Josh Johnson Is Following Me

A trip to Target finally provided me with a chance to sample some Gypsy Queen. An employee was putting new product on the shelf so I had first crack at the fresh wax. I decided to try my luck with one of each and bought a blaster, one rack pack and a single pack from a opened box. This is significantly more than I originally intended but this release has been extremely difficult to find.

When this set was originally announced I didn't think much of it except that Topps was yet again releasing another retro set, and I wondered if there was really a need for another set like Allen and Ginter. The images on the sell sheet looked nice but nothing really caught my eye, except for the minis, so I told myself I would buy a pack or two as a sample. Since then and with the lack of product available in my area, I have seen these cards all over other blogs and I gradually began to like what I saw. I'm not going to build the set but I have decided to buy more of the product. I would love to pull the Markakis auto and I may try another blaster and pick up a few more rack packs. I really like the retail exclusive green framed parallels and my pack yielded a Brooks Robinson. I'm not going to show the cards from this break, its been done already and everyone is well acquainted with the release by now. Most of you have moved on to 2011 Bowman. From the loose pack I pulled this card.

I was hoping for an Oriole, but Josh Johnson is a solid player and the pin strip is a nice added touch. In my last post I mentioned I had yet again bought another Topps Value Box and I had kept it on my desk for a few days before opening the packs. When I did get around to opening the two Heritage packs I found my old Friend Josh Johnson again.

For me, it is a rare occasion to pull two relics in the same week, especially of the same player. I only have a couple relics in my collection so this came as a bit of a surprise. Both cards are for trade if anyone is interested, just drop me a line.

Overall Gypsy Queen has been a nice surprise and very popular with collectors. I like the inclusion of legends and past stars in the checklist, especially players like Barry Larkin and Ozzie Smith who you don't see that often in a new set. With the success of the inaugural release of Gypsy Queen, I assume we will see a second edition of the set next year.

Card of the week: 1967 Topps #1"The Champs"

This card is easily the favorite in my collection. The last card show I attended was heavey in vintage cards and I picked up this copy in good condition for two bucks. This card was issued as card number one in the 1967 set, for a few years Topps gave the first card to the previous years World Series Winner. What sets this card apart is the simple design and great photo of the manager, Hank Bauer and the hall of famers, Frank and Brooks Robinson. Hank was in his third season coaching the Orioles when he led the team to the title. He would leave the O's after the 68' season to coach in Oakland (something I wasn't aware of is Hank won eight World Series titles, seven has a player for the Yankees and the one managing the Orioles).

Most Orioles fans look to the 1960's and 70's as the golden age in Orioles history, when the team competed for the pennant every year. Unfortunatley today, many of the younger fans have never seen a winning season in Baltimore, let alone a playoff appearence. So far in this young season the Orioles have continued their losing ways but I am hopeful they can turn it around and finish with a winning record.

Right now the best alternative is pull out my vintage Orioles cards from the 1960's and 70's and read about the past winning seasons and championships the Orioles won.

On a side note, I am going out of town for a week to visit family in Nashville and run the Country Music Half Marathon, so this will be my last post until I get back. Hopefully when I return I can get my hands on some Topps Gypsy Queen since this set is dominating the hobby headlines today with good and bad news.