Yesterday I got a newsletter from my favorite local shop, Kenmore Collectibles, letting me know that 2011 Topps Series 2 had arrived. I stopped by today to pick up 2 jumbo packs. $12 for 50 cards is a great deal, especially if you're looking for less popular players to send cards to through the mail.
When I first opened each pack, I split the cards and looked straight in the middle for all the inserts that came with it. Most of the inserts from Series 2 are carryovers from Series 1, including the Diamond Duos, Kimball Champions, and Topps 60 sets. Each pack had an assortment of 6-8 inserts from various sets, as well as Diamond Giveaway cards to redeem online. At first glance, I was satisfied to find a Mike Cameron black border parallel numbered 37/60. Cam's a good signer in person and through the mail, and this card will really pop with a silver sharpie. I didn't notice anything else significant while walking to the T, with the exception of a Kelly Johnson card that had a small twinkle effect on one of his jersey buttons.
When I got home, I realized there were a few more hidden gems in these packs than I thought. (Like my jewel pun? Topps has successfully brainwashed me with their diamond-related gimmickry.)
I did a little research on the Johnson twinkly card and found out that it was part of an SP set that Topps put out. There were never official odds given for the cards, but they've been reportedly falling at an average of one per case.
That's why I was surprised when I was looking through the common cards from the other back, and noticed a nice little twinkly spot on Domonic Brown's helmet as well. Neither of these guys are big stars, but I was pretty surprised to find these special cards in back-to-back packs like that.
The final surprise came when I was redeeming the Diamond Giveaway cards online. In the past, I've redeemed them for such world-renowned cards as a 1995 Benji Gil, 1991 Carmello Castillo, and 1974 Burt Hooton. This time, my luck was a little better, as I received a Jose Reyes Diamond Die-cuts insert. It'll cost me $3 to get the physical card shipped to me, but I can't wait to see what it looks like when it arrives.
All in all, two packs that turned out to be much more than what I thought at first glance. Now, it's time to go watch the Bruins put another beating on Roberto Luongo and the Sedin Sisters!
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