC

#227 Ty France

#28 Nico Hoerner

#286 Edwin Díaz

#252 Pedro Pagés

#348 Brant Hurter RC

#SMLB-13 Elly De La Cruz - Stars of MLB insert

Pack five

#275 Carlos Correa - Spring Training base card parallel exclusive to value boxes; Spring Training Green Foilboard parallel, serial #'d 11/99

#270 Andrés Giménez

#175 Ha-Seong Kim

#161 Bradley Blalock RC

#311 Charlie Blackmon

#113 Marco Gonzalez

#36 Greg Jones RC

#138 Ceddane Rafaela - Future Stars

#237 Marcell Ozuna - Checklist

#209 Taylor Ward - Pencil bat card

#135 Maikel Garcia

#FP-9 Lauren Alaina - First Pitch insert; Country singer

#SMLB-26 Shota Imanaga - Stars of MLB insert

Pack six

#232 Jake Cronenworth

#249 Brooks Baldwin RC

#44 Brenton Doyle

#350 Francisco Lindor

#139 Jordan Beck

#125 Jackson Merrill

#83 Anthony Rendon

#65 Gunnar Henderson

#40 Joe Ryan

#101 Nolan Arenado

#179 Ryan Pepiot - Rainbow Foilboard parallel

#SMLB-24 Coby Mayo - Stars of MLB insert

Pack seven

#257 Korey Lee

#287 DJ Herz RC

#138 Isaac Paredes

#35 Anthony Volpe

#341 Ronel Blanco

#338 Mitch Garver

#84 Kameron Misner RC

#119 Daulton Varsho

#79 Aaron Judge / Juan Soto / Anthony Santander - 2024 American League Home Run Leaders

#67 Trey Sweeney RC

#257 Korey Lee

#T90-56 Rece Hinds - 1990 Topps Baseball insert

#SMLB-4 Fernando Tatis Jr. - Stars of MLB insert

2024 Topps Black & White highlights

I haven't kept up with any of Topps' online releases in the past five years, but I pounced on some 2024 Topps Black & White singles sold online for $0.50 or $1.00 - where the cards add some instant fuel to my themed curated sets or to my specific player decade / binder stars collections.

I've never formally collected Parker where I've sought out his loose cards with any intent - but being a committee Hall of Fame inductee has me on the look out for the Cobra's cards in a 'catch all' sort of way, unlike ever before.

Maybe like Parker, I've considered Valenzuela an 'out of sight, out of mind' guy for the longest time - though he isn't in or currently bound for the Hall of Fame, his passing gave me some pause, where I give his loose cards a second look.

I've been on the receiving end on these fan service interactions with Pedro - so I like cards that show a player like him signing autographs in-person.

Maybe Andruw has been an 'out of sight, out of mind' guy for me but there might be scattered Hall of Fame campaigns - where he might be an eventual hall of famer or will have his case discussed as just about the best defensive center fielder in MLB history.

Mattingly is a retired non-HOF player I collect in a 'catch all' sort of way - where cheap but unique cards end up instant keepers.

McGriff is a retired HoF player I collect in a 'catch all' sort of way - where cheap but unique cards end up instant keepers.

Trout is my team's franchise icon and I feel obligated to still collect him one way or the other - go figure it might be closer to the end and these upcoming years might be Trout's last big league run, where playing for so long as taken a real toll.

Witt Jr. maybe the next great hope realized as far as a baseball superstar goes - I like this 'game face' on deck shot where he might be studying the pitcher and getting ready to go up to bat.

Henderson is another young MLB player that looks to star through his prime years - is this considered a unique majestic / panoramic shot?

Maybe this ends up being a boring card, of a player idle in the dugout - but he's blowing a bubble, so I was obligated to stake my claim to it.

Feeling down and out with Ohtani and the Angels

I got these cards from a purchase a day after news broke Shohei Ohtani’s UCL crapped out - I'll probably continue picking up random cards that catch my eyes, but there might be less FOMO over Ohtani's real high end cards or at least some of the nicer ones that might have been a little easier to get when he got hurt the first go-around.

