2018 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Box Break #1

Each year Topps Allen & Ginter gets this unusual hype that you don't normally see for most card sets.  It's because of the unusual combination of non-sport autographs in the set, non-baseball autographs in the set, and weird non-sport insert cards. 

It's a strange set, and oddly satisfying.

Each year I try to buy myself one hobby box.  Here's the box for this year.

The hits were a Dexter Fowler and Charlie Blackmon relic, and a framed mini autograph of Madison Keys (tennis player).

I'm pretty happy with these hits.  Getting an autograph is good since not every box is guaranteed to have an autograph.

Here are the hobby pack odds.

And I got this strange mini which had a peculiar finish on it.  It turns out these are glow in the dark minis and are case hits.  They are SSP (super short print).  Some people speculate that these are 1/1s but they're not.  I've seen a few duplicates on eBay already.  Too bad I got a non-player.  This is the rarest card that I got in my hobby box but I'm thinking if I tried to sell it I would probably only get $10 for it.

I got a good number of rookies, including: Jack Flaherty, Rafael Devers, Scott Kingery, Garrett Cooper, Brandon Woodruff, Nick Williams, Ryan McMahon, Ryder Jones, and Amed Rosario.

But the most important rookie card in the box... a Shoei Ohtani rookie! 

2017 Topps Allen & Ginter Hobby Box Break #1

I hardly ever, and I mean ever, buy baseball.  But apparently there is some guy named Aaron Judge who plays for the Yankees who is pretty good.  He's brought madness to the baseball card collecting world so I thought I'd try my hand at a hobby box of 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter.  I pre-ordered it from Blowout Cards for $100 plus shipping.

My three hits were a Miguel Cabrera relic, a Gary Stevens relic, and a mini autographed black frame parallel of Kenta Maeda who is a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  When I first saw that I had a redemption in one of my packs, I thought I might have hit an Aaron Judge autograph since his cards are redemptions, but I wasn't quite that lucky.  I should still feel pretty good about hitting an autograph card at all since most hobby boxes only have three relics.

Overall, it was a fun rip.  I didn't get an Aaron Judge rookie card either!  Dare I try my luck again on another hobby box?  Prices have already gone up another $25 since I ordered this hobby box.

2016 Panini Classics Football Box Break #2

I finally got around to opening up that second box of 2016 Panini Classics Football that I had ordered from Blowout Cards like six months ago.

The hits were a Larry Fitzgerald relic card, and a Tyler Ervin autograph.  Blah.  I do like the relic cards.  They have a simple but nice design, and the relics are game-worn.

2016 Panini Optic Football Collector's Box Break #5

The price of 2016 Panini Optic Football hobby boxes has gone through the roof.  Prices are insane.  Hobby boxes are around $140 per box now -- and you only get one autograph (unless you hit a hot box).

The retail Collector's Boxes are a great deal at $50 for one autograph.  You can even buy Collector's Boxes on eBay for even less -- usually around $40 per box.

Nothing too spectacular in this box.  Just a Vonn Bell autograph, and a worthless Stefon Diggs relic.  Best cards in the box were the Ezekiel Elliot Rated Rookie, Will Fuller V Rated Rookie Aqua, and the Kenny Clark bronze parallel.

The base bronze cards are actually pretty rare.

2016 Optic Football Collector's Box Break #4

Probably one of the best Collector's Boxes that I've bought.

And not because I got a great autograph.  Nope.  The Xavier Howard bronze autograph was bad.  This box was great because I got a Dak Prescott holo, Tyreek Hill holo, Hunter Henry bronze, Deforest Buckner holo, and Jonathan Williams blue holo.  Hit lots of great rookies.

2016 Optic Football Collector's Box Break #3

Third box of 2016 Optic Football Collector's Box.  I should probably stop.  I haven't hit anything great.  Not even a base rookie of Dak Prescott or Ezekiel Elliot.  I guess that's why I keep going back for punishment!

Cody Core Bronze Autograph

Josh Doctson Bronze Relic

At least I got a nice holo Tyreek Hill rookie card.  Best base rookie card that I've hit in the three Collector's Boxes that I've bought so far.

2016 Panini Optic Football Collector's Box Break #2

Contents of my second 2016 Panini Optic Football Collector's Box:

Paul Perkins Bronze Autograph

Kenneth Dixon Bronze Relic

The William Jackson III blue parallel is #/149.  It looks like you get one bronze rookie card in each Collector's box (either a Rated Rookie or regular rookie).  I got one in the first box but it wasn't a big name rookie so I didn't scan it.

I really like these boxes.  I think I'll buy another one.  Or two.  Or three.  Or more.

2016 Panini Optic Football Collector's Box Break #1

I picked up a pair of 2016 Panini Optic Football Collector's boxes from Target.  These are $50.  They contain 10 packs (4 cards per pack, so 40 total cards), which includes one bronze autograph card and one bronze relic card. 

Devontae Booker Bronze Autograph

Cody Kessler Bronze Relic

All the little specks on the cards are not dust.  It's actually the design of the card.

