By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Whether one can afford it or not, the $500-per-pack 2012 Five Star baseball card set from Topps is getting broken.

A lot.

In roughly 24 hours since its early arrival on the eBay auction block, there are nearly 2,000 lots on the site and counting along with another 700-plus completeds for the product as a whole. When you consider how few cards are in a box, that’s a lot of boxes ripped … on Day 1 of release. (Click here for a Five Star checklist and OPG.)

Here’s a gallery of some cards that stood out from those available on the auction block … so far.

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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Topps‘ foray into the ultra-high-end baseball card market officially arrives tomorrow with 2012 Topps Five Star. 

While there will be all kinds of outrageous inclusions inside, only one pack’s worth of the cards (minus a jumbo Relic) have arrived on the eBay auction block early … so far.

The thick stock appears that it might be chipping prone based on the un-cropped photos on just a few cards from the $500 packs, but we’ll have to wait and see for more to arrive on the block.

For now, check out a gallery of actual card images — which we’ll add to throughout the week — after the jump.

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Let us know what  you think in our poll and in the comments below as we add more to the selection.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

The next issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly is in production, and it’s  going to focus on all things game-used memorabilia.

From game-used cards to the ins and outs of the game-used market, we’re aiming to touch on what matters most to collectors and we want to know what you think beyond your buying habits when it comes to game-used.

Here, we present 20 questions on the topic — some serious, some fun — that we want to know your answers for. We’ll present some of your comments and the voting results in the next issue.

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Join Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer as they rip into a pair of 2012 Topps Triple Threads boxes in this latest edition of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Topps‘ first high-end baseball card release of 2013 will be Tribute as it unveiled the first looks and product details for the product, which is in its fifth straight year of revival after a break of several seasons.

Set to arrive on March 6, each six-pack, hit-per-pack box will include three autographed cards numbered to 99 or fewer copies along with three Relics limited to 99 or fewer copies. All will carry the familiar foilboard- and foil-stamped-feel of past releases.

The 100-card base set will be comprised of current stars and greats of the game with seven versions of parallels available per card — Blue (/99), Green (/75), Orange (/50), Gold (/25), Red (/5), Purple (1/1) and printing plates.

The autographed card lineup will include standard cards limited to 99 with Blue (/50), Sepia (/35), Orange (/25), Gold (/15), Red (/5), Purple and Onyx (1/1s) parallels, while every card also will have printing plates, too. The Tribute to the Stars autographs will showcase top active and retired players with standard cards limited to just 24 copies and only a Purple 1/1 parallel to be found. New this year on the autograph front will be Best of the Best autographs limited to just five copies apiece each with textured cards based on the types of achievements. Pitchers will have a card textured like a baseball, while base-stealers’ cards will emulate bags, hitters will look and feel like wood and fielder cards will look like gloves.

Also new for the  ink will be framed mini autographs of current and retired players each limited to 25, while Timeless Tribute cards return, pairing two players from the past and present. New there will be a Purple parallel 1/1, while a lineup of cut signature cards will round out that list.

Over on the game-used memorabilia side, there are some newer jumbo-style inclusions that include batting glove Relics, which will be limited to just two copies apiece — one for each hand. Also new will be Tribute Transitions Relics — duals that pair new and old players — along with 1/1 bat knobs and 1/1 bat nameplates. Commemorative Cuts Relics will be limited to just 99 copies, each highlighting a memorable moment in a player’s career, while Retired Remnants also will feature single swatches and be limited to the same amount. Superstar Swatches will include two swatches. All of these will have parallels, as is routine with Tribute, with Blue (/50), Orange (/25), Gold (/15), Red (/10) and Purple 1/1s to be found.

Also in the  product will be Prime Patches Relics — cards limited to 24 or fewer copies — each also with 1/1 Purple paralells, while Tribute to the Stars Relics will highlight current and retired guys also with five parallels — Orange (/50), Green (/40), Gold (/25), Sepia (15), Red Patch (/10) and Purple Patch (1/1).

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Join Beckett Baseball’s Chris Olds as he rips a hobby box of 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter cards in this latest episode of Box Busters … well, sort of.

What will he find inside? Watch and find out …

Join Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer as they rip into 2012 Topps Tier One in this latest episode of Box Busters.

What will they find inside? What can you win? Watch and find out …

Answer the two questions in a comment below — and include your name and email address — or you won’t be eligible.

We’ll pick as many as five of the most-creative answers — and let you guys vote for a winner of the big card next week.

