QUARTER BOX CHRONICLES - PART 2

THE SECOND OF THREE POSTS WHERE I SHOW OFF THE CHRONICLES SHINIES I GOT FROM THE QUARTER BOX. SOME OF THESE DESIGNS I GOT MORE THAN ONE CARD FOR! ALSO APPARENTLY PANINI BASEBALL IS DEAD NOW. LONG LIVE BASKETBALL CHRONICLES

REMINDER ON THE GIMMICK FOR THESE POSTS. FOR EACH DESIGN I WILL ANSWER THESE THREE QUESTIONS: 

• 1) HAVE I EVER HEARD OF THIS PRODUCT?
• 2) WHAT ORIGINAL SET IS THIS RIPPING OFF?
• 3) IS THIS DESIGN WORTH A DAMN OR NOT?

XR DESIGN

1) I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT AN XR IS. IT SOUNDS LIKE A SPORTS CAR MODEL OR A BRAND OF RAZORS WITH 12 BLADES PER CARTRIDGE

2) IT'S GOTTA BE BASED ON SOMETHING BUT IT JUST LOOKS LIKE GENERIC PANINI TO ME. THOSE CONE LOOKING THINGS IN THE BACKGROUND LOOK A LITTLE LIKE SEARCHLIGHTS AT A MOVIE PREMIERE, MAYBE THAT'S IT, IT'S THE EXTREMELY R-RATED TRADING CARD FOR ALL YOU GRINDHOUSE LOVERS OUT THERE

3) IT AIN'T GREAT. WITHOUT THE HOLOFOIL DAZZLING YOUR EYES WITH THE SHINY IT WOULD JUST BE A BIG MESS LIKE THAT PINNACLE CARD FROM THE LAST POST

I GOT CURIOUS AND LOOKED UP PANINI XR AND I STILL DON'T QUITE KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS. HIGH END FOOTBALL ROOKIE LOTTERY PACK MAYBE? IT'S WAY OUTSIDE OF MY COMFORT ZONE AT ANY RATE. IT KINDA REMINDS ME OF OLD UPPER DECK SPX CARDS THAT HAD A BIG X IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESIGN SO YOU KNOW IT'S COOL. A HA-SEONG KIM ROOKIE CARD IS DEFINITELY COOL, HE'S KICKING ASS FOR THE PADRES. THIS ENTIRE POST SOMEHOW ENDED UP BEING ALL ROOKIES, I'M NOT SURE HOW I PULLED THAT OFF

BLACK DESIGN

1) YEP, PANINI BLACK IS ONE OF THOSE SUPER HIGH END TWO CARDS PER PACK FOR EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS PRODUCTS I COMPLETELY IGNORE

2) THERE'S PLENTY OF CARDS WITH TWO PHOTOS ON THE FRONT AND EVEN A FEW LIKE 1994 FLAIR OR EVEN 1954 TOPPS WHERE THE SECOND PHOTO ISN'T TINY BUT I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN A CARD LIKE THIS WHERE ONE SIDE IS A FRONT PHOTO AND THE OTHER SHOWS OFF THE BUTT. I DON'T KNOW IF ALL THE CARDS SHOW OFF DAT ASS BUT THAT'S A HELL OF AN INNOVATION  FROM PANINI IF SO

3) IT'S PROBABLY MY GOTHY SIDE SPEAKING HERE, BUT I'VE ALWAYS KINDA LIKED PANINI BLACK. NOT ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY TRY TO COLLECT THE CARDS BUT I'M GLAD IT EXISTS

I'M JUST GONNA BE HONEST WITH YA, I AM NOT A PROSPECT GUY, I DON'T FOLLOW THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CLOSELY, AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW MUCH ABOUT MOST OF THE GUYS IN THIS POST. THIS WRITEUP ON THE BACK TALKING ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS DOESN'T HELP ME MUCH EITHER. LOOKS LIKE MONTE HARRISON HAS BOUNCED AROUND THE LEAGUE A BIT AND IS CURRENTLY BACK WITH THE BREWERS AFTER ORIGINALLY BEING PART OF THE CHRISTIAN YELICH TRADE

GOLD STANDARD DESIGN

1) ARGH ANOTHER THICK SHINY HIGH-END LOOKING CARD. HOW MANY $500 A BOX PRODUCTS CAN ONE COMPANY MAKE

2) THIS LOOKS LIKE THE ELITE DESIGN FROM THE LAST POST KNOCKED UP THE LEGACY DESIGN AND THEY HAD A VERY CONFUSED LITTLE LOVE CHILD

3) THIS SHIT LOOKS LIKE ALL THE OTHER SHIT. ANGLES. ANGLES EVERYWHERE! I KNOW YOU'RE ALL WONDERING HOW I COULD LOVE CHRONICLES SO MUCH WHEN I AM COMPLAINING THAT SO MANY DESIGNS LOOK THE SAME BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND I DO APPRECIATE THE VARIETY OF THE CARDS EVEN IF A LOT OF THEM BLUR TOGETHER. PLUS THE SHEER GRIP HOLOFOIL HAS UPON MY SOUL CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED

