My first 2024 completed Baseball Card project...was very Dangerous

Well in my eternal endeavor to be playing with Baseball Cards that are still relatively "current," I finished out a small project last night.

Here is the #9 card in the, you guessed it, Nifty Nine assemblage: 

That's a "Hobby Foilboard" parallel, obtained from a 5 card pack of such that comes inside a Complete Set as sold though "Hobby" distribution - i.e. not in the Big Box stores. It is numbered to /265. I am quite looking forward to sorting out the complete 2024 Topps Baseball set and placing it in a binder.

The scan is a bit of a surprise in that in-hand, the Foilboard pattern is a pleasing mithril-like silvery-blue that goes very well with all the red card elements delivered by both The Neon 2024 Topps Baseball design, and the always striking Red Home Alternate uniform for the Braves. Lately I have been thinking that colors on cards become reflected in scans of cards/parallels that have any variety of foil or refracting or chrome or whatever printing tech applied to them. i.e. that maybe if Kelenic was sporting the Blue Home Alternate uniform and 2024 Topps Baseball had selected blue in The Neon "BRAVES," — would the Foilboard then still show all this red coloring in the scan? Hmmm.

But the bigger surprise came when I did my Blogger Quality Control Check of looking at a large-scale preview of that scan, on my computer screen, before I uploaded it for y'all to look at. And there, it appeared:

Does Jarred Kelenic bear a Ring of Power? 

That scanned Foilboard suddenly looks like he is handling a shallow blooper there just above the Cracks of Doom.

If that IS a Ring of Power, it sure hasn't granted him much power hitting the Baseball, however. Let's hope he finds a way to wield the Power, for Good.

Looking for hidden cross-over symbolism on my Baseball Cards wasn't what the project was about though. It was a much simpler effort to simply "put away" some of the various 2024 Topps Baseball parallels I managed to pull from packs, last year (still sounds weird to think about 2024 that way).

They sure were purdy, it seemed to me, so I wanted to keep a few. Let's see what Topps sent out, to my collection:

Green Crackle Foil /499

I have no idea why the term "Cracked Ice" seems to have become "Crackle" now

Purple Crackle Foil /799

(are those Brewers Team Socks? An investigation is warranted, I think)

Blue Holofoil /999

I guess my scanner is just determined to show red in the holo, instead of the mithril.

Gold /2024

Gold Foil

Meijer Purple

Retail Royal Blue

The Royals get their own team color parallel and the entire rest of the checklist is forced to participate. Strong work, Kansas City!

Rainbow Foil

There are of course many more parallels than these. How many more? There one gets into the Baseball Card terminology weeds rather quickly. Is a card stamped on the front a "parallel?" Is a card printed sans ALL design elements (the "True Photo" cards) a "parallel?" How do Printing Plates count in the total? What about the Topps screw-up in creating the "First Card" 1/1s that weren't stamped on the front?

Beckett wisely mentioned there are "more than 30" parallels for 2024 Topps Baseball, and that seems the best way to think of the total. Way more than just one Gold to rule them all, as at some point in ancient Baseball Card history.

I'm sure I would enjoy owning even more than just these 9 styles, and commenting on them all, and these, some more. But that wasn't the point of this little collecting project, which was to just find a place to keep these purdy parallels I pulled this year — all of these reached my hands via purchasing the packs that held them. That gave the assemblage a little more Star Power this way. And overall is still a nice way to assemble some Baseball Cards without any personal bias about favorite, or least-favorite team, or player. Plus when Johan Rojas becomes a unanimous First Ballot Inner Circle GOAT after just his 4th season in MLB, I will be filthy rich with this page of Baseball Cards all safely tucked away down at the bank Safe Deposit box.

And mostly, I just wanted to see

The Result

Man, that sure is purdy.

And therein lies the danger.

I could sure enjoy owning 116 pages of these.

But, I think I am safe. The 2024 Topps Baseball design feels a little stronger than my beloved 2013 Topps Baseball design, something which probably flows out of the 2-tone, black-white border, something maintained on only 2 of those 9 cards. On the regular base cards, that border functions very well to highlight the color on the card, perhaps better than a pure white -or- a pure black border would do.

I also own a 10th parallel from 2024 Topps Baseball -

I -think- this is a Silver Crackled Ice, or whatever; unnumbered

I -think- these arrived in the retail "Super Boxes" as an exclusive

I guess that Riley Greene card can eventually land on an Oooohh, Shiny page of Riley Greene's cards; my only plan for now. But it sure is purdy, and purdy cards look even purdier in the company of other purdy cards, so

Sayin' Farewell to the Year...

