A lil' product called Masterpieces

There are two regrets I have about not starting to collect cards just A BIT sooner than I did. One of those is not collecting when Tim Lincecum was a rookie. All sorts of opportunities abound to collect TL autos, and today those are practically unreachable.

The second is something that I can change, and that is to dab into the product that I still feel is one of the finest out there today, Upper Deck Masterpieces. I have decided to at the very least collect the base set of both the 2007 and 2008 sets, and maybe with a little luck, collect the SP's for the full set. There are still enough of these boxes out there that I feel pretty safe completing these goals, plus it never hurts to have a Priceless Pursuit in your back pocket with a few doubles to trade off.

Last week, blowout cards had a offer that I could not refuse, so I ordered up a hobby box of 2008 Masterpieces that showed up on the front porch earlier this week. When I opened it up, I was a little disappointed that there were only 12 packs in a box...but that is Upper Deck for you. Nevertheless I was determined to have an enjoyable rip experience and to collate this set into 9 sleeves where they can be more easily enjoyed.

Well, for 12 packs, I have to say that this was the most fun opening a box since (probably) Goodwin Champions. EVERY SINGLE CARD is amazing to look at. You stop and admire each card rather than quickly filtering through looking for the hit card. One small complaint is the random dummy cardboard fillers as well as the occasional Yankee Legacy trash card. I threw them all away minus one that I will share in a later post. Oh, one other thing is that the pack with the relic contained only two other cards. This same exact thing happened with my Topps Heritage relic last week, so I guess these things just happen.

Anyways, on top of the great set of base, the framed cards could not have been better for me. Well, technically since there is not a lousy subject in the entire set, that makes the chances of liking a framed card much higher, but I was particularly happy with my bunch. Here they are...

The Chipper is actually a little funky. I bought a few packs of 2007 way back when and thought his card in that set was much cooler. Still though, Larry is a MLB staple and its a good pull.

Curt Schilling - Always nice to bordered Red Sox hero to the collection. Even if most consider Curt the Chief Gas Bag, you cannot dispute the difference and the sacrifice he made for the team. Good stuff.

Not exactly sure where red borders fit on the chain of borders command, but I just like the scheme of Tex in Braves gear with hits of red throughout the painting. This card looks incredibly sharp.

Alright, let's double-up. Ken Griffey Jr after a sweet Griffey swing. Beauty. And then there is Man-Ram with Red Dreads a flyin.

As for the hits? This is the first time officially used in this blog...."meh". Not to say that an on-canvas auto a bad thing, but Joe Blanton? K-Rod is pretty sweet though, not too shabby for a piece of plain fabric.

BUT, the real gem of the box came early on in the rip...

A Cal Ripken Gold-Bordered #9/10! This one card alone makes the box worth it, but the other cards combined really made for a great rip experience. I am toying with grabbing another one of these, but we'll see what specials jump out this Friday.