Buzz Break: 2024 Topps Chrome baseball cards (blaster)

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: 2024 Topps Chrome baseball cards (blaster)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: Click here (a few formats)

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

Packs per box: 7
Cards per pack: 4 stated (5 in some packs)
Cards in this box: 32
Base set completion: 
22 of 300 (7 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Bryce Harper, Kodai Senga, Yordan Alvarez, Luis Castillo, Maikel Garcia, Ryan Noda, Ian Happ, Matt Chapman, Jacob deGrom, Gleyber Torres, Ezequiel Tovar, Shane Bieber

Rookie Cards (10) – Jack Leiter, Nick Loftin, Kyle Harrison, Jose Fermin, Grant Hartwig, Bryan Woo, Jung Hoo Lee, A.J. Smith-Shawver, Hunter Goodman, Tyler Fitzgerald

Insert cards: 10 (all cards in gallery below)
Refractors (2) – Shota Imanaga, Devin Williams
Prism Refractors (1) – Jordyn Adams
Sepia Refractors (2) – David Hamilton, Quinn Priester
Pink Refractors (2) – Eloy Jimenez, Justin Verlander
Raywave Refractor (1) – Josh Jung
Future Stars (1) – Francisco Alvarez
Strokes (1) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: When I ripped my first pack the first card back I saw was Shota Imanaga and that card turned out to be a Refractor and arguably the best card in the box ... but with a higher suggested retail price on these boxes this year, well, that wasn't really enough to get this box to an A in my book. The rookie presence otherwise was pretty strong with good volume, some good names (but perhaps not the best names) and some good parallels ... but with plenty of this one made even the parallels probably won't stack up big price-wise, though the Imanaga is a nice card. Had this been a cheaper box like some years in the recent past, this would be a no-brainer, but had this been closer to an average box it would have stung. Ultimately, the overall inclusions -- a lot of attention has been given to long-odds chase additions in this brand -- get it to an A this year along with its design but even with more parallels here and plenty of rookies this particular format just needs a little more to it if you ask me. It's certainly one where people will perhaps dabble more for the price -- at least if they can't find a place with hobby packs -- but I still think it could use more beyond the Pink and Sepia cards only found here. If you get a key name in those spots, then it's perhaps a win now -- and could be moreso than other car types in the long run -- but it'll still be a challenge here often with a big set and a small box. (Any one name on a Pink or Sepia parallel is one in 150 blasters -- and technically the Imanaga is that, too, but that color is found elsewhere in all formats.) There are some retail-only finds of note, too, such as Green Refractor rookie autos, and better rookies that I didn't land but a big set vs. last year and a really deep (too deep?) autograph checklist could make the better stuff tougher finds for the box prices in all formats. At some point, people might just dabble more with the singles and play it safe, so I think adding more unique easier chases -- creative and flashy cards that can be collected with ease -- need to be introduced in formats like this one and with more volume than the two seen here. The insert volume beyond the parallels here was not strong at all, though the Strokes inserts look good. Not everything here was a one-per-box insert, but at the same time I don't think they felt al that unusually strong, either. All in all, this one felt better than some Chrome from the last few years -- and other than one bent card here (see the Harper) the printing was far crisper and cleaner than some years -- but I feel like this box format needs more going on to keep collectors who are not going to spend on the bigger boxes engaged and buying more than being a one-and-done box-buyer turned singles hunter.

Product Grade: A- (strong design hits Chrome and looks good)
Box Grade: B+ (a few notables but nothing to get it to an A for that new higher price point ... see below)
Fun Grade: B- (not much variety here beyond parallels ... overall too light on inserts)

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