A couple of Anthonys...

Within the last week or, I picked up this Tony Campana Black Printing Plate on ebay. It arrived on Saturday.

Tony Campana, 2012 Topps Black Printing Plate

It went for about $5-10 more than what I wanted to pay for it but I picked up a few other things from the same seller with combined shipping to make it a little more palatable. I also own the yellow printing plate from his 2011 Topps Update card. Yesterday I wrote about Jeff Baker's 2012 Topps Series 2 card after I tracked down the source photo through Getty Images. I decided to try to track down this photo too.

Source Photo courtesy of Getty Images

According to the Getty caption, this is an Andrew McCutchen fly ball in the 3rd inning of a 6-3 victory over the Pirates on September 4, 2011. I double checked the boxscore and Campana went 2-5 with a run scored, and not shockingly, a stolen base.

And in honor of Anthony Rizzo making his debut later today, this will be the last few hours as a Zero Year Card for his 2012 Topps Series 2 card.

Anthony Rizzo, 2012 Topps Series 2

And because he hasn't played a game with the Cubs yet, we know this is Photoshopped. Wrigley Wax has already found a few things wrong with the uniform here. I thought they did a decent job with the pinstripes considering his former team the Padres didn't utilize them as part of their uniform. At least I thought they didn't.

Source Photo courtesy of Getty Images

This appears to be some kind of throwback uniform but I don't remember them ever wearing these back in the day. The Getty caption says this is Rizzo watching his first Major League home run on June 11, 2011 in a 2-1 loss against the Nationals. The boxscore shows he went 2-4 with this home run and a double.

2012 Topps Jeff Baker

I don’t know why this card intrigues me but it does.

2012 Topps Jeff Baker Bearded Guy

My first thought when I saw the iconic Wrigley Field marquee on the card was one of my favorite blogs, Wrigley Wax, which uses a personalized version of it as the header. As he does with all his new team sets, a few days later Paul posted his write up about the 2012 Series 2 Cubs team set. Knowing of his periodical use of Photoshop to correct Topps mistakes, I left a comment suggesting he make a few alterations to include replacing the marquee with the one from his header photo. You can see his modified version here.

Normally, with a guy like Jeff Baker, this card probably would have been scanned, logged, put in the binder and forgotten about. I took my kids to a Nationals-Cubs game in 2010 and Baker turned down my kids’ autograph requests in a very similar situation to the one in the picture. Suffice to say, I'm not his biggest fan. It’s his prerogative not to sign, but it’s my prerogative to not care if he's one of the casualties of the impending dismantling and rebuild of the team.

But Jeff Baker isn't what I focused on with this card. As I mentioned yesterday, in my Sandberg Sunday post, I've been giving cards a deeper look and trying to learn more about them. Unfortunately, this card asks more questions than it answers.

Who is the bearded guy? Does he know he's on a card?

Did he sign a standard $75 contract with Topps for the use of his likeness that thetoppsvault sells on ebay like the players?

What is he getting autographed? Surely he's not getting signatures on the back of a marquee sign??

A little more research turned up this photo through Getty Images:

Unless he is just using the sign for support, it does appear he’s getting the back of the marquee signed. While the caption given by Getty does not give the name of this bearded fellow, it does mention it was Opening Day against the Pirates on April 1, 2011.

Ah, such optimism for the fan with his sign. As we all know, last year was not the year. And it doesn't look too promising this year either.

Borrowing a Segment...

Because of the break I did over the weekend, I'm a little behind on thanking some of bloggers who have sent me some some great packages in the last week or two. I'm still working on scanning some of that stuff in and I'm a little short on time but I will definitely get to them to this week. So I'm was looking at some of things I've already scanned in for a quick topic and came across these two cards:

#334 Anthony Rizzo

#657 Dave Sappelt

It's curious that Topps would include both of these guys. I mentioned the other day that I was pleasantly surprised when I came across 16 different base cards for Series 2, several more than even the Yankees.

Anybody care to guess who's segment I'm going to "borrow"? No? Fine. Be that way.

