Thursday 11 April 2013

2013 Gypsy Queen Box 1 Recap & Review

Box number one is ripped and sorted, this post will count as a box recap and a product review with box 2 and a summary to follow. While I did not get much of a return on investment, that's not really why I buy boxes. I enjoy this product and as a set builder, getting a box with 4 hits is pretty nice.

Base cards (177 cards, no dups) - I am not confident that the number 177 is correct, but I am sure that there were zero doubles in the box, and for a set collector this is great. As someone who started collecting in the late 1980's this is still amazing to me. My love for Gypsy Queen is no secret and this year is no different, I would put this years design ahead of last year, but not as good as 2011. This years design is a little busy and the elaborate borders do take away from the photo in some cases, I hope that 2014 goes in the other direction and simplifies the design a little. (and hopefully they can get some new photos to use)

SP (6) - I don't mind the SP's, but scattering them around the set is pretty annoying. 2011 did it best by putting them in order as the last 50 cards.


SSP (0) - I cannot express how much I hate these. I was hoping beat the odds (1:465 hobby packs) and get one, but no such luck. I pisses me off knowing I will probably never "finish" the 2012 set because of the Darvish, and now they put 25 of these in this years set. I don't know who these cards are aimed at, but I am sure I am not the only collector who hates this.

Framed Blue (1) - A recurring theme with the GQ sets, not really high on these, something doesn't look as nice as the last two years, not bad, but not great.

Autographs (2) - My pulls sucked big time in this box with Jean Segura and Brett Jackson, two players I probably could not have told you what teams they played for before yesterday. That aside, these are great again, the on card autographs look great as always, and a bigger checklist might give you disappointing pulls, it makes players you don't usually find available, and for reasonable prices.

Relics (1 "regular" and 1 mini framed) - My Relics were not any better than the auto's with Jon Jay and Danny Espinosa. The regular relics are fine, but I really don't like the framed mini relics, it leaves no room for a photo, although the black borders look way better then the faded purple from last year. I am not a big relic guy to begin with, so don't be surprised by my lack of enthusiasm for these.

Mini (20) - I am kind of "meh" on minis, they are a cool novelty but I don't get to excited about them. I will say I prefer them to colored bordered parallels. The mini's this year are really hurt by the border design, it doesn't leave much room for the photo and that's a minus in my books.

Mini SP (1) - See the "meh" above.

Mini Sepia (1) - Takes away from the photo even more, pretty "meh"

Mini Green (1) - These really pop this year, the bright border around the filtered photo really works with the green, a huge step up from last years washed out pale green borders.

Mini Black (1) - My favorite cards from last year do not disappoint, I love black borders and these are very nice, will be chasing the Rockies team set again this year. Add a serial to these and the Greens are a nice touch as well.

Mini Box (10) - These are kind of a cool bonus, but honestly I would rather have another regular pack in the box than these.

Gloves Stories (4) - A returning set from last year, a really cool idea for an insert set with good photos, not a huge fan of the design, but it is not bad enough to take away from the card.

Dealing Aces (6) - I see what they are doing with Aces and playing cards, but these are terrible, especially the red ones, just a gross, ugly, busy design that I hope does not return next year.

No-Hitters (6) - A similar design to the Aces, just not as over the top. I like cards that mark a moment in time and collect cards that recognize perfect games, so I am on board with these.

Collisions at the Plate (3) - I love these, there have not been many insert sets that feature catchers so these are welcomed, a really nice design, way more subtle than the base cards, and with a Rockie and an Expo they have my total support here.

Sliding Stars (4) - This is probably my favorite border design in the product, it would be interesting to see what they would look like in a vertical design. Nice photo's as well.

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