January 17, 2016

Finally, the Final Nachos Grande Group Break of 2015

It's been quite some time since Chris hosted his final group break of 2015 over at Nachos Grande central. It was a mixed break, highlighted(for me) by some 2015 Topps High Tek. There was some Stadium Club, Chrome, and a slew of other stuff included. I chose the Cubs this time around because I had some holes in a bunch of those sets that I hoped would be filled. While he hope of some set needs was a draw, the main reason I signed up was for the chance to get my hands on some High Tek(and maybe an auto of one of those great Cubs rookies). I didn't scan the majority of the base stuff, but I will say hat several of my needs from Heritage High Number and Stadium Club were filled.


The thing I love about Chris' breaks is you never know what 'bonus' cards you may find while unpacking your flat rate box. I thought I did pretty well in the break and there was still a good number of extra cards sent along with my break bounty. I love the parallels between those top two cards for so many reasons. They both picture the Cubs' big stars signing autos for the fans and they're both really great photos. Stadium Club is the set if you dig great photography these days. I've made it no secret that I love Collector's Choice and I've always thought it had photos comparable to that of SC. Thanks to Chris, I had these two for a side by side comparison. It's a pretty close contest, but if I'm judging these two, I may even have to give the edge to the CC of Rhyno.


Lots of goodies in this scan. I only have a small handful of those Fleer Extra Bases. I had to include the Kevin Foster because it's a CC, but also because that's an awesome throwback uniform from 1912. I loved Soriano from his Yankee days(both runs) and I think the Rizzo rookie cup Chrome is pretty sweet. Lastly, two prospects that appear to be traveling in opposite directions. Alcantara was quite the hot commodity last season. In fact, I was quite disappointed that he got called up right before the All-Star break and I didn't get to see him play in the Triple A All-Star Game. He had a fantastic debut and then struggled for most of the second half. He made the big club to start this season, but was back on the farm before the end of April. Still, he seemed to be ready to contribute, but never got the call(thanks to the contributions of all the other great Cubs rookies). He finished out the season in a downward spiral. Torres, on the other hand, was selected by Baseball America as the Cubs' number one prospect going into 2016. He big problem for this guy is that he doesn't seem to have a spot to play with Addison Russell blocking him at SS.

Now for my real draw.


I was very happy that Chris pulled an auto for my slot in the break, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that it was Mark Prior. These are really nice cards in hand. Overall, it was a worthwhile break for me. I filled some set needs, Chris pulled Bryant RCs for me from both Chrome and SC, and I ended up with an auto. Good stuff. That would have been great, but about a week after the arrival of my break goodies, I received another small package from Chris.


Robbie Cano! I still haven't gotten over him leaving for Seattle, but I still really like him. Fortunately, his A&G relic shows him still with the pinstripes on.


Rocket Tek! I have no idea what background this is or how rare it is, but I am thrilled to own my first Yankee from the acetate set. Thanks for another great break and for all of the bonus cards Chris. I can't wait to see what breaks you put together this year!

5 comments:

  1. THE CC Sandberg is one I don't yet own. I've added it to my want list. Such a great shot and it does pair up nicely with the SC Rizzo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whoa, nice haul from High Tek! I got shut out on that one. This time, anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very nice, it's a shame Prior was always hurt he would've been something special. I've got some Hi-Tek Yankees to send you!

    ReplyDelete