Baseball Cards 101

Ustream.tv recently added support for the Adobe Flash Media Encoder application.  This application does the video encoding on your machine before sending it to Ustream for streaming.  One of the benefits is being able to send 640×480 video.  A step better in quality versus Ustream flash encoding plugin.

I also switched up the viewpoint of my break space.  I’d sure like to hear any thoughts on which way you, the reader, prefer.

This box also only had the advertising panel as a box loader.  Hit one with a Minnesota Twins player, Denard Span.

A little off from the stated odds,
8 Short Prints
10 Black Back Variation, unknown how many are in the set yet
7 Heritage Chrome - Best of the bunch, Ben Zobrist?
1 Heritage Chrome Refractors - 245: Maicer Izturis, 296: Brian Moehler
2 Rookie Performers - Fukudome, John Bowker
2 Then & Now - Banks/Rollins, Crandall/Martin
2 ‘08 Flashbacks - Fukudome, Delgado

Just a normal box with 1 hit.

Clubhouse Collection - Carlos Beltran

Next item I plan to break is the 2009 Topps Series 1.

Topps has already released the list of Short Printed cards.  Has to be one of the fastest release times ever.  Usually they wait about a week before publicly posting a list.

Short Prints:
648, 677, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 717, 718, 719

I intended to record the live break, but forgot to hit start!  Hopefully tomorrow night with box 3 I’ll get it right, lol.The box only had the advertising panel as a box loader.  I’d be looking to trade mine for any panels that contain Minnesota Twins players.

Almost perfectly in line with the stated odds,
8 Short Prints
9 Black Back Variation, unknown how many are in the set yet
8 Heritage Chrome - Best of the bunch, Fukudome
1 Heritage Chrome Refractors - 265: Carlos Gonzalez
2 Rookie Performers - Joey Votto, Hiroki Kuroda
2 Then & Now - Sherry/Lowell, Aparicio/Cabrera
2 ‘08 Flashbacks - Teixeira, Pujols

2nd box, 2 Real One Autos!

Real One Auto - Jack Fisher

Real One Auto - Jim Kaat

One last box of Heritage High Numbers 11/22.

The first major change in the format of Heritage since Topps started the Heritage series.  High Numbers focuses on the rookies of this past year and younger stand out players.

Still 24 packs, but they made an odd choice.  Every pack contains 2 base cards from 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights and 6 cards from Heritage High Numbers.  The average response to this has been poor.  Might have been a better move if both products had been released at the same time.

High numbers contains 1 new insert set called Rookie Performers, replacing New Age Performers from the normal issue.  Everything else is identical to the regular Heritage.

Here are the stated pack odds with the hobby packs:
Short Print 1:3; Chrome Parallel 1:3; Chrome Refractor Parallel 1:11; Black Chrome Refractor Parallel 1:99; Rookie Performers 1:12; Then and Now 1:12; 2008 Flashbacks 1:12; Clubhouse Collection Group A 1:3,600; B 1:74; C 1:55; Clubhouse Collection Dual 1:1,900; Clubhouse Collection Auto Relic 1:1,815; Flashback Stadium Relics 1:3,175; Real One Autos 1:110; Real One Dual Autos 1:1,850; Real One Special 1:439; 1959 Cut Sig Relic 1:100,000; 1959 Cut Sig 1:65,000

Ustream was having issues.  Took me almost 30 mins just to get sound working.  After that it killed my video connection 7 mins into the break.  It even failed to record the rest of the break.  So if you want, here’s what I do have recorded -

Read the full post to get a break listing with scans (more…)

Take your pick or do both, watch the video:

Or read the results:

Very close to the odds again,
19 Gold Foil - Best of the bunch, Matt Garza or Scott Rolen
8 Golds - 9:Riggans, 77:E.Santana, 87:Langerhans, 91:Buckner, 120:Berroa, 182:Ponson, 263:Patterson, 287:Headley
6 Year in Review - 132, 148, 150, 162, 166, 174
6 First Couples - Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon
4 World Baseball Classic - Zambrano, Beltran, Bell, Lee
2 Ring of Honor - Luis Aparicio, Whitey Ford
2 1986 Mets Ring of Honor - Darryl Strawberry, Ron Darling
2 Mantle Story - 67 & 71
1 - Take Me Out To The Ballgame, 1:72 packs!
The box topper - Chrome Rookie #6 Nick Adenhart

The box hit?

Corey Hart - All-Star Stitches

Decided I needed a change of pace with this product.  I’ve been doing Jumbo boxes on the base Topps issue since 2007 series 1.  This time I went Hobby and only bought 2 boxes.

Not too much new stuff with U&H.  They continued a couple of the inserts for the year with Mickey Mantle Story, and Year in Review.  Additional they added in some World Baseball Classic preview cards, Ring of Honor and First Couples.  Ring of Honor highlights World series MVPs.  Ring of Honor also comes in a 1986 Mets World Series Champs flavor.  Why 1986?  No clue!  First couple is all about past US Presidents and their wives.  Yes, I can’t wait for election year to be over too.

So with those in mind here are the stated pack odds with the hobby packs:
Gold Foil Parallel 1:2; Gold Parallel 1:5; Black Parallel 1:59; Platinum Parallel 1:9,434; Printing Plates 1:457; Year in Review 1:6; First Couples 1:6; WBC Preview 1:9; Ring of Honor 1:18; 1986 Mets Ring of Honor 1:18; Mantle Story 1:18; Ring of Honor Gold 1:11,743; 1986 Mets Ring of Honor Gold 1:12,787; Ring of Honor Auto 1:2,569; 1986 Mets Ring of Honor Auto 1:2,849; Sketch Cards 1:214; All-Star Stitches 1:44; All-Star Stitches Gold 1:373; All-Star Stitches Platinum 1:23,017; All-Star Stitches Auto 1:6,394; All-Star Stitches Dual 1:5,994; All-Star Stitches Triple 1:5,994; All-Star Jumbo Patches 1:4,496; All-Star Jumbo Patch Auto 1:23,017; Baseball Card History Buybacks 1:1,384; Silk Collection 1:246; Presidential Stamp Collection 1:867; Take Me Out To The Ballgame 1:72; 2008 Highlights Auto Group A 1:38,362; B 1:11,066; C 1:4,082; D 1:5,587; E 1:6,851; F 1:1,116; G 1:1,109; H 1:1,985; Topps 2008 Presedential Pick 1:15,984

Watch the video to see what I pulled in box 1 -

Or read the full post to get a listing with scans (more…)