2013 Anthony Rizzo Chasing History

With several relics, autographs and an SP in Series 1, it is a clear sign that Starlin Castro's heir apparent with Topps is Anthony Rizzo. I wasn't going to go for everything this year but when I saw that the Rizzo inserts weren't going for ridiculous prices, I decided to indulge a little.

There are three versions of Rizzo's Chasing History card. First we have the relic card. Usually on these, they state that the relic came from no particular game, event or season and that is the case here. As you can see, this is an all blue swatch and he is wearing pinstripes in the photo. More on that later though. All of the versions I saw on ebay were solid blue swatches.



I like the write-up on the back of this card. A lot of what I've seen on cards this year have been pretty informal and silly. Maybe it is just me, but I prefer blurbs that will be true and/or interesting whether I'm reading the card in 2013 or 2033. The only thing that would have made this card better was if it was a dual card with both Andre Thornton and Rizzo. No relic even needed.

Next up we have the autographed version. The front is essentially the same except for the Cubs logo where the jersey swatch was and a sticker autograph across the lower part of the player photo. Also, under Rizzo's name it says Chicago Cubs rather than Game Used Memoribilia

There are two differences in the backs of the cards. The card "numbers" are close but the relic card is CHR (R for Relic) while the autograph card is CHA (A for Autograph). Also, each has its own respective disclaimer. As mentioned, the relic card states that the piece of jersey isn't from any partiuclar game, event or season. The autograph card states that a Topps representaive witnessed the signing to guarantee the authenticity.

As I mentioned above, I was a little disappointed that they didn't use a pinstripe jersey to match the photo. And to add insult to injury, they didn't even match the photo to the event!



Photo by Brian Kersey (courtesy of Getty Images)

This is the original photo that was used and according to the caption, was a first inning single on June 26, 2012. The Cubs won this game 5-3 over the New York Mets. If you remember my post from just a few days ago where I broke down Rizzo's base card, you'll note that particular photo was the event which this card was based on. Nice cards to look at, but c'mon, man!

The final version of this card contains both an autograph and a relic. Unfortunately, it is numbered to only 25 and has been running close to three figures on ebay. This means I doubt it'll be one I add to my collection. The relic part of the card is also a piece of a patch rather than jersey which seems to be more desirable.