I guess you'd have to be a Cubs fan and a follower of Nick over at Dime Boxes to guess correctly anyway. These two cards immediately struck me as cards for his Zero Year Club.

Granted, they may be temporary like his post on the 2012 Manny Ramirez in the A's uniform, but as of now they are featured on Cubs cards without having played for the team. Neither are rookie cards. Both have some Major League experience and were acquired this past off season. I expect we'll see Rizzo before the end of the year but I haven't heard a peep about Sappelt.

Thanks Nick for giving me the inspiration for a quick topic in a pinch!

2012 Topps Series 2 Extras

Ok, here are my extras by team. All are available for trade, first come first served.

A's

374 Coco Crisp	2
393 Manny Ramirez	2
396 Yoenis Cespedes RC	2
418 Jarrod Parker RC	2
487 Eric Sogard	3
502 Collin Cowgill RC	3
505 Fautino De Los Santos	2
530 Cliff Pennington	3
577 Dallas Braden	3
584 Daric Barton	2
640 Jemile Weeks	2
652 Grant Balfour	2

Golden Moment Rickey Henderson x2
Mound Dominance Dennis Eckersley
Gold Futures Jemile Weeks

Braves:

338 Jose Constanza	2
352 Julio Teheran	2
364 Brandon Beachy	3
399 Brian McCann	2
408 Jonny Venters	3
426 Eric Hinske	3
429 Michael Bourn	2
447 Jair Jurrjens	3
510 Randall Delgado	3
524 Martin Prado	1
565 Dan Uggla	2
579 Dan Uggla	2
616 Tyler Pastornicky RC	3

Golden Moments Craig Kimbrel
Mound Dominance John Smoltz
Cut Above Hank Aaron
Gold Futures Randall Delgado
Gold Futures Brandon Beachy
Gold Standard John Smoltz
Gold Standard Chipper Jones
Gold Standard Hank Aaron

Brewers:

351 Corey Hart	3
365 Aramis Ramirez	3
390 Taylor Green RC	2
395 Jonathan Lucroy	3
472 Mat Gamel	2
492 Rickie Weeks	3
499 Francisco Rodriguez	1
507 Norichika Aoki RC	2
545 Randy Wolf	2
589 Alex Gonzalez	3
654 Yovani Gallardo	3

Cut Above Ryan Braun

Cubs:

334 Anthony Rizzo	1
348 Alfonso Soriano	1
367 Chris Volstad	2
381 David DeJesus	1
427 Rafael Dolis	1
435 Jeff Baker	1
485 Carlos Marmol	2
494 Darwin Barney	2
504 Ryan Dempster	2
525 Paul Maholm	2
533 Ian Stewart	2
542 Jeff Samardzija	2
574 Kerry Wood	1
580 Tony Campana	1
657 Dave Sappelt	2

Diamondbacks:

370 Lyle Overbay	3
450 Justin Upton	3
480 J.J. Putz	2
515 Willie Bloomquist	3
527 Aaron Hill	3
544 Josh Collmenter	3
558 Wade Miley RC	2
581 Jason Kubel	2
608 Paul Goldschmidt	2
622 Daniel Hudson	3
624 Gerardo Parra	3
643 Chris Young	3

'87 Topps Mini Justin Upton
Gold Parallel Chris Young

Indians:

436 Chris Perez	2
469 Vinnie Pestano	3
541 Jack Hannahan	2
566 Jason Donald	1
569 Travis Hafner	2
570 Zach McAllister RC	2
582 Shin-Soo Choo	3
583 Josh Tomlin	3
603 Lonnie Chsenhall	2
638 Derek Lowe	3
656 Carlos Santana	2

Mound Dominance Bob Feller
Gold Futures Lonnie Chisenhall
Gold Futures Carlos Santana
Gold Parallel Derek Lowe
Gold Parallel Jason Donald

Mariners:

378 Brandon League	2
430 Felix Hernandez	2
484 Hisashi Iwakuma RC	2
526 Casper Wells	2
537 Ichiro	1
548 Charlie Furbush	2
606 Mike Carp	1
620 Trayvon Robinson	2
627 Justin Smoak	2
645 Kyle Seager	2

