Similar, But Different

A few years ago, Dion's IP Autos only wrote a post about a cello pack of 2019 Topps on APTBNL that was handed out at an Orioles game he attended.  I commented on that post stating I ran into a lady at the flea market with a bunch of these packs.  That was four years ago.

Last month... I found that vendor and she still had all of those packs.  I ended up buying all of the packs she had.  At first glance, our packs look exactly the same.  The cards come in clear cello packaging, so collectors are able see the top card:

However the packs I purchased were a little different from Dion's.  His pack contained the same cards issued in the flagship packs but included a National Baseball Card Day information card on the back.

The packs I purchased have an advertisement card on the back for Clear, which is a membership program at airports that allows people to get through security faster.

According to Baseballcardpedia, these packs were passed out a participating airports and ballparks to people using the Clear Travel service.

Based on the packs that I've opened so far, the card fronts look pretty much identical to the ones issued in the flagship packs.  But when you flip them over, there's a CP- prefix in front of the card number.

Let's crack open that Freddie Freeman pack and take a closer look at the front and back of each card:

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-4

I'm a fan of Freeman... even if he's now playing for the Dodgers.  He hit a career high... 38 home runs in 2019.  As of this post, he's only hit four in 2024.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-59

Not familiar with Mr. Stewart, but it looks like 2018 was his best season.  I'm not sure if he's out of baseball or not... but he doesn't appear to be at the MLB level right now.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-34

Back in 2019, Ramirez was coming off a career high 39 home run season and has had pretty solid numbers every season since.  Currently (as of 5/14/24) he leads the American League with 37 RBI's. 

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-26

Jake Lamb had a stellar start to the 2017 season... but hasn't done much since.  I'm guessing the Diamondbacks roster was super thin if Topps decided to add him to the checklist in 2019.  That being said, he's currently hitting over .350 in AAA for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-10

Kicked off the pack with a future hall of famer.  Wrapping it up with another one.  This guy is a stud... especially when he's standing around the hot corner.

The final card in the pack is the Clear ad card:

I had two packs with Freeman on the front and wanted to know if players were inserted into packs randomly or if there was a pattern.  Sadly both Freeman packs contained the exact same five players.

However... I did open up two packs with Trea Turner on the front and only the first two cards were the same.  The final three cards in each pack were different.  In one of those packs, there was this Ohtani:

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-2

I don't really have a lot of 2019 Topps base cards laying around, but I do have Ohtani's base card for those who want to compare the two cards:

2019 Topps #250

In addition to the numbering on the back, it looks like there's one more way to tell the two sets apart.  The Topps logo on the front of the Clear Travel cards are white, while the flagship cards use a foil logo.  According to The Cardboard Connection, the Clear Travel cards also lack the CMP code under the stats that appear on the flagship cards.

As of this post, I've only opened up about ten of these packs.  I originally purchased over 200 of these packs, but flipped the majority of them to a friend to cover the cost of the packs.  It's kind of a shame, because I have since discovered that these are pretty rare compared to their flagship counterparts.  That's why I've scrapped the idea to use them for a summer school math lesson.

Instead... I'll be eventually open up the rest of the packs (except the lone pack with Ohtani showing) in hopes of building the 100 card set.  Some of the duplicates will go into my player collections.  Others will head out to fellow bloggers who collect specific teams/players.

Not sure when I'll get around to opening them up, but if there are players or teams you're interested in... feel free to comment down below to reserve any duplicates.  Need a checklist?  Click here.

Well that's all for today.  Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Still Alive

I'm still alive and so are the San Diego Padres.

Same story as before.  Things are hectic around here... but I actually made it a priority to watch Game 3 of the Mets and Padres series.  I didn't catch the entire game, but I watched most of it.

1999 Decipher Austin Powers CCG #138

I'm pretty stoked about the Southern California showdown... although I doubt I'll be able to watch Tuesday or Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.  I'll be checking the box scores on a regular basis though.  The Los Angeles Dodgers dominated the Padres during the regular season... winning 14 out of 19 games.  But hopefully the Padres can build on their one game win streak... and give the best team in baseball a run for their money.

It's unlikely... but a fan can dream.

As for me... I have a few posts in the works.  One is a flea market haul.  The other is a post recapping a hangout involving a Dodger fan.   I'm also hoping to write a post based on this pack of cards sent to me by Reader X: 

1999 Decipher Austin Powers CCG

He actually sent me two packs.  One went into my unopened pack collection.  The other will eventually be covered over on A Pack To Be Named Later.  Thanks Xavier!

Until my next post... let's go Padres!

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Forgive Me... For I Have Failed

It's hard for me to admit failure... but in terms of my 2013 hobby goals... I failed miserably.  

Let's go back and reflect on the goals I set for myself a year ago:

A.  I will resist temptation and keep my pack and box purchases to a minimum.  Fail.

I came so close... then I couldn't resist the Black Friday temptation and ended up going on a shopping spree.


B.  I will continue the tradition of running my annual summer contest.  Fail.

In March I made the decision to switch to a monthly contest in order to reduce some of my summer workload.  By November I scrapped the monthly contests too.  I'm a huge fan of the interaction, but 2013 proved to be overwhelming inside and outside of my cardboard world.  I'll still have contests every so often... and who knows... maybe one day I'll bring back my summer contest.


C.  I will build five new sports card trifectas in 2013.  Fail.

I built one... Ray Lewis.  I'm surprised at myself.  I really enjoy these, but that wasn't enough motivation to keep me on top of this goal.


D.  I will start and complete a full run of Topps base cards (during their active playing careers) for Tony Gwynn and Kirby Puckett.  Fail.

I didn't start either of these.  It's such an easy goal too.  I probably only need one or two Gwynns and maybe five or six Pucketts.  Truly embarrassing.


E.  I will complete my 1972 Topps Oakland A's team set.  Fail.

Not even close.  A year ago, I needed seven cards.  Twelve months later, I need six cards.  At least I'm one step closer.


F.  I will finally organize and update my trade bait lists and Photo Bucket.  Fail.

Every now and then, I'll work on this goal.  But I never actually finished the job.  I'm starting to wonder if I ever will.


G.  I will add a 1909-11 T206 card to my collection.  Fail.

For over six months, I targeted certain Athletics from this set.  Unfortunately, they never fell into the price range I set for myself.  I eventually stopped looking.


H.  Start trading again on the forums.  Fail.

I made a few trades on CCW, but not nearly enough to raise my feedback rating to 40.  Current rating = 26.

Thankfully these fails are only based on cardboard.  It's not like I'm going to die from them.  And on a positive note, at least I accomplished two out of the ten goals I set for myself:


A.  I will continue to post 3 to 4 times a week on this blog and periodically on A Pack To Be Named Later and Blog of Trade Bait.

This year I wrote 250 posts for this blog and four more for A Pack To Be Named Later.  Unfortunately I never posted anything on Blog of Trade Bait, but that's because I never organized my own trade bait in the first place.


B.  I will complete at least 12 blog trades.

Based on my blog posts, I made 10 official trades with bloggers over the past 12 months.  However, there were several blind trades completed as well.  Throw these into the mix and I'm confident I met this goal.

So what's in store for me in 2014?  Well... I'm not going to make any new cardboard resolutions. Hopefully I'll be able to build on a few of these failed goals.  But even if I don't... the only hobby goal that matters to me is embracing and enjoying the hobby.

As long as I reach that goal, I'll be content.

Thank you to all of you who took the time to read any of my 2013 blog posts.  Happy New Year and sayonara!