A couple of weeks back, they started a variation of the Topps Now program that they are calling Throwback Thursday. In a nutshell, every Thursday they release a new 6-card set featuring one of their old designs. Its similar in that the print runs are limited to the number of sets they pre-sell and will be announced shortly after the sale closes. But unlike the Topps Now program, these sets are available for a whole week instead of just a day.
What can I say other than I am a sucker. I bit on the first set as I was already buying the Albert Almora card I showed off on Monday. It didn't hurt that this inaugural set also included Kris Bryant. After a little hemming and hawing, I picked up the "3 sets for $50" deal (otherwise they are $20 apiece) with free shipping. I'm kinda, sorta, maybe interested in building the set for myself, but really I just want the Cubs singles.
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| #1 Bryce Harper |
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| #2 Mike Trout |
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| #3 Clayton Kershaw |
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| #4 Kris Bryant |
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| #5 Trevor Story |
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| #6 Cory Seager |
This first run of cards has a print run of 1,665 sets. That's higher than your standard Topps Now card runs but lower than I would have expected for this inaugural set.
The cards themselves feel thicker than the Topps Now cards which are already pretty sturdy too. They aren't as glossy as those, so I'd compare it to an early Gypsy Queen or Heritage. I don't have any of those from recent releases so can't compare quality.
Each week will sport a different theme. According to the back of the cards, the first week was "Players to Watch." Seems appropriate enough for use with the 1955 Bowman TV set design.
It'll be interesting to see what themes they come up with without reusing a lot of the same players. Spoiler alert, Bryce Harper already has another card in the second set and Clayton Kershaw has another in the third.
And actually, as I type this, I'm starting to doubt I'll continue to build this complete set. Throwing a Ulysses S. Grant out there every week is going to get expensive real quick. If I could find the time and motivation to flip the extras, it would definitely help alleviate the financial strain and possibly end up lucrative, but I'm a realist.
We'll see how it goes. The Week Two cards are already in transit to me so next Thursday I'll showcase those. And I did bite the bullet and order a Week Three set as well since another Cub was featured.
In the meantime, since I'm breaking a set up for the Bryant, if anybody is interested in one of the other five singles, let me know. Otherwise, I'm probably going to list them up on eBay over the weekend.
I'm mixed on this idea/trend of Topps. They already produce both Heritage AND Archives which reproduce older sets. lets see if they do this each week that an extra 52 sets each year. Yeah and the cost for each set does burn a hole in ones pocket. Trading cards are not "cheap" anymore and there are many other more expensive things that are needed more in life.
ReplyDeleteI do like Topps Now even though their decisions on what to feature sometimes seem arbitrary. If the Cubs win it all this year, it'll make for a nice commemorative set.
DeleteI get what you are saying about Heritage and Archives, but they did step outside that box in Week 3 with their design choice. If they keep that up, I'm more likely to keep buying.