First Buzz: 2025 Topps Diamond Icons baseball cards
 

First Buzz: 2025 Topps Diamond Icons baseball cards >> [URL="https://www.blowoutcards.com/blog/first-buzz-2025-topps-diamond-icons-baseball-cards"][B]BlowoutBuzz.com[/B][/URL]

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Who cares.....

Just another high-end product for breakers/gamblers.....

When is Topps/Fanatics going to release the products that people are actually waiting for, like Platinum Anniversary, Stadium Club, Archives, HHN, etc?

Wow how original

Topps is usually horrendous at making high-end product seem high-end, but this year they've corrected that at least. This does look like a top tier product instead of Topps usual AI slop design.

[QUOTE=mfw13;20032925]Who cares.....

Just another high-end product for breakers/gamblers.....

When is Topps/Fanatics going to release the products that people are actually waiting for, like Platinum Anniversary, Stadium Club, Archives, HHN, etc?[/QUOTE]

If the price was $10/box, would you still think that it’s for breakers/gamblers? Or is it the format that makes it that way?

[QUOTE=ScooterD;20033182]If the price was $10/box, would you still think that it’s for breakers/gamblers? Or is it the format that makes it that way?[/QUOTE]

The format....any product without base cards, or in which base cards fall so infrequently so as to make set-building cost-prohibitive (like Tribute....72 cards per case with a 100 card base set), is by definition designed to appeal mainly to people whose primary interest is gambling that they will pull hits that that are worth more than the cost of the box.

If you want to collect a card from a product like Diamond Icons, you buy it as a single....you don't rip boxes looking for it.

[QUOTE=mfw13;20033191]The format....any product without base cards, or in which base cards fall so infrequently so as to make set-building cost-prohibitive (like Tribute....72 cards per case with a 100 card base set), is by definition designed to appeal mainly to people whose primary interest is gambling that they will pull hits that that are worth more than the cost of the box.

If you want to collect a card from a product like Diamond Icons, you buy it as a single....you don't rip boxes looking for it.[/QUOTE]

Never thought of it that way - I understand.

The last time I bought any product like this was 2012 when Museum Collection came out. I didn’t see it as gambling at the time - I just wanted to open a new product with jumbo patches etc.

Funny enough, the store had a box of 1989 Score football for the exact same price (maybe $125-150), and I indulged. I didn’t get a complete set of base from that box either - so I guess I gambled twice that day on two totally different products/formats.

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That Ohtani is cool. I'd love to have a Nolan Ryan card with patches from every team he was on.

[QUOTE=ScooterD;20033206]Never thought of it that way - I understand.

The last time I bought any product like this was 2012 when Museum Collection came out. I didn’t see it as gambling at the time - I just wanted to open a new product with jumbo patches etc.

Funny enough, the store had a box of 1989 Score football for the exact same price (maybe $125-150), and I indulged. I didn’t get a complete set of base from that box either - so I guess I gambled twice that day on two totally different products/formats.[/QUOTE]

In fairness regarding set building, he said from a case as opposed to a single box. Hopefully a case of 1989 Score (would love to find a case at $150/box now!) would yield more than a few complete sets.

[QUOTE=mfw13;20033191]The format....any product without base cards, or in which base cards fall so infrequently so as to make set-building cost-prohibitive (like Tribute....72 cards per case with a 100 card base set), is by definition designed to appeal mainly to people whose primary interest is gambling that they will pull hits that that are worth more than the cost of the box.

If you want to collect a card from a product like Diamond Icons, you buy it as a single....you don't rip boxes looking for it.[/QUOTE]

There are releases for everyone, but the highest demand formats will be what they create the most of, because that is what makes sense.

And answer me this, what product have you recently ripped in order to hunt for a base card? Like seriously, you don't actually do that. Then the complaint would be "I had to pay $300 to rip this box to find my base card of Steve Baseballman". You can explain it however you wish, but at the end of the day you just want to moan and groan about everything. It doesn't matter if its high end or low end.

I hope Nick Kurtz makes it into this. I think/hope he does, but I will believe it when I see it. This design is much better than last years. Dark borders on premium cards never end well, and although they are present this year, the amount of dark border seems less.

[QUOTE=premium1981;20033589]There are releases for everyone, but the highest demand formats will be what they create the most of, because that is what makes sense.

And answer me this, what product have you recently ripped in order to hunt for a base card? [/QUOTE]

My point was that people "hunt" base cards that they need to complete sets.....I hunted plenty of base cards last spring to complete my Heritage set, and last year to complete my Heritage and Platinum Anniversary sets. So did lots of other collectors.

Products like Diamond Icons with nothing but autos/relics and no base cards are basically lotteries. There's no collecting going on because there's nothing to actually collect. It's just gambling in another form.

[QUOTE=mfw13;20033708]My point was that people "hunt" base cards that they need to complete sets.....I hunted plenty of base cards last spring to complete my Heritage set, and last year to complete my Heritage and Platinum Anniversary sets. So did lots of other collectors.

Products like Diamond Icons with nothing but autos/relics and no base cards are basically lotteries. There's no collecting going on because there's nothing to actually collect. It's just gambling in another form.[/QUOTE]The reality is, the set collector is a dying breed. No company in their right mind is designing high end products for set builders. A lack of base cards for set builders isn't an indication that it's designed for breakers. It's that most collectors collect that stuff, too. You are in a dying minority. The hobby is leaving you behind.

[QUOTE=OhioLawyerF5;20033720]The reality is, the set collector is a dying breed. No company in their right mind is designing high end products for set builders. A lack of base cards for set builders isn't an indication that it's designed for breakers. It's that most collectors collect that stuff, too. You are in a dying minority. The hobby is leaving you behind.[/QUOTE]

Set collectors, team collectors, and player collectors are what create demand for 95% of the cards in circulation, and pretty much ALL non-auto cards.

And I wasn't suggesting that anybody build high-end products for set builders.....that would be idiotic. I was pointing out that auto-only "lottery" products literally have nothing to actually collect. If someone wants a specific card from a product like Diamond Icons they're going to buy it as a single on the aftermarket.....they're not going to buy a box/case trying to pull it. or they're simply going to buy a similar card from another product. There's nothing particularly special about a Judge or Ohtani auto from a product like Diamond Icons unless you happen to love the design. There are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of Judge or Ohtani autos in other products.

Hard pass..

[QUOTE=ScooterD;20033182]If the price was $10/box, would you still think that it’s for breakers/gamblers? Or is it the format that makes it that way?[/QUOTE]

Any product where for the vast majority of customers (in general over 80%) tends to be purchased by and opened for a group of people is considered a breaker product.

Sure, there are folks who will buy this product and open it for themselves, but the vast majority of people don’t open it for themselves, a large percent of this product gets opened in the shared purchase format.

[QUOTE=mfw13;20033811]Set collectors, team collectors, and player collectors are what create demand for 95% of the cards in circulation, and pretty much ALL non-auto cards.

And I wasn't suggesting that anybody build high-end products for set builders.....that would be idiotic. I was pointing out that auto-only "lottery" products literally have nothing to actually collect. If someone wants a specific card from a product like Diamond Icons they're going to buy it as a single on the aftermarket.....they're not going to buy a box/case trying to pull it. or they're simply going to buy a similar card from another product. There's nothing particularly special about a Judge or Ohtani auto from a product like Diamond Icons unless you happen to love the design. There are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of Judge or Ohtani autos in other products.[/QUOTE]That can be said for any valuable or collectible card. You are and have always been better off buying the single rather than chasing a specific card by opening wax.