Is it just me... or has the Topps Project 2020 hype started to die down? I never dove head first into the scene, but there was a point when I was checking their website on semi-regular basis. However ever since I purchased Sophia Chang and Ermsy's versions of the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson and 1983 Topps Tony Gwynn rookie cards... I don't think I've checked more than a handful of times.
That being said... I just purchased six of them on eBay, because they were less than $4.25 each (shipping/tax included).
Why the sudden interest? Well... I was inspired by Brian over at Collecting Cutch after he sent me three new Project 2020 cards for my collection:
Once upon a time, I treasured Allen & Ginter and looked forward to its annual release. During that era, Suzuki had a nice four year run where he was included on Ginter checklists. This card is one of them.
Topps Project 2020 #198 by Mr. Cartoon (Print Run: 3,567)
According to the his website, Mr. Cartoon is an artist who was born and raised in Los Angeles. His work can be found on famous celebrities such as Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Beyoncé. I'm not an expert on tattoos, but I feel like his version of Gwynn's rookie card definitely gives off a tattoo vibe. I really like how he incorporates the portrait and action shot photos from the original card into this one with Gwynn's nickname.
Topps Project 2020 #153 by Mr. Cartoon (Print Run:5,155)
Brian also hooked me up with Mr. Cartoon's version of Rickey Henderson's rookie card. Although I tend to prefer the Project 2020 cards that semi-resemble the original card... I have to admit I like how the A's logo stands out and also enjoy the font he used for his name.
Mr. Cartoon actually produced two other cards for Oakland A's fans and card collectors that were available at his online store. Unfortunately both are sold out.
Topps Project 2020 #77 by King Saladeen (Print Run: 11,425)
The last Project 2020 card I received is my very first Ichiro from this line of cards. I'm not very familiar with Saladeen's work, but he's an artist from Philadelphia who was a gifted high school basketball player. He refocused his energy on art after an automobile accident sidelined those dreams.
My favorite thing about his interpretation of Ichiro's 2001 Topps rookie card is the Seattle skyline in the background. The way he drew Mariners also gives off a 1989 Topps vibe... which is the first Topps set that The Kid appeared in.
Although Sophia Chang and Ermsy are hands down my favorite Project 2020 artists, I enjoy looking at and appreciating the work of other artists like Mr. Cartoon and King Saladeen.
That's why I went hunting for cheap copies of other cards from this series which I'll share with you guys as soon as they arrive. In the meantime, let's continue checking out the rest of Brian's care package.
2001 Inkworks Smallville Autograph #A4
Before seeing her on Collecting Cutch, I wasn't aware of Kelly Brook. If you're not familiar with her, click here and you'll be in for a special treat.
This autograph was one of the prizes offered in Brian's annual Save Second Base event. Most of you know how much I enjoy an on-card autograph, so this one is a nice addition to my non-sport collection.
Wrapping up the care package were some singles for my Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux, and Kurt Suzuki collections. I'll start off with three new Gwynns for my binder:
1994 Pacific Silver Prisms Circular #35
1996 Fleer Update Headliner #8
2000 Pacific (Portrait Version) #363
It's always nice to add a new card to my Gwynn collection. Three new additions is three times as nice. At first glance, I thought I already had all three of these cards. I guess I'm at the point where I don't really know what I have in my Gwynn collection compared to what I've seen on other blogs or websites.
However these additions have made me realize that I need the other 1994 Pacific Prism card of Gwynn as well as the "in action" version of his 2000 Pacific card.
He also hooked me up with two new Kurt Suzuki cards for my collection. One of them I showed off yesterday. If you didn't see it, please click here... because it was truly worthy of its own post. The other card was this Allen & Ginter buyback card:
2010 Allen & Ginter #281
If I ever go back and add money to my COMC account, I'll probably grab the other Kurt Suzuki A&G buybacks up for sale. But it's not really worth dealing with the shipping drama over a pair of cards.