Ohtani's future on the mound seems murky at best and it's buyer beware for the impending free agent - where the Angels probably got his best years as a two-way player.

I guess it's just how the passage of time all goes, where maybe it's not our reality to be a pro athlete of the highest magnitude - but it’s fleeting to be this larger than life figure, only to be broken [again] and perhaps the great times don't last.

Unless Ohtani just won’t be allowed to, I still see him DH’ing and finishing possibly his last season as an Angel - but it’s likely that Ohtani is going to have his arm rebuilt, where there will be uncertainty whether he makes it back to the mound in 2024 or even through 2025.

Unless proven otherwise, I'm just as convinced that the Angels franchise is nothing but hexed or cursed - it's laughable and depressing where the Angels end up being this big league franchise that can’t get anything right, where everyone hates the owner now and every misstep is magnified.

Mike Trout is back on the injured list and it is probably realistic that he might as well be out for the season - where whatever is lingering with him drags on and the only real solution is putting him on the shelf for rest.

Card show pickups - Angels material

Off a seller, these are [dollar] Angel cards are ones I ended up making keepers - maybe I'm content to squirrel a few Angels here and there into my card show pile depending on the player and type of card, but even if I don't have them, I get picky just adding random Angels cards left and right.

I don't think I've ever had a Erstad 1996 Upper Deck SP RC #4 [which may have been special for a little bit when he was a top prospect] - Erstad's big league totals ended up being rather modest for a No. 1 overall pick, but he fit the mold of a 100 percent player / zero percent BS type fans ate up.

Maybe my favorite non-RC Mike Trout ends up being his 2016 Topps #1 and the version I picked up looks to be a Rainbow Foil parallel - I'm not focused enough to seek out a rainbow for a specific player or from a specific year, I might be on the look out for as many versions of the Trout when available.

I ended up picking up a 1969 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm for my 'all-time team register' collection last year but the no-team airbrushed cap doesn't make the card the most attractive - this 1969 Topps Decals Wilhelm actually has the Angels logo plastered on the cap, so it ends up popping a little more [even though it's not really a traditional trading card].

2023 Topps oversized box toppers pickups

I was watching a YouTuber go through some of newest hauls and he showed off one of these cards - I didn't know what they were, but they are apparently bonus cards in 2021 Topps Series 1 jumbo boxes.

I ended up doing some browsing on eBay and ended up putting a bid and winning an Ichiro card from the set - regardless of the other players on the checklist, I can't go wrong with this all-time fan favorite.

The fronts are very generic and make me think these cards are MLB team issued cards from the 1970s or 1980s perhaps - though that is how the originals might have looked.

I'm not that collector who nitpicks at how faithful the details are replicated - when it comes to modern cards mimicking past designs.

I do like how Topps made good use of the colors on the back of the cards - where it's not as sleepy as the fronts.

Besides a copy of the Ichiro, it was kind of a no brainer to look for the Angels on the checklist - which ends up being Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout obviously.

In-hand, the cards end up being smaller [3.5 x 5 inch] than I assumed, but larger than a regular sized card - for the most part I want regular sized cards, though I may have to make exceptions for odd-sized stuff like these box toppers.

Mike Trout - is this the beginning to the end?

Maybe it was Albert Pujols 15-20 years ago where you had this big leaguer who stood above the rest and applauded for his metronomic excellence - Mike Trout has been that guy for the past 10-11 years where in my life, I wish I had just a bit of the confidence and type of energy he brings to a game.

But apparently diagnosed with a rare back condition, things are a bit uncertain at the moment - there maybe just cause to worry about his durability game by game, through a course of a 162 game season and longevity as far as considering how much longer can he be able to play.

Before he got hurt, there were batting slumps in the 2022 season where I wondered whether Trout could either see the ball or where his bat speed slowed considerably - when he was 'right,' I thought Trout had the perfect batting approach where you don’t really see him selling out at the plate.

Maybe he was as dynamic of a player, where he was basically a slugger, but also maintained the ability to hit line drives - it was a thing of beauty, where he seemed like you couldn’t effectively pitch to him to get him out. 

