Buzz Break: 2023 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2023 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here

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

Packs per box: 25 (24 standard, one four-card Silver Chrome topper)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 333
Base set completion: 
311 of 330 (94 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Julio Rodriguez, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Yordan Alvarez, Max Fried, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Pete Alonso, Austin Riley, Kyle Schwarber, Max Scherzer, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Wander Franco, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Triston McKenzie, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Steven Kwan, Oneil Cruz, Kris Bryant

Rookie Cards (53) – Michael Harris II, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman (RC), J.J. Bleday, Triston Casas, Oswald Peraza, Jeter Downs, Oscar Gonzalez, Brett Baty, Riley Greene, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride, Shea Langeliers, David MacKinnon, Cal Mitchell, Travis Swaggerty, Liover Peguero, Buddy Kennedy, Kyle Stowers, Davis Martin, David Villar, Lenyn Sosa, Graham Ashcraft, Brian Serven, Steele Walker, Evan Lee, Jerar Encarnacion, Michael Grove, Vinnie Pasquantino, Hunter Brown, Ezequiel Duran, Korey Lee, Cade Cavalli, Michael Massey, Zack Thompson, Ethan Small, Nolan Gorman, Gabriel Moreno, Christopher Morel, Nick Pratto, Jonathan Aranda, Josh Winckowski, Brandon Hughes, Mark Appel, Josh Smith, Miguel Vargas, Nolan Jones, Brayan Bello, Matthew Liberatore, Ivan Herrera, Max Castillo, Marcus Wilson, Caleb Kilian

Insert/short-print cards: 22 (all in gallery below with some base)
Rainbow foil parallel (2) – Michael Harris II, Aaron Judge
Advanced Stats parallel (1) – Max Castillo (/300)
Vintage Stock parallel (1) – Shane Bieber (/99)
1988 Topps (6) – Michael Harris II, Ichiro Suzuki, Bryce Harper, Miguel Cabrera, Brayan Bello, Jacob deGrom
1988 Topps Chrome (4) – Michael Harris II, Aaron Judge, Justin Verlander, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (box-topper pack)
Home Run Challenge (1) – Jazz Chisholm Jr.
2022's Greatest Hits (1) – Juan Soto
All Aces (2) – Max Scherzer, Carlos Rodon
One-two Punch (2) – Jacob deGrom & Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole & Luis Severino
Welcome To The Club (1) – Jimmy Rollins
City Connect Cap Patch Card (1) – Xander Bogaerts

Autographs/Memorabilia: None (manufactured Relic)

What's Buzz-worthy: I'll be the first to admit I was a bit skeptical about the base design of this one at first -- especially that gray bar on every card -- but this is a definite scenario where cards feel better in hand than they did on Photoshopped mocks. But that's not why this one was a fascinating hobby box to open when I had expected it to be a one-and-done scenario for me with flagship this year. It simply delivered in odds-busting ways atop of some key names. Some chronological highlights ... first card, first pack? Aaron Judge leaders card and that makes sense given his 2022 season. A little further down in that same pack? The Michael Harris II Rookie Card that I mentioned here when revealing our $1M Golden Bounty for this release this year. Deeper into that very first pack? The guy who's The Show for this set this year, Julio Rodriguez. After I got that first ceremonial one out of the way I opted to open my Chrome box-topper ... Judge and Harris also inside. A few packs into the box, my first of only two Rainbow cards? Judge. A few packs later for the second and last of those here? Harris. The crazy wasn't done there, either, as I landed a 1988 Harris and then defied the odds on numbered stuff more than once in this one. Parallels and numbered cards don't even arrive in every box based on the stated odds with Gold parallels one in 33 packs ... but that was too easy for this one. I landed a Vintage Stock parallel that's one in 696 packs (29 boxes) and then a few packs later I landed an Advanced Stats variant (not on wrapper but should be comparable to Orange Foil at one in 227 packs) and then a mix of the typical inserts. My "hit" didn't come late into the box and, well, technically it didn't come at all -- a hit is an autograph or a Relic -- but in this release found one in 391 packs a hit is replaced by a manufactured Relic. That's actually one in 17 boxes (every other case) but in past years these and parallels have been seeded to be found one per. My issue there? If I wanted one of these kinds of cards, I could have forked over $25 for a blaster box and landed something similar to it every time and not ripped a hobby or jumbo. Rather than dwell on this more, I think that's just about the only thing I'd tweak here ... I'd take them out of hobby boxes. Let them lead the way in retail or be the third wheel in jumbos. All in all, though, this one does have a busier design than some recent years but I think it feels tighter and more cleanly printed than some flagship sets. It wasn't perfect but nothing dramatically rough in terms of centering and stock -- and that has been an issue at times off and on of late. The array of inclusions here is good -- and jumbo boxes break with a lot more color and flash than hobby with guaranteed ink and more -- and about the only other thing I'd want to see would be a little more insert/parallel power in every pack. (It doesn't add cost ... just got to add to lineup to add some value here for boxes where the names aren't popping like this one.) Yes, The Harris Show here might be talking some -- I may not have had the same reaction with lesser names on parallels or those rares not in here at all -- but this one feels like it has a lot to offer. Despite my initial plans, I'll be busting more.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A+ (a top grade despite having a manfactured Relic as hit ... see above as to how)
Fun Grade: B (amazing box ... but "defying the odds" to land manufactured Relic hurts the fun)

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