KEVIN HART Parallels? 😵‍💫 Our Thoughts on 2024 Topps Series 1

Topps Series 1 has been out over a week now and there have been a few fun surprises. True Photo variations, Image Variations, and even KEVIN HART has made an appearance. In this video the Spitballin' teams discusses their thoughts on topps series 1 and much more!

[@ryanra44]

Fanatics blasters were MUCH better than the hobby boxes me and my friends opened. ALL of the fanatics blasters we opened (12 total) had 2 (sometimes even 3 numbered parallels) whereas a lot of our hobby boxes only had the one numbered parallel

[@MC-jc6gt]

Would really love to hear you guys get into the weeds of why a card might increase in value in the future and why you’d buy one over another? For example, a base rookie card in a PSA 10 of future hall of famers, Pujols, Cabrera, Verlander, and Scherzer - Do you think those prices are fully baked vs guys like Machado, Lindor, and Devers who are on track in terms of age/counting stats, but could also fall of a cliff so there’s room for those prices to move along with an increased demand. So is it that future increases in value of the Pujols of the world are completely dependent on more people coming into the hobby like we saw during Covid? Or is the thought process that if you invest in more limited cards like bowman 1st autos, numbered rookie parallels, etc it won’t really matter if more collectors enter the hobby because over time many of these cards will enter forever homes thus reducing the supply and increasing the price over time for the next collector who wants to buy one?

[@Philmington]

Great topic idea

[@SpitballinCards]

This is a great topic! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Bryan45552]

The SSP's of Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich celebrating the division title are ones to collect for me. I took my son to his first game that night, so despite the Brewers losing that game, that's always going to be a memory for us that's forever remembered in those cards.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

What an awesome memory for a first Brewer game! Good luck hunting for this SSPs! Go Brewers! Thanks for watching.

[@SpitballinCards]

That’s amazing!! So cool there are cards you can pinpoint to that night. Have fun collecting them!

[@teddo997]

I hear you guys talk about the collectability of some of the older players. I'd like to hear a discussion about players like Miggy and Pujols. Thanks!

[@SpitballinCards]

Great idea! Added to the list! Chris here - Cabrera is a little more straightforward - fewer rookie options. But we all know what card is the best Pujols rookie. Thanks for watching!

[@custum18]

I thought Shaq was bad at selling out but Kevin Hart is taking things to a whole new level. It's actually getting annoying seeing him non-stop.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Hard to argue with this take 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@SpitballinCards]

It’s been a lot of Kevin Hart lately. He needs to take a Keanu Reeves style beak and then come back when we start to miss him. IF…

[@yeahyeah5976]

Lol we would all take millions of dollars if people just kept offering it to us

[@SpitballinCards]

@@yeahyeah5976 without hesitation

[@alabarca8016]

That Braves Student of the Game is my favorite card out of the whole set. JUst because of what it means. This is a great message to kids, Just because you're a pro, doesn't mean you stop learning. Great card, great message.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Absolutely 💪🏼 Thanks for watching!

[@SpitballinCards]

YES! Great point. Chris here, and I’ve been looking at a design variation parallel of this card and your comment might just push me over the edge to snag it! Thanks for watching! (Even if it’s costing me money!)

[@williewoodall8305]

"Kaizen".."continuous improvement"..

[@robertarnold9594]

I saw the blue parallel (I believe #d to 799) the other night. Really good looking card, and I agree with your take on its message.

[@mauriciobori]

Oh man I always miss the missing person but I missed Scottie the most this week 😢 hehe glad to see Ty back though

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

It was a challenge to get through it without Scott! 🤣 Thanks for missing the missing!

[@dsphillips16]

Great show fellas!

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Thank you sir!

[@jamesreynolds9673]

It's a gorgeous paper set. It just very difficult to hit a big winner. Print runs although down from last year are still at 900k per base card. I've watched guys open cases hobby and retail. A case of hangers hit 1 yellow paper Dominguez parallel..a Trout HFA and a napkin Ohtani relic. Until it drops to 600k or so I am sticking to singles.

