Finally, A 2-Box 2013 Topps Archives ‘Retail Blaster Box Break’ – Come Check It Out!!!
Man, it took me forever to find these. And trust me when I tell you that I was really putting some energy into hunting them down…
I was informed via the web that the release date had been pushed back from last Wednesday, the 29th to Friday, the 31st. Well, I looked for Topps Archives on the 31st, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd before I finally found them today – four days after they were supposed to be on the shelves.
As soon as I saw them at Wal-Mart, I scooped up two boxes and headed for the register. I had already seen, and bought a few, of the cards at the card show I attended over the weekend, but there is nothing better than ripping through the boxes yourself – NOTHING!!
Let me first say that I love the packaging of Archives – from the vintage design and colors of the box to the look and style of the packs themselves – it all screams ‘FUN’. I think that the only upgrade that could be made is if Topps went back to their original wax paper packaging but I don’t see that occurring anytime soon…
That’s enough chit-chat, right?!?!
You want to see the cards, right?!?!?!
OK, let’s do this!!!
Box 1, Pack A – what a start: Lincecum, Stras, Machado!!

Box 1, Pack B – I like the 4-in-1, but the image selection for Coleman is a bit odd…

Box 1, Pack C – Gwynn All-Star!!!

Box 1, Pack D – Another Gwynn, plus a Ripken and a Jeter ‘Tall Boy’

Box 1, Pack E – Gio, Phillips, Bryce Harper and a Mickey Rivers SP!!!

Box 1, Pack F – Reggie and Palmer: 2 of my favorites!!!

Box 1, Pack G – Jeez, call this the All-Star pack!!

Box 1, Pack H – Rod Carew & Eddie Murray = NICE!!

That was fun! Let’s do another one!!!
Box 2, Pack A – Ted Williams, Ken Griffey Jr, and a Kent Hrbek SP!!!

Box 2, Pack B – Wow, that Musial card is B-A-D!!!

Box 2, Pack C – Morgan!!! And my first double – Ryne Sandberg All-Star…

Box 2, Pack D – Cannot complain about pulling Cabrera! And I like the Ortiz card too.

Box 2, Pack E – Struck GOLD with Phillips and also nabbed a Shelby Miller rookie! And a Prince as well! And a Charlie Hough 87 Topps SP!!!

Box 2, Pack F – Profar rookie, Mike Trout, Gary Carter, and an Anthony Rizzo ‘Tall Boy’

Box 2, Pack G – Loving the legends – Jackie, Yogi, ‘Pops’ and another double – the Gwynn All-Star.

Box 2, Pack H – That Giants 4-in-1 is AWESOME!!!

Man, that was a lot of fun.
I always enjoy pulling cards out of packs that reminds me of how much fun it was when I was a lot younger. Seeing cards surface that feature Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, and Paul Molitor takes me right back to when I was tearing through tons of Topps, Fleer, and Donruss cards in the late 1980’s!!
I think I did fairly well with my boxes. Of course, I would have liked to have pulled an autograph or relic card, but I know that the odds are against me with the ‘Retail Blaster’ format.
I did not pull a single Marlins card (need to check the checklist to see how many there are) and I also did not nab the Dawson All-Star card. I’ll seek those out, and more, through trades and on the web as more and more become available.
If anyone is building the set or team sets let me know as I may be able to help you. And if you’re a player collector and see something you like, let me know as I am sure that we can work something out!!!
I’m going to look through the cards again now. I’ll probably have some more posts about them in the coming days…
Thanks for reading!