Here are the final four cards that Brian sent:
Talk about a complete care package. Even though I already own these four cards... each of them are fantastic in their own special way. There's a chance you'll be seeing one of these in a future post.
Thank you Brian for this very generous care package! I'm not exactly sure what you send to the Andrew McCutchen collector who has just about every single Cutch card out there... but I'll find something. Even if it means hooking up your girlfriend with more Cactus Coolers.
Okay... let's get back to those trendy Topps trading cards for today's question of the day...
Have you noticed that interest in Topps Project 2020 has softened the past few months?
Have you purchased any Project 2020 lately?
I'm interested in seeing of my point of view is skewed or not.
Happy Tuesday and sayonara!
Afterword: Giving Thanks
Trevor over at Bump and Run Football Card Blog has challenged fellow card bloggers to write down some things they are thankful for.
On Saturday, shared why I was thankful for my parents. Yesterday, I explained why I was thankful for the blogging community. I'll be going a different route today as I express how thankful I am for my job.
When I was a kid, my parents would remind me over and over again that one day I'd have to grow up, move out of the house, and survive on my own. They explained that an education opened up opportunities and they were right.
While I was in college, I made a life-altering decision to become a teacher. Originally my parents thought I'd follow in my father's footsteps and become an engineer, since I really enjoyed science and math. However that all changed after taking a few early childhood education courses at the community college level.
I'm not going to say that my job is perfect. Most of you have read about some of the ups and downs on this blog. But the "ups" heavily outweigh the "downs" and even though I haven't had a lot of positive things to share about my job these past eight months, I wanted to point out just how fortunate I am.
I'll never be a millionaire... but my job pays the bills, offers reasonable health insurance, has introduced me to some of my closest friends, and gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact on my students. For these things... I truly am thankful.
On Topps 2020....NEVER BOUGHT ONE. Didn't follow them. Just not my thing I guess.
ReplyDeleteAs for thanks. Here's one for YOU! Thanks for being a positive role model for our future, Lord knows they (the kids) don't need any additional negativity in their lives.
I am following the same line as you in regards to Project 2020. I followed for a while and grabbed a couple, mostly on the secondary market. Then I lost interest, but still like seeing them. I wouldn't say no to any Project 2020 cards, but don't actively seek them out. As I am a bargain hunter, it would need to be cheap!
ReplyDeleteNever got into Topps 2020 at all. Not a fan of the concept and certainly not of the products that I've seen. Not my thing. But I'm glad that you've gotten some that fit into your collection! That '96 Fleer Update Gwynn is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteProject 2020 wasn't my thing at all, and I'm not surprised in the slightest that the hype has died down. Some of the cards are okay, but it brought out a lot of the profit- and investment-based sides of the hobby I hate.
ReplyDeleteI have the full run of Jeters so far, and a few others. They all look great together. As for the hype, the project has dragged out for too long.
ReplyDeleteOh wow that Pacific Portrait set looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteP2020. Not a product for me though I loved watching the cards come out and thinking about the whole thing almost as a art class assignment. The thing is that at about the same time the bubble burst with the massive print runs and prices it also became pretty clear that a lot of the artists had run out of ideas and the past couple of months have instead been looking forward to the few that have it while ignoring the ones that don't.
I have a few Topps Project 2020 cards, including Sandy Koufax, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson.
ReplyDeleteI wish that Topps had included Al Kaline's 1954 RC, instead of cards of someone like Rivera, who's card is not what I'd call ICONIC.
I'm hoping to add a few more, but I'm not sure which ones I'll get.
Good Job. 👍
I have a hard time seeing the appeal of the Topps 2020, but that is just me. Cool care package!
ReplyDelete"Shipping Drama" is about the best way to describe the debacle over at COMC right now. They sell on Ebay and manage to get the cards out on time yet if you buy through the website, you're lucky if you can get the cards in the next five years. I don't get it.