Now that idea is basically out the window, where Trout's plate discipline has deteriorated and he’s become an all-or-nothing hitter - despite having very good numbers if he was any other big league player, maybe he is finally turning mortal as a ballplayer.

Maybe for such a great player, that aw shucks stuff has worn thin - a bad stretch or a bad rest of the season doesn’t diminish his stature, but when push comes to shove, has he ever gotten demonstratively mad or simply voiced his displeasure to change things up for the better?

He is always going to be a GOAT for my team, even if that tenure has been made to feel dubious and suspect at times because the Angels haven't been good - I do wonder if the random cards I do have won’t be those solid gold, collection foundations anymore.

Through Trout’s prime years, I think I’ve been priced out of his better cards where I said I was content to keep what I had [2011 Topps Update rookie, a quartet of 2011 Topps Finest rookies I might have picked up for $0.50 each] or the more common inserts I may run into since he has been the prominent guy - maybe I was waiting or hoping something might trigger a ‘come down,’ despite knowing Trout has always been a rock solid player and there is no sentiment, where I was really wishing no one would care about him or particularly his cards ‘no more.

2021 Topps Heritage Mike Trout puzzle

I've been on a 'run' to create binder pages for players in my decade stars collection - I only had five cards so far for a Mike Trout page and decided to rejigger the arrangement to display the 2021 Topps Heritage puzzle I was able to put together last year.

I like cards for the way they are, but once in a way to get into something a little more cutesy - where there are some fun and games involved.

I was lightly annoyed the In Action subset cards showing the front are not oriented the same way - what I'll end up doing is seeing if I can add more loose Trout cards to fill those 'odd' spots.

COMC mail #2 - Angels material

The 30-35 cards I picked up through 2021 came in one bubble mailer where they were sleeved and packed into a team bag, sandwiched between two cards in top loaders - then packed into a larger, team set bag.

I usually do not worry about their packaging regardless of service - they do a pretty good job packing things up.

Go figure, Mike Trout, Tim Salmon, Vladimir Guerrero and Shohei Ohtani are on my Mt. Rushmore of Angels players I collect - I'm not really into odd sized cards like the ones modeled after tobacco cards, but I grabbed the itty-bitty Trout just to have something different in-hand.

The 1993 Donruss Dominators Salmon has been a curiosity though I must have been aware of the card only through the past 5-10 years, not when it was first issued - searching for different, random things down the COMC maze, I looked up the Salmon and figured I'd finally grab it for $5 and change.

Maybe odd sized non-card items are even less of a thing for me, but I found a seller with an oddball Vladimir Guerrero coin / medallion - it gimmicky, but the shine was undeniable where this item [picturing the elder Guerrero as an Angel] should be a no brainer pick up at less than a dollar.

With the Shohei Ohtani's, I tried to pick up some decent looking inserts / parallels regardless of value - where it's strictly $1 or $2 'fun and games' material rather than something higher brow other collectors are chasing after.

I believe in Jo Adell can still be a star for the franchise - it's a matter of when his prospect pedigree and natural talent translate into a breakout season he can build upon.

The 2020 Bowman's Best Franchise 2020 Die-Cuts Adell is too shiny, too funky to ignore - I'll take it all day for about a dollar.

I may have grabbed the 2021 Topps Stadium Club Adell RC because it is an 'awesome outfield' card - but it never hurts when it also pictures a young player for my 'home team' with star potential.

The Andres Galarraga is an on card autograph though it identifies him as a Colorado [Rockies] player - I had a few opportunities to get his autograph during his last years as a player but this packed pulled autograph gives me something I can file away in my Angels all-time autograph collection outright.

Finally I grabbed a photo variation of Anthony Rendon - besides the guys that have that modern day pro athlete personality, I can appreciate the low-key, metronomic types like Rendon, who I hope bounces back from an injury shortened 2021 season.

My little $5 dig at a card show

At the monthly card show I've gone to, there was a set up of 'overflow' seller tables because supposedly the main area was sold out - I took a little detour and found myself in the 'other room' first and figured I'd rummage through a random table's dollar and $2 boxes.

