2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Cards

Product Review

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Product Review

For a case breaker's take on the set, check out brentandbecca's After the Break - What Worked and What Didn't in 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball.

Reviewed by Rodney Ashe

Good: 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball has a good combination of current, past players and Hall of Famers. The product has the design that's reminiscent of an 1887 remake. Each box includes two autographs and two relic cards. The autographs are signed directly on the card. Inclusion of Stadium Seat Mini Relics, Original Art Patches, and 1887 Penny Parallel Relics.

Bad: With so many parallels, mini cards, inserts and short print variations, it will take a lot of effort to complete the collection. Some of the base cards don't look as good as others because of too much contrast between light and dark colors.

The Bottom Line: Each box of 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball has 24 packs of ten including one mini card. Hobby boxes also come with a small mini box of ten additional mini cards. This product is a mid-range box that cost about $110 upon release. The base set consists of 300 cards. There are also 50 short print variations and a Yu Darvish variation that is a super short print. The on-card autographs stand out very nicely. Without a doubt, there is a ton of fun and value in this product for baseball collectors.

Card Design: 3.5/5.0

The card design definitely stands out compared to other 2012 baseball cards. It is based on the 1887 card design. There are nice artistic pictures of players instead of the standard photos used for most cards. The design and lettering are light on light and dark on dark. The cards are very colorful. Parallels are noted by different colored borders. The 50 short print card variations use different or altered photos. Even the mini cards have their own parallels and photo variations as well.

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball also has a ton of inserts to keep collectors busy. Autographs and relic cards use a similar design as the base set. The 100-card 1887 Penny Parallel Relic set has vintage pennies embedded directly in the card.

Basic inserts include Future Stars, Gypsy Kings, Hallmark Heroes, Moonshots, Baseball Glove Stories, and Sliding Stars. Future Stars and Hallmark Heroes have the same look and design as the base cards except for different colors. Gypsy Kings has a old-school retro look with green borders. Moonshots is one of the best looking inserts. It has a purple background and an action shot of the player crushing a home run. Baseball Glove Stories is also another attractive insert with some very nice backgrounds. The Ken Griffey Jr. card is the standout here. Sliding Stars pay homage to some of the best base stealers in the league.

Checklist: 5.0/5.0

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball has a nice mixture of current and past players, young stars, and Hall of Famers. The autograph checklist is massive. It contains some major names like Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr, Cal Ripken Jr, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Ryne Sandberg and Frank Thomas.

Value: 4.0/5.0

For a mid-range box, 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen offers a ton of content. Hobby boxes promise two autographs and two relic cards. On top of that, there are tons of mini cards, short prints, parallels and other inserts. The autograph checklist is particularly strong, giving collectors a solid chance of pulling a top-tier player. The high-end hits, which include the Penny Relics, original art patch cards and Stadium Relics, should be considered a nice bonus.

The Fun Factor: 5.0/5.0

Topps has released a mid-level baseball product that will likely appeal to a wide-range of baseball card collectors. Kudos to Topps for releasing a product where you can pull autographs of so many Hall of Famers and future Cooperstown inductees given the price point. For the price of this box, you can't go wrong with the end results.