...2023. Yup, still way behind on Baseball Cards. So today feels like a durn good day to catch up, a little. All year long, every year, I make a little stack of cards - just for: You. 

But now, these cards need to reach their permanent homes. It is already a year past time to share them but so it goes when I can't just work a regular day and come home to unwind with Baseball Cards, every single day. Maybe, some day. There's always next year, in Baseball Cards. 

Until that great day, I'll just keep on keepin' on — with these:

Best Beers Card

Best T-Ball Card

Most 20th Century Cards,

Tie

If this wasn't captured on Baseball Cards,

would we ever see it again?

Most 21st Century 20th Century Card

I'm a sucker for the Foilboard, most every time

Worst Photoshop,

Tie

a) I think Nike should sue.

b) I normally get excited about seeing the red socks. But, 2023...

Whitest Card

most 2023 Topps squashed logo?

Best Team Card

first, "Team Card" should never be printed on a Baseball Card

but, the Phillies do OK on the 2023 Topps design, and this one, Yay

Best 2023 Topps Team Logo

Best Cleats, too

Most WTF? Card

this card was (justifiably) infamous in 2023

but it had some compatriots

these "Never Happened" cards happen too much to actually collect;

I'm sure I missed some in 2023, and every year.

So I'm keeping these only for Tigers cards now.

Worst Tigers Card

I still can't believe Topps used this photo for an Official Rookie Card©

Best Riley Greene Rookie Card Insert

Best Riley Greene Rookie Card Card

it's frequently a Good Thing there is >1 Rookie Card

Best Tigers Card

the Tigers didn't bust out the Detroit Stars unis in 2024. Bummer.

Best 2025 Heritage Oscar Gamble Audition

I doubt there is a 2nd place on this one.

Most Useful Stadium Club Parallel Single

Exception proves rule?

This is a "Red Foil" fyi

Best Sunset Card

Most Suspicious Card

I mean, it -might- be real

Worst Card Back

I've got an idea.

How about Topps just puts all the legalese logos, etc. -

out on the pack wrapper?

Double sided image cards are a great idea.

But, no.

Most Confusing Background

I think - this might be from the Polo Grounds?

Best I got.

Best Bubble Gum, In Action Card

Player Trope Topps Most Can't Let Go Of

The Curious Case, continues

Worst Baseball Card Trope Topps Refuses to Let Go Of

Stick a fork in this one already.

Or, better yet, dump these in the "Golden Mirrors"

for the Player Collection obsessives.

Best 1975 Topps Wrapper Homage

one of my favorite categories

this year, though

Best Shadows

Fantastic

Best Base-running Card

a pity Topps couldn't break the rules and make Red the Dodgers' Team Color,

just once

Coolest Base-running Card

Aaayyyy

This one's so good, Topps used it again in 2024

Favorite Spring Training Card

I don't even like the Yankees.

But I'm so happy to see them break out of all those

inside-the-jail cards, finally.

Most Chillax Card

yeah buddy

Best Leaf Blower Card

only Leaf Blower card, ever?

Perfect.

Meanest Rookie Card Card Image

Worst Baseball Card

Most Hated Baseball Card

there are more of these, too

Worst Horizontal Composition, daytime

Ok, I kinda like the lurking Umpire, but oh-what-could've-been here...

Worst Horizontal Composition, nighttime

Horizontal Baseball Cards are the best Baseball Cards.

Except, when they're not.

Like, when they are just slapped together to meet quota.

I have begun to think of 2023 Topps as the "Arms" set.

Warning time. Click away now. You can never un-see this.

Now, to be fair, this is a long-standing problem in Baseball Cards.

Here is a brief detour deep-ish into the past:

It's not just on horizontals in 2023 Topps, either:

this one is largely sunk by the design;

no matter what Kevin does here,

he just can't quite reach that wasted space.

But, your eye does, instantly.

Best Arm Card

I do love a good Twilight card though.

Best Horizontal Card

This Is The Way

Best Insert I Just Can't Collect

This is a great card.

But it makes me unhappy.

I did not watch the last World Baseball Classic.

That was dumb, but circumstances were circumstances.

I won't make this mistake again.

Thanks, Topps.

Best Empty Seats Card, Fielding Division

Best Empty Seats Card, Base-Running Division,

Tie

rare to find any entries for either of those categories

Hitting Division nowhere to be found in 2023

Best Empty Seats Card, Pitching Division,

Tie

Best Socks

I think Cincy might've won this one before.