[@jonfishmacon]

Looks good

[@davedrago703]

I lucked out I went to myrtle beach on vacation and the LCS owner had Mega boxes for $40 and blasters for $20. I bought 1 mega box. Should have bought more at that price. I pulled a numbered Corbin Carrol insert and a Tatis HGA. Cannot wait until tomorrow LCS Rip day Night and I have $160 in buybacks.

[@SpitballinCards]

LCS rio night sounds so fun. Chris here - I saw chipper jones will be at CardsHQ in Atlanta and I wish I could get there. Good luck with your buyback $$ - hope you get something good!

[@NyCardConnect]

Personally, I love this year's set. Great design and QC seems solid. I've been pretty lucky as I hit a Yellow Elly out of a hanger and a Acuna Jr. 89 gold foilboard #d /50

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Great pulls! That Elly must be nice! And thanks for watching

[@metjetisle2]

Out of 1 hobby box and 4 Fanatics blasters, best was a Nolan Arenado home field advantage , Julio Rodriguez orange foil, and an O’Neill Cruz relic ( no auto in the hobby). No Elly or Domínguez in the hobby but 3 Elly’s and 2 Domínguez ‘s in the blasters

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - series 1 is a tough rip for ROI. The stuff that has value is just so hard to pull. Thanks for watching!

[@n0lanv0id]

Love scouring eBay after a new release to see all the new images! JRod's has got to be up there with the coolest for sure. The trident + city connect jersey looks so awesome.

[@SpitballinCards]

💯💯💯💯💯 Chris here - and they one of my favorite times of the year as well. Julio is definitely one of the best! Should’ve mentioned Elly’s on the show as well. Thanks for watching!

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Yes! Seeing all the new images is one of the best parts of a big release. Thanks for watching!

[@wesdub]

Jasson Dominguez has Philmington arms.

[@godisgreat8462]

Well done 🎉

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Thanks for watching!

[@SpitballinCards]

Thanks!

[@MichaelRizzo]

Any idea on the print run of the true photo cards?

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - around 100 is the number I’ve seen get tossed around based on pack odds. But that’s an estimate. They’re definitely rare and look great! Thanks for watching!

[@robertarnold9594]

I have bought a few single packs as always, but I did buy my first jumbo hobby ever and pulled a Jason Dominguez Reverence RPA #d 6/10. Not sure that I will keep it, but it was definitely my best pull so far.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Oh man, that's incredible! Those are the best hits in the product -- congrats!

[@robertarnold9594]

@@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin Thank you. BTW, I really enjoy your channel! Keep up the good work, and Happy collecting!

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Really appreciate that! 💪🏼

[@marty0mc]

What about Ohtani in dodgers uni and Soto in Yankees uni? Must be a crazy SSSP 😁😁. Series 1 is a fun rip - nice episode

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Good point! We forgot to mention those. Have seen a couple pop up, but they are very, very short-printed.

[@Amersian]

Fanatics pants are see through.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Those are terrible! 😳

[@SpitballinCards]

It’s absolutely awful. I mean, the players should refuse to wear them. Little league bullshit.

[@willzsportscards]

Good stuff guys. re: That Kyle Bradish card...to paraphrase "Airplane"...Does he have a drinking problem? p.s. If they ever create a male beauty pageant, I nominate Philmington to be one of the judges.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

🤣 Great Airplane quote pull!

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - our comment section needs more more comedy references! This was a great one! 😂😂 What can I say, Phil knows what he likes!

[@PATRYAN84]

Anyone know if the Kevin Hart Phillies only available through Hobby or can you pull through a hanger or retail blaster.

[@SpitballinCards]

Great question and I have no idea. I’d guess they’re in everything!

[@williewoodall8305]

I remember when a similar narrative was used to describe '86 Topps

[@SpitballinCards]

Those PSA 10 pop counts are STILL low!

[@SpitballinCards]

@@Ozmigo80 I remember pulling the George Brett. I was probably 7. But I knew who he was! Or had at least heard his name.

[@Wicky952]

How do we feel about the soto and ohtani ssp's,(there new team uniform ones) only 1 of each on ebay and sellers want ALOT....

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Yeah, we definitely should have mentioned them. They seem to be VERY short printed. They are airbrushed photos obviously since neither player had appeared in their new uniforms by the time the product was printed. If I pulled one I would immediately try to sell as I think they will lose much of the cachet they have when “real” cards of them in their new uniforms start hitting in upcoming sets. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@timmccray7507]

Love series 1. Feel like it’s really hard to pull any numbered card. I also made my biggest purchase of my life with the Elly 1/1 reverence.

