I'm still a little conflicted over how to feel about last year's Topps Tek release. On one hand, the product offered some great 90's nostalgia and probably one of the better products of the year. On the other hand, little about the set held true to the original sets, and the Pirates were largely overlooked in the set.
The only Pirate in the base and autographed sets was Gregory Polanco, who commanded decent prices as a highly touted rookie. While I have a few of his cards, I haven't made nearly the progress I'd have hoped for.
And the same can be said for the pair of Pirates inserts. I got outbid on a few of these TEKnicians inserts near release, and then sort of forgot about them. I was able to snag this Gerrit Cole with the lone bid, since I'm sure other collectors have moved on to newer and shinier sets. It's a great looking card, and scans well. But I'm still a little irked Topps calls it a Diffractor, since it actually just has some sparkly rainbow pattern applied, rather than the process applied to actually 1998 Diffractors, which I'm assuming they couldn't figure out how to replicate.
The only Pirate in the base and autographed sets was Gregory Polanco, who commanded decent prices as a highly touted rookie. While I have a few of his cards, I haven't made nearly the progress I'd have hoped for.
Folks who sell all the time on eBay are very attuned to the fact that the initial release cards get a ton more interest than if you're trying to sell, say, 2013 Topps sunglasses short prints now in 2015. While it may be hit-or-miss in finding the cards, it's probably better to wait it out and hope that one shows up at a far lower price.
ReplyDeleteGreat purchase!
Some of my favorite cards are ones I waited out until the price came down after release. Of course you always run the risk of another copy never surfacing on low numbered stuff. But the nice thing about being a team collector is there's something to chase.
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