Made to be Broken

Outside of speeding on the freeway, playing poker with friends, or walking outside of the crosswalk every now and then... I'm usually pretty good about obeying the law.

But a few months ago, I chose to walk on the wild side, live the life of a rebel, go against the grain, and modify the traditional Reverse Box Break rules.

As far as I can tell, Brian over at Pirates Treasure Room came up with the term with the help of Plain Gray Swatch... which essentially means to build a custom box of cards based on what collectors would typically pull from an unopened hobby box.

I focused my attention on this year's Topps Tribute, because I really liked the look of the autographs and relics when they started hitting the open market back in July.  Collectors were guaranteed to pull three autographs and three relics with approximately eleven base cards and one parallel from each factory sealed box.

However after scouring eBay, Beckett, and COMC... I discovered that Topps failed to include any of my main PC players on the base card checklist, so I made the executive decision to substitute the eleven base cards and one serial numbered parallel with three more autographs.

Here's a breakdown for my custom box of 2016 Topps Tribute baseball:

6 Autographs

3 Relics

0 Serial Numbered Parallels

0 Base Cards

When I started this project back in early August, boxes of this stuff were selling in the $240 to $260 price range, so that's the budget I set for myself.  Was I able to stay within my budget?  Let's find out...

Purchase #1: Jose Altuve Blue Autograph  $21.25

eBay Purchase: $18.50 (+ $2.75 shipping)

I picked this card up within a week of Tribute's release.  At the time, I was just starting to build my Altuve PC and the idea of a Reverse Box Break hadn't come to fruition.  However by early August, I had started targeting specific cards, figuring out fair prices, and in September I went on a shopping spree...

Purchase #2:  Frank Thomas Rightful Recognition Orange Auto $60

eBay Purchase: $60 (free shipping)

Prices of Frank Thomas autographs have fallen now that he actively signs cards for just about every Topps product, so I probably should have waited a little longer for one of these.  Well... at least this card fits into two different PC's:  my Frank Thomas PC and my Prime #'s PC.

Purchase #3:  Steve Carlton Orange Auto $15

eBay Purchase: $15 (free shipping)

Purchase #4:  Rickey Henderson Rightful Recognition Orange Auto $42.62

eBay Purchase: $40 (+ $2.62 shipping)

Purchase #5:  Greg Maddux Relic $4

COMC Purchase: $4 (free shipping)

It didn't take me long to figure out that relics were going to be a problem, because I wasn't able to find guys I wanted at reasonable BIN prices on eBay.  By the time I factored in shipping, singles were in the $5 to $8 price range.  That's when I turned to COMC for help.

Purchase #6:  Reggie Jackson Ageless Accolades Auto $37

eBay Purchase: $34.38 (+ $2.62 shipping)

After buying this card, I did a little research and discovered that Topps completely swung and missed on this card, which celebrates Reggie winning the American League MVP Award in 1973.  The problem?  He's featured wearing the uniform the Athletics wore from 1969 to 1971.  Oh well.  It's still nice to add a Reggie on-card autograph to my collection.

Purchase #7:  Buster Posey Green Relic $4

COMC Purchase: $4 (free shipping)

Buster was my first purchase that didn't target a specific PC, but I was happy to add this card to my collection nonetheless.  I've grown to appreciate his game over the years as I've watched him develop into a Bay Area fan favorite.

Purchase #8: Craig Biggio Purple Relic $1.60

Card Show Purchase: $1.60

My third and final relic was actually part of a large lot of cards I picked up at the Serramonte Card Show back in September.  I paid $25 for 40 autographs and relics, which breaks down to $1.60 per card.  I don't really collect Biggio either, but like Buster I don't have any problems with adding this card to my collection.

Purchase #9:  Greg Maddux Rightful Recognition Orange Auto $63.61

eBay Purchase: $61.01 (+ $2.60 shipping)

From the beginning of this project, I knew I wanted one of the cards to be a Greg Maddux autograph and it was nice to wrap up this custom box with such a beautiful card.  Like the Frank Thomas, it actually fits into my Prime #'s PC as well.  It's also the most expensive card in the box.

When all nine purchases are added up, you can see that I ended up spending $249.08... which is falls perfectly within the budget I originally set.

As with most things relating to card collecting, there are pro's and con's with my project.  Let's go ahead and get the negative stuff out of the way.

#1:  Prices for boxes and singles have fallen since its original release.  I've seen boxes sell for as low as $160 on eBay.  Plus online shops have them for around $180 a box.

#2:  Since two of my cards were purchased off of COMC, I had to wait until their Black Friday deal to receive free shipping.  So even though my final purchase was at the end of September, I didn't actually have the entire box in my possession until last week.

#3:  All three of the relic cards I purchased came with the same old vague, "the relic contained in this card is not from any specific game, event, or season" guarantee.  I personally think collectors who spend $250 on a box of cards deserve a better COA.

#4:  Building a box prevents you from pulling high end autographs like Mike Trout, Ichiro Suzuki, or Hank Aaron.

On the other hand, I am very pleased with the outcome of this project for several reasons:

#1:  The cards are shiny and thick.  <insert "that's what she says" joke here>

#2:  All autographs are on-card, which is what originally sold me on this product.

#3:  I was able to hand pick cards that fit into my collection.  What are the odds of me ever buying a box of this stuff and pulling autographs of Mad Dog, The Big Hurt, Lefty, Rickey, Reggie, and Altuve?  My guess is zero.