ANOTHER YERMIN ROOKIE CARD HERE, AT THE MOMENT I'M WRITING THIS HE WASN'T SIGNED BY ANY TEAM YET. THIS POST PROBABLY WON'T BE OUT FOR A MONTH THOUGH SO I STILL HAVE HOPE THAT HE'LL CATCH ON WITH SOME TEAM THAT NEEDS SOME CATCHING IN SPRING TRAINING

CLEAR VISION DESIGN

1) THIS IS A TOPPS TEK RIPOFF IF I EVER DID SEE ONE. HOWEVER TOPPS TEK RIPPED OFF THE INNOVATION OF A HUNDRED DIFFERENT ACETATE INSERT SETS THAT CAME BEFORE IT, SO THERE'S NO SHAME HERE

2) LIKE I SAID, IT'S PANINI TEK. I DUNNO IF THERE'S A HUNDRED DIFFERENT PATTERN DESIGNS BUT LET'S HOPE THERE IS NOT

3) THE SHITTIEST ACETATE CARD IS BETTER THAN 99% OF EVERYTHING ELSE EVER PRINTED, SO YAH I LIKE

THE BACK IS A TRAVESTY THOUGH. IF PANINI LEFT OUT EVEN ONE WORD OF THE PALTRY AMOUNT OF TEXT ON THE BACK THEY MIGHT'VE BEEN SUED. I IGNORE THE DIAMONDBACKS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SO I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PERDOMO. LOOKS LIKE HE'S A GOOD DEFENSIVE SHORTSTOP FIGHTING FOR A SPOT WITH NICK AHMED ON ONE SIDE AND HOT PROSPECT JORDAN LAWLAR ON THE OTHER

TITANIUM DESIGN

1) HOLY SHIT, THIS IS AN OLD PACIFIC PRODUCT! FOOTBALL AND HOCKEY ONLY, SLIGHTLY HIGHER-END BRAND, NEVER REALLY ESTABLISHED IT'S GIMMICK. I LOVE SEEING ANY OLD PACIFIC REFERENCE THOUGH 

2) THIS LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE OLD PACIFIC SETS SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S BASED ON, IF ANYTHING

3) IT'S THICK AND SHINY AND HAS SOME FOIL ON IT AND I'M GOING TO FORGET ABOUT IT THE MOMENT THE TAB IS CLOSED BUT IT'S FUN TO LOOK AT FOR A COUPLE SECONDS. IT ACTUALLY DOES THE X DESIGN WAY BETTER THAN XR DOES

WAS PANINI FORBIDDEN TO DIFFERENTIATE LEAGUES? I GUESSED THIS IS A YANKEES PLAYER THROUGH JERSEY COLOR CONTEXT CLUES BUT THE LACK OF INFORMATION ON THIS CARD IS FRISTRATING. DEIVI HAS ONLY PITCHED 8 GAMES FOR THE YANKEES BUT HE'S YOUNG, HE'S A STARTER AND EVERY TEAM NEEDS AS MANY OF THEM AS THEY CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON

OH LOOK OUR FIRST DOUBLE. I MEAN VALUE ADDED RED PARALLEL. THERE'S NUMBERS ON THIS CARD!

TITAN DESIGN

1) I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS AND IT APPEARS TO BE EXCLUSIVE TO CHRONICLES. MAYBE THIS IS AN ACTUAL INSERT SET AND NOT JUST THE 'ALL THE BRANDS ARE INSERTS' TYPE OF THING

2) I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. BLACK & WHITE PHOTO WITH A PURPLISH BACKGROUND? MAYBE A WEIRD OLD SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

3) I APPROVE OF ANYTHING THAT JUST GOES FOR IT AND TRIES SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE. ALSO THE COOL COLOR PALETTE PLEASES MY PEEPERS

I TOOK A LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER TITAN RELEASES AND APPARENTLY IT'S BASED ON THE ACTUAL MOON OF SATURN??? I DEFINITELY APPROVE OF SPACE-BASED TRADING CARDS AND I NEED TO TRACK DOWN THE ACUÑA FROM THIS SET NOW. THIS IS MY FIRST JO ADELL ROOKIE CARD, WHICH IS GOOD, BUT HE'S ALREADY BEEN LAPPED BY ABOUT SIX OTHER 'CAN'T-MISS' PROSPECTS SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE CARES ABOUT POOR JO ANYMORE

THE SECOND TITAN CARD IS THE ROOKIE CARD OF TAYLOR TRAMMELL WHO LIKE ADELL HAS HAD A ROUGH TIME OF IT IN THE BIGS. HE ALSO APPARENTLY GOT HURT IN SPRING TRAINING WHICH SUCKS. TRAMMELL WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL IN KENNESAW SO I'M ROOTING FOR A BOUNCEBACK SEASON FOR HIM. IT'S A GOOD THING I DIDN'T GET A THIRD CARD FROM THIS SET OR I'D BE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO THINK I COULD MAYBE TRY TO BUILD IT

THESE CARDS KIND OF REMIND ME OF THAT CHRONICLES BASKETBALL DRAFT PICKS PACK I GOT A WHILE BACK. I DON'T KNOW WHO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE BUT IT'S FUN TO FIND OUT. IT'S LIKE FORGETTING THE NIGHT OF YOUR FANTASY DRAFT AND FINDING OUT WHAT PLAYERS GOT AUTOPICKED FOR YOU. SIX MORE SETS TO GO, INCLUDING THE BEST OF THE BUNCH