ReplyDeletenever say never, but i am not planning on using comc again due to the shipping delays. i see they are making a big push with black friday this year to get buyers to the site, but they haven't improved shipping times from what i can tell.
ReplyDeleteanyway, i do have 3 topps project 2020 cards, but probably won't pick up any others even though i do think there are a few good looking ones, including some of the ones you showed in this post.
There's someone on the UK collectors Facebook group trying to shift a ton of Project 2020 cards. He's now asking about £7 each. I have one coming to me that I ordered months ago but it was coming via another collector and I have no idea what's happened to it. By the time it arrives the fad will be well and truly dead.
ReplyDeleteIve been purchasing the entire Clemente run since the beginning and plan to complete it. Along the way I was really impressed with Mr Cartoon's work and was going after his complete set but then he started to get away from giving homage to the original cards design so I stopped. I think efdot is my favorite artist on the project at this point.
ReplyDeleteI think the interest in Project 2020 has definitely died down over the past few months. When it started, I think there were people who thought they were going to make money by flipping the cards. That was a complete pipe dream. I have bought a few Efdot cards, along with a Gibson and McGwire card. Nothing major. I like your thankful post at the bottom. I completely agree with your sentiments about teaching. Many ups, a few downs, but it's a rewarding job.
ReplyDeletejohnnys trading spot - thanks for the kind words buddy. as for the project 2020 cards, if they had done a 1954 topps hank aaron card, would you have bought any? i'm actually surprised that they didn't include him.
ReplyDeletethe diamond king - i'm kinda hoping collectors continue to lose interest... because then i can swoop in and buy the ones i want at a discounted price ;D if i come across any mcgwire dupes, i'll send them your way
peter k steinberg - i was very surprised that i didn't own that fleer insert. i feel like fleer made it so easy to pull inserts that i should have multiple copies of that card.
nick - i doubt the profit and investment side will last. i remember the hobby crash once. i'm pretty sure it'll crash again... and when it does... maybe you'll find some of these project 2020 cards in dollar bins and with your luck... maybe even dime boxes.
the lost collector - nice. i hope you'll write a post showing them off. maybe even ranking your favorites.
nick vossbrink - not 100% sure... but i think every player i the pacific set had two versions. i need to go back and look at the gwynns, hendersons, and ichiros to see if there are any i completely missed that i really like. i'm hoping there are a few hidden gems i missed during my break
john sharp - i totally agree with a kaline/mariano swap. i also realize they missed out on hank aaron too.
sumomenkoman - what if the artists designed sumo wrestler cards?
troublewiththecurve.net - yeah. i'm super annoyed with them right now and it doesn't look like i'm alone. as frustrated as i am with them, i hope this doesn't hurt them in the long run, because it is a great place to purchase cards.
gcrl - i'm going to do my best to just avoid their website until they ship me my stuff. when my cards arrive, then i'll think about going back and adding some funds to spend.
jongudmund - had to use convert that to usd... which is around $9 each. that's not bad when you consider the original price on the website. plus there are some cards that are still selling for crazy prices, but i'd be surprised if he's dumping any of those for that price
colleting cutch - thanks again for this awesome care package. i noticed that efdot has a stadium line of project 2020 cards available right now. kinda bummed, but not surprised that there wasn't an oakland coliseum card
the snorting bull - my first mcgwire project 2020 card should be arriving soon... which i'm stoked about. it's good to hear there are more ups than downs for you. i'm sure your students appreciate that too.
Topps 2020 Project represents the year well, imo. lol. These were too gimmicky for me. Glad you're having fun with the Gwynns though.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as that Griffey card came out and sold thousands, everyone jumped off the 2020 train now that they weren't worth flipping
ReplyDeleteacrackedbat - they're the epitome of gimmicky. sometimes i get turned off by these kinds of things. but for the right price, i'll collect almost anything
ReplyDeletesport card collectors - this is going to sound crazy, but i kinda want that griffey since it represents the turning point.