Marlins:

332 Jose Reyes	2
355 Mark Buehrle	2
421 Heath Bell	3
425 Carlos Zambrano	3
456 Omar Infante	3
513 Gaby Sanchez	2
543 Josh Johnson	3
567 Mike Stanton	3
630 Logan Morrison	3

Golden Moments Giancarlo Stanton x2
Golden Moments Hanley Ramirez
Cut Above Hanley Ramirez

Nationals:

333 Roger Bernadina	1
340 Adam LaRoche	2
359 Danny Espinosa	1
386 Ryan Zimmerman	2
440 Chien-Ming Wang	1
503 Tyler Clippard	1
519 Gio Gonzalez	1
556 Stephen Strasburg	1

Padres:

339 Clayton Richard	1
369 Huston Street	2
376 Carlos Quentin	1
388 Chase Headley	2
419 Cameron Maybin	2
448 Dustin Moseley	2
477 Edinson Volquez	1
532 Tim Stauffer	2
553 James Darnell RC	2
605 Jason Barlett	2
637 Brad Brach	2

Pirates:

391 Rod Barajas	2
395 Rod Barajas	3
410 Jeff Locke RC	1
433 Nate McLouth	2
453 Garrett Jones	3
473 Evan Meek	1
497 Andrew McCutchen	2
516 Charlie Morton	1
531 Joel Hanrahan	3
555 Alex Presley	3
623 Clint Barmes	2

Gold Parallel Joel Hanrahan
Gold Parallel Garret Jones
Career Day Roberto Clemente
'87 Topps Mini Roberto Clemente x2

Rays:

350 Evan Longoria	3
354 Jeremy Hellickson	1
366 Jose Molina	3
417 Carlos Pena	3
443 B.J. Upton	2
471 James Shields	2
573 Kyle Farnsworth	3
578 Wade Davis	2
598 Reid Brignac	3
628 Sean Rodriguez	3

Gold Parallel Sean Rodriguez
Gold Parallel Wade Davis
Gold Parallel Reid Brignac
Career Day Evan Longoria

Red Sox:

368 Carl Crawford	2
441 Mike Aviles	3
506 David Ortiz	2
539 Andrew Bailey	3
540 Dustin Pedroia	3
586 Daisuke Matsuzaka	2
610 Cody Ross	2
631 Ryan Kalish	3
648 Josh Beckett	3
651 Ryan Sweeney	3

Golden Moments Adrian Gonzalez
Moment Dominance Jon Lester
'87 Topps Mini Josh Beckett
'87 Topps Mini Jacoby Ellsbury

Reds:

375 Drew Stubbs	3
384 Sean Marshall	2
403 Bronson Arroyo	3
467 Juan Francisco	2
493 Ryan Madson	2
498 Joey Votto	2
508 Brandon Phillips	3
557 Zack Cozart	3
636 Chris Heisey	3
659 Homer Bailey	3

Mound Dominance Tom Seaver
Cut Above Johnny Bench

Rockies:

373 Carlos Gonzalez	3
416 Todd Helton	3
431 Guillermo Moscoso	2
444 Rafael Betancourt	3
454 Michael Cuddyer	2
460 Thomas Field RC	2
476 Ramon Hernandez	3
496 Jorge De LaRosa	3
534 Hector Gomez RC	3
547 Jason Giambi	3
563 Alex White	3
579 Jonathan Herrera	3
593 Marco Scutaro	3
655 Ryan Doumit	3

Cut Above Troy Tulowitski
Gold Futures Drew Pomeranz

Twins:

337 Glen Perkins	3
389 Alexi Casilla	3
411 Tsuyoshi Nishioka	2
501 Matt Capps	3
512 Josh Willingham	3
517 Francisco Liriano	3
529 Luke Hughes	3
535 Joe Mauer	2

Gold Futures Liam Hendriks
Gold Parallel Matt Capps
Gold Parallel Joe Mauer

2012 Topps Series 2 Personal Box Break

As I mentioned before, I wanted to complete this set since I already finished off Series 1. I figured a box would get me most of the way and was hoping to trade for any additional cards I needed from those pulled in my group break.

