2007 Topps Finest
What I pulled--
Parallels and Inserts:
Rookie Variation (#ed to 439) – Drew Anderson
Refractors – Jason Bay, Hank Blalock, Adam Dunn, Trevor Hoffman, Adam Lind, Jake Peavy, Grady Sizemore
Blue Refractors (#ed to 399) – Jeff Francoeur, Carlos Zambrano
Green Refractors (#ed to 199) – Ken Griffey Jr., Mark Teahen
Finest Moments – Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, Andre Ethier, Francisco Liriano, Carlos Quentin, Brian Stokes
Finest Moments Refractors – Stephen Drew, Kenji Johjima, Carlos Quentin
Finest Moments Green Refractors – Brian Stokes (#6/199)
Finest Moments Black Refractors – Jeremy Sowers (#5/99)
Ryan Howard Finest Moments Boxtopper (#ed to 459) - #7
Ryan Howard Finest Moments Refractor Boxtopper - #33 (#50/149)
Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 Boxtoppers - #29, #38
2007 Rookie Card Redemption - #8
Autographs:
Base – Philip Humber, Kevin Kouzmanoff
Blue Refractor – Andrew Miller (#115/299)
Green Refractor – Philip Humber (#192/199)
Review:
Topps Finest is back, continuing the legacy of one of the hobby's top Super Premium brands.
Topps has made a change this year to Finest, one that probably has player collectors everywhere
rejoicing. Gone are the endless levels of parallels, with the number basically cut in half. Those that are still
around are also cut back a bit in availability, with the colored parallels falling four per three-mini-box box. In
their stead is the Finest Moments subset, also coming with a manageable number of parallels. These
changes might mean that opening a box of Finest loses a bit of the thrill, as the rainbow of colors was one
of the things that excited many people. But it will also make collecting the set a bit easier for most people,
so I welcome the tweak.
The really allure to the majority of collectors, though, as usual, is the autographs. They are back in full
force, with numerous "rookie card" autographs (with colored parallel variations) and Finest Moment
autographs. Some very big prospects are present, with Andrew Miller and Troy Tulowitzki making true
rookie card debuts this year, both having signed cards (or should I say stickers) for this set.
Topps raises the bar on extra value with not one but two boxtopper packs - one with two of the cross-brand
Alex Rodriguez Road to 500 cards, one with two Finest Moment cards of Ryan Howard (yes, with parallels).
Finally, they have also added redemptions for "rookie cards" that will be coming out as the year
progresses. These cards have caused a little confusion in the hobby as to who the cards will be of, so
we'll just have to wait and see what Topps has up its sleeve.
Finest is one of those sets that isn't for everyone. The price tag is higher than most sets, but the bang for
the buck in a box is usually worth it. As with chrome cards, the cards tend to curl if not kept under a flat surface, which also
annoys some collectors. But those who love Finest swear by it, and it is annually one of the most popular products the
company produces. This years design is one of the best in recent memory, too, which will also make people happy.
Given the choice of take it or leave it, though, I definitely take it.......................
A-
