2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Box Break Recap And Review

Last year Topps introduced Gypsy Queen which is based on the 1887 N174 release.  There were some problems with the pack out, but that didn’t overshadow how well the cards were received.  Many set collectors were looking forward to 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Cards and now they are here.  These cards still look great. There is so much to like here.

Some find the set and its short print and photo variations confusing, as they are not the same configurations for the base and mini set.  I posted a detailed explanation of the base set and the mini set structures and variations with complete visuals to help collectors understand this year’s release because I like what Topps has done here.   I feel they have created multiple levels of commitment for set builders.   You can go for just the base set, or the base set with photo variations or any number of combinations up to a master set.  Having that kind of variety brings this in line with some of the best building sets out there.

Gypsy Queen falls under our classification of trading cards.  You can find it in retails and hobby form with Hobby Boxes containing 24 – 10 card packs with a box topper of 10 minis and 2 relic and 2 autograph cards.

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

Base Set

 Derek Jeter, front and back

 Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays

 Cal Ripken Jr., David Wright, Ichiro

 Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Bob Gibson

 Dustin Pedroia, Eric Hosmer, Mike Trout

Base Set Photo Variations - Link to the Complete Visual Checklist

 Carlos Gonzalez. David Freese, Mariano Rivera

 Mike Moore, Mike Schmidt, Ryan Braun

Paper Framed - #/599

Moonshots

 Curtis Granderson, Albert Belle

 Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt

 Jose Bautista, Mike Stanton, Josh Hamilton

Sliding Stars

 Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter

 Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler

 Jacoby Ellsbury, Jimmy Rollins

 Jose Reyes, Starlin Castro

Glove Stories

 Ben Revere, Dewayne Wise

 Jeff Francoeur, Josh Hamilton

Mini Set Photo Variations  - Link to the Complete Visual Checklist

 Buster Posey, David Ortiz

 Joe Mauer, Justin Upton

 Ryan Howard, Matt Kemp, Victor Martinez

Gypsy Queen Backs

 Mickey Mantle, front and back

 Scott Rolen, Troy Tulowitzki, Stephen Drew

Straight Cut

 Mike Trout, front and back

 Edwin Jackson, Adam Lind, Brian McCann

High Number SPs

 Heath Bell, Gary Carter

Insert Mini Parallels

 Starlin Castro Sliding Stars

 Ralph Kiner Moonshots, Jeff Francoeur Glove Stories

SP Parallels

 Troy Tulowitzki Sepia #/99, Dellin Betances Green Border

 Prince Fielder Black Border, Russell Martin Black Border

The Hits

 Matt Cain Relic, Prince Fielder Mini Framed Relic

 Gaby Sanchez On-Card Auto, Johnny Cueto On-Card Auto

Overall Look

The overall look of these cards is very appealing.  The absence of stats on the back is normally an issue for me, but feels appropriate for this release.  The autographs are some of the most attractive out there and anything framed in this set works well.

Quality and Variety of Players and Subsets.

Once again this a great mixture of the past and the present with the big names of yesterday, today and the future all represented very well. 

Do the hits hold up?

On Card autos that are look fantastic with a shot at some big names.   Gypsy Kings relic and autograph cards are fun if you follow the employees of Topps.

Will you want to collect them all? 

Absolutely.  This is a fun set to build and offers collectors a variety of options to sink their teeth into.

Rating

5 out of 5

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball should be high on set builders lists.  


Review box provided by Topps