How is everyone’s 2018 hobby holiday going? Seriously, is there a more anticipated and enjoyable release in all of sports? 2018 Topps Baseball is the product that most associate with the New Year and the excitement of another round of sports seasons. This year is absolutely no different. We have put together 2-3 different articles to help you with your 2018 Topps buying habits. Read on!!
What Retail Product to BUY?
This article is all about helping you decide which retail product makes the most economical sense. It can be confusing trying to identify which of the three products provides the most bang for your buck. But we’ve taken the guess work out of the process and help you spend your money wisely.
Housekeeping
First things first, if you need a quick glimpse at Real-Time hobby pricing, go to the 2018 Topps Series 1 Product Page.
Second, let’s quickly review the 3 retail options available to you>
- JUMBO PACK ($4.99) – These are the “rack packs” that most Target’s & Wal-Marts will have plenty of.
- HANGER BOX ($9.99) – These are the boxes that have ONE hanger box w/ ONE massive pack inside.
- BLASTER BOX ($19.99) – Target/Wal-Mart each have their exclusive boxes. Target is Jeter focused, WM is Kris Bryant focused.
Now, let’s cut to the chase. What do you buy?
#1: JUMBO PACK ($4.99)
If you are going to splurge, go take advantage of the BEST RETAIL ODDS with the Jumbo Rack Packs. They provide the best odds in almost every category and allow you to control you spending a bit more. They also provide the widest range of available retail hits (they don’t exclude much) — including most Platinum parallels.
What they don’t include: SSP RC’s, Derek Jeter or Kris Bryant Highlights, MLB Players Weekend Patch.
Exclusive Retail Content: World Series Relic PLATINUM (Auto, Relic, Relic/Auto), RC SP’s
Base Card Cost: $0.15
#2: HANGER BOX ($9.99)
After opening my first few Hanger Boxes I didn’t think these were a good “bet.” — but after another ~10 I changed my mind. Then I ran the #’s. These essentially provide the same odds (per $) as the JUMBO PACK’s, but also give you the ability to hit SSP RC’s and Jeter/Bryant Highlight cards. The odds are significantly higher with some of the upper echelon hits (compared to Jumbo) but…you weren’t expecting to hit those anyways…. right? 😉
What they don’t include: World Series Relic PLATINUM (Auto, Relic, Relic/Auto), RC SP’s, MLB Players Weekend Patch, Postseason Auto/Relic Platinum
Base Card Cost: $0.15
Why consider? – These are essentially Jumbo’s but with SSP’s and Jeter/Bryant. Factoring in those additions makes these pretty darn intriguing.
#3: BLASTER BOX ($19.99)
Out of the gate I thought these were the best bang for your buck….and then 10 boxes in…I wasn’t so sure. Then I ran the #’s and realized – HOLY BANANA’S – the odds really aren’t good in the Blaster’s. More importantly, there are a WHOLE TON of inserts/auto/relics that are NOT AVAILABLE in the blasters. When you look at the chart on bottom of this post, you’ll see a whole lot of RED. That’s because it’s missing a lot.
The saving grace with the Blasters is the Players Weekend Patch which will likely get you $5-$10. You’ll also see slightly better Jeter/Bryant odds (vs rack box). You also get the exclusive Opening Day insert set….which is pretty ugly and unimpressive.
Other than that, it’s pretty tough sledding when it comes to the Blasters.
What they don’t include: RC SP, Salute Auto/Red/Platinum, MLB Awards Auto, 83 Topps Auto/Black/Gold, Legends Making Auto, All Major League Material, World Series Champion, Postseason Performance.
Exclusive: Players Weekend Patch, Opening Day Insert
Summary Data:
This is the data on a COST basis. I take the PER PACK cost and multiply out by the odds (in that product). Helps give some balance to the odds across products.
Hope this is helpful, let us know if you have any questions!