[@SpitballinCards]

Whoa!! Chris here - congrats!! Nice pick up. That has potential to be an epic baseball card. I’d love to see a pic if you’d send me one on IG. @baseballcardaddict Thanks for watching!

[@blakemanuel3598]

Good discussion, just wanted to add a couple things 1) the vintage stock parallel this year is actually a vintage version of the design vs just card stock difference and I think it looks great and hope they continue that trend 2) being a reds fan, my favorite SSP is Votto with the standing ovation hat tip, since it’s his last card as a Red and possibly his career. I think making it a trend where the SSP of a retiring player is the hat tip would be great and make it extremely collectible.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Great point about the Vintage Stock designs, they are really cool this year! And I love the retiring player SSP idea -- they might have to make some guesses for people that don't do a farewell tour, but would be so cool to see a whole group of those cards together. Thanks for watching!

[@SpitballinCards]

Yes! Good call on the vintage stocks. I also love the hs trio idea. We should’ve mentioned the votto. It’s a great image. I’m surprised he isn’t coming back as a part time player. I’d be shocked if any other team offers him a full time job. Thanks for watching and enjoy you Reds this season! Lots of exciting young players

[@jacobfain6504]

Great video, love the design of this set! I have a would you rather for you guys! Would you rather have an Acuña Bowman Chrome 1st Auto PSA 10 orange refractor or an Acuña Stadium Club Rainbow Foil Auto RC 1/1 BGS 9.5/10 auto? Oh and in this hypothetical situation the PSA 10 orange refractor is the lowest serial numbered Bowman Chrome 1st Auto of his in existence. It's a Pop 1! Thoughts?

[@SpitballinCards]

Thanks for watching and I like your question. Chris here - Braves fan, Acuna obsessed. I’d go orange first bowman. He’s got rookie card autos in many sets but first bowman chrome autos in just one!

[@zanebarrier5680]

I love the inserts but don’t care for the base design. The parallels of the base design are decent. I mostly like the gold backs and team border variation. Also the stock feels super thin and idk if that’s just me or what

[@SpitballinCards]

The independence days parallels look better than they have since 2019. Much more color. More like an actually flag and not just red stars like the last couple years. What’s your favorite insert so far?

[@zanebarrier5680]

Superstar blueprint autos and the hidden gems elly is cool

[@williewoodall8305]

These do like, Stadium Club..

[@AustinGbikes]

Do you guys think the Kevin Hart is parallel is a hold? Found one in a hobby box. It was flipped, impossible to miss.

[@slimthumbtak]

I love the set and design... but I hate that for Hobby boxes they removed 4 packs and 2 cards from each pack... yet did not reduce the price. Fanatics loves providing less for more.

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - great point. Seems so unnecessary, too. Like printing. 25 more base cards is just too expensive?!?! I mean, after that cost cutting move there’s no excuse for how shitty the new MLB jerseys look.

[@justinwendland6137]

Another great discussion, Jeff did a great job hosting! I agree with all of your opinions on series 1. No big hits for me from 1 hobby box, but I can see myself picking up a blaster/hanger combo if I roll by them at the store.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Jeff here: appreciate it! And I'm in the same boat -- no plans on big wax purchases, but might grab another couple blasters if I see them around. Thanks for watching!

[@theirishman6825]

I would like to give a big 👍🏻 to Philmgton and his take on 2024 Series One. Sometimes it’s just about having fun, and maybe you sell some inserts you’re not going to add to a collection, but for me it’s the start of the baseball season, and it goes hand in hand with getting ready for another spring, summer and fall of baseball!

[@SpitballinCards]

It really does! Phil nailed it!

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Indeed! Thanks for watching!

