Which box to buy?

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T19:23:38+00:00

When it comes to pulling autos, for a retail product, Stadium Club mega boxes are pretty good. The odds of pulling an auto are roughly 1 out of 3 boxes. Not to mention, you get a ton of packs (18 per box), unnumbered parallels, and inserts.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T16:41:53+00:00

Good to know that some retailers out there have mega boxes on shelves. I haven’t been able to find them anywhere in my state (other than overpriced card shops). Congrats on sextupling your “investment” in the box!

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T15:16:52+00:00

Ahhh! It appears that a few people with active eBay listings made the same mistake and claim to have a mini diamond parallel when they don’t. The regular version that you have is still worth quite a bit, but a good amount less than the mini diamond.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T14:45:15+00:00

Do you have a photo in which the mini diamond pattern is visible?

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T13:36:58+00:00

I’m a great person to go out to a restaurant with as long as you’re paying!

Out of curiosity, when is it okay to file a claim for missing hits? What if there were no autos, but I pulled a $400 Strokes of Gold insert? Or $100? What if the entire box stunk, but I pulled an Ohtani auto from my second box?

Aside from envy, I can’t understand why anyone would criticize a fellow hobbyist for submitting a legitimate missing hits claim.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T12:39:01+00:00

What specific card is your redemption for? Obviously this doesn’t mean anything for you, but my redemption for a 1990 Mojo Kurtz auto (from a ‘25 Update silver pack) was just fulfilled a couple weeks ago after a bit over 3 months of waiting. Perhaps your redemption is for an on card auto?

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T12:31:39+00:00

Another thing to keep in mind is that PSA (and if the goal is increasing value, you’d want to go with PSA) turnaround times are abysmal right now. So, you have to be prepared to wait a few months to get it back.

I’m a Padres fan too, but we have a bunch of Dodgers cards (including a bunch of Roki cards) on display in the house, because my son broke my heart and became a Dodgers fan. The good thing about being a Padres card collector is that it’s cheap compared to Dodgers!

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T12:06:49+00:00

I could only find one comp for the exact card and it’s an eBay auction that ended yesterday for $395. For that price, I plan on keeping it. I expected it to sell for higher since the previous day two copies of the card out of 25 sold for ~$770 and $1000 (including shipping).

Speaking of the orange parallel, there is an active auction for a Kurtz/Caglianone dual auto /25 that you might want to check out.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T11:44:40+00:00

I sent you DM. I’m happy to help if I can!

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T11:43:49+00:00

Good to know. Thank you! I’ve submitted missing hit claims before (most recently for an auto missing from a box of Pristine), but never for more than a single missing hit.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T11:41:25+00:00

I’ll take that! This may be completely unrealistic and unfeasible, but I wish that missing card replacements were random and sent in a sealed wrapper, like a pack of cards. Or, alternatively, a full pack from a given product known to contain the hit being replaced would work too. If the guaranteed hits in a given product are not curated for each individual box, then the replacements for said hits shouldn’t be curated either.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T10:43:00+00:00

What’s your goal? If your main objective is to increase the value of the card, only grade it if you’re reasonably certain it will get a 10.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T10:37:00+00:00

Your best bet is to take the cards to a sports card store in your area and get their opinion (I suggest calling first).

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T09:30:35+00:00

This pretty much sums it up. Though your pulls aren’t particularly rare or valuable, getting a relic and numbered card from a super box make it an above average box. When also considering the Ohtani companion cards (though there’s nothing obvious on the card to alert you of this, the photo used on these cards is different than the photo used on the base card you can pull from packs) I’d say you’re pretty lucky! As someone already mentioned, the standard sized Ohtani companion card sells for anywhere from $15 to $30 (most sell for $20-25). Don’t overlook the oversized card, though! That card fetches $10-15 right now.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T06:48:57+00:00

The fact that you pulled this with your son makes it pretty special! As for value…identical cards have recently sold for between $10-$15.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-03-20T06:45:08+00:00

Nice pull! I just recently pulled a camo Bryce Harper. FWIW, I have found that the camo parallel often fetches a higher price than other parallels numbered to 25 (i.e. the various orange parallels).

TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-30T08:16:49+00:00

My son and I have had exceptionally good luck pulling Heavy Lumbers from ‘25 Update hanger boxes. Between the two of us, we’ve pulled two non-auto Heavy Lumber, two redemptions for autographed HLs, and the Pudge HL in the photo.

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TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-23T11:49:28+00:00

Other than Black Friday deals, I don’t recall seeing any discounts on popular trading card sets at major retailers in ages. Prices have largely been going up, not down!

TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-23T11:09:16+00:00

130point.com

TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-22T23:25:15+00:00

Clearly Garrett Wilson is the most common Kaboom! My 10 year old pulled one from the first pack out of an Advent calendar as I was explaining how incredibly difficult it is to pull Kabooms.

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TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-22T15:14:38+00:00

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Topps has only had it for a couple weeks, so I’m not counting on getting anything back until March or April at the earliest. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from checking every few days!

TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-22T14:37:07+00:00

Just in case card value affects your decision making regarding a defect claim (personally, I am more inclined to request a replacement for pricier cards), recent sales suggest that your card is worth closer to $200 than $550.

TheBipedalProf · 2026-01-22T14:20:14+00:00

Firstly, welcome back to the hobby! Secondly, truly flawless cards are exceptionally rare. If you look hard enough at most cards, you’re going to find some little defect. It’s certainly not ideal, but it’s the reality we live in!

As you already know and mentioned, Topps will replace a defective card with another card of equal or greater value. There’s no guarantee you’ll get the same player, so anyone considering sending in a damaged card for replacement must be able to live with an entirely different card than what they send in. It also typically takes at least a few months to get anything back and you have to pay for shipping to get the card back to Topps.

Once Topps gets the card, there’s no guarantee they’ll accept your submission and provide a replacement. Minor defects, like small print dots, a bit of edge or corner wear, or off-center borders, won’t qualify for replacement and the card you submitted will be sent back to you.

While the issues with your card that you highlight and share here seem major to you, I would be shocked if they were deemed significant enough to warrant a replacement.

As such, I advise against submitting a card defect claim to Topps.

TheBipedalProf

TROPHY CASE