Buzz Break: 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary (hobby)

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: 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist: Click here

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

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 4
Cards in this box: 96
Base set completion: 
85 of 700 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Ted Williams, Whitey Ford, Larry Doby, Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray, Willie Stargell, Edgar Martinez, Craig Biggio, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Piazza, Lou Brock, Fergie Jenkins, Bo Bichette, Trevor Story, Joe Mauer, Alex Rodriguez, Maury Wills, Frank Viola, Dansby Swanson, Mookie Betts, Deion Sanders, Hideki Matsui, Clayton Kershaw, Roger Clemens, Vida Blue

Rookie Cards (19) – Jo Adell, Tarik Skubal, Mitch White, Luis Garcia, Nick Neidert, Patrick Weigel, Andres Gimenez, Sam Huff, Brailyn Marquez, Mark Mathias, Daniel Johnson, Luis Campusano, Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather, Matt Foster, Jordan Weems, Pavin Smith, Ryan Castellani, Aaron Fletcher

Insert/short-print cards: 10 (all in gallery below with some base)
Refractors (6) – Don Drysdale, Deion Sanders, Jack Morris, David Dahl, Edward Olivares, Kyle Hendricks
X-Fractors (1) – Edwin Diaz
Aqua Wave Refractors (1) – Yadier Molina
Red Atomic Refractors (1) – Jim Bunning (/100)
Platinum 70th Anniversary Mini-Diamond Refractors (1) – Estevan Florial (/70)

Autographs: 1
Autographs (1) – Shea Hillenbrand

What's Buzz-worthy: This recent arrival (and long-delayed) release is a landmark one in that it's a massive 700-card Chrome checklist -- likely the biggest Chrome set ever made -- and it's one that meshes plenty of Heritage vibes as it includes stars from the past and present on a modern re-do of the iconic 1952 Topps set but on a modern finish. The main chase elements here are parallels -- a meaty lineup was initially announced but with its delays there are fewer in hobby packs, though it looks like retail/mega formats may have exclusives -- and then autographs. The ink in this one was a head-scratcher to me as to why he'd be in here (that dropped the grade in my mind off of an A) but I landed the best card (Griffey's base card ... yes, I said it) in my final pack to end this one on a high note. The Red parallel here is perhaps one in 81 packs (the parallel odds might be a little messy on the wrapper as it's just listed as "Red") while the Mini-Diamond parallel is one in 116. Those two cards help the box grade pull higher but the real power in this one was the volume of Hall of Famers I got -- it seems abnormally high -- while my current stars were very lean (mostly commons, actually) and the rookies were, well, 2021 ... not a crop that has aged that well. Looking at the percentage of a base set found here, collecting all 700 will be a challenge with so few cards per pack -- your best bet is to bust a case and hope the collation is good and then fill in gaps. The parallels here are nice and should draw people in -- and if you want any one player on a parallel be sure to multiply those odds by 700 to figure your chance on your guy's one particular card. (A Red Griffey, for example, would be one in 56,700 packs? Buy your guys when you spot them ... some might not surface for a while if you miss out on the rarer ones. This should also help value.) The lone chase card beyond ink and parallels is a re-do on the 1952 Mickey Mantle -- that one is one in 11,416 packs. So ... they made a lot of this one -- but that's a good thing if you're a collector wanting to rip something with long-ball potential.

Product Grade: A- (nice twist on a classic ... and a challenge if one wants to collect it)
Box Grade: B+ (two rarer pulls in this one with a ton of Hall of Famers)
Fun Grade: B (tiny packs plus huge set = some dud packs)

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