Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 24 (plus one 1984 Chrome pack)
Cards per pack: 14 (four in Chrome)
Cards in this box: 336
Base set completion: 
305 of 350 (87 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Mookie Betts, Brandon Nimmo, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Clayton Kershaw, Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Harrison Bader, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Dereck Rodriguez, Shane Bieber, Jack Flaherty, Christian Yelich, Jose Ramirez, Dansby Swanson, Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Josh Donaldson, Corey Seager, J.D. Martinez, Carlos Correa, Kyle Schwarber

Rookie Cards (30) – Daniel Poncedeleon, Kyle Tucker, Kolby Allard, Kohl Stewart, Danny Jansen, Michael Kopech, Justus Sheffield, Adolis Garcia, Pablo Lopez, Francisco Arcia, Enel De Los Santos, Nick Burdi, Garrett Hampson, Heath Fillmyer, Ryan Borucki, Jonathan Loaisiga, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, Dennis Santana, Brad Keller, Ranger Suarez, Luis Urias, Corbin Burnes, Ray Black, Jacob Nix, Jake Bauers, Duane Underwood Jr., Ramon Laureano, Jeff McNeil, Chance Adams

Insert/short-print cards: 30 (all in gallery below along with Chromes and some base)
Photo variations (2) – Kyle Schwarber, Adam Jones
Gold parallel (5) – Stephen Piscotty, Ian Kennedy, Kyle Seager, Josh Hader, Randal Grichuk (/2,019)
Black parallel (1) – Richard Bleier (/67)
Rainbow Foil parallel (2) – The Yankees Win!, Dee Gordon
150 Years parallel (4) – Tim Anderson, Trea Turner, Adam Jones, Luis Castillo
150 Years of Baseball (4) – Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Rickey Henderson, Rod Carew
150 Years of Baseball 150 Years parallel (1) – George Brett (/150)
Home Run Challenge (1) – Christian Yelich
2018 Topps Now Review (2) – Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuña Jr.
Evolution of The Game (1) – Harmon Killebrew & Joe Mauer
Iconic Card Reprints (1) – Eddie Mathews 1952 Topps
1984 Topps (6) – Jonathan Loaisiga, Ryan O'Hearn, Joey Gallo, Zack Greinke, Eric Thames, Mitch Haniger
1984 Topps Chrome (bonus pack) (4) – Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Steven Matz, Jose Altuve

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
World Series Champion Autographs Red (1) – Rick Porcello (/25 or less)

What's Buzz-worthy: A new baseball card season starts right now and, for me, it started with a combination of Niko Goodrum the first card I saw on the back of my first pack and a Nick Markakis on its front. (Does that mean that the Braves win it all this year and it will be a good one? We'll see ... you heard it first here if it happens.) This box delivered pretty well overall but one card alone earns it the A+ -- the Red parallel of a World Series Champion Rick Porcello autograph is a card found one in every 15,798 packs. That's one in 659 boxes (55 cases) if you do the math. These boxes have a little different look this year as they have four more cards per pack but the total drops to just 24 packs instead of 36. It's a move I like, though the insert total was lower than last year. You get a lot more Gold parallels here than last year, which gives you more shots at notable names (I didn't really get any here) and there are a number of parallels and other variations to look for. Photo variations are one in 15 packs, while "advanced stats" cards are one in 75 and you can find others that we're used to such as Black, Vintage and Rainbow stock. All in all, this one felt like a comfortable rip -- perhaps because of fewer packs -- though a few didn't have any inserts and others had a couple. (Check the codes on the backs of base cards to spot your variations as usual. The gallery in the First Buzz preview is still growing on that front.) The 150 Years of Baseball set leads the way here with inserts and parallels -- a good feel for a brand that's known for looking back to the past while also presenting the here and now. We'll get even more of this in Series 2 as well. The non-traditional framing of the fronts gives it a good Stadium Club meets 1982 Topps feel, though I think some of the photos could be stronger with this approach (I expected more cards to have more photos that wowed me). The 1982 feel is reinforced more on the backs. Is the basic design perfect in my mind? No, but all of the overall inclusions give it a feel that is new and flagship all at the same time. I think this design should translate for Chrome, and especially Refractors, very well. I'd still like to see more inserts per pack and box, though this move should help the value of some sets more as they are tougher to build. Basic Topps is a brand that they don't really need to tinker with -- it has the built-in demand no matter what -- but I'm glad to see Topps change and adjust things here and there. Once later series hit this year, hopefully with a strong rookie crop -- perhaps Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the mix -- we could see some fun stuff that builds upon this one's start.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: A+
Fun Grade: B+

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