There are a bunch of MLB Teams that need to get in gear on this.

Best Sequential Pull From a Single Pack

yeah, that happened

Most OK, Maybe I've Had Enough Cards

I used to complain that only Closers were allowed to celebrate

on Topps Baseball cards.

Be careful what you wish for?

Best Celebration Card

it's a fine line

Best Pirate Patch,

Tie

Home, and Away

Best Kids Card

that piñata looks scared

Laziest Baseball Card

Topps just can't quit doing this BS.

They dream up a theme for some inserts, or SPs.

Then they slap pictures on it that totally FAIL.

Worst Insert Design

I get it. 

Baseball Cards have to feature a picture of a Baseball Player.

But is this really the best way fun graffiti could be matched to "Baseball Cards?"

OK, you might want to click away, fer realz this time...

Baseball Card You Can Most Never Un-See, Ever Again

howz 'bout, we never do this one again?

Worst Parallel

Sorry, George, you didn't deserve this card.

Too many possible contenders for this one. Blech.

Best Chrome Clouds Card

OK, Chrome don't scan right.

Never thought I would find a good Clouds Card in a Chrome set.

You'll have to just take my word for it.

Best Card Back

Fantastic

"just the seventh pitcher

with at least three wins,

only one ER allowed,

more than 20 SOs

and as few as four BBs allowed

in the first four starts

of a season."

Stand Back. Professional Baseball Card Back Writers @ Work Here

Best Ankh Card

Only Ankh Card, ever?

Best On-Card Baseball

Fantastic

A scan doesn't do this one justice.

The seams, captured.

Worst Uniform Thingie You Knew Was Coming

But Can Never Avoid, Ever Again

yeah, Manny, you're inset photo sums this up perfectly

Worst NASCAR Card?

This will only get worse.

Most So, Close Throwback

Topps just can never figure out how to get this one on to cardboard, clearly.

Maybe I'm forgetting an old one. Hope so.

Best Throwback

I just hope they can capture this on a vertical for my Ray collection.

Best Classical City Connect Uniform

That shoulder patch.

Powder Blue accessories, oooh yeah.

Best City Connect Uniform, Runner-Up

Best Runner-Up City Connect Uniform Card

Boo-Yah

BEST CITY CONNECT UNIFORM

Also Best Shoulder Patch

ever?

Most Brew Crew Player

At one point on this blog recently, I lamented that

Rowdy Tellez might not have a Brew Crew Card.

I'm glad to be wrong.

Such a shame Rowdy couldn't quite bust an OPS about 100 points higher,

everywhere he has been.

Best "Relic" Pull

Only relic pull, too.

But this is the just exactly perfect (and only) one that I wanted.

Ultimately I doubt many people will connect Teoscar Hernandez

to the Toronto Blue Jays after his feats in LA.

I might hope to find a Powder Blue swatch card showing an actual Powder Blue uni in the picture. But this is a good start.

Most Powder Blue Card

a new collection is born

Best Powder Blue Rookie Card

rock & roll

Sorry about cutting the Cardinal in half though.

Best Powder Blue Baseball Card

Aroldis Chapman just deserves Horizontal cards

regardless of composition nitpicks

Most Welcome Back Card

Jesse Chavez was a 16 year Veteran in 2023 (17 years now).

This was his first Topps Baseball card since 2018.

Most Memorable Name

Best Baseball Name

Best Leg-Kick Card, too

Player Who Most Should Have Been Traded

And then, that happened.

No Baseball Cards, yet.

Let's hope.

Best Look-In Card

I love these.

Most 15 Minutes Card

I watched all of Drew Maggi's Rookie Debut game - on my "phone."

Mostly because it was the MLB.TV Free Game Of The Day.

I had never heard of Drew Maggi (like everyone else).

I'm glad he got a Baseball Card.

Weirdest Card

Most You Throw Like A Girl Card

Happiest Baseball Card,

Tie

there can never be enough Baseball Cards like these

Best High Five Card

For a time, I thought this might be my Card of the Year.

I would have to guess Philly fans might remember some particularly

epic Walk-Off by their Back-Up Catcher. And that's an epic Baseball Card.

However as I saw more and more Celebration cards in 2023 Topps, this became less #1 worthy, for that repetitious reason. But that worked out OK, with another Phillies card, because I also love candids. These aren't the same as portrait cards though there is always a mystery of whether a candid was especially posed, or not.

I always like a great Batting Helmet reflection, too...

2023 Card of the Year