I picked up the following cards because they might be of interest - a 2021 Topps Heritage die cut of a promising rookie pitcher [Casey Mize], a 'pre rookie' parallel of basketball player Lamelo Ball, a 2018 Topps Mike Trout from the All-Star stamped factory sets [one of the bonus cards that were included] and a certified 'pink fireworks' autograph of San Francisco [Giants] pitcher Logan Webb.

I probably had the chance to get Webb's autograph in person when he was with San Jose in what was then known the Cal League in 2018 - even though he actually had some 'mainstream' cards from Panini dating back to 2014, he didn't register to me as anything but just another guy.

An 80-game PED suspension in 2019 pretty much confirmed Webb wasn't anything special - after getting to the big leagues in 2019 and pitching in parts of two seasons [having OK results despite inflated ERAs], go figure he has emerged as potential ace for years to come.

Scoring a random card show lot for $40

I was eager to spend time at this particular show, probably held at least once a month - where I was expecting to rummage through a bunch of loose cards and pick up cards that caught my eye like some of the card blogging aces or card vloggers on YouTube.

When I got inside the show, I was trying see if there was that first accessible table, but maybe the first random, quarter bin type monster box I stumbled upon may have been strictly NBA cards - there might not have been any baseball at all as a tease for me to dig through and while I could have interest in other sports, baseball is my ride-or-die focus.

Unlike last month at the same spot, maybe there wasn't as many tables crammed into the gymnasium and while it was less congested - I had to look harder to find what I was looking for.

I stopped at a table and going through a stash of top loaded singles partially filling one side of a two row shoebox - I asked how much a Mike Trout card was just to see how the pricing might be for random cards I might like.

I hadn’t gone through everything but the person at the table offered me the ‘lot’ for $40 - I saw a run of basic Trout cards but also spotted a Jim Rice certified autograph.

Rice seems to be a fairly common certified autograph subject and while he’s probably considered by millennial baseball experts a mistake selection - he is in the Hall of Fame and based on reputation, wasn’t ever an easy autograph.

Presumably the seller just didn’t want to waste time with his baseball low-end, but why [?] - maybe he didn’t have any money into the stack at all and didn’t want to be in a situation where he had to price every rinky-dinky card out, worrying about selling them.

On my end, I wanted to take my chances with the mystery aspect and if nothing else to show - the right mix could just make this assortment a fun challenge to rummage through.

I might be looking at keeping 15-20 Trouts I might not have, the Rice autograph and presumably ‘other’ cards that may be interesting - in my mind, I wondered why this person was offering me the stack.

As I dug out my money, the seller said something like, "it’s all about being able to help each other out."

I counted out 35 Trouts and 28 other cards - maybe the more unique cards are the Topps image variations, a 2020 Topps Heritage French parallel of Will Smith and a Topps Transcendent Party stamped 1/1 buyback of Yu Darvish.

Other interesting cards I found were relics, some autographs [even one of an NBA guy], a winning Home Run Challenge card of Cody Bellinger - random inserts and a Topps Vintage stock parallel of journeyman Zack Godley.

More contemporary Angels pick-ups

At times there is no rhyme or reason for picking up random Angels cards because frankly the idea of being a team collector seems overwhelming - I'm not ever going to be hyper focused trying to keep track of all the releases [past, present and future] and working around [trades, purchases, etc] to see if I can have ownership of a perpetual number of team sets.

As is, I do consider the Angels my team and one of my ideals is to have that one big league team to focus on - where it's fun to have new team related cards to go through, even if they don't go towards team sets other collectors may boast about completing at some point.

The lone Mike Trout is 2019 Bowman Sterling Continuity insert #BS-20 - I like to imagine the card is a harder to find pull, but it's a $2 card at best.

I mentioned picking up the trio of quarter century old Garret Anderson cards last year - they are probably binder material that helps make collection of 'GA' cards pop.

I picked up a couple of random Topps On-Demand issues featuring pitcher Griffin Canning and infielder David Fletcher - while they might not be outright stars, each gives a couple of current 'second tier' Angels players to collect.