[@michaelcarreiro2872]

Ive opened a fair amount so far of S1 and its a product I always really enjoy ripping. The chase for all the different type of pulls you can have in a product like this makes every box enjoyable because you never know whats coming. I have to agree about the Team Color parallels being great, especially the rainbiw foil they used for team name and logo etc. I'm also looking for the First Card Parallel which I think is a cool new feature and the SSSP Ohtani & Sotos in their new uniforms! Great assesment gentleman and bravo to Topps on this release

[@SpitballinCards]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I’m waiting to see a First Card pop up on ebay. Maybe I missed one at this point. I will say, I kind of wish they’d waited until series 2 for the Ohtani dodgers/Soto Yankees sssp. The photoshopped images don’t do much for me and spring training shots would be so much cooler!

[@forpetesake20]

pete alonsos short print is with a braves player which really confuses me.

[@SpitballinCards]

Yes!! Oh man, I forgot to mention this one. Chris here - and I do like the Alonso because Acuna makes a guest appearance. Acuna makes any card better! But you’re right, it’s weird to feature a division rival on his card.

[@forpetesake20]

@SpitballinCards the Braves are my mortal nemesis and you sir have just added your name to that list, lol. nah, but pete is a star and he doesnt get the hobby love he deserves. i really enjoy seeing him on cards with superstars. that braves guy is pretty good too i hear. great video. yall held it down very well. you've earned my respect and admiration, lol

[@brooklyndy]

Omg…is this an infomercial for CardsHQ?..

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Haha 😂 Wasn't meant to be! We just thought it was hobby relevant and were interested in hearing how the biggest card store in the world is doing since opening. And we have an inside source! Don't worry, it won't be a regular thing -- and hope you stuck around for the Series 1 discussion -- thanks for the comment!

[@williewoodall8305]

It's new..like anything else.. Everyone likes it for now..

[@coltermenke1067]

I like the Colton Cowser SP. It's from a Topps Now card from last year with Rutschman, Mountcastle and Henderson, but I'm glad the outfit made another appearance

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Oooh, I'm going to have to look this one up. Thanks for the comment!

[@JohnNP3]

Great episode, thanks! I’m looking forward to ripping a couple hobby boxes. Looks like a fun product with some interesting parallels to go after. And I agree that the photography on many of the cards looks great. Not sure what I think of the neon signs, but probably need to see the card in hand, especially if the lettering is in foil. Do any of you guys know when the virtual shopping option at Cards HQ will be available? Cheers!

[@dylanl3845]

As a Red Sox fan, I pulled the Red Sox team card which is them celebrating in the yellow city connect jerseys, the one I pulled was an exclusive yellow boarder card from the Hangers, absolutely love the card

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Wow! Great pull! And perfect for a Red Sox fan. Thanks for watching!

[@JsmithVB757]

My only issue with Kevin Hart is that he's not that big of a baseball fan. Theo Von would have been my pick. Theo wears tons of different MLB jerseys and hats. You can tell that he's a real fan of the game.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Agree that Kevin Hart was an interesting choice. He’s obviously popular, but if none of us know him as a baseball fan, is he really the best option?!🤔

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - I don’t understand why he’s in there at all. The video that came out today with Kevin and Michael Rubin - who knows if it’s legit. I don’t. Is anybody buying product BECAUSE of these Kevin Hart cards???

[@Yankee1469]

I’ve been opening a ton and the QC issue I’ve experienced is the back bottom right corner, I’ve seen a lot of dings. Enough for me to mention. Other than that they look great just make sure you inspect the back before submitting.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Thanks for the tip! Appreciate the heads-up.

[@ZiggyNo]

Good show. Love the design and can't wait for Chrome.

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Thanks for watching! And yeah, chrome with this design should be 🔥

[@chrisc4264]

So is it as short of a print run as Kevin Hart himself?😂

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

🤣 Yes! 5’ 2” worth! 🤣

[@cyberballercards56]

Honestly I’m not into the True SP’s. To me it’s a stadium club base.

[@SpitballinCards]

Are you referring to the design variations with no borders? Because yeah, those sure do a lot like Stadium Club!

[@rockiesinoctober]

Maybe Spitballin' should try to get Kevin Hart on to ask him a few questions about these things.

[@SpitballinCards]

Fantastic idea! Surely he has the time…

[@williewoodall8305]

These cars are going to look amazing in Chrome..

[@SpitballinCards]

💯💯💯

[@williewoodall8305]

28:20 They've already been doing this, with A&,G..

