The Topps Chrome craze is upon, but buyer beware. Topps Chrome typically does not sustain value. It is a fun product to open at or shortly after release.
Upon release, I missed finding Topps Chrome at the first Target store I visited, but was able to catch the vendor at the second store. By the time I arrived, the vendor was at the service desk with a Target employee handing out boxes to collectors.
There was a line of six guys in front of me and the store was limiting quantity to one each of Topps Chrome and Panini Chronicles basketball cards. I was able to secure a blaster box, hanger box, and fat pack of Topps Chrome.
The following week I stopped at a Wal-Mart store that appeared to be recently stocked and there was five blasters and eight fat packs (with the pink refractors) of Topps Chrome.
It’s a difficult decision for me deciding which 1980’s Topps design I like better. Is it 1985? Or is it 1987? For the sake of this blog post, today I’m going with the 1985 Topps design, and the inserts in Chrome are beautiful. Here’s the Nico Hoerner rookie from the insert set in Topps Chrome.
Pink or Sepia? Which is your choice? My vote goes to the pink refractors. I just think they have a sharper look than the sepia refractors. I was able to pull a pair of Javier Baez pink refractors.
And a Kris Bryant pink refractor.
Unfortunately, I didn’t pull any Cubs sepia refractors. It seems like the odds are much better in the 2020 Topps Chrome product to pull the black and white negative refractors.
In my haul, I hit on three of them including Jose Altuve and Carlos Santana. But…my favorite is this one…
And finally, I was able to get a base refractor of Anthony Rizzo.
Now, here’s why I love retail over hobby. Again…that’s if you are lucky enough to find retail trading cards instead of empty shelves. My retail buy was six blaster boxes, nine value packs, and one hanger box. My total spend was $240.
A hobby box of 2020 Topps Chrome will run you $275. One hobby box guarantees two autographs and you will receive 96 cards (24 packs with four cards per pack).
My retail spend of $240 netted two autographs (Travis Lakins refractor auto /499 and Logan Allen base auto) and a total of 352 cards.
This week’s release is Topps Archives, and I am really hoping to find some. It’s a really fun product to open.