2009 TRISTAR Obak Baseball
Product Review
2009 Tristar Obak Baseball Product Review
The Good: 2009 TRISTAR Obak Baseball is without a doubt the most comprehensive trading card tribute to Minor League Baseball that I've ever come across. The set has a fantastic checklist which is further augmented by the products extremely limited production run.
The Bad: I didn't like the overall look and feel of the cards, with te exception the full color modern day prospect cards. There are also entirely too many variations of some of the cards which diminish the integrity of an otherwise strong base set.
The Bottom Line: 2009 TRISTAR Obak Baseball is TRISTAR's most creative use of their Minor League Baseball License. Despite falling short on a number of different levels, TRISTAR Obak provides enough substance and value to satisfy those in search of an immersive Minor League Baseball Card experience that goes beyond simple prospecting.
Design 2.8/5.0
With the exception of the modern day prospect and Pro Debut cards, the stock, design, and photography of the 2009 TRISTAR Obak Baseball set is overall subpar and disappointing. I can cut them some slack in this area because of the fact that they are working with a significantly smaller budget then their chief competors. However, this disadvantage did not prevent them from producing several visually appealing baseball card products over the last couple of years. Simply put, I've come to expect more from them in this department.
The thin stock of the cards give them a cheapened feel right off the bat. A seemingly random assortment of cards throughout the TRISTAR Obak set are plagued by low resolution, poor quality imagery. These are easily preventable oversights that I really hope will be addressed in future Obak releases (assuming the brand continues) as this would elevate the set to the next level.
Checklist 4.5/5.0
The checklist is one of 2009 TRISTAR Obak Baseball's greatest strengths. In stark contrast to Razor's line of unlicensed baseball prospect products which are centered around providing prospectors with investment quality autographed hits of individual prospects, MiLB licensed TRISTAR Obak is focused on the big picture - Minor League Baseball itself. If you are looking for the latter of the two Minor League Baseball Card products, then look no further.
Value 3.0/5.0
Although it advertises 9 hits per box, only 2 of those 9 hits are autographs. The rest are a combination of short prints, variations, serial numbered, and mini cards. One could argue, however, that every card in 2009 TRISTAR Obak in a short print since only 3,600 boxes of it were produced. The sum of these parts put together justify the $80 (or less) pricetag for a serial numbered hobby box of the cards.
Enjoyability 2.7/5.0
This was a fun and interesting product to open. Other then the overkill of random variation cards, the set fit together very cohesively and enjoyably.
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Product Details
2009 Tristar Obak Baseball Product Information
TriStar Obak pays tribute to one of the largest minor league card sets of the 20th century, with cards featuring the top minor league players of yesterday and today and a look at the exciting, rich history of minor league baseball
Product Highlights:
- Look to pull (2) Autographed cards per box (on average) including
legends such as Duke Snider, Tom Seaver, Brooks Robinson, Dale Murphy
and Jim Rice - 9 Hits Guaranteed Per Box (Autographs, Short Prints, and Serial Numbered Cards)
- 114-Card Base Set Uses Enhanced Background Color Imaging and Unique
- Photo Style To Capture The Look and Feel Of The Original Release
- Only 3,600 Individually #'d Hobby Boxes Produced (33% Less Than Tristar Projections '09)
- All Autograph Cards Are Individually #'d to 200 Or Less...The First Time Tristar Has #'d Every Autograph Card
- Short Print Cards Are 77% More Scarce Than The Base Cards
- Tristar OBAK Is Officially Licensed By Minor League Baseball