I purchased this box the day after I placed an order for the 3 from the group break along with a couple of binders and a 2009 Topps Series 1 Hobby box that was on clearance. Since it was shipped separately, I didn't have to choose which 3 to be group and 1 to be mine. While the base collation was horrible in this box (almost 30 dupes after only have having 1 in 3 of the group boxes), the hits were better in my opinion.

 1987 Topps Minis, 1:4 Packs:

 

Bob Gibson (Cardinals), Alex Rodriguez (Yankees), Tim Lincecum (Giants), Ken Griffey Jr. (Mariners), Joe Mauer (Twins), Felix Hernandez (Mariners), Miguel Cabrera (Tigers), Jim Palmer (Orioles), Felix Hernadez (Mariners)

Career Day, 1:6 Packs:

Ryan Braun (Brewers), Johnny Bench (Reds), Roberto Clemente (Pirates), Willie Mays (Giants), Al Kaline (Tigers), Mike Schmidt (Phillies)

Gold Standard, 1:6 Packs:

Joe DiMaggio (Yankees), Willie Mays (Giants), Derek Jeter (Yankees), Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Andre Dawson (Red Sox), Mike Schmidt (Phillies)

Gold Futures, 1:6 Packs:

Jesus Montero (Mariners), Desmond Jennings (Rays), Yonder Alonso (Padres), Dellin Betances (Yankees), Lonnie Chisenhall (Indians), Brad Peacock (A's)

Cut Above (Die Cut), 1:6 Packs:

Roy Halladay (Phillies), Cal Ripken Jr (Orioles), Sandy Koufax (Dodgers), Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox), Cecil Fielder (Tigers), Ken Griffey Jr. (Mariners)

Mound Dominance, 1:8 Packs:

Bob Feller (Indians), Dwight Gooden (Mets), Warren Spahn (Braves), Justin Verlander (Tigers)

Golden Moments, 1:4 Packs:

Tony Gwynn (Padres), Mike Schmidt (Phillies) Paul Molitor (Brewers), Chase Utley (Phillies), Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox), Steve Garvey (Dodgers), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Josh Hamilton (Rangers), Ryne Sandberg (Cubs)

Gold Parallels, 1:4 Packs:

Jason Motte (Cardinals), Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays), Shin-Soo Choo (Indians), Clint Barmes (Pirates), Joey Votto (Reds), Michael Cuddyer (Rockies), Brandon Inge (Tigers), Martin Prado (Braves), Freddy Sanchez (Giants)

Golden Giveaways, 1:6 Packs:

Kershaw, Jeter, Lincecum, F. Hernandez, Kershaw, Bench, C. Gonzalez

Silk Collection:

James Shields 49/50

Cut Above Relic:

Sandy Koufax 49/50

Here's the video for this break:

Trade stuff coming tonight!

2012 Topps Series 2 Video & Team Breakdown

Finally got the 2nd video loaded properly. Here's a link to the playlist that plays all five videos in order:

Playlist

Video of second box by itself:

Here's a team by team breakdown of the distribution:

No surprise: Yankees had the most total cards (49) and different cards (28).

Pleasant surprise: Second only to the Yankees in total cards with 46 was the Cubs. I pulled 43 total base cards! And after I complained about the lack of Cubs variety in other sets, Topps came up with 16 different base cards for them in this set. Nice!

 Coming up next: My personal box break

Coming up this evening: Available extras!

2012 Topps Series 2 By the Numbers Part 2

Here's how the inserts fared compared to what was expected, including duplicates.

1987 Topps Minis, 1:4 Packs: 

This a 50 card set picking up where Series 1 left off and numbered 51-100. I expected 27 of these at a rate of 9 per box. By my count, I pulled 26, 19 different and 7 duplicates.  

Career Day, 1:6 Packs:

This insert is new to Series 2 and is a 25 card set. I expected 18 of these and I got all 18. In fact, I pulled 18 different players. Not too shabby.

