2008 Topps Opening Day

Another brand new sell sheet is out, this time Topps Opening Day. You can check it out here (warning: pdf file) and download the checklist and product information sheet here (#22 and 23 under the baseball section). If you liked last year's Opening Day, you'll probably like this one too.

Once again, it is 99 cents for 6 cards. The design is just like every other Opening Day product, a color variation on the Topps base set. The sell sheet is a bit confusing though, I can't tell if it has a red border with white piping around the photo or vice versa. I think the white border card is the serial numbered parallel though after zooming in on the pdf. These also have gold instead of silver foil. I would have thought the world had enough bright red borders for at least a century after 1990 Donruss, but what do I know. The design flaws that are causing the most gnashing of teeth are still evident in this sell sheet. The borders are still much wider than they need to be, and the Topps logo not only eats a chunk out of the photo, but the Opening Day logo does as well. I like the Topps base design, but the red borders here seem to be a bit much.

Once again there is a serial numbered parallel card in the Hobby packs. Each card in the set is numbered out of 2008 and has the date of opening day stamped on it. Last year's hobby packs had them one per pack if I remember correctly. Last year's puzzle insert set returns with a 28 card set dropping at 12 per box. There's also a brand new insert set called 'flappers'. According to the sheet they are "Individual cards that "transform" into multiple cards". I have absolutely no idea what these could possibly be, and they look like your run of the mill insert card by the picture on the sheet. The only card I ever know that could transform into multiple cards was the '80-81 Topps basketball set, and I was told they weren't worth anything if you ripped them apart at the perforations. There are 18 of them, two per box, so buy a box and have one to transform and one to keep pristine. There are also autograph cards and press plates. before you scoff at the idea of finding press plates in a dollar pack, the only press plate I've ever pulled was from a box of Topps Total, so it can be done. Granted, Total had 4 times as many cards in the set, but that's not the point. The autograph set features 9 rookies and has a red border that fades into a blue border on the bottom, making them by far the nicest looking cards in the entire set. Here's the auto checklist for you prospectors out there:

Jeff Baker
Jason Bartlett
John Buck
Kevin Gregg
Anthony Lerew (hooray, a Brave!)
Glen Perkins
John Rheinecker
Nate Schierholtz
Jason Botts

The checklist is fairly typical. 195 veteran cards that are loaded with stars and 25 of the rookies they are allowed to put in a set before the season starts. 65 of the veteran cards are previews of series two, including a Mark Teixeira card that I absolutely have to have. Topps put Tex in a hideously ugly sweatshirt in his first card as a Brave in Updates & Highlights and I'm despondent that crappy looking card is the only one I have of him in a Brave uni. Sadly, Mascot cards are no longer on the checklist, which is a damn shame. I'd much rather have a Phillie Phanatic than another useless Jose Vidro card. At six cards a pack, even with a small set size you'll still have to bust two boxes for a chance at a complete set. The set quite frankly probably isn't worth anyone's time, but it will probably be very tempting since it's release date of March 10th will be smack in the middle of spring training games. I've got a box of old Opening Day cards in the basement as testament of how hard that temptation is to resist.

You see anything flapping on this thing?