I think Topps NOW is a great concept. The technology at Topps' disposal means that they can make high quality cards very quickly. While the selection of moments that are "NOW worthy" has skewed heavily towards a BOS NYY LAD bias, I can't really complain about the variety of subjects. There have been some snubs in my opinion, and cards that I would question their inclusion in the set. I am going to keep chasing the Twins, and I will make exceptions from time to time to get cards that I like for the photo or moment.
Eddie Rosario of the Twins was also the regular Left Fielder for the Puerto Rican National Team in the WBC. I couldn't pass up the awesome Superman card they made for Chris Coghlan.
In addition to his Topps NOW card for the walk-off winner against the Netherlands, Rosario was also included in the Puerto Rico Team set. Kennys Vargas was on team PR as well (and Twin pitcher Jose Berrios), but only Rosario made the team set. Vargas did get his first NOW card in the Twins' Spring Training Team Set! Ervin Santana was the first Twin to get his own card in the regular season. Still waiting for my Joe Mauer card to arrive in the mail.
Others have pointed this out (most notably The Lost Collector), but the backs are different this year. The WBC cards have a standard card back, but all the new cards have this refractor effect on the backs. In my head, it is another step in justifying the high price tag on these cards.
I find myself rooting for the Twins to get Topps NOW cards after each game, or trying to figure out which moments deserve a card the following day. Topps successfully hooked me on the product, so congratulations!
I really wanted that Coughlin card... I just couldn't justify the amount for shipping..
ReplyDeleteIt would really be nice if they made some kind of concession on Blue Jays cards at least. Are the eBay shipping fees just as bad? There are a handful of resellers that might have a copy of that card for a decent price.
DeleteTopps really does a good job with these. It's a fun concept. But it's hard to justify the cost, at least for me. I bought four or five last year. One so far this year. My criterion is simple...card has to be a very special Orioles moment or a spectacular day by one of my fantasy baseball guys. That second reason is why I bought the Anthony Rendon card for his 6 for 6, 3 dinger day this year and the Arrieta no-hitter card last year. When I saw the Coghlan card I thought of how cool a Stadium Club card it would be.
ReplyDeleteYeah - I wonder about that as well. I felt cheated about the Bartolo Colon Home Run card from last year, since they made the same card in Update and in Heritage High Numbers... I wouldn't be surprised if a handful of Topps Now cards were repeated again this year in Update.
DeleteStadium Club might start to recycle the images too, they tend to get the most compelling photos they can find for each player, have to believe that there aren't many better Coghlan pics in existence.