Too much of a good thing

 

Yesterday while shopping for furniture I knew that this would be my chance to finally get to Target to see if the 2024 cards were there.

I had checked for cards once before last week during a quick spin through Walmart. The area where the cards were was being replaced by Easter baskets and decorations for sale. The new card station was vacant except for some fantasy something or other.

So I don't know what's going on at the Walmart nearest me but it doesn't matter because Target's got cards!

Look, 2024 Topps has its own separate display of jumbo packs! I don't think I've seen that stand-alone display for cards since I was trolling for cards 2006-08 in Walmart. They used to have them in the main aisle in individual kiosks along with the other kiosks for hair care products and batteries and acid relief.

It makes it look like Target's treating the hobby seriously again rather than let the card shelf deteriorate in disarray.

I guess it wasn't inviting enough though, I grabbed just one and then took two hanger boxes off the usual display over to the left. I don't know why I gravitated toward the hanger boxes. I guess I wanted more cards than what the jumbos offer. Also hangers sometimes have decent stuff, while also are notorious for collation issues, which we'll soon see.

But there were no blasters that I saw and I guess loose packs are out (booooooo!) so that's what I took with me.

The cards still look great so I'll keep from repeating myself and focus on other things. I'll start with the jumbo pack.

 

 308 - Reese Olson, Tigers (RC)

First card of the year is a player I don't know, which is getting to be a tradition in itself when the first cards of the season show up. At least Olson appeared in 21 games last year, so it's more me not paying attention to the AL Central.

 

319 - Miguel Amaya, Cubs

Another guy I don't know. Maybe I should get an MLB subscription again.

247 - Clay Holmes, Yankees

A Yankee is a good time to show the back. It's super-clean. The lettering is a bit tiny for me but I haven't figured out whether that's my eyes or font choices. I'll have to compare with a card from the '70s and get back to you. Flagship card backs have been fairly utilitarian recently. I'd like to return to the days with pictures on the back ... or, I can dream -- cartoons.

 

 

 133 - Checklist, Resilient Reds Rookies (Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain and Reds broadcast guy).

 

108 - Jarren Duran, Red Sox

Cards are still neon-esque. Nick, with his printing background, guessed that metallic ink was used for the neon parts.

317 - Starling Marte, Mets

OK, do you have those six cards memorized? Good.

106 - American League RBI Leaders

The head shots are a nice addition, really livens things up.

 

295 - Henry Davis, Pirates (RC)

Always a plus when I've heard of the guy with the rookie card logo.

 

318 - Justin Steele, Cubs (CC)

I'm counting rookie card logos and City Connect uniforms because there are too many of both. I may miss a CC uni or two though because who can keep track of them all?

264 - Clarke Schmidt, Yankees

212 - NL ERA Leaders

 

211 - Rays team card

119 - Hunter Greene, Reds

71 - Brandon Marsh, Phillies

 

128 - Christopher Morel, Cubs

I've seen this card a bunch. You've seen this card a bunch. The Future Stars logo is foily and I like the rainbow treatment but not crazy about it replacing the team name.

343 - Rowdy Tellez, Brewers

28 - Luis Matos, Giants (RC)

25 - Andy Ibanez, Tigers

54 - Luis Castillo, Mariners

 

187 - Joe Jacques, Red Sox (RC)

That's a great shot. I hope he gets more cards in the future and isn't know as The Rain Man. But I guess it's not such a bad thing for it to be the card people know.

 

330 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays

173 - Brady Singer, Royals

 

89 - Tyler Glasnow, Rays

Current Dodger breaking through the frame. Awesome.

 

Parallels and inserts portion of the jumbo pack. Nothing here does anything for me but nice to get a Dodger.

 

238 - Reds team card (CC)

11 - Spencer Strider, Braves (CC)

81 - Nick Fortes, Marlins

101 - Jordan Romano, Blue Jays

The vertical parade continues.

310 - Abner Uribe, Brewers (RC)

69 - Griffin Canning, Angels (CC)

 

102 - Freddie Freeman, Dodgers. DIRT!

First base Dodger is also Freeman. His cards seem easy to pull.

253 - Josh Lowe, Rays

All right, that's the end of the jumbo pack. At this point all is right with the world and I didn't suspect a thing, although I should have.

Hanger Box #1:

1 - Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves (CC)

There's the cover boy. With all the City Connect displays it's been guessed that this is Fanatics' attempt to sell uniforms to the gullible fans. Next, your official Fanatics sliding oven mitt.

 

 

269 - Cristian Javier, Astros

 

118 - Nolan Arenado, Cardinals

I think back to when I was doing first-cards-of-the-year posts for sets like 2017 and 2021 Topps and I feel sad for younger night owl.

226 - Grae Kessinger, Astros (RC)

I should have scanned this card. The Topps logo is not in the top left but in the bottom right between the rookie card logo and the position ball. Odd.

112 - Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks (CC)

 

299 - Luis Arraez, Marlins

199 - Leody Taveras, Rangers

188 - Dane Myers, Marlins (RC)

34 - Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles

61 - William Contreras, Brewers

153 - Kyle Finnegan, WSH (CC). Yuck.