Overall... I was very happy with the outcome of this project.  In fact, I'll probably do another one next year.

How about you?

Would you ever consider following in Roy-z and Brian's footsteps and doing a Reverse Box Break?

I understand that this pretty much only works for higher end products, since the average collector isn't going to go out and individually buy 360 Topps Series 1 base cards.  But if you've ever dabbled with higher end boxes, then it's another option for you.

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe holiday season.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

My Hand Picked, Out of my Budget, Custom Box

It was love at first sight.  Okay... that sounds a little cheesy, but it's the day before Valentine's Day... and love is in the air.  Damn... that sounds cheesy too.

Anyways... I really like 2013 Topps Five Star Baseball.  The hard signed autographs, simple card design, and solid checklist are awesome and exactly what I'd expect in a high end product.  One problem... I'm not a "high end product" kind of guy.  Plus, I'm not exactly known for busting boxes either (please ignore my "out of character" Black Friday box busting frenzy).

That's why I decided to save money and build my very own custom Five Star box based on what collectors would typically find in a sealed box.

I can't remember whose blog I read... but I stole their idea.  If anyone knows... can you leave the name of their blog in the comment section, so I can give them credit.

Okay... moving forward.  Each box contains one pack and each pack includes on average...

A.  One Base Card
B.  Two Active or Retired Player Autographed Cards
C.  One Autographed Patch Card or Autographed Card
D.  One Autographed Book Card or Silver Signatures Autograph Card
E.  One Jumbo Swatch, Patch, Batting Glove, MLB Logo, Bat Plate, or Bat Knob Relic Card

My original goal was to stay under the sealed box price by as much as I could.  Right now, sealed boxes can be typically found at online shops in the $319 to $350 range.

Without further adieu... let's see how I did.  I avoided buying a numbered base card, because I'd rather have another autograph.  And since it's my personal custom box, I make the rules.  Here's what I picked up in place of the base card:

Autograph #1:  Dennis Eckersley (#'d 240/353) $13.00

eBay Best Offer Accepted:  $10.50 + $2.50 s/h

I went with a value priced autograph, because I noticed that most of the base cards sell in the $5 to $15 range.  $13 for an on-card autograph of a HOFer who's featured in an Athletics uniform.  Can't complain about that.

Next up are the two cards that made me decide to buy into this product.  They're my two retired player autographs... and feature two of my favorite players from my childhood.


Autograph #2:  Tony Gwynn (#'d 15/50) $43.00

eBay Auction:  $40.05 + $2.95 s/h

I've got to admit, I'm not a huge fan of the photos used on either of these cards.  I was hoping they'd use a picture of Gwynn at the plate.

Autograph #3:  Rickey Henderson (#'d 22/25) $96.88

eBay Auction:  $93.88 + $3 s/h

And this is the best photo of Rickey they could find?  How about one with him on the base paths?  Oh well... I'm not going to complain too much.  This is my very first autographed baseball card of Mr. Henderson.

Autograph #4:  Tom Glavine (#'d 56/65) $29.99

eBay Best Offer Accepted:  $28 + $1.99 s/h

My fourth autograph is my most recent purchase and the card that kept me from publishing a few weeks ago.  Each box of Five Star comes with a book card or a Silver Signatures card.  I went with the more affordable option.  I was hoping to buy a Dave Stewart for my A's PC, but for a few more dollars I decided to go with a HOFer instead.


Relic #1:  Jimmie Foxx (#'d 17/25) $32.88

eBay Auction:  $29.88 + $3 s/h

The one downside to this custom box was paying $32.88 for a relic card.  Outside of a Jackie Robinson jersey card, I don't think I ever spent more than $20 on a memorabilia card.  And I can't imagine it will happen again in the near future.  On a positive note, it's a nice addition to my A's collection.

That leaves me with just one more autograph for my box.  To save a few dollars, I didn't bother looking at autographed patch cards.  I stayed with the standard base autographs, which is what attracted me to this product in the first place.  There were a few people I targeted:  Dale Murphy, Clayton Kershaw, and Andre Dawson.  But I ended up going with Mr. October instead.

Autograph #5:  Reggie Jackson (#'d 14/50)  $43.89

eBay Auction:  $43.89 (free shipping)

I'm not a huge fan of Reggie, but he was a big part of the Oakland Athletics success during the early 70's.  I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure this is my first Jackson autograph too.  It's a shame he's wearing pinstripes.

Okay... time to add up the damage and assess my box.  Total cost of my custom box (including shipping) was $259.64.  That's a lot of money, but it includes on-card autographs of five HOFers and a bat card of one of the greatest hitters of all-time.  Best of all, it allowed me to choose cards specifically based on my collection.

After falling well under the Five Star SRP,  I decided to update my goal.  The new goal is to see how nice of a box I can build, while staying under the current unopened box prices.

That's why I grabbed this Fred Lynn autograph.

Autograph #6:  Fred Lynn (#'d 181/353)  $10.00

 eBay Best Offer Accepted:  $8 + $2 s/h

Fred Lynn was one of those guys I followed as a kid, because he was such a well balanced hitter.  I remember checking his stats every morning in The San Jose Mercury News.  He might not be in the hall of fame, but there's no denying the guy could hit.

I'm still actively looking for autographs of Murphy, Kershaw, Dawson, and Stewart.  The way I look at it... I'm still $50 to $80 under what I would have spent on a sealed box, so I should probably be able to pick up at least one, two, or maybe even three more autographs without going over.

Happy Valentine's Day Eve and sayonara!