⚾ Catching Our Breath After 2024 Topps Series 1… What’s Next!?!
Our first "Happy Hobby Newsletter" pack is full of hits, numbered cards and gum stains!
Every “2024 Happy Hobby Newsletter” pack has 11 different sports cards, including one insert, and one chalky, tasteless stick of gum!
Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
All card images come courtesy of BuySportsCards.com.
⚾JUMBO CARD 1: The Anticipation and The Routine
Ever since I was a young Happy Hobbster, I always had a routine when it came to opening my packs of cards. I even remember how it all started.
My Dad returned from a business trip in upstate New York, and he brought home a box of 1978 Topps Baseball cello packs for me and my two older brothers. We had a fantasy draft based on the players we could see on the front and back -- the Ron Guidry pack went first overall to my oldest brother, Scott. (How he got the first pick, I don’t recall, but my guess is Wet Willies and Indian burns were involved until Mike and I acquiesced.)
My Dad allowed us to open just one pack each, per day.
24 packs / 3 brothers = 8 days of awesomeness
This was how the fine art of anticipation was instilled in me. For the rest of my life, I would spread out the enjoyment of something by waiting, anticipating, and considering the possibilities, before finally partaking. Whether it was baseball card packs, movie theater popcorn (I must wait until the first word of the movie is spoken before eating!), or any other exciting endeavor in life, my anticipation of it is a large portion of my enjoyment.
We weren’t rich, and I don’t remember getting boxes of cards like this more than three times in my childhood, so it was quite eventful.
The anticipation of what I would find in those packs began to mold the routine that followed for decades.
As a young man, living on my own in the early ‘90s in Lakeland, Fla., I would hit the local card shop about one Saturday a month. I’d peruse for an hour or so, grab the latest copy of Beckett, and finally “draft” about $50 worth of packs and singles that many would eventually proclaim to be junk wax!
On the way back to my one-bedroom estate, attached to someone else’s house, I’d swing by Shanghai Express for the No. 9 lunch special and a couple bonus egg rolls. Once I got home, I’d turn on NBA Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad, clear the coffee table, lay out my prey (packs of cards), and I’d put all the packs in order of worst to best. Then I’d eat my lunch and let the anticipation pour over me, thinking of the amazing inserts I’d pull from these packs.
The question wasn’t if I’d pull great cards, it was instead, do I have enough top-loaders to protect all nine Frank Thomas Rookie Sensations cards I’m expecting to pull!?!
I would finally put my lunch leftovers away, clean off the coffee table, and begin opening packs. Obviously, my anticipation was greater than the actual event, and I thankfully/woefully had enough top-loaders for all my big hits.
Some score that as a great disappointment. But I submit to you, dear reader, that my joyful anticipation made this event, month after month, a great success!
Decades later, as I open packs and blasters and boxes on my YouTube channel, I sometimes forget about that anticipation. I can’t take time between the packs like I normally would, as I’m trying to keep the videos under 3 hours.
But last year, Scott H., a fellow Happy Hobbyist and one of my channel’s many shrewd and experienced commenters, sent me a blaster of 2022 Topps Archives one day with a note. He thanked me in the note for my videos, and in reference to the blaster he sent, it read, “Open this off the air.”
So, I did.
I was able to take my time. Watch a game in the background. Eat some Chinese food with a bonus egg roll.
My routine slipped back on easily like a buttery-soft T-shirt. The joy of anticipation had returned.
So now, every now and then, I’ll open some packs off camera. I can’t remember what any of my hits were, but I can remember I enjoyed the process.
Thank you, Scott H.! (It came full circle – from one Scott to another Scott!)
⚾CARD 2: 2024 Topps Series 1 is a Hit!
The two most popular videos on my channel so far this year have been my 5 Best Rookies video and my Jumbo Box Break video. There have been some pretty happy collectors out there, including Micah and Josh from MJ Family Time Cards, who pulled a pretty sweet Home Field Advantage card!
The new 2024 design was well received, once we got it in our hands, and I’m super excited to see this look in Topps Chrome in a few months.
My 5 Initial Reactions
1. I feel like the hobby boxes trumped the jumbo boxes this year. (View their prices on eBay in the links.)
2. The 1989 throwback cards look so stinking good.
3. The Superstar Blueprint cards look so stinky.
4. The 2023 All Topps Team is a welcome Series 1 insert that should stick for decades to come.
5. The Home Sweet Home Stadium Medallions are the coolest manufactured relics ever.
⚾CARD 3: Numbered Card 1 of 3 – 666
Upper Deck’s very first employee back in the late ‘80s was Tom Geideman, a teenager who was tasked with constructing the set lists through the early ‘90s. Card No. 666 was always reserved for one of the L.A. Dodgers because he hated that team.
1989: Kirk Gibson
1990: Jose Gonzalez
1991: Mickey Hatcher
1992: Bob Ojeda
1993: Jim Gott
🏀CARD 4: Ranking the Top 10 Basketball Rookie Cards This Month
In celebration of the recent release of 2023-24 Panini Prizm Basketball, I thought I’d share the rookie cards that have been clicked on the most from my “Best Basketball Rookie Cards From Each NBA Season” article.
1. 2003 Topps Kendrick Perkins 247 – I can’t explain it, but it was clicked on nearly 50% more than the second-most card on that article. View on eBay!
2. 1992 Topps Shaquille O’Neal – View on eBay!
