2010 Topps Tribute Baseball Review
Good: thick stock, refractor type finish, awesome checklist of legends, Stephen Strasburg Relic Auto, Jason Heyward Relic Auto, cool theme (dynasties and rivalries), franchise feats relic cards, collectible base set
Bad: hit or miss hits, cards easily chip, a few bad auto inclusions, expensive product, relics are thin
Bottom Line:
Tribute is a cool product if you are a fan of baseball history, that's not to say that there aren't any young stars included, Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg both have relic autographs on the checklist. The relics are a bit thin at times and there are a few bad inclusions on the auto checklist, but overall Tribute is an above average offering.
Design: 3.5/5
The base set and parallel design strikes a perfect balance of staying true to the products "legend" geared theme, while incorporating just the right amount of modern aspects. The card design of the "hits" could have been better, the color scheme used felt over the top at times. The relics are hit or miss, either you get an awesome piece of baseball history or one that looks like it never stepped on the diamond. For obvious reasons, the current players relics were far worse than the legends.
Checklist: 3.5/5
The 100-card base set checklist is awesome. Instead of making the 15-card "A Tribute To The Stars" and 10-card "Greatest Rivalries Revisited" inserts, they included them in the base set, giving them more value. If only more sets would do this same thing! The Relic and Autograph checklist is massive, featuring pretty much every Legend and Current Star you could ever ask for. The nice bonus is the addition of Heyward and Strasburg Autographed Relics! The one complaint I have about the checklist is why Chone Figgins and Rick Porcello had Autographed Relics at all.
Value: 2.5/5
My box was pretty bad but I still think I got some value. I would estimate that my box was probably in the bottom 20 percentile. The checklist really creates a great amount value with this product. I wouldn't suggest buying a box if it's out of your price range, but if you can afford to, I think there is some definate value in this product. Like all "high end" products, it's a hit or miss game, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you pull the craziest cards you've ever seen.
Enjoyment: 3.5/5
What made this product enjoyable to me was that it was a high end product, yet had 6-packs. Too many high end products give you only 1 0r 2 packs. I could have done far better in terms of hits with my box, but I still enjoyed the product. I would say that "old school" baseball fans would enjoy this product far more than those who stick to current players and rookies. If your a fan of both like myself, I would say you'd enjoy it as well.
Box Break:
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Mike M
@ amanda michalski, I know this reply is 5 years late, so this is for the benefit of any future reader.
This is a hobby. It isn’t necessarily meant for prospecting. A lot of people do it, but the people who do it, are experts. And not only do they know a heck of a lot about the hobby, but they are also absolutely passionate about it. Every single prospector has been hit. Including the people running this website. Heck, the person who posted this very review about this very product got hit with this particular box he is reviewing. It comes with the territory. Notice he still gave it a fair rating with what I believe is a fair rating. The hit may have skewed the rating down a bit, but at least he explained it in detail.
Furthermore, as these reviews say over and over again, especially on the high-end boxes, if you have any doubts whatsoever about whether you can afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a high-end product, do not do it! If you have the slightest doubt about whether you can afford something or not, you cannot afford it. Period.
Believe me, I salivate over certain products. I just saw a box of complete S1 and S2 2015 Topps that included a blue MVP Medallion of Ken Griffy Jr. displayed in the window to the box at Target just yesterday. The price was $68. I recently lost my job and am now on unemployment. Even though I had the money and probably could have purchased it, I didn’t. I had a slight doubt about the affordability, and walked away.
You can’t blame Topps for dropping money on this product. They always print the odds of what you might find inside, but nothing is a guarantee unless it specifies: “# of Guaranteed auto” or “game-used Jersey per box.” And even then, it is not a guarantee that auto or relic will even be a hit.
And finally, this is a “tribute” product. All “tribute” products are usually commemorative. Like Allen and Ginter is a tribute product. This particular product even says “tribute” in it’s name. The point I am making, is that you WILL get things like presidents, or tennis player, or weapons of war, or plants as cards in tribute products. That is a very much traditional aspect of these historical-based products.
My suggestion: never purchase anything in any hobby you are unfamiliar with. Not just baseball cards. I mean ANY hobby. Do a bit of research. Ask around. Visit hobby shops. Always ask managers and/or workers of hobby stores questions. They will almost always be happy to answer all of your questions and educate you a bit. And not just to sell you stuff either. People who own and/or work at hobby shops are generally quite passionate about the hobby. They want to get other people interested and involved, rather than make a quick buck.*
*Disclaimer to the last statement: I know a guy who was a great meany that runs a local shop. He runs it right out of his own garage. He will screw you over in a heartbeat. Nobody walks into his shop. First of all, because his shop is creepy. Second of all, because he is creepy. And third, because he has a terrible reputation.
Always beware of the oddball meany salesperson. Usually these people are creepy, and they usually throw a bunch of random crap in your face, usually with a $10 price tag on it. I dunno why $10. Most of these people I run into always attempt to sell every single one of their single ’91 Upper Deck Jamie Navarro cards for $10. I’ve used ’91 Jamie Navarro cards for kindling. Only a total loony jerk would ask $10 for a ’91 Upper Deck Jamie Navarro. I wouldn’t give a stale piece of chewing gum from my own mouth that came from a pack of 20 that cost $1 for the entire pack for a ’91 Upper Deck Jamie Navarro card.
Anyway. I digress. Sorry bout that.