30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Shine On

One of the reasons I've been content with cutting back on my hobby spending is the plethora of cards I've accumulated over the past twelve years that have been sitting in boxes.  Some have been featured on this blog before being tucked away, while others have sat in darkness unappreciated.

Today's post will showcase one of those hidden treasures that deserves to see the light of day and receive some recognition.

Back in 2010, Topps had a wrapper redemption offer for collectors who opened boxes of Chrome Baseball.  It was simple.  Send in twenty-four wrappers of 2010 Chrome hobby baseball and they'd send you a special three-card pack featuring refractor rookies and legends.  The set featured nine rookie card variations plus a Buster Posey rookie card that wasn't available as part of the original set.  To top things off, they included five of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Here's a look at the nine rookie card variations in the 2010 Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption set:


Each of these guys had a regular rookie card and various parallels in the 2010 Topps Chrome set.  The ones you see here use a different photo from those and since they were part of a redemption program are way easier to find compared to their pack pulled counterparts.


The final six cards in the set consist of the Posey and the legends:


Out of these six players, Mickey Mantle was the only guy who was available in the regular issue Chrome set.


Topps must have printed a ton of these wrapper redemption refractors, because I've seen some of these legends sitting in dollar bins and it wouldn't surprise me if they are littering quarter bins too.

I grabbed the entire 15 card set on eBay back in the Summer of 2016 for $21.25 (+ $2.75 shipping) in an effort to get my hands on this card:

2010 Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption Refractor #221

Posey announced a few weeks ago to opt out of the 2020 season, because it was the right decision for him, his wife, his children, and the twin girls they just adopted.

Out of the other nine rookie refractors, Mike Leake is the only other player who decided to take the 2020 season off.

2010 Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption Refractor #190

Giancarlo Stanton has put a lot of smiles on Yankees fans' faces so far this season.  Jason Heyward, Starlin Castro, and Carlos Santana have stepped into the batter's box this season too.

2010 Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption Refractor #212

Strasburg was scheduled to pitch last Saturday, but was scratched due to a nerve issue in his throwing hand.  Hopefully he'll have made his 2020 season debut by the time this post has been published.  There was a chance he'd pitch this afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The last three rookies each had respectable MLB careers with Austin Jackson still looking for an opportunity to play.  Maybe he'll get his shot with the Marlins.  Right now we're just waiting to see how things play out in Florida.

It'll be interesting to look back on this set in twenty years to see if any of these guys get the call from Cooperstown.

Thankfully there are at least five hall of famers in this set, including one of the greatest to ever play the game:

2010 Topps Chrome Wrapper Redemption Refractor #222

Okay, it's time for you to chime in...

Do you think any of the current players in this set make it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?



I'm pulling for Posey, but he hasn't been the same the past couple of years.  Hopefully spending some quality time with his family will help him bounce back and have a solid second half to an already very successful career.

Well that's it for today.  Here's the song that inspired today's title:


Happy Throwback Thursday and sayonara!

18 comments:

CrazieJoe said...

Saw the title - and first thing that came to mind was the Twister soundtrack and that song.

It will be interesting to see how the opt out will play for these guys, but fully support anyone's decision - whether playing or opting out, as long as it is right for them.

Elliptical Man said...

I guess Stanton has a shot if he joins the 400 HR club.

Dion's IP Autos only said...

Straus & Stanton are definitely maybes at this point I think all the others are a hard no. I got Tyler Colvin autograph in the independent Atlantic League so that card was probably the high point of his career.....

Matt said...

I say no to any of them. A couple of the top guys have been too injury proned

night owl said...

I have the Jackie Robinson, it's the only one I'm interested in. Do these pringle like all the other 2010 Chromes? Worst chrome set ever.

Jeff B - Wax Pack Wonders said...

Stanton and Strasburg if they stay healthy have a shot.

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Like Jeff B: Stanton & Strasburg. Posey maybe. Either way all 3 are PC's guys of mine.

Adam Kaningher said...

Definitely some good HOF candidates here. Posey's three rings should help his case.

gcrl said...

