2010 Topps Update Baseball
Box Price: $60 (Hobby)/$90 (Jumbo Hobby)
Good: First Danny Valencia rookie cards, Topps Million Card Giveaway code cards, plenty of Strasburg and Heyward, short prints and variations of value, solid card design, box price, nearly every traded player in new uniform, awesome checklist.
Bad: Jumbo boxes are the only way to go (if you want the good cards), overload of inserts and Topps Attax code cards, manufactured bat barrel cards are somewhat of a disappointment.
The Bottom Line:
2010 Topps Updates & Highlights is an extremely deep product that does an excellent job of doing exactly what it's name suggests, updating collectors on all the major trades, rookies, and September call-ups from the 2010 MLB Season. Although the Million Card Giveaway excitement has slowed, it still adds a degree of excitement to each box. Like 2010 Topps Series 1 and 2, the primary selling point revolves around the 2010 MLB Rookie Class, which when all said and done may go down as the most talented ever. If you consider yourself a collector of baseball first and foremost, I would highly recommend giving Update a shot. Although I can't emphasize enough the importance of grabbing a Jumbo Box over any the Regular 36-pack hobby box. A 10-pack Jumbo delivers 50+ cards per pack, 3 hits, 10 Million Card Giveaway Code Cards, gold cards, a stack of rookies and a short print for around $90.
Design: 3.5/5
The set design is identical to the first 2 chapters of 2010 Topps Baseball trilogy (Series 1 and 2). That being said, 2010's design is a slight upgrade over last years. The insert design can get pretty ugly at times, especially with the "Tales of the Game" set. The manufactured bat barrel relic cards are disappointing and don't look as good in person as they did in previews. At the end of the day, the design isn't what makes Update a high quality product, it's the 2010 MLB Rookie Class.
Checklist: 4.25/5
Update's checklist is awesome and covers all the bases. The base set features a ton of great rookies including the first ever rookie cards of players like Twins 3B Danny Valencia. The base set also features players like Cliff Lee in a Rangers uniform and Roy Oswalt in a Phillies uniform. From top to bottom, Update's checklist is spectacular, the only bad part is that next year Topps is going to have their work cut out for them, as they won't be able to live off the checklist like they have done in 2010.
Value: 4.25/5
The shear amount of collecting angles present in a box of Update adds up to an excellent box value. From autographs and relics to short prints and million card giveaway code cards to the checklist chalked with a who's who of the 2010 MLB Rookie Class, Update's depth and intrigue collide to offer collectors great return on their investment. As I noted above, if you plan on buying Update, you would be selling yourself short by purchasing anything outside of a 10-pack Hobby Jumbo Box, you really have to rip a Jumbo Box to see with your own eyes how much better it is than the regular 36-pack hobby box.
Enjoyability: 4.25/5
I'm usually not a very big fan of Topps Update, as I would prefer that they hold off and save their shots for the following year's Series 1 Topps Baseball, but in 2010 there truly was enough rookies, transactions, and moments to justify producing Update. The hits, million card giveaway code cards, exciting rookies and short prints add up to an extremely fun and exciting box break.
Box Break
The highlights of my box break:
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Nicholas Arvidson | Oct 26, 2010 | Reply
Decided not to buy a box, but did pick up a Valencia RC on eBay. Cool set, though.