2013 Gypsy Queen

Now for the product that doesn't usually let me down...in the disappointment department: Topps Gypsy Queen.

The past few years I have bent over for a few boxes of the GQ.  It's really tough for me to stay away from this stuff.  It's nicely priced and it's like the mentally disabled half cousin of Allen and Ginter.  And I freaking love A&G.

So, for the purpose of this review only (I intend to stay away from Gypsy this year) I found a few pennies in the backseat of the car and bought exactly one pack.  I did just about as well in this one pack as if I would have bought a box: got nothin.  Anyway, the design looks similar than in past years but a little bit better.  At least Topps did away with the purple-ish color scheme and went to a more dignified green.

The set looks pretty good:  300 base and 50 sp's.  That's pretty do-able for our set collectors out there.  However, in fifty years do your kids want to show off your collection of Gypsy Queen?  I would guess not...but, hey, who knows?

Of course, the Queen is doing the mini cards.  I enjoy the mini cards.  I collect mini cards from all brands.  I think they're neat and a little bit quirky.  It pleases me to know that the mini's probably confound some players when I send them to be signed TTM.

The auto/hits checklist looks a little slim.  Sure the current big names are there (Trout, Machado, Harper, etc...) but the product looks a little slim in the retired players department.  At least Nolan Ryan and Cal showed up for this one. The autograph booklets and the triple autographs and the bat barrels are new...I think...and look like a pretty cool addition to the product.  There are TONS of parallels and inserts.  This should keep people buying.  However, there might be people that sit back and wait for these cool inserts to hit the secondary market.

Anyway, that's the Gypsy Queen for this season.  Tons of inserts, still a little blah on the whole product though.  But, maybe that's just my past hang-ups.  Maybe I'll buy a box and see...

Oh.  Here's how my pack went:  Neil Walker base, A. Cabrera base, Paco Rodriguez RC, M. Holliday base, J. Votto base, Jim Abbott "No Hitters", Barry Zito mini, D. Freese base, Frank Robinson base, and Josh Rutledge base.

And Here's the checklist if you need it.