A place where Colorado Rockies baseball card collectors (all 3 of us) can waste some time reading about our favorite sport. The Rockies and their cards will be the primary focus, but I like to go off on tangents as well so anything and everything baseball related may be covered here.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Hobby Box Break - 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Edition (Coolest Card EVER Pulled)

Hey guys, I was searching eBay for decent ideas and prices on my next group break coming up in about a month when I happened upon a hobby box of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup for a semi-decent price.  I noted in my 2011 Mountains to Climb that I wanted to find a set from 1996-2005 to work on this year and I think this is it.  I have always like the scans I have seen of these cards, but in person the color really pops.  This is a beautiful set.


Since I am building the set, I won't bore you with a pack by pack breakdown and I'll just show you a small sampling.

The box promises two autos and 12 numbered parallels, but I got SO much more.

Base Set - 93/150
Doubles - 0
Autographs - 2
Numbered Parallels - 26!!! (more than one per pack)


BASE CARDS


As some of you know, I am a sucker for the colorful uniforms of the 1970s.  I really wish a few team would go back to them (especially the Astros).  I also chose to show the Chris Sabo from this set, because I had not seen many cards of him sans goggles.  He looks like he is as blind as Mr. Magoo (look it up, kids).  I forgot to scan the backs but they are solid gray (parallels are corresponding color) with the Rookie All Star year stats and full career stats.

 ROOKIE CARD REPRINTS

Each pack also contained a reprint of a former member of the Rookie All Star Team.  They also included years that did not include the cup.  This is just a small sampling of the 48 I got.  Most were from the 1990s, but I got several from the 60s and 70s.  What I like is that not only did they include Hall of Famers like Rod Carew and fan favorites like Ron Santo, they also included guys that didn't really make much of an impact like former Indians manager Pat Corrales.

 COLORED PARALLELS

BLUE #'D TO 50

This is the only blue parallel I pulled from the box, but I did get a player I liked.  The blues are my favorite colored parallel.  It really pops in person.  It does suck that the best looking parallel is also the rarest because otherwise I might try to put together a blue set also.  I still might, but if they were the 499 ones I definitely would.

GREEN #'D TO 199
The greens are the next rarest and I got this nice Hall of Famer along with a few others.  Actually this card was made before Dawson was a Hall of Famer, but it still works.

Others I received
#84 Reggie Sanders
#101 Jason Kendall
#137 Rocco Baldelli

YELLOW #'D TO 299
The yellow is probably the least appealing to the eye, but the backs look great in yellow.  This was Joe Torre before he sold his soul to the devil in the mid 90s.

Other yellows I received
#53 Brook Jacoby
#57 Vince Coleman
#76 Chuck Knoblauch
#122 Bengie Molina

ORANGE #'D TO 399
It is always nice to pick up a numbered Pujols, because a lot of people collect him and prices soar on eBay (which I am currently suffering through with Tulowitzki). 

Other Oranges I received
#6 Jonny Gomes
#37 Chet Lemon
#68 Gary Sheffield
#101 Jason Kendall
#102 Billy Wagner
#130 C.C. Sabathia

RED #'D TO 499
Here is the 1975 Topps All Star Rookie catcher who has been in the news recently for his unfortunate health problems.  I always liked Carter as a player when he wasn't a Met and I hope he can make a full recovery from his current issues.

Other Reds I received
#3 Joe Torre
#21 Al Oliver
#122 Bengie Molina
#127 Adam Dunn
#138 Scott Podsednik
#139 Brandon Webb

THE CHROME BOX TOPPER
I saw a single card box topper pack and honestly had no clue what could be in it, because there was no mention of it in any reading I had done on the set.  It turned out to be a chrome reprint of 1996 Topps Garret Anderson #'d 21/25.  Gawd, I love this set.

ORANGE AUTO #'D TO 299
This is the first of two autos and they are also color paralleled with each color having 100 less than the base card parallels (except blue which is still 50).  There are 10 cards #151-160 that are comprised of 2005 1st round picks.  The only disappointment with this box is I did NOT get the best player of the group of 10, Troy Tulowitzki.  Jacob Marceaux topped out in 2009 in AA with the Marlins and later White Sox.  He last pitched in 2010 in the independent leagues and had an ERA over 9.00, so this card won't pay my mortgage.  But it still looks cool (even with the sticker auto).

GREEN AUTO #'D TO 99
Brandon Snyder is arguably the 3rd best auto from the 151-160 subset after Tulo and Yunel Escobar, which should tell you the quality of the others.  Snyder has made the majors though, so he has done more than me.  The only other player to have made the majors out of the group is current Rangers reliever Ryan Tucker.  I do seem to pull quite a few low numbered Orioles autos though since before today my only 1/1 pull was an Orioles prospect autograph.  Yes I said BEFORE today.

ORIGINAL RELIC 1/1
This would be the coolest card I have ever pulled.  This is a gold parallel reprint an original relic of 1965 Topps rookie catcher Mike Brumley from the second incarnation of the Senators (which later became the Rangers) That is an actual metal cup embedded in the card.  I was opening the pack and saw something thick and I knew there were no jerseys in this set, so I was befuddled.  I literally screamed like a little girl when I saw this card.  Sure it could have been a bigger name, but that is part of the fun of a set like this.  It is hard to see but right above the cup there is a gold 1/1 along with the 1/1 hologram on the back.


What do you think?  Is this one of the coolest relics ever or have I drank the Kool Aid?  I will try my best to find another box of this set because I want them all.  I LOVE THIS SET!!!!!

10 comments:

night owl said...

It's pretty nice. I like stuff like that.

I like everything about the Rookie Cup set except the design. It's pretty ugly. But I'm a sucker for color parallels.

BA Benny said...

I like this set also but only have score a few packs. I may have some to help you with the base set. I will see what I have left. The gold 1/1 is super sweet!

(...Joe) said...

That's awesome dude! Especially since it's something different, not just a jersey bit or whatever.

flywheels said...

If you don't mind me asking how much did the box set you back? I picked up a handful of these cards from the last show I went to and I know what you mean about the colors popping as such. It really is an awesome set.

The Lost Collector said...

What a different kind if card. Cool as hell! Nice pull!

John Bateman said...

That is cool!!!!

Eric L said...

As someone who has zero experience with the sets that were put out between about 1995-2005, I really like box break reviews like this. I would have never known about this set had you not blogged about it. I like the design and I really like the mixture of past and present players.
And you can't beat a 1/1 pull. Congrats.

Play at the Plate said...

Very nice! A cool Senators hit. Thanks for sharing the box break.

dgreen1899 said...

Hey man, on your quest to build the set let me know if you get doubles of 1,4,13,23,26,31,48,105,and 126 I need them for my team sets. This is a cool set, the Eddie Murray base card is my favorite, great pic of him.

As far as drinking the kool aid goes...ain't nothing wrong with that. Sweet original 1/1.

Potch said...

Great stuff. I agree with what Eric said above. Having been out of the collecting game from '90 to 2010 (with a brief Topps '94 foray - sigh) I love break reviews like this. Cool set - great pull!

Love the Hawk and the Sabo.