Love 'em or Leave 'em

[sanjosefuji]

Manufactured patches. Some collectors love them. Others hate them. As for me... I'm somewhere in between. But the tides might be starting to shift in their favor, because last year I discovered the 2013 Topps Manufactured Rookie Card Patches.


As soon as I saw this card...

It was love at first sight. From there, I started tracking down Rickey, Reggie, and Ozzie. Eventually I decided to build the entire twenty-five cardSeries Oneset. Last weekend, the final puzzle piece arrived in the mail and after over a year, I can finally cross this set off of my list.

Here's a look at the set in its entirety:

#1 Willie Mays and #2 Ernie Banks

Anyone else surprised that Topps left The Commerce Comet and Hammerin' Hank off of the checklist? I guess technically speaking the 1952 Topps Mantle isn't his rookie card. Then again... neither is the Mays.

#3 Roberto Clemente and #4 Sandy Koufax

One day I'd love to add a Clementerookie card to my collection, but I'm afraid this will probably have to make do. The same could be said for Koufax.

#5 Bob Gibson and #6 Willie McCovey

Now we're starting to get into the realm of my cardboard budget. I'm still amazed that a decently conditionedWillie McCoveyrookie card routinely sells for under a hundred dollars. And if condition isn't too important... Gibsonrookies can be found in that price range too.

#7 Reggie Jackson, #8 Ryne Sandberg, and #9 George Brett

Up until this part of the set, the checklist appeared in chronological order... but Sandberg seems to be a little bit out of place.

#10 Eddie Murray, #11 Ozzie Smith, and #12 Rickey Henderson

Topps seems to have gotten back on track with two of my favorite rookie cards: The Wizard of Oz and The Man of Steal.

#13 Jim Palmer, #14 Tony Gwynn, and #15 Wade Boggs

But then they had to screw up the order again. I won't complain too much. It was nice to see Topps include all three major rookie cards from my favorite set from the 80's.

#16 Don Mattingly, #17 Darryl Strawberry, and #18 Dwight Gooden

Ah... the group of Hall of Very GoodPlayers. Back in the 80's these cards were definitely on everyone's hot list. These days... not so much. Instead of them... I would have preferred rookie cards any of the following: Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, or Ichiro Suzuki. Heck I would have even been okay with Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, or Tom Seaver... even though they feature multiple players.

#19 Ken Griffey Jr. and #20 Chipper Jones

Two more solid players. Future hall of famers. And hobby favorites. It's a shame the 1989 Topps Traded Griffey has to live in the shadow of his Upper Deck counterpart, because it's a beautiful card.

#21 Derek Jeter and #22 Albert Pujols

Two more future hall of famers. It's hard to believe that this is Jeter'sfinal season. I can't stand the Yankees... but I'm going to miss Mr. Jeter.

#23 Mike Trout, #24 Bryce Harper, and #25 Yu Darvish

Last, but not least are the up and comers. Believe it or not, the Trout and Harper were the two most expensive cards in the set. I paid around $10 each for them. The rest of the cards set me back anywhere from $2 to $6 each.

Overall... the set cost me about $100 to build. I'd love to build the 2013 Topps Update Rookie Commemorative Patch Set. If I can find a reasonably priced starter lot, maybe I will. As for now... I'm just happy to finally wrap this set up.

So what do you think?

Are manufactured patches your cup of tea?

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

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