22 Topps Chrome error…

[gt2590]

Looks like Topps did not put the touted Rookie SSPs in the product by accident:

 

[mrmopar]

I do miss ripping packs, but that is a suckers game anymore.

 

[Letch77]

Wait...so Topps doesn't manufacture their own cards?

 

[smapdi]

None of the Topps, Fleer, UD, or Score companies did their own printing by 2010, and probably earlier. Not sure about how things are now, or about Panini. Design is also outsourced, I believe. Topps is more of a project management/drop shipping company at this point.

 

[gt2590]

Did finally pay the $38ish for a Blaster.

More than a $1 per card.

Nothing big to report.

But I did really like the cards themselves. Really sharp looking IMO...

 

[zyceoa]

I went to Walmart a couple of days ago and they were stocked up on cards at inflated prices, hence I didn't buy anything. I just can't consider Chrome blasters at that cost. Weren't they $20 just a few years ago? Nice looking inserts though. I also saw some Topps Gallery mega boxes with 2 autos at $80. They do have all the aforementioned rookies. You might want to try those instead.

 

[gt2590]

I went to Walmart a couple of days ago and they were stocked up on cards at inflated prices, hence I didn't buy anything. I just can't consider Chrome blasters at that cost. Weren't they $20 just a few years ago? Nice looking inserts though. I also saw some Topps Gallery mega boxes with 2 autos at $80. They do have all the aforementioned rookies. You might want to try those instead.

The Chrome and Bowman blasters both went up this year from that $20 to $35.

Love the Gallery set but those two autos in Megas are usually pretty rough…

 

[smapdi]

Topps and Panini, along with pretty much every other company that makes products that eat disposable income, saw that people were very willing to pay $60 for a $20 blaster in the last couple years, so they decided to take a bigger piece of the pie for themselves. Basic Nike AF1s used to be $60, now they're $100+ from Nike because of flippers. All sorts of things like that in all areas of collectibles.

It will be interesting to see if they unwind from that position now that card mania has pretty much worn off. I walked into Target the other day and for the first time in YEARS the card section was fully stocked. Not like just stocked, obviously had been picked over, but there were half a dozen Topps Chrome blasters, lots of Select FB and Chronicles NBA hanger packs, and all the hockey anyone could want (although in Austin finding hockey isn't unusual). If these start sitting on shelves again, print runs will likely go down, but I wonder if prices will as well. Maybe Prizm BK and FB will drop back to something close to tolerable. Maybe not $200 or whatever they were in 2019, but closer to that than $850.

 

[gt2590]

Afternoon all!

Got called in to work, 4th 10 day hour in last 5 days.

TG we, by law, have to be closed on Sunday!