Working the National wrapper redemption lines Part I: Topps

The wrapper redemption programs at the National Sports Collectors Convention are a challenge, a pastime and a must-do for many attendees every year.

But there are drawbacks, too, hence that challenge part. There can be long waits -- depending on how long the lines are and, more importantly, how early you got in them -- and there's the possibility that your line could get cut off before land your treasures.

But the wait can be worth it with the surprises in your packs -- or your boxes you grab to get said packs -- and that's what Buzz opted to try a few times this year. First up? The Topps program.

I opted for a box of Ginter somewhat late into the show on Wednesday, paying up and getting my black sticker for my box. I made the turn toward the booth and it wasn't a long walk as the line looked a lot like the image you see above -- a line wrapping its way around the booth and down an aisle, though the line was moving. I instantly decided I'd probably have to hold onto my box until Thursday with the slightly torturous fact that I wouldn't be able to open the box for hours. (That just does not happen in Buzzville -- it seems like days, I swear.)

About 15 minutes before the redemption session was to start on Day 2, I got in line. There were some worrisome moments when those of us at the end got some free Topps soccer swag -- you'll see a Topps Now card on Buzz Twitter -- and even a soccer-themed stress ball. (That last one? Not a good sign.) But since that line was a little further down the aisle there was some time to watch and look at the nearby booths and that was where I managed to discover an ultra-affordable mystery pack option that seemed to deliver well. It had some surprises inside but more on that later.

In all, it took about an hour to get through the line then I worked my way to a seemingly secret bank of tables in the shadows of the IX Center Ferris wheel across from the Blowout booth. I first ripped into my silver pack -- just one for Ginter but there are two packs for other boxes -- and immediately knew I had something as the card on the back was serial-numbered out of 50.

That card? A gold Refractor of local star -- and show signer -- Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber. The top of my pack? A guy you might know named George -- Ken Griffey Jr. -- and the other two inside were Dodgers rookie Alex Verdugo and Eloy Jimenez. Not the flashiest pack considering the wait, but I worked my way though just my second Ginter box of the year to see what I found. It started rather uneventfully with a Relic, a somewhat rare hot peppers mini, another Relic and then a card that made me stop in my tracks.

"Oh my," was my initial reaction.

I've pulled a number of interesting Rip Cards from this brand in the past -- actually almost every year since its arrival in 2006 -- and in this box was a rip of the most-notable rookie in the mix, Shohei Ohtani. It's not quite the "big" find it might have been had Ginter arrived earlier in the year, but it's a card that could pay for about three boxes. (Ginter was around $90 a box at the show.) I'll Buzz Break this box here soon so you can see all that it included.

I worked my way around the floor and while doing that I noticed that the line was still going at the booth and I grabbed a 2018 Topps Heritage box to get another sticker and that time in line? Not even five minutes. My second pack wasn't quite as flashy as the first as it included Luis Severino, Cody Bellinger, Omar Vizquel and Francisco Mejia. It's once again Cleveland-centric but no inserts or ink, though they are in there. I saw one collector who pulled an Ohtani auto from these packs (/6 for Ohtani) and it graded a BGS 10 with just a .5 sub-grade away from being a BGS Black 10. That card? Some estimated it at $4,000 -- and it'll probably wind up on eBay at some point if it's not there already.

My Ohtani? It'll probably be an oddity in my Ginter stash, a true rarity -- almost a 1/1 as a Rip Card I won't rip -- alongside another pretty strong card I found in my Heritage box. Look for a Buzz Break on that one here soon.

So, in this case, my NSCC wrapper redemption experience was one that had the best of times (no wait), the worst of times (one long wait) and some bitter defeat. Wait, what's that? Well, about an hour after my second box, I heard they were still going and the line looked short (if there at all) so I grabbed one more box of Ginter ... only to get to the booth and literally have a case-breaker standing right in front of me who got the last pack of the day.

I was that guy -- The Cut-off Guy -- and my last black sticker was for naught. (Good thing my second Ginter box was still above average statistically.)

All in all, though, I'd have to say that my experience with the Topps wrapper redemption was a good one because of what I landed in my boxes -- the Chromes were just a bonus.

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