There was some uncertainty about the health of Canning's arm during spring training - but the righty seemed good to go for much of the shortened 2020 season and was awarded a Gold Glove at his position.

Fletcher has established himself as this generation's David Eckstein as a runty looking guy - who can play all over the diamond and can be a spark plug at the plate or on the bases.

I picked up a Shohei Ohtani is a 2019 Donruss Action All-Stars insert / Pink Fireworks parallel No. AA4 because it pops nicely without costing much - though it may get confusing describing what these alternate versions of non-base set cards are supposed to be.

Finally I picked up a 2020 Finest Flashback Anthony Rendon #58 - I might only have 2-3 Angels cards of the third baseman and maybe they mean a bit more at the moment.

While the original 1993 Topps Finest was never a thing in my collecting universe - after the fact, it's nice to travel back in time to see a re-imagined version of the first Topps Finest cards, featuring current players.

Topps Project 2020 Mike Trout #142

I got this card in-hand the same day Trout broke the Angels franchise record for home runs, hitting his 300th to pass Tim Salmon - oddly, as much as Trout has been anointed the best player in the game, once in a while, I still tend to think of him as a boy wonder who first came into the league.

Though speculating can be a waste of time, it will be interesting to see if Trout can hit another 300-400 home runs and beyond - where he puts himself position to challenge the all-time home run record.

As far as Topps Project 2020, the values of individual cards have mostly settled below what they initially have sold for on Topps.com - I have two more Trouts [Naturel and Grotesk] I'm waiting on from purchases made at least a couple of months ago and decided to actually pass on picking up the last two Trouts released [Vides and Efdot].

Topps Project 2020 Mike Trout #187

I’ve got to keep up with my Trout run of Project 2020 cards [minus two cards so far], though since the hype around the Topps Project 2020 cards have been sucked out - I’ve tended to make myself wait before committing to an eventual purchase featuring Trout.

Through the early part of the abbreviated MLB season, the new father and birthday boy is still a consistently great player with a great all-around approach - I guess it feels good to buy a little piece of someone who is legit, particularly after a big home run night against the Seattle Mariners the other night.

Father time always wins but watching Trout evolve from a 'kid' to a full grown man and bonafide big leaguer, it should be fun watching him entering his 30s [starting in 2021] - to see if his great all-around approach remains where he has a fighting chance to fend off a decline phase and might actually get a little better.

Topps Project 2020 Mike Trout #100

I didn’t pounce on Ben Baller's first Project 2020 card, which featured Ichiro, but had to get his first Trout and this collaboration card with artist Blake Jamieson - for the ironic ‘bling’ factor, even if it has nothing to do with anything.

Where Trout is probably all country, the Ben Baller part of this card is supposed to be loud, garish and in your face - maybe the Jamieson part is a little iffy when looking up close at Trout's face, which looks a 'bit fishy,' but it's not like the image shows Trout from the neck up.

It’s funny I wouldn’t know Ben Baller except for intermittently checking his Twitter feed for at least the past few years because he tends to tweet out either something I get a laugh off or something real to think about - he is this prominent jeweler to all the rapper, hip hop guys, a dude who talks big with always something to say.

I found it ironic he would be commissioned to be one of the people to participate in creating this baseball card set for Topps - I can't do real bling, bling but trading cards are right up alley and when the first Baller Trout came out, figured these might be an alternative purchase to one of those damn Utz chips cards that I would never find out in the wild.

I missed on a couple of Trouts I didn't like at first [Thiele and Fucci], but moving forward I'm up for getting at least one Trout and the random non-Trout subject that may catch my eye - print runs and apparent future values be damned since Project 2020 has been a polarizing, yet captivating release through this COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 Topps Archives Topps Magazine inserts

As far as I know 2019 Topps Archives might as well not exist, but these inserts were too sweet not to pick up, especially being familiar with Topps Magazines of my youth - with loud and bright colors, the design of these cards are throwbacks to the early 1990s.

I almost wish there was such a Topps branded trading card magazine today - though maybe the magazine was printed when baseball cards still had mainstream appeal among youth vs. devolving into a niche hobby over the past 30 years.

