2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Retail Box Breaks (6 boxes, Just The Hits)

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Retail Box

24 packs, 4 cards per pack

Cost:  $9.99 (Blowout Cards - Black Friday deal)

Box 1:

Russell Martin (Framed Brown, s/n: #047/100).

Victor Martinez game used jersey.

Box 2:

Lance Berkman (Framed Brown, s/n: #013/100).

Miguel Cabrera game used jersey.

Box 3:

Victor Martinez (Framed Blue, s/n: #008/125).

Chad Billingsley game used jersey.

Box 4:

Stan Musial (Blue Framed, s/n: #034/125).

Nick Blackburn auto.

C.C. Sabathia game used jersey.

Box 5:

Stan Musial (Framed Black, no serial number).

Miguel Cabrera (Framed Black, no serial number).

Eddie Murray (Framed Brown, s/n: #001/100)

Back of Eddie Murray.  Love this card.  Interestingly, this is the only box that did not have a game used card.

Box 6:

Alex Rodriguez (Framed Black, no serial number).

Pedro Martinez game used jersey.

And finally, the card that made me want to post these hits right away:

Frank Robinson (Framed Silver, s/n: #20/25).

Frank!  What a nice card.  This is the first silver framed Masterpieces in my collection.  I am very happy it's an Oriole and one of my favorite players.

These retail boxes are a super deal at $9.99.  What makes them a steal is the stack of base stars.  There are only 10 or so cards per box that aren't star players.  And even those are mostly rookies that haven't made their mark in the majors yet.

And although it is rare to pull an auto from these retail boxes, and the jersey cards are almost all plain white swatches, the hits are icing on the cake anyway.

Just when you think you've seen all the cards in the set, another wonderful short print will pop up. 

At the usual cost of $20 per retail box, they are still a good deal.  A beautiful set that never gets boring.

The Card That Got Me Hooked

Seven packs of 1978 Topps! My first packs ever. Stacked straight up big and tall. Thank you CVS Pharmacy, thank you Mom and Dad! Although I was just five years old I was already all about the Orioles. My Dad loved them and well, these things just seem to happen. Never gave it a thought.

Did I get an Eddie?



















Unless Eddie Murray decided to spell his name 'Rich Dauer' (pronounced Eddie Murray), I was out of luck.








Or was I?


















Yes I was.









Even my powerful five year old imagination couldn't keep Eddie's image seared on the Dauer card for long. Not with Rich Dauer's name staring right at me. In an alarming turn of events, Rich Dauer was indeed Rich Dauer.

It didn't really matter that much. I got a ton of great cards that day (Dauer counts as one of them). I was hooked.

Maybe not pulling Steady Eddie was even better in the long run. I was experiencing the collecting thrill. The chase was on.

What I didn't mention is that my 9 year old brother DID get a Murray out of his packs. At least there would be one in the family!

My brother deftly whisked the card to a safe haven until he could figure out what to do next. Mint mattered even in 1978. I wish I had treated my cards with the same care. He instinctually knew that mint condition meant more value no matter what the object.

As a result, I didn't get to see much of my brother's Murray card. But from time to time he did allow dad to carefully remove The Murray from its chamber for a brief and stressful viewing.