Sold!

Picked one of these up at Target earlier this week.  This is definitely right up my alley.  I don't buy much modern wax because I sometimes feel buyer's remorse after paying $3 for a pack of 8-10 cards (sometimes less) that don't end up being very interesting to me.  At a buck a pack though I'm much more intrigued.  I didn't even realize until I looked at it later that it also included a hit.  Not a big selling point for me but certainly the icing on the cake.

Especially since my guaranteed hit actually ended up a decent one.  This is one of those super thick manufactured ring cards.  I've seen them posted plenty of times but this is the first time I've ever held one in hand.  For a gimmicky card it's actually pretty impressive.  This particular version apparently comes from the Babe Ruth Career Rings set, which were included in the 2012 Topps factory sets sold at Target.

I'd be willing to trade this away for the right Red Sox card, or if any of the folks I trade with are interested in it.  If not maybe I'll sell it to recoup some of the cost of the box.  The cheapest of these I see in a quick search on eBay is about $15, and the cheapest listed at COMC is just over $10.  Not too shabby as a throw-in!

I'm not likely going to post all 20 packs, and in typical fashion I'm going to save some of them for probably months and months, but I'll crack the first couple today for the blog.  Leading off we've got a pack of 2008 Upper Deck First Edition Update.  Josh Beckett graces the pack, having just won a World Series with Boston in '07.

I'm a huge fan of the 2008 Upper Deck release.  I like the simplistic design and I feel the photography is some of the best I've seen in any set since I returned to collecting.  I'm a few tantalizing cards from finishing it off, but I have very few of these foil-less First Edition counterparts.  Andrew Miller is a great start to the pack, given that he's sadly under-represented in modern sets.

Mark Teahen had a relatively short MLB career, with his last season coming in 2011 at age 29.  This everyday common is a good example of why I am big on full-bleed photos on cards.

Always good to add a new Neshek card to my collection.

It's amazing how many players from this pack are playing for contenders this season, 6 years later!  Adam Jones and Andrew Miller are all but in with Baltimore, and Peavy is involved in a tight race in the NL West after being dealt from Boston.

Carlos Gomez is now with the Brewers, who are right in the thick of the NL Wild Card race.  I've opened packs that were just two or three years old that had less relevant players than this one from 2008.

Here's one of those Yankee Stadium Legacy inserts.  I'm not collecting these, but with so many Yankees fans out there I never seem to have trouble getting rid of them.  A solid addition to my trade box.

Here's my one-per-pack StarQuest insert.  This has already been added to the growing pile of cards that will eventually be sent to Douglas at Sports Cards from the Dollar Store.

Alright, one more pack.  2012 Topps Series 1, 8 cards and hopefully no expired Golden Giveaway code...

Some great photography to lead things off.  No idea if Brent actually caught this one or not, but what a shot!

Here's another insert that's headed off to the trade box.  These Golden Moments cards have never done it for me, so I keep the Red Sox only.

Now here's an insert that I will be keeping, as part of my Nolan Ryan collection.  Any new Nolan Ryan card basically makes a pack a win for me by default.

Here's another great outfield photo, and this time it looks like the catch was made.  Somehow I completely missed the fact that Bobby appeared in 60+ games for the Mets this year?!?!

Kind of a cool card paying tribute to Kimbrell's record 46 saves by a rookie in 2011.  I wish the photograph wasn't cropped quite so closely though.

In closing, my favorite photo in the pack, featuring Lucas Duda celebrating with his Mets teammates.

This really seems like it's going to be $20 well spent.  The Babe Ruth card is a solid throw-in, I've already got a card to send off to another blogger, two inserts for my trade box, and quite a few nice cards for myself including a new Nolan Ryan.  I actually did not have a single one of these cards previously.  And I've still got 18 packs to go!