I went back to see what 3 cards I received from my wrapper redemption, and it was mantle, posey, and ike davis. I've since traded them away and picked up a couple jackies. It was one of my favorite cards that year.

Matt said...

Health is going to be the only thing keeping Staunton and Strassburg on the outside. I think Posey will make it - he has an awful lot of awards and WS rings.

GTT said...

Giancarlo is a possibility if he stays healthy and productive, same for Strasburg. Flip a coin for posey.

Nick Vossbrink said...

I think Posey should be but I also think the BBWAA won't see it that way. He comps to Munson right now and yeah (I also think Munson should be in). Stanton and Strasberg have decent chances too but I think they have more work to do (physical demands of catching are distinct in this game).

Weird to me that Topps used different logos on the Gehrig and Ruth cards.

Peter K Steinberg said...

Posey has a great shot for the Hall. I'd like the think Strasburg could make it but he needs more healthy seasons, some Cy Young awards, etc. It's his injury history that will affect his longevity & stats & worthiness.

SumoMenkoMan said...

I’m with everyone as well, I think Posey has a shot and should be in. Totally respect his decision and let’s hope this all gets put behind us for next season.

The Lost Collector said...

I like that Mantle because I don't recall seeing that photo used 200 times before. The Stanton RC is sweet!

Nick said...

I've bought a few of these for loose change on COMC, so I'm guessing these were printed in droves. I remember Topps released these to compensate for the 2010 Topps Chrome fiasco. Imagine a set being so bad that you have to offer other cards to make up for it. The Cobb is one of my favorite cards of his because I'm thinking that's a rookie-year photo of him -- he looks 40 years old in almost every other card of his I own.

Posey seems like a HOF lock to me, and Stanton might get there with a few more big years. And I mean what would Cooperstown be without Tyler Colvin? (Kidding, kidding.)

Troublewiththecurve.net said...

Man I'm with you 100% on this. My parents took my 5 year old down the lake house this weekend so I took the opportunity to pull my cards out for a quick inventory. My goal was to organize all of the sets that are in individual card boxes and consolidate to larger monster boxes. I quickly realized that I had at least 4 duplicate sets which tells me that I need to desperately get what I have in order before I add more. 2020 has been a very slow acquisition year for me which I guess is a good thing.

Fuji said...

craziejoe - bummer my readers can't listen to it while reading this post. as for the opt out guys, they've gotta look out for themselves and their families

elliptical - i'd be very surprised if he doesn't reach that milestone. then again with this covid thing, who knows the impact over the next few seasons

dion's ip autos only - yeah, pretty sure strasburg, stanton, and posey are the only ones on the hof radar.

sport card collectors - yeah, injuries would definitely hinder their chances

night owl - lol. yup. they've got nice curve. i have the key three in top loaders though to keep them from curling anymore though

wax pack wonders - health will be the key for all three (imho)

johnnys trading spot - i don't pc any of them, but as a rookie card collector... i'm glad to own all 3. i like posey though. been picking up his cards, but wouldn't say i pc him yet

adam kaningher - even if posey doesn't make it into cooperstown, he'll definitely get in to the giants hall of fame and the bay area hall of fame

gcrl - pretty sure the jackie was the first card from the set i acquired

matt - if only one could make it, i'd want it to be posey

gtt - he's doing pretty well so far this season ;D

nick vossbrink - i noticed the logos. figured the ny logo for ruth was the one used in the early 20's and gehrig's was the one after that, but i'm too lazy to research it

peter k steinberg - i hope posey gets in... and hope strasburg is able to have a long enough career where he can add some cy young awards to his cabinet

sumomenkoman - i hope so too. not just for baseball... but for teaching too ;D

the lost collector - it'd be fun to do some detective work and see the story behind that mantle photo. way too long of a stride to be a home run trot.

nick - i'll have to read up on the chrome drama... but yeah, i doubt these are rare

troublewiththecurve.net - with ebay sales still strong, it's good to know that slow acquisition years for some collectors doesn't mean the hobby is hurting.