I do always enjoy brand new Baseball Cards, some more than others. And I like the 25 Topps design, although I will always prefer working with it / viewing it in the daytime, on a sunny day. Foil Baseball Cards work best in those conditions. Meanwhile where they usually work least well is often on a scanner.
Lately I seem to be awash in foil cards, uggh. Recently I saw just a scan of a 2025 Topps "Vintage Stock" parallel and it looked quite intriguing, seemingly without the foil. I used to pull exactly one of those per year via opening new cards, for a nice run of 5 years, iirc. Never could figure out what to do with just one such card very well, when binder-ing them away removes access to the vintage-y part. But here I am, ogling them again.
One of MLB's new journeymen, Alex Verdugo there, welcomed me aboard. I immediately found more to like...
now that's how to throw, back
promoted straight to a binder page slot
Hooray? Nope.
This guy hasn't and more-likely-than-not never will play with a real olde english D on his uniform, a somewhat bizarre way to print a player's official Rookie Card® card. He does however have a grand total of 16 Major League At Bats, with 2 clubs, both in the city of Chicago. There is an unfortunate chance he may never return to the Major Leagues at this point, which would make him a rare Cubs-&-White-Sox only player, making this card even more of just, a pity. Why, Topps, Why.
At this point I am soon going to be able to count how close I am to having 9 different "Never Were" Tigers cards. You will be the first to know.
It's Baty Night
yes, this happened sequentially, in the pack
I have a new theory about such card(s) appearance(s). I will call these 2 cards "exhibit A" - watch this space for more exhibits, soon.
Powder Blue Rookie
may you pitch long, and prosper
have you ever noticed that Cincinnati can just never seem to sell those seats?
now this is how to Update
I have the complete opposite feelings for this card than the previous Tigers card, because this card actually happened. Margot was a veteran signing late in Spring Training, to cover for Gleyber Torres starting the season on the IL. Nothing memorable happened in his few Games played (19 AB) before he was also injured, after which he did not return to The Show in 2025. At age 30 now it is unlikely we will see Margot again after a scrappy 10 year career around The Bigs. Thus, probably a Sunset card for a player Detroit never knew anyway, but all that's as it should be, on Baseball Cards.
Houston, we have a 2025 Best Empty Seats card contestant
now that's how to frame an image in a Baseball Card design
Who's on First?
aka This is How to Update II: the revenge, or something
seems like those seats should be pretty cheap, if I could just get to Cincy
I think the 2020s might already have more Tigers Rookie Debut cards than the 2010s did, and we're only halfway through. This is a good thing. However this card just makes me think some idjit will suggest Return From Tommy John Surgery Day Baseball Cards, something a seemingly mandatory part of multi-million dollar careers for all Rookie Pitchers, these days.
exhibit B
also, perhaps not my first Kwik Trip card, I think
if it worked once, don't try, try again, I guess
I was quite enjoying my paw through of some brand new, updated and everything Baseball Cards, knowing the "special" cards that might someday be worth 79¢ or so, or might not, were still ahead.
But blocking them was a chunk of odd, white cardboard. I thought it was going to be a run of upside down cards, stuck together, but then
whoa buddy
I am, uhh, still in recovery a little I think. Merry Christmas from the Family was as chillax as ever with my family, which makes this just a cherry on top, I guess. Merry Christmas, To Me.
Never did I ever expect to obtain and now own a card like this from a package of Big Box Grocery Store Baseball Cards, like I did on Christmas Eve just past.
Suddenly, through no plans of your own, having a card like this in your hand is a little scary, to me at least, as it instantly oozes card appeal all over you. Yeah, I could enjoy owing Baseball Cards like this one. Hall of Fame night at the Big Box; I will never forget it. I should go Christmas shopping more often, methinks.
Still a few cards to go in the hanger, let's be careful with the descent back to the surface going too quickly and not screw up our oxygen levels.
I confess, I purchased this momentous hanger box to check out the exclusive parallels known to be inside, the "Diamantes." They are quite an enjoyable take on Oooohhhh, Shiny, in-hand, but much like X-fractors, the joy disappears completely in a scan.
The now traditional "Foil" (or sometimes, "Rainbow Foil," but nothing too overly fancy) parallel, however, can light up a scanner -
this is what the People want in their Big Box Baseball Cards: RC parallels
should we count the ways these inserts have been done before?
no, let's not count that
classy, clean card though
This surprised me: the 1990 Topps inserts are suddenly "rainbow foil" cards too.
I do not think they were in Series 1 & 2? Weird. Or maybe, more rainbow-y on the probably most already rainbow-y Baseball Card design = more better? We'll see.
The one-per insert, or in the hanger box format, four-per, is still "Stars of MLB," like, this one -
or, maybe a star, we'll see.
I have been looking forward to seeing this guy play Baseball, somehow.
That one time per decade though, where Topps goes, hey, y'all remember that 1990s graphic design software we all had? Well, watch -this-
There can always be such quickly forgotten card design moments; I'm picky like that, I guess. Ultimately for Meeeeeee!, 2025 Topps Update was a proven winner up there, something that continued right on through the last card in the little box:
you can't win the Lottery, if you don't buy a ticket.
Wheeeee!