Buzz Break: 2006 Topps Update baseball cards (HTA Jumbo)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2006 Topps Update baseball cards (HTA Jumbo)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when/if available)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Packs per box: 13 (12 standard, one Chrome rookie box-topper, four box-bottom cards)
Cards per pack: 35
Cards in this box: 425
Base set completion: 
330 of 330 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 44

Notables on base cards – Greg Maddux, Cory Lidle, Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, David Ortiz, Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, Mariano Rivera, Jim Thome, Albert Pujols, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, John Smoltz, Alex Rodriguez (and others big then but perhaps not now)

Rookie Cards (44) – Notables include Matt Kemp, Cole Hamels, Jon Lester, Russell Martin, Ben Zobrist, James Shields, Stephen Drew, Andre Ethier, Jered Weaver, Mike Napoli

Insert/short-print cards: 50 (a sampling of everything in gallery)
Chrome Rookies Refractor (1) – Taylor Buchholz (/25) ... One in 25 boxes!
Box-bottom cards (4) – Stephen Drew, Greg Maddux, Aubrey Huff, B.J. Upton
1st Editon parallel (1) – Nick Green
Gold parallel (6) – Miguel Cabrera, Manny Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez, Sandy Alomar, Dave Bush, Jeremy Bonderman & Magglio Ordonez (/2,006)
Black parallel (1) – Phil Nevin (/55)
Barry Bonds 715 Insert (1) – Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds Home Run History (12) – Nos. 715-726
Mickey Mantle Home Run History (12) – see gallery
Rookie Debut (12) – Stephen Drew, Dan Uggla, Fabio Castro, Reggie Abercrombie, Taylor Buchholz, Enrique Gonzalez, John Rheinecker, Ruddy Lugo, Carlos Martinez, Chad Billingsley, Joe Saunders, Ian Kinsler

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
All-Star Patch Relics (1) – Lance Berkman (/10)

What's Buzz-worthy: I found this jumbo box at basically its original price back in the day, knowing that the basics here just have not aged well at all -- unless you're a huge fan of a overload of leaders, highlights and combo cards -- and the RCs have not aged all that well, either. But ... Home Team Advantage, or HTA, jumbo boxes could over-deliver pretty well back then. The first time I popped one of these back in the day? A rarer Mickey Mantle card and a printing plate of some lesser player ... but one of the earlier times I found a plate. This box? It started strong with a one in 25 box box-topper (one in four cases) and then the hit being a patch card so ridiculous you'd think it's fake (it's an Astros sleeve patch on that jersey) and that is one in 377 packs -- one in 32 boxes -- which is also one in four cases. Pretty much everything else here was the norm but the Barry Bonds 715 insert also would have been a big find back then and it's one in three boxes. Why rip here? The rarer parallels could deliver names -- the set is loaded with All-Stars and notables -- and there are collectors who will still chase stuff from flagship releases. More importantly, this release was the home of Barry Bonds autos and Relics in the wake of his surpassing Hank Aaron as the career home run leader. It's also the home of Mickey Mantle Relics and a number of other possible finds on the ink and Relic fronts. Has it all aged well? No. The rookie autos list includes Ian Kinsler, Fausto Carmona, Mike Napoli and Jon Lester as notables. Other autos? Johnny Damon and Brandon Phillips are perhaps the notables ... but there are long odds on Bonds auto buybacks and All-Star ink here includes A-Rod, Big Papi and David Wright. I didn't get ink but I did very, very well ... and prices on these boxes are at the point that you can pay a lot more than I did and land a lot less so they might be best served  value-wise as unopened entities these days. But, if you're a regular reader then you know Buzz doesn't do that.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A++ (that patch is crazy and two cards here are found only once per four cases)
Fun Grade: A- (only since it was a good box)

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