[@MindSlide2012]

Lastly…These guys have to be careful overall with what they say. (Blacklisting exists)

[@MindSlide2012]

High floor on series one? All you get is insert and base lol So floor is all you have to work with

[@williewoodall8305]

17:24...The Gerrit Cole's card... Is "lampooning".. Gehrig's Retirement speech... They're both Yankees...his demure look.. and the similarity of their names -Gehrig : Gerrit.. Lemme know what y'all think?

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - I think any similarity is completely accidental. Just an awkward, terrible shot. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@mauriciobori]

Gotta say I did miss Scott but props to Jeff great job as honorary emcee and hopefully temporary hahaha jk great show jeff

[@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin]

Haha! Scott is irreplaceable, but I did my best. Thanks for watching! 🙏🏼

[@t-pott4504]

FIRST! :)

[@SpitballinCards]

🤦🏻‍♂️

[@1CentSportsCards]

Rubin trying to make cards cool by forcing pop culture is just not going to work. At the end of the day, Kevin Hart fans dont care about Kyle Schwarber, so all these cards fall when the initial hype falls. And when everyone realizes there is a million of them, they can go collect the Celebration of the Kid inserts and feel like its 1989 all over again. We can all just keep pretending for a couple more years that Fanatics is "good." Listening to every channel of talking heads that fancy themselves an influencer continually say 'I dont care about the print runs' didn't collect cards seriously in the late 80s and eraly 90s... none of these cards will hold any value. Theres will be 1 million more Elly rookies than Frank Thomas rookies and thats a fact. I'm tired of hearing KZbin talking heads not call it for what it is - junk wax - and demanding Fanatics do something about it before its too late. A-??? No way. This set desrves at best a C purely off print run alone. Not to mention terrible resale value, insanely long odds and a marginal RC checklist. Please stop propping up product because its in your best interest financially to do so. Just be honest and say 'I haven't ripped much because Im not wasting my money on that garbage.' Don't call it an A- when you absolutely know it isn't.

[@SpitballinCards]

Chris here - yeah the print runs are out of control. For base cards. But we KNOW that. Golds are still #/current year. Black #/74, Indy #/76. SSP extremely rare. They can print base cards to the moon for all i care. I’m not interested in them anyway. Maybe more retail boxes brings in new fans and expands the collector base. We are definitely in a junk era. Either junk parallel or junk auto. However, there are still rare, desirable, and potentially valuable cards in 2023 and 2024 sets. They’re just near impossible to pull from packs. Accept that and collect accordingly. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment. Let me know what you think. Does more base cards sour you on the tops black parallel? Or the SSP?

[@1CentSportsCards]

@SpitballinCards The odds of pulling a black are super long, and when you do, the expanded card set to 350 means you get a Miami marlins team card black parallel anyway. Nice $5 card. As for the SSPs, there's 350 of those too, so what are you going to do? Sell the Hunter Dozier SSP you got for $35 after you bought two jumbo cases to find it? There's just too much base to find anything of real value on a fairly consistent basis. I love the design, but after that, there's just nothing to get excited about in the chase. I just wish the talking heads would speak to that fact. You can go watch rip after rip and the fact is, the boxes are producing 10-20% of ROI. How is it justified as an A- product when there's no meat on the bone for a collector who likes to buy and sell. I could spend $179 on singles and get the base Elly auto or 3 SSPs of players on my favorite team. Why should I ever open a single pack if I can't buy sell trade my way out of the investment without taking a substantial loss on the investment? Of course, there are valuable cards in the print run, but the cost to find them is going to sink you way before you sell it for any gain. They'll do the same thing with Bowman this year and everyone is still going to say "great set." Might be a great set, but it just isn't worth your money to buy sealed product. That's what should be said.

[@SpitballinCards]

@@1CentSportsCards 💯💯💯 You’re exactly right. Buying boxes is a fool’s errand. Singles is the ONLY way to go now. Let the breakers break and then pick off what we want. If we failed to say that in our recap, that’s our mistake. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[@MindSlide2012]

Series one this year made it easy to ditch this hobby forever. I’ve collected for years and I hate what it’s become. Hitting “value” really isnt a reality anymore. The little guy that pays 40% over cost is priced out. Good luck yall lol