Featured autograph - Mike Trout

I thought Houston Astros star Alex Bregman might have done enough to secure the 2019 American League MVP - but Trout was the choice all along despite playing for a non-contending Angels team and missing much of the last month of the year.

Trout now has 3 American League MVP awards and counting - he's always a contender and tend to feel like it has been a disservice to see he doesn't have more MVP awards on his mantle.

It seems the MVP award is narrative driven at times and open to personal interpretation by the voters - but with the emphasis on the supposed cold, hard numbers, as long as Trout maintains his status as the best player in the game, the baseball writers aren't going to whiff on making him a perennial MVP winner.

2019 Topps Clear Travel Mike Trout #CP-1

I didn’t know what this set was but after reading the Baseball Cards Come to Life! blog and doing some quick searches on eBay, I picked up a copy of the Trout - there maybe a number of oddball and/or regional Topps issues each year that maybe distributed as promos through different brand tie-ins.

To get suckered into paying a premium to pick up any one particular card is a little silly, especially when the oddball mirrors the flagship card of the player except for some cosmetic changes - still, maybe a little FOMO was in play as I missed out on picking up a couple of current year specialty issues outright, like the 2019 Topps Utz and 2019 Topps Walgreens yellow Trouts.

Cards from this set have different numbering as part a promo tie-in for the company that does expedited security screenings at the airport - I was hoping these cards were only released through airports, making the distribution a little bit more peculiar, thus making the cards seemingly harder to find under normal circumstances.

After the fact, it looks like the cards were more likely [but not outright] stadium giveaways at MLB games - since the Clear screenings have expanded to big league ballparks as well.

2019 Topps Gallery Preview Mike Trout #GP-MT

Through this past summer, I was overseas for three weeks, came home for about 5 days and tagged along on an East Coast tour with a group for 8 days - I wanted to set things up where I'd buy miscellaneous cards online so I'd have something to look forward to coming back home.

Though my focus might have been getting away from the routine, like thinking about my cards and graphs - I can't stay away completely, especially when I'm holed up with some down time in a hotel somewhere.

I picked up Trout and Shohei Ohtani singles from this year's Topps Gallery preview set from what I understand - preview packs were inserted in specially marked Bowman Platinum blasters as part of National Baseball Card Day.

Not earth shattering pickups by any means, but the Trout [which came in the mail at some point before I got home] - is a nice looking card that cost me a couple of bucks, unlike something harder to find like a non-auto variation and/or short print.

2019 Topps Now purchases - Ohtani

I stumbled upon an eBay promo code[$3 Off $3.01+ Purchases] and while I'd abstained from collecting Topps Now Ohtani cards past what I'd gotten his rookie year - I thought I'd make an exception for this latest Ohtani feat.

I like the multiple images used on the back of the card, but I don't think the image choice on the front of the card is optimal - a shot of Ohtani on base after his last hit to get the cycle would have been much better than the one chosen.

Looking to pick up the Ohtani cycle card, I figured I might as well grab this card if I could find a seller listing both cards - I don't like the Tommy La Stella butt shot, but it's a cool game highlight to see an Angels trio hit back-to-back-to-back home runs.

Because of an impulsive trigger finger perhaps, I bought this along with the back-to-back-to-back home run card as a pair instead - now it looks like I'll have three 2019 Topps Now Ohtani cards in-hand to look forward to, which isn't a bad thing, though not something I'd planned to keep up with.

Angels lot purchase - Mike Trout cards

I just haven't had the opportunity to rummage through loose cardboard like other bloggers at card shops or card shows - I have to find my cheap cardboard thrills other ways.

I was curious about 2019 Panini Diamond Kings, but not tempted enough to try a loose value pack or blaster box - I found an Angels themed Diamond Kings lot, highlighted by a sharp looking Mike Trout bat card.

2003 DK Retro Crowning Moment #10 - I like self-assured, confident smile on Trout's face as well the flashback design of this insert.

Framed Plum #133 - Trout is listed a short print in the 2019 Panini Diamond Kings set, but I don't know if the parallel is an SP as well.

DK 205 #4 - the least attractive card in this grouping, but any Trout is a keeper.