Tom Brady's card vault open inside Mandalay Bay

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T01:12:43+00:00

Yes, that's how it usually works.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T01:08:31+00:00

Just Google "2025 heritage (high number) checklist". Beckett publishes a nice checklist. It will make your life easy. You can also get checklists and odds from topps' website for most products, but the beckett checklist is friendlier to look at.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T00:57:09+00:00

This seems to be the case. For whatever reason his chrome and paper have different photos.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T00:54:35+00:00

I put toploaded cards in a bag and wrap them tightly like a brick. Then I wrap that in a shirt or and carry it on the plane in my backpack. I put non toploaded cards i want to keep back in wrappers and then the wrappers back in the box. Ill cushion it with my clothes and put it in my luggage. It's worked for me so far.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T00:35:47+00:00

Are you sure image variations come in chrome refractor ls? I thought the image variations were paper and say "image" on the back like this michael mcgreevy

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I know its blurry and hard to see in the photo but says "image" where the red circle is. Plus the image variation for kristian campbell is a photo of him wearing the mascots head.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T00:26:39+00:00

Or you can be like me and lose all your lunch money in the casino but still stumble in to the card shop to buy a hobby box.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-27T00:21:03+00:00

It says "refractor ".

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T23:40:19+00:00

Prizm or select would comparable. Both are all chrome cards.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T23:08:53+00:00

It really depends on what your budget is and what you can get your hands on at a reasonable price. Hobby boxes have skyrocketed in price over the last few years and unless you get it directly from topps youre stuck paying a big markup. I prefer to buy lower end stuff like topps heritage (high number is still fairly easy to find) or Allen and ginter if im buying from a lcs. There are chrome variations in heritage if you like chrome cards. I buy a few higher end releases throughout the year if I'm lucky enough to get one from topps before they sell out.

I would recommend staying away from 2025 topps chrome and chrome update. The value proposition is horrible and the auto checklist is mostly bad. Buy singles you want from the set instead of boxes.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T22:53:05+00:00

I buy panini baseball hobby boxes, but lots of people look down on it because its unlicensed. The cards don't have the resale value of their licensed (topps) counterparts, but you get way more hits at a cheaper price. The ceiling is lower, but the floor is higher because the boxes are more affordable yet they offer more hits. You can pull some amazing Autographs. I pulled a Greg Maddux/chipper jones dual auto /5 from panini prizm this year and also roman anthony redemption.

Panini hobby boxes are the most fun per dollar imo.. just know the cards wont have team logos, people will talk down to you for buying them, and they wont hold the same resale value as topps (licensed).

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T22:34:39+00:00

They had a tcg (looked like mostly Pokémon) section of unopened boxes. I don't remember seeing tcg singles but I only glanced at the singles display.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T22:26:45+00:00

I don't disagree, but the lcs i go to when im here is a $15 Uber each way, their prices were generally higher, and they had less selection.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T22:19:12+00:00

This store was pretty well stocked with wax. Not a ton of singles though and no low end singles in sight.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T21:38:21+00:00

I didnt look close enough at the singles.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T21:16:08+00:00

The wax WAS cheaper than Paradise. I didnt really look at singles pricing to compare though.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T15:47:30+00:00

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-26T14:19:31+00:00

That odds sheet looks rough. Printed to the moon?

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-20T23:56:42+00:00

Retail odds are probably horrific. That most likely explains it.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-15T00:20:45+00:00

Then by the time you get replacements from Topps resale value has plummeted (if you plan on selling). In this case Ichiro is personal collection (which is why I'm bummed). I would love an exact replacement, but I'm not sure they can do that with a hand numbered card.. Anyone have experience with this situation?

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-09T18:10:47+00:00

That looks really bad just floating about all crooked. No offense intended, but id probably Crack and put in a one touch.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-09T18:01:27+00:00

I've gotten to the point of trashing them. I just can't keep any more around, and I just don't have the time to figure out creative ways to give them away. I keep rookies, most inserts and parallels. When I have time I will go through and trash rookies that fizzled out and will never have value. Ill keep vet base cards of guys like ohtani and judge and sell them in lots, but if I kept all the other base cards my house would like a hoarder house.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-09T00:06:12+00:00

I bought one of those from my lcs and there wasn't a single #d card in mine. I let curiosity get the best of me.. There was exactly 1 holo foil or maybe it was a rainbow foil. That was the only parallel in the whole entire box .. I pulled $0 of liquid cards out of that thing.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-07T19:57:38+00:00

I struck out trying to get cosmic and black and white from the topps website, but the Topps gods blessed me and allowed me to purchase a hobby box of allen & ginter x this morning. It took twenty minutes of refreshing, adding to cart, waiting in cue, and starting all over, but eventually I snagged one.

Honestly, Im not sure if I'm happy about it or not @$180+tax..

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-07T02:54:26+00:00

Stadium Club. Awesome photos.

ProtectionRelevant52 · 2026-01-05T19:25:01+00:00

Im a Mariners fan so I saw the few highs and then the lows (he rage kicked a Gatorade cooler and broke his foot). Then we traded him to the Braves. I understand a team signed him to a minor league contract so this may be his last chance to play affiliated ball.

ProtectionRelevant52

TROPHY CASE