More repack goodness

In my last post I shared a 2008 Topps Gift Set card from a recent Fairfield repack cube. In and of itself it wasn't that interesting a card, just something I'd never seen before.  I've been through the entire "cube" (it's really a rectangular box) and pulled the three best cards in it. These cards aren't just the best cards in this box, they are good cards, in and of themselves.

The first is something else I've never seen, or heard of.

2006 Topps National Baseball Card Day Insert

I was not aware of "National Baseball Card Day" in 2006, but I have about half of the 12 cards from the set, which I've gathered from various repacks. The first 6 cards were produced by Topps and the other 6 by Upper Deck. What I didn't know is that there were 3 insert cards in the set. I don't know how they were distributed (one in every pack or rarer than that). This is the #2 insert. Unlike the regular cards, which feature the same design as the regular Topps set, this is an original design. It's also printed on foil board. The back looks like the regular 2006 Topps cards.

I have not been able to figure out what this card is.

 It's a reprint of May's 1952 Topps card all done up with chrome refractor goodness. The front looks like a Topps Heritage Chrome card. Beckett.com lists 293 Willie Mays cards in 2012, not one of them seems to be this card. Whatever it is, it's a great card.

2013 Topps Chasing History Relics Brian Wilson

You don't usually find a loose relic card in a repack box like this. After I found this I looked at the label on the box and saw that it said "Every other cube contains an autograph or relic card *on average". How 'bout that?

2003 Topps 205 Series 2

Back in December 2010 I had bought a hobby box of 2003 Topps 205 Series 1. I liked it so much that I also bought a Series 2 box later in the month. Although I tore into the box as soon as I got it, I never got the set cataloged. Topps has produced three great retro sets in the 21st Century: 2003 Topps 205, 2004 Topps Cracker Jack and 2006 Allen and Ginter. I'm not sure which set I like the best

Topps 205 Series 2 was issued in February 2004, making for a total of 325 cards for the combined set. There are 10 variations in the second series, but none are short-printed. Also, a number of players appear in both series, so there aren't a lot of marginal players included. Here are the Players I Collect that I pulled from the 2003 Topps 205 Series 2 box.

#156

#158

#160

#195

#198

#200

#204a

#204b

#210

#222

#225

#232

#239

#240

#243

#260

#267

#278

#279

#280a

#280b

#284a

#284b

2012 Topps Archives - First Look (Part 2)

Last week I showed the base cards and most of the parallels. What else did I get in my 2 8-card pack blasters?

2012 Topps Archives 1967 Stickers Tim Linecum

Full-sized peel-off stickers based on a set from 1967. The backs are blank. I pulled 3 of this 25-card set.

2012 Topps Archives 1977 Cloth Robin Yount

This 25-card insert uses the same technology as last year's Topps Lineage Stickers. I pulled 3 but two of them were Yount. I'll gladly trade my extra Yount for either the Carlton or Halladay from the set.

2012 Topps Archives 1968 3D Willie Mays

I pulled 2 cards from this 15-card insert set. These look exactly like an insert from last year's Topps Lineage except they are slightly smaller than regular sized cards. They are basically blank on the back.

2012 Topps Archives 1969 Deckle Edge Ichiro

Another 15-card insert. I only pulled this one. The cards are b/w with a deckle edge and are smaller than normal cards. Also blank on the back.

2012 Topps Archives Gold #127 Evan Longoria

Not only a gold colored border but printed on holographic foil.  These are inserted 1:12 packs and I got 1. The back of the card is the same as the base card.

2012 Topps Archives 1956 Relics Alex Avila

baseballcardpedia.com says there are 55 of these but doesn't give the odds of getting one. The blaster box says to watch out for autographed cards but doesn't say anything about relic cards, even in the tiny black on dark blue print where they give the odds for each insert.

A pretty good selection of inserts. In addition to an autographed card, I didn't get a 1958 Classic Combo insert or a 1982 In Action insert. To eBay I go!