Thursday, August 4, 2011

2011 topps lineage (update)

As I noted on the bottom of yesterday's post, 2011 Topps Lineage is in stores. Well, hobby stores anyway. I think everyone forgot about this set, or they just didn't care. Hot off the heels of Allen & Ginter and last weeks Bowman Platinum, Lineage seems like a fun set collector's set. Here are the base cards:

Personally, I think these look awesome. I believe they could have held this design for 2012 Topps and I would have been happy with that. A 200 card set, that has an excellent mix of stars new and old. Even some faces we haven't seen in a while make a return here (see Belle and O'Neill). As you notice in the bottom row...Rookie Cups! They took 10 guys who never got a rookie cup card and gave them one. They are the final 10 cards in the set (191-200) and the trophy on the front actually says their rookie year, which was a nice touch. Seeing Ripken with a rookie trophy is pretty cool. My one complaint about the set is the backs, which I'll get to later.

Here are the parallels of the set:

These follow suit for the 1975 mini issue. Same size and everything. The players do have the same picture on the mini and the regular card, which different pics from the base set would make this parallel set a 'must collect'.

These are modeled after refractors essentially. Super shiny goodness.

These are just like the series 1 and 2 shinys. Nothing wrong with that at all. These look good with this.

Here are the Topps Giants. These come one per box and have a relic parallel. There are 20 of these and seem like they are the same size as the originals.

Now, on to the inserts:

These are the 3D cards. Kind of hard to tell on here but they look pretty good in person. Kind of like the Topps 2020 inserts from last year. There are 25 of these and they are un-numbered.

Anyone collecting in the 80's surely remembers these. These look awesome with modern players on them and look pretty true to the originals. I think there are 20 of these as the back indicates but the checklist seems messed up and says 19. Topps QC strikes again.

These are Stand-Ups. Fold 'em and see your favorite players come to life!...or something. Kinda neat. 25 un-numbered cards to collect here. (did I mention I hate things that are un-numbered?)

The cloth stickers. May be hard to tell but these are kind of flimsy, as they are actually cloth. 50 of these suckers to collect and stick everywhere!

Now, here is the card back. Yes it is in Spanish, as these are the Venezuelan inserts. The fronts are the same as the base set but they are numbered TV## and have Spanish on the back. 25 cards here. See, the back is the only fault in this set. I would have preferred lifetime stats on the back (and even more preferred would be a vertical back with a tiny pic and vital info and stats but oh well) but the writing is at least interesting.

The hits:

Here are a sample of the hits. The McCutchen auto is a reprint auto, where Topps reprints a card and has them sign it, on-card. They range from 1952 Topps to 1990 Topps for Nolan Ryan (as used on the sell sheet) to Andrew's 2010 here. Nice idea, I say. The middle auto is from the 1952 autograph set and features current players in the (now kind of droll) 1952 design. Decent names too like Posey, Jimenez and Freeman. The final card is the relics. They come in the 1975 mini style. Not much more to say there. They also have a jumbo relic too but I haven't pulled one.

In conclusion, I think this is a really great idea and I think Topps has done a fine job capturing some of their oddball heritage that we may (or may not) fondly remember during our collecting in the days of yore. The base set has a slick design that I feel outshines many of their flagship releases with its simple yet modern approach. Again my only complaint is the backs but when the fronts look this good and the rest of the inserts and parallels are this fun I can't really say too much bad about it.

Gasp!! A different picture!!


***UPDATE***

After a little research, I have found that this set will come to retail stores too, like Target and WallyWorld. Blasters come 7 packs per box plus a guaranteed mini relic (for the assumed $20), which seems pretty good once you look at the relic checklist. Some duds but some big names on there too.

The 80's looking rookie subset is in fact, 19 cards. Apparently card 15 was skipped but there are all 19 players that are listed on the checklist. So cards 16-20 are really 15-19.

Also, some folk on the Blowout card forums are bitching about this not being a set to make your money off of. Clearly this is a true collectors set and not a Bowman product just to make money off of. I feel that Topps put some good effort into this release and it should appease real collectors (not those looking for profits) in a good way.

13 comments:

  1. I would love that McCutchen any interest in trading it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do like this set for its quirkiness and tribute to the past. I don't know how much I'll buy since it comes at a time of the year when money is tight. If you want to move any of the Dodgers, let me know, and I'll see what I can find.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A2- He is yours if I decide to trade it.

    Night Owl- I already have a card that has your name on it. Maybe a few others too but one really kind of jumps out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow?!

    Entering the hobby again in about April/May after 20+ years away, I continue to be AMAZED at how many releases Topps has put out for this year. How many different variations are left?

    The inclusion of classic star players from my childhood and maintaining the total base count at 200 makes this appealing to me, though, as a set collector.

    What were the #s on it(cards/pack, base price)? Is this a high end issue like Platinum or is it something slightly more affordable?

    No good LCS around here, I wonder if this issue shows up at WallyWorld or le Target?

    BTW - your package arrived. Since I have no blog of my own to give you a shout-out on, you 'da man, Ted! A win-win as your quest to down-size has gotten me a lot closer to completing my Gypsy Queen, '10 TOPPS Update and '11 Topps Base sets! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm looking forward to the case break I'm in early next week of this product. The base cards do look fantastic and I love the checklist...at least for the Braves.

    I'm also digging the 3D insert. I see myself building this set!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Had a brain itch that I couldn't help but scratch - The Hawk was fortunate to earn a trophy on card #72 in the '78 set.

    It was much smaller though.......an upgrade!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ryan- You are welcome, glad to be of help! Pack price I believe ranges around $5 for hobby packs. I do also think that there will be a retail release, so Wallymart and Target should have it soon. Yes, Topps does put out many many MANY sets a year but they do all cater to different audiences. Very rarely will a collector chase everything Topps puts out. I sample but only collect hard a few things.

    Colbey- This set is a TON of fun to bust. I can't wait to see what you get from your case, as the autos and relics are pretty sweet. The 3D inserts look way better in person. As do the base cards, they are kind of hard to read when scanned. It's that foil over black that makes it hard scanned.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's right. I wonder why they did give Dawson another rookie cup then...Well the rest are for guys that I presume didn't get them before.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like the looks of these. I might just pick up a few packs if they ever make it to my local Wal Mart (no Hobby shops close).

    ReplyDelete
  10. This really does look like a fun set. Wish I had the moolah to spend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks like a really fun set. I'm going to have to track the McCutchen down on eBay

    ReplyDelete
  12. I grabbed a box at the NSCC, fun product to bust but the autos and hits really take a back seat to the inserts! Some of the inserts need to find their way into the flagship next year!It's kind of a dud at hobby, but retail should be huge with the guaranteed hit!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That '75 mini relic is cool. (set building alarms just went off).

    ReplyDelete