That formula works again in the 2017 edition, which hit the shelves last week. The thick stock is perfect for a higher-end brand, and the intricate drawings and the backgrounds with their big bang theory fusion-like look are both interesting and attractive.
A hobby box contains one pack of seven cards, and Topps promises one autograph card — or better — per box. The price for a hobby box is in the $70 to $80 range, depending on the retailer.
The base set contains 100 cards, and the pack I opened had four of them — Carlos Correia, Luis Severino, Josh Donaldson and Willson Contreras. The design was vertical for the cards I pulled, which I always believe is a plus.
The key cards were a pair of parallels and an Autographed Relics card. Severino makes an encore appearance in a green parallel, while Joc Pederson is featured on a purple parallel, numbered to 150. The purple background really looks nice on this card, especially when combined with the splashes of blue and red. Very attractive.
The Autographed Relics card featured pitcher Carson Fulmer, who saw some brief action last season with the Chicago White Sox but is currently in the minor leagues. The card is a red parallel, numbered to 25, and features a generous swatch of red and black. The autograph is distinctive, but is on a sticker, which I consider a negative. Love those hard-signed cards. The old style uniforms from the 1980s (the White Sox won the American League West in 1983) are a nice touch, too. The nice thing about this particular card is that there are only four per case, so its scarcity is a nice thing.
There is a lot of young talent in the Autographed Relics card subset, and a collector could pull Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Trout, Manny Machado and others.
Inception is a nice-looking set. The card stock is thick, the design is different and attractive, and the hit cards are nice. I would have preferred on-card autographs, but you can’t have everything.