Topps Opening Day 2015 Box Break

Many times when there are questions on the Sports Collectors Daily Facebook page about “value” in boxes I refer back to the 2014 Opening Day release as an example of providing excellent value for the dollar volume involved. The 2014 boxes had serial numbered parallels and we even pulled a relic card of Torii Hunter who is still a very popular player. As usual, we also had about 90% of the base set, which is really what this product is about.

Opening Day is a good entry point for young collectors but it also appeals to those who 1) don’t have a lot of money to spend on cards but want something new and 2) those who aren’t really into the autograph and relic chase.

While we did not do quite as well with our box of Topps Opening Day 2015, the basic tenet about being a good value for your dollars still holds. The cards come in 36 pack boxes with seven cards per pack (generally six base cards and an insert).

Triple Cards here in Plano, TX reported good sales at just under $35 per box while leading online retailers are currently at $25-30 before shipping.

Originally designed as a retail product with some hobby distribution, Opening Day has morphed to an issue which both retail customers, who appreciate an abbreviated version of the Topps base set, and hobby customers who like having a reasonable chance to complete a base set, both agree on.

The designs are the same as the 2015 Topps set with the major difference being the Opening Day logo as well as the different numbering sequence. And yes, there are several insert sets you can chase if you want to, some obviously designed with kids in mind.

Here’s what we pulled in the box we received from Topps:

Base Cards: 205 cards including a few duplicates. Not quite a full set but it won’t be hard to complete it. We did not receive any of the short print variations.

Blue Foil Board Parallels: Rusney Castillo, Nick Castallanios, Jacob deGrom. Jedd Gyorko, David Ortiz, C.C. Sabathia, Adam Wainwright. When I stopped in Triple Cards, the owner mentioned how for the past couple of years his customers have been chasing the parallel sets because they were numbered. I wonder if switching to a non-numbered parallel makes a difference for 2015. Either way, these foil board blues are very nice looking.

Franchise Favorites: Jose Altuve, Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano, Starlin Castro, Manny Machado, Anthony Rizzo, Jered Weaver

Hit the Dirt: Elvis Andrus, Lorenzo Cain, Carlos Gomez, Billy Hamilton, Yasiel Puig. Jose Reyes, George Springer

Mascots: Clark, Fredbird, Gapper, Mariners Moose, Orbit, Phillie Phanatic, Slider, Wally the Green Monster

Stadium Scenes: (The names listed are the photographers whose photos were used for this set): Jim Brady, Tom Cicotello, David Joseph Dick Jr., Jordyn Fernandez, Luca Djelosevic, Juan Fernandez Jr, Ben Shaw. The card using David Dick’s images includes players and autographs on a baseball which is a neat touch.

Stars: Bryce Harper, Mike Trout

Superstar Celebrations: Jose Abreu, Madison Bumgarner, Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, Kolten Wong

Team Spirit: Phillie Phanatic

The Opening Day Stars set has a 3-D effect and is one of the highlights of this product. We were lucky to snare both Trout and Harper.

The ‘Hit the Dirt’ inserts are cool and it’s appropriate Billy Hamilton was in our box considering his base stealing exploits in the first week of the season.

Opening Day is not a box you buy if you’re all about hits. It’s a throwback to the older days of pack busting when boxes were not about playing a sort of cardboard lottery. Whether you’re a kid or an adult who remembers those days, it’s a product that’s hard not to like.

You’ll get the bulk of a set in one box, some nice parallels and inserts and once in a while, a sticker autograph or a relic. Your set may never be worth more than what you paid to put it together but that’s true of most base sets these days. At a cost of less than 15 cents per card, Opening Day remains a very appealing product for budget-minded collectors or those trying to find out if their youngster has an interest in cards.

You can see 2015 Topps Opening Day singles, boxes and cases closing soon on eBay here.