Thursday, June 24, 2021

2021 Topps: The Sequel


They're never better than the original, are they? A @CrackinWax #CrackinWaxMailDay case break review.
 
Instead of buying expensive boxes online, I decided to just buy in to a case break at Crackin' Wax to get my Series 2 fix and allotment of Cardinals cards. This isn't nearly as easy as opening up the packs myself, of course, but at least at the end of the day I'm not stuck with piles of things I don't need. (I do have a small pile of Cardinals base cards I don't need, though.)
 

Series 2 features the same Rookie Cup logo placement issues that plagued Series 1 and Opening Day. With the way Topps crops their photos so closely these days, it must be hard to find a spot for the poor cup. But that lower right corner is wide open there, guys.


Ah, happier times. Here's one of the first and hopefully last appearances of protective face masks on a Cardinals card. We'll see if Mike Maddux lasts the season.


One thing that is new about Series 2 is the debut of the new Players Association logo in its flagship product. Series 1 still had the old logo. I'm not really a fan of this new logo.


Insert time! The 70th Anniversary train rolls on with a non-rookie RC logo-adorned Dylan Carlson card that uses the 2004 design where Yadier Molina's actual rookie card made it's appearance.


I'm not sure why 35 is such a big number for Topps, but it keeps these tributes firmly set in the '80s for now. I ended up with both of the Cardinals cards from the Silver Pack Chrome inserts.


I also ended up with one of the 12 guaranteed hits in the break, a jersey swatch from that same Carlson guy again. (There's that superfluous RC logo again, too.)


The DH role is nothing to be celebrated, especially when it leeched its way into National League play last season. This might be my least favorite insert set of all-time, even if it leaves me with an odd Brad Miller card to track down. As the back of the card explains, Goldy already had logged 31 regular season plate appearances at the (non-)position prior to last season (interleague play! ever heard of it?)


I do have a soft spot for the 1986 set as a whole, considering that it was among the first packs I ever bought. It's weird seeing someone who played decades before the '80s show up on this design, though.


Hey, it's my first Nolan Arenado Cardinals card! Well... sort of. It looks like we'll have to wait until Update to get the real deal.


What do you think Topps does with the extra bits of cards that they don't use after making these die cuts?

Serious question, though: Has anyone looked into the environment impact Topps has made from a manufacturing standpoint? (Or Panini?) Think about all of those chemicals involved. Do they recycle anything? When Topps goes public, I suppose they might have to answer to some of this.

Does anyone who collects cards recycle anything, other than mailing supplies and card protectors?

2 comments :

  1. They're cardboard, so if I'm getting rid of them they're going in the recycle bin.

    The retro '86 Topps Chrome Carlson wins the round.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You bring up a great question that I've never really pondered. I wonder how many trees are chopped down to produce trading cards each year.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are highly encouraged, but then again, so is eating your fruits and vegetables.