Topps Now.......Later

2016 Topps Now Jung Ho Kang

I really liked the idea of Topps Now. When I first heard about it I was excited about the possibilities. As collectors we are all up for something new that doesn't involve an ultra premium $400 type of purchase. When they announced the price of $9.99 my initial response was a little skeptical, but I held out hope. 

The Pirates actually had the first card of the set, but I didn't pull the trigger on the Francisco Liriano card. I waited for other bloggers to be the guinea pigs. I was a little upset when the reviews were lukewarm. Consensus was that for 9.99 the cards weren't really that special. No special design, serial number or card stock. It left people wanting a little more.  Add in some curious choices for the checklist and you have another failed opportunity to take advantage of a great idea. 

I pretty much told myself I was going to avoid it unless something really cool happens with the Pirates....let's just hope it is not on the same day David Ortiz hits a homerun. 

With all that being said we are already beginning to see secondary market prices fall well below the $9.99 retail price. Being the opportunist that I am I went ahead and purchased the Kang at a discounted price. I'm happy to own the card, but these are definitely not special enough for the 9.99 price tag. I think the only exceptions are cool rookie moments and obscure baseball moments. Triple plays, Bartolo Colon homeruns and perfect games are nice examples. 

Did you know that the Francisco Liriano sells for around $45 on eBay.  That is some crazy stuff.  I could buy every good Franky card for that amount. People are weird.  

Thanks for reading.