2012 Topps Archives Baseball Cards Box Break Recap And Review

2012 Topps Archives Baseball Cards can be best described as “something for everyone.”  While this set seems made for collectors who started in the seventies through the mid eighties, it will also appeal to set builders looking for a reasonable challenge, hit seekers looking for pulls that can’t be found anywhere else and could intrigue those that have left the hobby to come back based on the nostalgia.   In the end, everyone one of these types of collectors should be satisfied.

For collectors who were around during the original releases of these cards, this redux will feel familiar while, at the same time, seem current and should bring back feelings of when you first opened these packs. Unlike the popular Heritage line, collectors won’t have to wait 50 years to see their favorite releases get the updated treatment. 

Archives Baseball falls under our classification of trading cards. Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 8 card packs with 2 Fan Favorites Autographs Per Hobby Box and the potential for some amazing and rare finds.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from our hobby box.

Base Set - 1954 Topps

 Matt Kemp, front and back

 Jackie Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Matt Moore

 1971 Topps

 Johan Santana, front and back

 Ty Cobb, Mike Schmidt, Brett Lawrie

 1980 Topps

 Yu Darvish, front and back

 Joe DiMaggio, Ozzie Smith, R.A. Dickey

 1984 Topps

 Derek Jeter, front and back

 Roberto Clemente, Josh Hamilton, Eric Hosmer

High Numbered SPs

 Sandy Koufax - 1966 Topps, Ed Kranepool - 1970 Topps, Andy Van Slyke - 1988 Topps

 Cecil Fielder - 1991 Topps, Brett Butler - 1992 Topps, Robin Ventura - 2000 Topps

Gold Parallels

 David Ortiz - 1980 Topps, Josh Hamilton - 1984 Topps

Gold Stamped Reprints

Monte Irvin - 1953 Topps, Roberto Clemente - 1955 Topps

 Duke Snider - 1956 Topps, Yogi Berra - 1956 Topps

 Roberto Clemente - 1964 Topps, Eddie Murray - 1979 Topps

1977 Topps Cloth

Roy Halladay, front and back

 Andrew McCutchen, George Brett, Reggie Jackson

1969 Topps Deckle Edge

 Bob Gibson, Roberto Clemente

1967 Topps Stickers

 Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton, Pablo Sandoval

1968 Topps 3D

 CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano

The Hits - Fan Favorite Autographs

 Mickey Lolich Auto - 1973 Topps, Wally Backman Auto - 1986 Topps

Overall Look

Topps has selected some of the best and most loved designs from their past.  Add to that a great looking line of inserts like the Deckle Edge cards.   The Autograph cards are done really well with some smart choices for the years selected for each fan favorite.  The framed minis and the 1956 Topps Relics look great too.   

Quality and Variety of Players and Subsets.

200 base and 50 SPs make for a tight checklist.   There are excellent choices of players from the past, present and future

Do the Hits hold up?

The fan favorite autographs include some big names, like Aaron, Koufax and Mays.  The rest of the fan favorites will resonate will the more mature collecting crowd with names like Righetti, Luzinski and Matlock.  The box loader autographs from Billy Zabak and Martin Kove of Karate Kid fame seem slightly out of place as do the Celebrity Cut Signatures but hit right at the heart of the 70’s to 80’s demographic.  Luck into a beautiful Cal Ripken Jr. Touched By Greatness or any of the Topps Vault items like Autograph Contracts from players like Mays, Williams and Mantle or any of the uncut sheets and you could wind up with one the best pulls of your entire collection.

Will you want to collect them all?

Absolutely.  Topps has put their best foot forward with Archives and you will want to get your hands on as many packs as you can manage.

Rating

5 out of 5

2012 Topps Archives Baseball Cards is a wonderfully mastered set of cards with lasting appeal.  It reminds you of why you started collecting cards in the first place.


Review box provided by Topps