36 - Prelander Berroa, Mariners (RC)

I should count up how many players I know and how many I don't. I've been proud of being able to keep up relative to my age, but it's got to be at 50-50 now.

78 - Mark Vientos, Mets

293 - NL RBI Leaders

126 - Phillies team card

307 - Austin Hays, Orioles

227 - Jhoan Duran, Twins

348 - Dale Dunning, Rangers

My first run of repeats. No need to list all the cards and names. It won't be the last.

 

166 - Zack Gelof, Athletics (RC)

335 - Ryan O'Hearn, Orioles

290 - Thairo Estrada, Giants

117 - AJ Smith-Shawver, Braves

341 - Elehuris Montero, Rockies

122 - Cal Raleigh, Mariners

 

 Hey! More repeats! These are the guys who led off the post. I did not choose that jumbo pack wisely.

 

I forgot to list the parallels/inserts the last time so I'm going to keep not doing that. The Lane Thomas is the gold foil parallel while the Diaz and Contreras cards are the hanger box-exclusive yellow parallels, which are OKish. Both are headed to fellow trade folks as is the much fancier Hunter Brown numbered card.

Also, keep those Stars of the MLB cards in mind, too. (Will we see them again? Take a wild guess!)

211 - Rays team card (dupe)

119 - Hunter Greene, Reds (dupe)

71 - Brandon Marsh, Phillies (dupe)

 

43 - Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays

Cool card. Don't know if the ball's in his glove though. I don't have time to figure it out.

195 - Dominic Canzone Mariners (RC)

156 - Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

246 - Chris Taylor, Dodgers

Nice to see Taylor not relegated to Update or a team set refugee.

174 - Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers

270 - Victor Mederos, Angels (RC)

 

20 - Pete Alonso, Mets

I'm pretty sure if I was a major leaguer I would refrain from celebrating in this fashion for fear that it would become my baseball card the next year.

 

254 - Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

284 - Randy Arozarena, Rays

Two notable ones to finish it out.

So, after two openings it doesn't look all that great with the dupes, but we're actually doing better than it looks.

On to Hanger box #2:

 

Ha, ha! You guys again! That is a first -- pulling triples on the first day of opening cards for the season.

 

I've been collecting for quite some time since Topps broke its flagship set into two series (three if you include Update) and that has never happened. I wasn't collecting when there were multiple series in the '60s and early '70s so I don't know if it was more common then, but I know when I was a kid if we pulled dupes we practically had a meltdown.

 

279 - Angels team card

 

 35 - Adley Rutschman, Orioles

240 - Andruw Monasterio, Brewers

239 - Keibert Ruiz, Nationals

265 - Alika Williams, Pirates (RC)

MOAR DUPES!!!!!

144 - Jacob Amaya, Marlins (RC)

158 - Yennier Cano, Orioles

 

285 - Willi Castro, Twins

162 - Matt Waldron, Padres

221 - Charlie Morton, Braves (CC)

33 - Willy Adames, Brewers

142 - Joey Meneses, Nationals

321 - Trey Cabbage, Angels (RC)

316 - Kutter Crawford, Red Sox

 

292 - Kodai Senga, Mets

 

206 - NL Batting Leaders. More Freeman!!!

I had to check if that was the same Arraez photo that's on his own card, but it's different.

 

Slightly.

192 - Orioles team card

276 - Gregory Santos, White Sox

80 - JP Sears, Athletics

329 - Checklist, Astros No-No

 

 Inserts and Parallels part 3, but THE SAME STARS OF MLB CARDS. 😒

This was a very Reds-friendly break, though those blue print cards don't do a thing for me.

 

274 - Riley Greene, Tigers (Greene seems to approve of the Future Stars logo).

312 - Steven Kwan, Guardians

160 - Ji Hwan Bae, Pirates

60 - Jasson Dominguez, Yankees (RC) - Wooooo, hot rooooooookie card alert!

 

107 - Shane Bieber, Guardians

There was something on Twitter about the ball being photoshopped but I think it was just the Matt Manning card (EDIT: No it's Bieber, too).

185 - Spencer Torkelson, Tigers

125 - Jake Burger, Marlins (CC)

219 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Reds (CC) (his name is brutal when you're running out of patience with a post)

336 - Dean Kremer, Orioles (CC)

234 - Wilmer Flores, Giants

 

 

 283 - Emmet Sheehan, Dodgers (RC)

There you go, there's the traveling Topps logo. It would have fit fine in the upper left.

109 - Michael Kopech, White Sox

147 - JJ Bleday, Athletics

AND WE'RE DONE.

Seventeen rookie cards by my count, not counting the repeats.

I lost track of the City Connect uniforms. But it didn't seem quite as much as I expected. Even with all the doubles I still landed enough cards for 28 percent of the set, which I guess isn't too bad on first try.

Retail isn't the best for card purchases -- I know that -- but it used to be better.

Glad I don't have to wait for them anymore. I'll probably grab a pack here and there in the months to come, they look too nice to stay away. I think I'll still like it a lot when Series 2 comes out, which is always the test of how much I truly like a set.

And if it can overcome this ...