It’s been a dizzying few weeks for fans of current baseball card issues from the league’s lone licensing partner. 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen is the latest release, hitting retail stores and hobby shops over the last couple of days. Thousands of singles, boxes, sets, lots and other listings are already up on eBay. Last year’, 2011 Gypsy Queen wound up selling very well on the secondary market after it was discovered they were in short supply.
This year, it appears as if retailers may again have a slightly difficult time keeping them in stock. At least one major online retailer had the product “sold out”.
Gypsy Queen 2012 t includes a large number of parallels, photo variations, short prints and other quirks that confuse and disillusion some collectors but delight others. There are 30 cards in the base set. “Master sets” with all cards including short prints and the more common insert sets (Moon Shots, Sliding Stars and Glove Stories) have been selling for $200-$240.
The product includes some short printed autograph cards that have had eBay buzzing. It’s the first product to include Yu Darvish autographs in packs rather than as redemptions. Numbered to just 25, one was listed as sold on eBay this week for $525. Other SP sales have includes Cal Ripken (prices ranging from $100-159), Frank Thomas ($120-131), Sandy Koufax (one up for bid now with two days remaining and stands at $260) and a Triple Auto Relic Steve Carlton ($250).
Eight autographs will come from redemptions, a positive sign for collectors who don’t like to wait and wonder.
There is what appears to be a super short print base card of Darvish, who takes over card #288 from C.J. Wilson on the variation checklist.
Need a complete visual checklist of the photo variations? Here’s one–and some more info.
