2010 Topps Triple Threads Baseball
Box Price: $185.00
Good: Great themes, everything numbered, on-card autographs, All-Star game relic cards, book cards, Jason Heyward relic autographs, Stephen Strasburg relic autographs
Bad: Too many swatches, boring base cards, little new in 2010, boom or bust boxes
The Bottom Line:
Triple Threads is a solid high-end product that isn't much of a departure from past seasons. From Jason Heyward "Walk-Off" relic auto's to Matsui/Ichiro/Matsuzaka "Far East" triple relics cards, Triple Threads excels when it comes to card themes and player combinations. Where Triple Threads falls short is when it comes to the relics used on cards not numbered above 20 and the relatively bland base cards that are indiscernible form past years. Overall, Triple Threads remains too risky for collectors on a budget, but for those with an upper tier collecting budget that have enjoyed past seasons of the high-end product, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't enjoy latest installment.
Design: 3.5/5
Triple Threads base card design is bland and indiscernible from past seasons. The design of the hits is solid and absolutely spectacular if you happen to pull one of the extremely low numbered All-Star Game Relics or Book Cards. As I noted above, Triple Threads uses the swatch a bit too frequently for my taste.
Checklist: 4.5/5
I'm always a big fan of implementing autographs and relics into a products base set, which Triple Threads does well. The checklist includes a who's who of baseball history with a slightly greater emphasis on current players and rookies than in past renditions. The checklist is what you would expect from a high-end product. There's plenty of Heyward and Strasburg, which should please rookie collectors. The player combinations used for triple relics/autographs are as good as it gets in sports cards, the amount of thought put into the themes used is spectacular.
Value: 3.75/5
The value of Triple Threads is definitely better than Topps' other currently available high-end product Tribute. The value of Triple Threads is boosted substantially by the hardcore baseball collectors who support the product each and every year. Strasburg and Heyward gives this year's Triple Threads an added value over last season's. That being said, Triple Threads is a high stakes card game in which you either win or lose big. Suffice to say, if you are a collector who prefers sticking to safe products, this isn't one of those.
Enjoyability: 4/5
If you have money to spare, Triple Threads is definitely an exciting and cool product to open. That being said, I wouldn't recommend that collectors who have usually don't open high-end products start with 2010 Triple Threads. The problem with Triple Threads is that you either have the time of your life or experience big time buyer's remorse ripping a box, as it is a boom or bust product.
Box Break
The highlights of my box break:
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