2015 Topps Oversized 1952 Topps Team Sets

I have tended to be critical of Topps and its online exclusives, especially in terms of those online exclusives that have not included all teams equally or fairly.  This year, Topps has at least one product that really appealed to me, at least a little bit -- the 2015 MLB Collection 1952 Tribute Oversized cards. 

The first thing that is appealing about these is their price point.  Rather than being $50 for a single cardboard poster, these are almost reasonably priced -- either 9 cards, serial numbered to 99, for $20, or 10 cards, serial numbered to 49, for $30 (plus shipping). I decided to treat myself to the Brewers "Gold" set to pick up the 10 card set.

My main impetus to getting the Gold set is right on Topps's sale page for the sets:

The "Bonus Legend Card" which is of course of Robin Yount.  So, I plunked the $30 down.  

In hand, these cards are very attractive.  Unlike some of last year's wall-art efforts such as the "For Mayor" series, which featured oversized posters printed on old-school cardboard, these oversized cards are printed on white card stock with a glossy photo side and a matte finish on the reverse side.

Here's the Ryan Braun -- both sides:

Yeah, the backs are pretty much yawners, and numbering the card as if someone will collect a complete set is pretty ridiculous, but at least we get a nice big Brewers logo.

The Robin Yount is a familiar pose though I can't seem to find a card that features it before. I'm sure the Cynical Buddha can help me out here:

The only real complaint I have is the recycling photos laziness that we have come to expect from Topps.  For example, here is Carlos Gomez's card from this set:

For comparison, here's Gomez's card from 2014 Topps Archives, his 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter, and his 2014 Topps Fan Fest All-Star game oversized cards:

For someone who often works off a visual memory of a players' cards when trying to work quickly through boxes and boxes of cards at card shows, this is incredibly annoying.  Throw in the $3-per-card cost for this special issue set, and it is even more annoying.  

But at least Topps didn't do that for any other players' cards, did they?

Well....I wish I could say that was true, but it does not look to be...

At least Jean Segura's card looks different from what's been released so far for him:

As you probably can make out, my set was numbered 10 of 49.  So, 9 other people have purchased this set so far, I'm guessing.  

These are a pretty cool set.  Don't get me wrong.  In fact, I'm very happy I bought it. I just wish -- just once -- that my immediate reaction wasn't "hey, that's the same photo for Gomez as on that All-Star card from last year" or, rather, "Okay, I know I saw that photo before...how many times has it been used already?"

I mean, if people are paying something of a premium already to get these cards, don't they deserve a new photo?  

Now, back to fighting JBF's Monster #1!