2008 Topps Chrome Blaster Break

I'm heading to Mississippi for a week on Saturday, but I bought a blaster at Target because I really enjoy this set.

Bonus Pack:

TCCP3 Matt Holliday

TCCP4 Luke Hochevar

These are done in the 400 series designs like what came inserted with the Heritage blaster packs, but they're full sized and chrome.

Pack 1:

99 Nick Markakis

MMSC52 Mickey Mantle Story

MHRC536 Mickey Mantle Home Run History

214 Clete Thomas

2 inserts in a pack...but not ones I would have hoped for

Pack 2:

115 Joe Blanton

C105 Topps Heritage Chrome Johan Santana

101 Randy Johnson Blue Refractor

49 Scott Rolen

I really REALLY like the blue refractors

Pack 3:

67 Roy Halladay

TCHC9 Joe Mauer Trading Card History 1941 Play Ball

200 Elliot Johnson XFractor

77 Carlos Ruiz

Pack 4:

39 Brad Penny

163 Greg Maddux

72 Brandon Phillips Copper Refractor

150 Homer Bailey

It's kinda hard for me to tell the copper refractors from a gold on the first glance. But then you look again and you can tell it's copper.

Pack 5:

79 Paul Konerko

TCHC8 Albert Pujols 1916 Zeenuts

96 Jered Weaver Refractor

170 Yadier Molina

Jesse Jackson wants to cut off Zeenuts!

Pack 6:

143 Carlos Lee

55 Orlando Hudson

178 Jo Jo Reyes XFractor

166 Michael Young

If I were Joe Collector, I'd call this Jo Jo MoJo.

Pack 7:

11 Yovani Gallardo

194 Adam Jones

33 Jeremy Hermida XFractor

122 Chone Figgins

Overall, I enjoyed my purchase. The blue refractors are the best of the bunch. They should have just made the whole set blue.

All Chromed Out

Today at Target, I spied what looked to be two recently opened boxes of 2008 Topps Chrome. What the heck I thought, so I fished around in the boxes and selected 2 packs from each. Here's what I came up with.

Pack 1
177 Daniel Cabrera
TCHC2 Joba Chamberlain Trading Card History '55 Bowman





















194 Adam Jones Copper Refractor
126 Rocco Baldelli
checklist 1 of 2

Pack 2
107 Alex Gordon
TCHC4 Prince Fielder Trading Card History 1934 Diamond Stars





















92 Adam Dunn XFractor
10 Cole Hamels
checklist 1 of 2

Pack 3
91 Derrek Lee
TCHC7 Ryan Braun Trading Card History 1960 Topps





















96 Jered Weaver XFractor
110 Aaron Harang
checklist 2 of 2

Pack 4
115 Joe Blanton
67 Roy Halladay





















80 Jorge Posada XFractor
145 Franciso Liriano


4 Packs. 4 refractors with one being numbered to 599. as well as 3 trading card history cards. Not a bad haul. Lots and lots of shiny cards for me today!

My trash IS my treasure

I recently traded in my old car as I was having issues with it that were going to cost me money that I didn't have to fix.  So I traded it in and got a new one.  In this process I had to clean out the car.  I put everything in a trash bag so I could go through it.  I finally got around to going through the trash bag and sorting what was trash and what was not.  I knew that I would have some cards in there as I do occasionally open a pack in the car and they find their way to the center console or glove box.  So going through the menagerie of objects today I came across a card that I don't even remember pulling.

It's a 2007 Topps Chrome XFractor of Brandon Phillips.  Brandon is having quite a good year this year with the Reds and could come close to a 30/30 season with him already hitting 11 HRs and stolen 9 bases.  The scan doesn't do justice to how wonderfully shiny this thing is.  So remember kids, go through all your stuff.  You never know what you'll find there.

COTW for 2/24/08: Chipper Jones 2007 Bowman Chrome XFractor 209/250

This is the first XFractor I have ever owned.  I found it on eBay last week for $1.04.  That's right: $1.04.  I couldn't pass that up.  I mean, a shiny reflective card of the best switch hitter in the history of baseball (yes, that's right...EVER.  There'll be a post backing this up soon, hopefully.)  So just look at the squares and ooh and ahh.