3. 1996 Topps Kobe Bryant 138 – View on eBay!
4. 2023-24 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama 136 – View on eBay!
5. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan 57 – View on eBay!
6. 1989 NBA Hoops David Robinson 138 – View on eBay!
7. 1980 Topps Magic Johnson RC / Julius Erving / Larry Bird RC – View on eBay!
8. 1990 Fleer Shawn Kemp 178 – Interesting! – View on eBay!
9. 1981 Topps Larry Bird 4 – View on eBay!
10. 2009 Topps Stephen Curry 321 – View on eBay!
⚾CARD 5 – INSERT: “Buying Vintage Unopened Packs on eBay” with The Wax Pack Dad
In each Happy Hobby Newsletter pack, we plan to save a space for a “Hobby Buddy.” This week, it’s Ryan Lins from The Wax Pack Dad YouTube channel.
"Looks like those packs were resealed."
That’s quite possibly the worst feedback you can get as a YouTube content creator. You spent your money sourcing packs, editing and posting your video. Not only that, but you end up disappointing your audience. And trust me, when you show a resealed pack, the Internet trolls come out of the “word” work.
Facebook Marketplace and eBay are rough places to purchase unopened packs. Think of the Mos Eisley Cantina, for you Star Wars fans -- a hive filled with scum and villainy. But after being burned more than a few times, I've started to have success leading to better packs and bigger hits! These are a few rules that have helped me out.
When the eBay listing says "sold as is" and "no guarantees," assume the packs have been tampered with. I prefer "I guarantee this will pass pack grading," or "one owner."
Don't purchase on Facebook Marketplace without being able to see the product and check for roller marks, corner folds, etc.
Find a good seller and then continue to utilize them. Check word of mouth, past experiences, and eBay rating. I usually try to keep the feedback at 98% positive or better with no comments on resealed packs.
I also like Grocery Rack Packs -- they are difficult to tamper with and unlike other rack packs, you cannot search them manually.
These tips won't guarantee a successful purchase, but they upped my game from 80% success to 95% in one year!
The Wax Pack Dad YouTube channel is one of the most entertaining vintage wax channels out there – please check it out and subscribe. Wooooooo!!!
⚾CARD 6: Numbered Card 2 of 3 – 2
The number of Major Leaguers who have hit over 350 home runs, while striking out fewer than 450 times: Joe DiMaggio and his Yankees teammate Yogi Berra.
⚾CARD 7: Cards That Make Us Happy – 1969 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez 653
Aurelio Rodriguez spent 17 seasons in the majors with seven different teams. This 1969 Topps card of his is cheap and unremarkable – and it’s also a picture of the Angels bat boy that spring! The jury is still out if it was a prank or just a mistake, but I want to know if batboy Leonard Garcia signs it at card shows?
⚾CARD 8: Numbered Card 3 of 3 – 500
When we reach 500 subscribers to this “Happy Hobby Newsletter,” we’re doing a giveaway to one random subscriber! Our very first newsletter giveaway (and we do a bunch of giveaways on our YouTube channel) is a 1962 Topps Yogi Berra PSA 5 slab! Stay tuned for when that hits! I will announce the winner on my YouTube channel, but I will also reach out through an email.
⚾CARD 9: PATRICK’S PICKS
Patrick Imhoff is one of the Happy Hobbyists that helps me out a ton on this channel. In this section, he’ll share some of his favorite tips and tricks.
Rookie Card Quick Picks: When collecting on a limited budget, finding great deals is a must. There are two specific rookie cards I have been following from the 2024 Topps Series 1 collection:
Ronny Mauricio, 2B/SS, N.Y. Mets – Card No. 224
Endy Rodriguez, C, Pittsburgh Pirates – Card No. 3
Both players would be breaking camp and most likely in the starting lineups of their respective teams had injuries not ended their 2024 seasons. While the injuries do provide risk to their futures, both are 2023 Top 100 Prospects 23 years old or younger. You should be able to find Topps Gold parallel cards numbered out of 2024 for under $15 each selling on eBay. (Don’t get tricked into buying the gold foil parallels, though, make sure you look at the back to find the “# / 2024” stamp.)
⚾CARD 10: Happy Hobby Poll!
⚾CARD 11: Happy Hobby Moment
Each “2024 Happy Hobby Newsletter” pack will end with a Happy Hobby moment that should make you smile and remember why this hobby makes us so happy. This video is one that has circulated for a few years now, but it’s still one of the all-time greatest Happy Hobby moments ever!
I know, this newsletter was waaaaay too long. But it’s the first one!
Until you open our next pack, have a Happy Hobby!
As the first Scott in your remembering, I do not recall the "Wet Willies and Indian burns". I do, however, remember the baby brother using my cards to clip to the spokes of his bicycle (with training wheels) trying to get his bike to sound like mine and crayon mustaches drawn on my Greg Luzinski. That is why you wound up with 18, 1976 Mickey Scotts. In the end though, you wound up with my entire collection. So, quit crying in your sauerkraut.
Other than that, fantastic first newsletter! Very enjoyable read.
Love the variety of the newsletter! I can relate to the resealed packs! Patrick Imhoff Micah pulled Endy Rodriguez in the hanger exclusive yellow. Great stuff here David. The poll was cool to im excited to both Jacksons RCs i think they both break camp starting for their teams!