2017 "Rediscover Topps" 1990 Topps #370

Card Review: 8.8

These "Rediscover Topps" don't seem to be all that rare.  As I type this I'm expecting a lot of five more  I just picked up to be arriving in my mailbox everyday.

I'm not seeking to horde these, but at this point, I'd like to try to pick up one of each Wallach's sixteen different Topps cards.  I'm sitting at five, assuming the new one I'm expecting arrives without issue.  Which isn't to say I'm avoiding these, there just isn't anything about them that allows me to justify paying more than the pennies that the ones that aren't damaged with foil stamping cost.

 Number in my Collection:

Bronze: 1
2018 update: n/a
2019 update: 2

1990 Topps Double Headers #68

Card Review: N/A I could have this thing mis-labeled.  I'm not sure it's actually from 1990, and I have no idea where the #68 comes from.  But the guy I bought it from had it labeled that way, so I'm going with it.

I'm only reluctantly calling this a card.  I've seen one opened online and the picture inside is as thin as a page in a low quality magazine.  I'm pretty sure they were sold in packs of 1.

These are pretty low quality.  The pictures are crummy, and the plastic is foggy.  I'm not surprised Topps ditched this concept.

<------ An Attempt to shoot it in the mirror.   

Number in my collection: 1
2016 update: 2

2017 update: n/a

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: 3

1990 Topps Tiffany #370

Card Review: 8.7  I'm a big fan of the 1990 Topps set design.  But of all the border colors there are to be found, these dark blue ones are probably my least favorite.  A distinction that I feel even more strongly about with the Tiffany set than I do the base set.  This photo also isn't my favorite.  I see what Topps was going for, with the 3D effect for the bat, but it just doesn't work.  It's also dark for my liking.  Topps would later get it right with the 2003 Fan Favorites Wallach.

Number of this card in my collection: 5

2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Refractor #12

Card Review: 9.4  I don't like the refractor as much as the base card.  That doesn't mean it's not awesome.  I used to find these refractor's a bit over the top, but as more and more crap has been produced by the card companies, these refractors don't seem as ridiculous, and look a lot better than a lot of the newer nonsense.  I don't know if Topps produced more of these or of the autographed variant, as the autographed variant isn't numbered.  I suspect there are fewer of these.  The autographed 2003 ATFF pops up on ebay with some regularity.  I've seen this card show up exactly four times, and have never passed on it.  I wouldn't be surprised if a good number of people tried to build a refractor set of these back in 2003, and they just aren't leaving personal collections.

Number of this card in my collection: 1 (out of 299 possible)
2013 update: 2
2014 update: 3
2015 update: 4

2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #12

Card Review: 9.9  If at first you don't succeed, then just try again.  1990 Topps was a cool set, one of my favorites, but the Wallach card was one of the weaker ones in the set dut to a poor photo selection. Topps got it right the 2nd time around with this "Fan Favorites" set in 2003. 

Number of this card in my collection: 8
2013 update: 9
2014 update: 11
2015 update: 12
2016 update: 13
2017 update: 14
2018 update: n/a
2019 update: 15

2020 update: 17

2021 update: 19

2022 update: 23

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: 44

2025 update: 45

2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #FFA-TW

Card Review: 9.8  Only the autograph brings this one down from not being a 10.  Just a great looking card, and nice surprise 15 years after Wallach's original 1990 Topps card featured a lack luster, dark photo.  I have no idea how Topps chose players, or card designs for this set, but they nailed it with Wallach.
Number of this card in my collection: 1

1990 Topps #370

Card Review: 9.0  Not a great picture on this card, but I find it to be a Topps design that has aged very well.  From the taxi cab checkers on the back to the perfect period design on the front, I find it to be similar to the the way the '68 and '72 designs fit the year.  I would have just preferred a different photo to go with the great design.  I know this upsets some collector's to no end, but I really find the '90 Topps set to be the sister design to the '75 set.

Fun Facts: *Tim's 2003 Topps fan favorites card was done in the mold of the '90 Topps (and featured much better photo selection)
* Tim was an an All-Star, won a Gold-Glove, and finished 10th in MVP voting in 1990
* Despite being an All-Star and Gold-Glove winner in '89 Tim was not featured on an All-Star card in the 1990 set. 

Number of this card in my collection: 130
2012 update: 136
2013 update: 205
2014 update: 252
2015 update: 353 
2016 update: 407
2017 update: 447
2018 update: 503
2019 update: 554
2020 update: 617

2021 update: 642

2022 update: 704

2023 update: 743

2024 update: 781

2025 update: 783