Are there any recent products that aren't littered with parallel cards?

[zyceoa]

I don't mind if there's one or two parallels of every base card, but when every base card, insert, auto, gu, etc. has multiple versions (along with variations galore) that's where I draw the line. So are there any brands that are relatively simple nowadays? You can also list football and basketball product if you wish.

 

[gt2590]

Opening Day, Heritage and Archives baseball are the only ones to come to mind.

And "base" Score and Panini in other sports. Panini loves their parallels almost as much as Topps...

 

[predatorkj]

The last product that really comes to mind was 2009 UD o-pee-chee. They had one parallel, black border. That's it. And very few inserts. Even topps opening day has too many inserts. And every panini product has way too many. To the point if it almost not being worth it to try to build the insert sets. Panini has some very innovative ideas but they take it way too far.

 

[DeliciousBacon]

The last product that really comes to mind was 2009 UD o-pee-chee. They had one parallel, black border. That's it. And very few inserts. Even topps opening day has too many inserts. And every panini product has way too many. To the point if it almost not being worth it to try to build the insert sets. Panini has some very innovative ideas but they take it way too far.

2009 OPC had the blacks, the black minis, and the blank backs (which seem to be pretty scarce, I actually don't know much about them).

 

[predatorkj]

2009 OPC had the blacks, the black minis, and the blank backs (which seem to be pretty scarce, I actually don't know much about them).

I remember the black minis but no blank backs that I recall. Busted a to of that stuff, pretty much built most of the set by hand. Weird. I actually enjoyed the simplicity of the release though.

 

[smapdi]

We're the blank backs an actual parallel? I got one of Sizemore but never saw one of his other subset card.

 

[homerun28aa]

I don't mind if there's one or two parallels of every base card, but when every base card, insert, auto, gu, etc. has multiple versions (along with variations galore) that's where I draw the line. So are there any brands that are relatively simple nowadays? You can also list football and basketball product if you wish.

This is really annoying IMO when they do this for GU, they'll have a "base" set, a "champions" set, and then something else that's low numbered of the same players. I think it kills a lot of relic collecting but I guess the alternative is to go for the rarer cards anyways.

 

[TGutta]

Speaking of 2009 O-Pee-Chee, I still need all three of these Denard Span cards. Never seen any of them, and not sure that the auto actually exists or not.

O-Pee-Chee Black Blank Back #95
O-Pee-Chee Black Mini #95
O-Pee-Chee Signatures Auto #SDS

 

[subject to change]

The Blank Back OPC's are real, and a real pain. At release they were listed as /50. I saw one copy of the Jack Wilson on ebay right around when the product released, that went for like $5, but decided to wait it out and save a buck or two. I haven't seen another copy surface since. I don't know if the print run is lower than 50, or if they were just so tough to distinguish from the regular cards and in a low end product that didn't do well that few have surfaced on the secondary market.

But to answer the OP's question...Opening Day, Heritage...that's about all I can think of from this past year. Even products like Chipz seemed to have a dozen parallels. Does anybody else think it's ironic that some collectors were complaining that Donruss was ruining the hobby with too many parallels in 2005, and that fewer licenses would make things easier for collectors?

 

[predatorkj]

The Blank Back OPC's are real, and a real pain. At release they were listed as /50. I saw one copy of the Jack Wilson on ebay right around when the product released, that went for like $5, but decided to wait it out and save a buck or two. I haven't seen another copy surface since. I don't know if the print run is lower than 50, or if they were just so tough to distinguish from the regular cards and in a low end product that didn't do well that few have surfaced on the secondary market.

But to answer the OP's question...Opening Day, Heritage...that's about all I can think of from this past year. Even products like Chipz seemed to have a dozen parallels. Does anybody else think it's ironic that some collectors were complaining that Donruss was ruining the hobby with too many parallels in 2005, and that fewer licenses would make things easier for collectors?

Well they're spreading the parallels out to enormously stupid lengths. Bowman is a damn mess and a half. I had a card shop owner not even know which refractor versions he had while trying to build a master set of topps finest from this year. And Tek has been a pain in the butt too. Panini is just as bad but they kill you with the inserts. Twenty different insert sets, all with 20-25 cards each, of which you'll pull a few from every blaster or box. It's nuts. I'm about done with the inserts. I think the only thing holding me on is the acetate stuff and the diecut stuff. If it wasn't for that, I'd hang it up. May do so anyways. Hell, even topps football is insane this year. I don't care what anyone says, this stuff is not adding value to the products if the inserts are so many and so large set wise, that people don't feel like spending a small fortune to build them.