PACK RIPPING - 2011/12 SP Authentic (4 packs......and then 5 more)

After a quiet few weeks of collecting, I can definitely feel the and of the calm before (what I anticipate to be) a pretty decent storm.

Upcoming product releases like Panini Prime, Dominion, In The Game Ultimate Memorabilia 12, Forever Rivals, Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee and The Cup make the "off-season" seem more like "mid-season".

Now I'm not sure if Trev will find his way into all the new checklists (let's hope not) but I'm sure his name will be added to the wantlist multiple times over the next few weeks.

In fact, he's already found his way into a product that hasn't shown a card of his since the 05/06 season.  During a trip to the local card shop I found my rock-solid will-power once again tested.

You all know the result.

2011/12 SP Authentic

(4 packs)

I thought to myself "There's no harm in ripping a few packs.  It'll be fun....and who knows."

Twenty cards......that's the stack I created when the smoke cleared.

And every single one of them were base.

Ouch.

So let's take a moment to look at what the base cards have to offer.

Yup........um hum.

Alright then.

Actually, I learned that SP Authentic has done some weird thing with it's rookie cards.  They aren't actually rc's.  Because they are part of an insert set, they won't hold the designation of being a true rookie card.

I landed four of these non-rookie rc's.

Apparently, there are autographed cards that will be designated as the player's rookie.

Backwards if you ask me.

Well, since I had such good luck pulling packs from the freshly opened box......I decided to open a few more.

Cause I'm just that strong.

There was base to be had.  In five packs worth, I landed 21 base cards.  Two of the rookie inserts (another couple no-namers).  That leaves me with two "hits".

A couple of the base cards showcased the "Legends" in the product.  This is the section where Trev shows up.  I didn't pull one, but I'm not worried about finding one of those - easy to come by.

For the record, he also has an autographed card (similar to the one you'll see at the end), an auto/patch card (I've seen one go on ebay.....now is not the time to chase one) and who knows what else.  I still need to figure out the whole checklist thing.

Out of my two hits, I pulled one auto and one insert.

Right jersey.....wrong player.

These Rookie Holo-FX cards look really nice in person.  I can see them being a fun set to build (a little throwback to the good ol' days of the mid-90's).

Drumroll on my "big hit" now....

Oh yeah!  Nasty signature card #7,489.  Nicklas Grossman.

It is indeed gross - man!

I like this design layout better than the last couple of years and prefer it more than the 05/06 version (if I were to compare Linden's).

And over the nine packs I opened, I apparently met the odds that were posted on the box.  So really, I shouldn't complain.

But I will.

I'll complain about the dude who pumped out the cash for these packs.  I would have been much better off just going for a full box.  Or maybe showing a little restraint and focus on picking up singles for my pc.

But......I'm a sucker for ripping packs every once in a while.  To me, it's the essence of the hobby.  In fact, I think I'll make it the subject of my next Opinion post.

Now if anybdy has a Linden they'd be willing to trade.......I've got some cards for ya'!