Gold Standard, 1:6 Packs:

This is another set that continues from Series 1, 25 cards numbered GS26-50. I pulled 18, as expected, with 16 different and 2 duplicates.

Gold Futures, 1:6 Packs:

Again continuing from Series 1, numbered GF26-50. Pulled all 18, 17 different, one dupe.

Cut Above (Die Cut), 1:6 Packs:

A new insert for Series 2, this one features 25 players. I pulled 18, 17 different, one dupe.

Mound Dominance, 1:8 Packs:

This one is also new to Series 2, with 15 players. I pulled 15, better than the expected ratio but only got 13 different, 2 dupes. Missed pulling Phil Niekro and Warren Spahn

Golden Moments, 1:4 Packs:

One of the more frequent inserts. I pulled 27 out of 50 (20 different, 7 dupes). Two of the boxes had several of the same players so collation wasn't great.

Gold Parallels, 1:4 Packs:

Pulled 27 different out for a perfect collation.

Golden Giveaways, 1:6 Packs:

Ten different fronts featured although they all have different codes. Numbering continues where Series 1 left off, GGC11-20. I pulled all 10 different plus 8 dupes for a total of 18.

Golden Moments Relic:

Was guaranteed one of these or an autograph per box and I pulled three of these. 


Silk Collection:

Didn't see a per pack ratio on these but they are numbered to 50. I only pulled one out of the three boxes.

Tomorrow I'll post my personal box break and the list of extras for trading.

Participants in the break will get first dibs.

2012 Topps Series 2 By the Numbers

Like I did with the Archives, I thought I'd break down what I pulled.

In the 3 boxes that I broke, I managed to piece together 2 complete base sets with the exception of card #633 Chris Narveson. I pulled none of him. As a set collector, that's a little frustrating. I was able to pull one in the blaster I bought before the break so I scanned it to verify it's existence:

As rare as the SSP Bryce Harper??

I ended up with 3 copies of 220 different base cards and 2 copies of 109 different base cards. But Narveson's opposite in this case was #446 Mike Trout. I pulled 4 of him.

If only real trout fishing was this easy! Zing!

Another frustrating thing was the fact the I pulled 3 copies of #528 Bryan Peterson (2 in the group break and one in my personal box break) and all of them were damaged in the same way, in the same place. I noticed as I sorted each box but before I collated everything together. So it's not like I dropped some cards and they were together. Luckily, nobody bought the Marlins so these are probably just packing material now.

Check out the bottom left corner of each card!

Other cards of interest include cards # 391 and #395. Jonathan Lucroy and Rod Barajas share #395. I pulled 3 of each.

Barajas was supposed to be #391 which I pulled two copies of as well:

I don't know what the print run was on either card but 2 of one and 3 of the other seems pretty evenly collated to me. Also, I noticed while sorting that one side of the Barajas #391 is upside down. If the front photo is right side up, the back of the card reads up the back. If the front photo is up side down, the back reads down like the rest of the set.

I also pulled a SP of Jason Heyward #85 (from series 1?) that I didn't notice until sorting the cards.

More analysis on the inserts coming soon!

2012 Topps Series 2 Video Links

So funny enough, the two videos I had problems with loaded fine. Both halves of boxes 1 and 3 are now loaded and you can watch them as a playlist here:

2012 Topps Series 2 Playlist

The video that recorded fine, with no interruptions, is of course too long for Youtube's requirements. And the only time I've ever edited a video was on Youtube. The video took most of yesterday and into the night to upload and then tells me it was rejected for length. No other warning and I didn't think about checking it. Ugh. So I'm trying to reload it after being verified and getting an increase in my video length limit.

On a side note, for future reference, if anyone can walk me through taking a video and chopping it in half so I can load two halves, I would greatly appreciate it. As far as I know, I don't have any video editing software unless it came with my computer. 

If you don't want to watch the playlist, here are the 4 videos as loaded:

Box 1 Part 1

Box 1 Part 2

Box 3 Part 1

Box 3 Part 2

The rest of what I promised last night will be posted much later today, probably this evening. Thanks for checking it out!