Nothing too notable in the rest of the cards.  The base cards are really nice but I didn't hit any big name rookies.

2016 Panini Classics Football Box Break #1

I bought a pair of 2016 Panini Classics Football hobby boxes from Blowout Cards.  They're only about $32 which is a pretty good deal for a hobby box with one autograph hit and one relic hit.  The autograph checklist is really big with lots of scrubs so the odds of hitting something good is small, but for that much money it's hard to complain.

I really like the cards in this entire set.  Every pack has something in it, whether it be a hit, insert, or short print.  It makes opening the cards fun, and you actually take the time to look at the cards rather than just passing up every single card looking for the hit.  I'll definitely be buying more of this stuff.

2015 Topps High Tek Football Box Break #2

The only card worth noting from this break was the hit itself:

Breshad Perriman base autograph

2015 Topps High Tek Football Hobby Box Break #1

Picked up a box of 2015 Topps High Tek Football from Blowout Cards' Black Friday sale.

Gold Rainbow Autograph: Devon Smith 

 Jameis Winston Circuit Board Variation & Base Rainbow

And the most interesting card from the break is a David Cobb error rookie card (wave design).  David Cobb is a runningback, but on the back of the card the statistics line shows quarterback stats of "COMP ATT YDS TD INT RAT".  Notice that is six different statistical categories, but there are only five numbers listed under those statistical categories.  Those five numbers represent career attempts, career yardage, career average, touchdowns, and career long rush.

2014 SP Authentic Football Box Break #13

LSU hot box!  Got my first Odell Beckham Jr. autograph!

Authentic Moments Autograph: Zach Mettenberger (1:

 Rookie Patch Autograph: Odell Beckham Jr. /350

Autograph: Damien Williams

2000 SP Authentic Future Watch: Dri Archer /999, Jerry Rice /999, Bishop Sankey /999.

Although I'm happy to have pulled my first Odell Beckham Jr. autograph, it appears as if this card is not yet live as I could not find any completed auctions on eBay.  Now that Panini has the exclusive rights to make NFL football cards, this redemption may never get fulfilled and I may have to get a replacement autograph.

2015 Panini Prizm Collegiate Draft Picks Boxes 3, 4 & 5

I bought three boxes of 2015 Panini Prizm Collegiate Draft Picks during Blowout's 2016 NFL Draft promotion.  Here are the results!  Just the autographs...

Box #3: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu /99, Ty Montgomery.

Box #4: Dominique Brown, Vic Beasley All-American, Brandon Scherff.

Box #5: Shane Carden Tie-Dye /49, Brett Hundley.

2015 Panini Prizm Collegiate Draft Picks Boxes 1 & 2

I ordered two boxes of 2015 Panini Prizm Collegiate Draft Picks from Blowout last week.  They were only $25 per box which seemed like a good price for two guaranteed autos per box.  Little did I know that just a few days later these same boxes would go on sale for only $15 per box as a part of Blowout's 2016 NFL Draft promotion.  So in the end I ended up overpaying by $10 per hobby box.  

I did get these two really nice camo parallels of Carson Palmer and Aaron Rodgers.  I like the college uniforms.  Two old timers battling it out in the ol' Pac-10.

 

Rookie autographs were a little underwhelming.  I got Blake Bell (TE, 4th Round, 117th Pick, 49ers), Hau'Oli Kikaha (OLB, 2nd Round, 44th Pick, Saints), Stefon Diggs (WR, 5th Round, 146th Pick, Vikings), and Nick Marshall (QB, Auburn, undrafted).

Notable rookie parallels were Malcom Agnew (RB, Southern Illinois, undrafted) and Kenny Bell (WR, 5th Round, 162nd pick, Buccaneers)

2014 Upper Deck SP Authentic Football Box Break #12

Another good box for Future Watch inserts.  Autographs were just okay... Still waiting for a Teddy Bridgewater or Odell Beckham Jr. autograph.

Rookie Patch Autograph: Carlos Hyde /550

Canvas Collection Rookies: Cody Latimer, Jimmy Baroppolo, Bruce Ellington. 

2000 SP Authentic Future Watch: Odell Beckham Jr. /999, 

Zach Mettenberger /99, Sammy Watkins /999.

Autograph: Charlie Ward 

Autograph: Brett Smith 

Short Print Base Rookies: Bishop Sankey, Jarvis Landry, Logan Thomas.

2014 Upper Deck SP Authentic Football Box Break #11

This was a good box for Future Watch Inserts, but the autographs were all blah.

2000 SP Authentic Future Watch: Marqise Lee /999, Odell Beckham Jr. /999, Sammy Watkins /999.  

 Short Print Base Rookies: Paul Richardson, Teddy Bridgewater, Brandin Cooks.

Autograph: Cody Latimer (SP: 1:619 packs)

 Autograph: George Atkinson III

Rookie Patch Autograph: Bishop Sankey /550

2015 Topps Heritage Football Box Break #5

Tyler Kroft Autograph

Brett Hundley Refractor