Update: Almost Done (Some Trade Bait Posted)

2017 Update is almost done, that is.  For the first time ever, I decided to build an entire flagship set: Series 1, 2, and Update.  I know that 2017 is not everybody's (or anybody's) favorite design, but I decided to make a go for it.  I don't think I'll do it again.  The experience wasn't all bad, but I found that I spent most of my card money on flagship and don't have much else from 2017.  Moreover, I worry about trying to store all my cards if I'm collecting 1000 flagship cards every year, plus whatever else I pick up.  I'll stick with smaller sets, I think.

I finished off Series 1 and 2 before Update was released.  I started in on Update, but I was growing frustrated with my inability to pull Judge and Bellinger.  I knew those cards would be the most expensive on the secondary market, so I was hoping to pull them out of the packs that cost me seven cents per card.  The fact that they both appear three times in the set didn't help.  But I couldn't pull any of them.  When an ebay coupon for some percentage off came my way in December, I decided to use it on a retail box of Update, and came away with 24 packs for right around $25-$30.  Since I was only about halfway done with the set, with none of those pesky rookies in hand and the duplicates piling up, a full box seemed like a good plunge to take.  I was banking on the collation being good enough in the box that I would limit the amount of dupes I would pull while working toward the set.

I was not disappointed.  While I ended up pulling some of the same cards I already had, I didn't have any cards repeat themselves from the same box.  Now that I have finished breaking the box, I stand in need of only 11 base cards.  I'm happy to report that all of the expensive rookies are in my collection.  Interestingly, it took until the very end, when I pulled two Judges and one Bellinger from the same, second to last pack in the box.  What a pack that would have been for an ebay seller in October, when Update first released.

Everyone has seen 2017 Topps ad nauseum by now, and it's not even the current flagship release, so I'll skip the base cards and show the inserts/parallels that came from my retail box.

I pulled three Rookie Cup reprints.  Oddly, they were all 2013 reprints.  And now all three of them fit in my collection, thanks to the Yu Darvish signing.

 I like the Untouchables set, so even though I don't collect Colon and Lincecum, they'll stay in my collection.  Javy's fancy glove work is a nice insert for this Cubs fan, and this great Chris Coghlan Gold parallel fits neatly into my ROY collection.

I also pulled five SPs from the box.  I'm keeping these four.  I think it would be hard to top these four players in a random grouping of SPs from one box.  The Griffey is a great photo, to boot.

Now for the trade bait inserts/parallels.  If you want one of these, they are available.  Just let me know.

Of the three 1987 inserts in the box, not one fits in my collection.  If they happen to fit in yours, they're available.  The MLB Network set, while an interesting concept, doesn't hold much appeal to me.  Who's building it?

These Postseason Celebration cards look really washed out in the scan.  None of them were too interesting to me, since the set is filled with Cardinals, Yankees, and Red Sox--three teams I find it difficult to cheer for.  The Cubs Celebration card was my favorite of 2017, but this I have an extra now if someone wants it.

Here is the lone serial-numbered card from the box.  It's blue parallel Red Sox Celebration, numbered 295/500.  It's also available.

I have some gold parallels, if anybody is looking for these.

And finally, a couple Topps Salute inserts and the fifth SP, which I don't plan on keeping.

If you like these inserts, let me know.  As I mentioned before, I'm only 11 cards away from completing three series of 2017 flagship.  These are the Update cards I'm missing:

#41--Mitch Haniger, Diamondbacks
#82--Matt Boyd, Tigers
#96--Brett Phillips, Brewers
#176--History Makers (Rizzo/Bryant), Cubs
#244--Justin Turner, Dodgers
#247--Dansby Swanson, Braves
#248--Ender Inciarte, Braves
#251--Daniel Descalso, Diamondbacks
#257--Alex Wood, Dodgers
#288--Miguel Sano, Twins
#296--Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

If you can help me out, let me know.  Here is the list of base trade bait I have, if anybody is looking for 2017 Update.

I'm almost finished with my first ever full run of Flagship for a year.  I'm hoping to close this out before we get too far into the 2018 offerings.