(Need a checklist or OPG for this one? Click here.)

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Topps offered the latest glimpses into its upcoming surprise product on Monday as it offered additional information about its 2012 Topps Mini baseball set exclusively to Beckett Media.

The product will be issued in pack form with mini versions of all base cards found in the Series 1 and Series 2 (as the case with this year’s factory sets). It also will include autographs and memorabilia cards, too — all in the smaller size a la the 1975 Topps Mini set, which was a test issue only released in Michigan and California.

“This should be a great product,” said Topps’ Mike Jaspersen. “[It's] 1975 all over again.”

This product, which will only be available at ShopTopps.com (the company’s webstore), was teased online there last week. The mini set will be officially unveiled on Aug. 1 at the National Sports Collectors Convention with 10 cards per pack and one autograph or Relic card in every 24-pack box.

For those who looked closely at the mocked wax box, it notes that there are 661 cards in this one. Presuming it’s a direct parallel to the 2012 Topps set, that means Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper will be found in the product. He appears on the wrapper along with another notable rookie this season, Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, along with Matt Kemp, Josh Hamilton, Prince Fielder and Roy Halladay.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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By Andrew Tolentino | Football Editor

Now with football season in full swing, Topps is set to add yet another hobby-exclusive brand to its 2011 lineup.

Yesterday, the manufacturer released details about 2011 Topps Precision — a one-autograph (or autograph Relic)-per-pack product scheduled for a late-January drop date. Featuring fatness, each pack also contains three 72-point stock base cards and the chance to snag various ink versions of all-on-card rookie signatures.

Precision is configured at four packs per box and 12 boxes per case — a concentrated formula for fulfilling your serial-numbered fantasies.

Base Rookie Autograph cards take the cake with 36 newcomer subjects whose hard-signed signatures stand out in red, gold, white and “Precision” inks. At the moment, we’re unable to confirm what “precision” ink actually means, but it appears (above) as though these 1/1 autographs offer more detailed (slightly more legible) versions of player penmanship.

Veterans and retired set subjects are showcased in an array of parallels,  autograph combinations and limited forms.

On to the numbers game …

Base Rookie autograph cards

• Red Ink parallel (numbered to 75)
• Gold Ink parallel (numbered to 50)
• White Ink parallel (numbered to 25)
• Precision Ink parallel (1/1)

Veteran autograph cards

• Red parallel (numbered to 99)
• Gold parallel (numbered to 50)
• Green parallel (numbered to 25)
• Precision parallel (1/1)

Retired autograph cards

• Red parallel (numbered to 25)
• Gold parallel (numbered to 10)
• Precision parallel (1/1)

Multiple-autograph cards

• Dual-autograph cards (25 cards numbered to 25)
• Triple-autograph cards (15 cards numbered to 15)
• Quad-autograph cards (10 double-sided cards numbered to 10)
• Six-autograph cards (5 double-sided cards numbered to 5)
• Eight-autograph cards (3 book cards numbered to 5*)

*According to Topps’ release. Clarification to come.

Autographed Relic cards

• Rookie-autographed Jumbo Relics
  • Red parallel (numbered to 50)
  • Gold parallel (numbered to 35)
  • Green patch parallel (numbered to 25)
  • Precision patch parallel (1/1)
• Dual rookie-autographed patch cards (15 cards numbered to 5)
• Veteran autographed patch cards (15 cards numbered to 10)

2011 Topps Precision featured all-on-card rookie base autographs with red, gold, white and "precision" ink parallels.

Mark Ingram's base rookie autograph red ink parallel.

Cam Newton showcased on a Rookie autographed Jumbo Relics card.

Eight-autograph book cards headline the multi-player autograph cards in 2011 Topps Precision.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

If you’ve seen some of the Relics being found by collectors in 2011 Allen & Ginter from Topps, you might have been surprised.

By what?

Plaid swatches. Plaid on manager Joe Maddon. Plaid on first baseman Carlos Pena. Plaid on outfielder B.J. Upton.

These Relics come from the Rays’ BRaysers from late last season, which the team wore on road trips as a way of showing their team unity. The team also wore caps with plaid bills last season and apparently the gimmick caught on elsewhere as the team played well after instituting the formal-wear.

While many of Topps’ past gimmick cards have been New York-centric, it’s good to see a nod to some of the unusual nuances found elsewhere in baseball and to see colorful Relic cards with ties to the game instead of plain white swatches.

Who knows? Maybe all those fans who wanted plaid last fall will want to start collecting baseball cards, too.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.