Buzz Break: 2012 Panini Cooperstown baseball cards

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down the results here. Like this and want to see more -- or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2012 Panini Cooperstown baseball cards (hobby)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (when available) -- see other baseball boxes here

Keep reading to see what can be found here and a gallery of highlights.

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 120
Base set completion: 
87 of 150 (58 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards: Christy Mathewson, Connie Mack, Frank Robinson, Ted Williams, Bob Gibson, Tony Gwynn, Ernie Banks, Wade Boggs, Brooks Robinson, Tom Seaver, Stan Musial, Honus Wagner and more (all base cards are Hall of Famers)

Insert cards: 33 (all below with some base cards)
Short-printed color photo (2) – Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson
Crystal Collection parallel (3) – Lou Gehrig, Whitey Ford, Hack Wilson (/299)
Ballparks (3) – Polo Grounds (3)
Bronze History (3) – Buck Ewing, Kid Nichols, Happy Chandler (/599)
Credentials (2) – Mike Schmidt, Don Drysdale
Famous Moments (3) – Tony Gwynn, Maury Wills, Roy Campanella
Field Generals (2) – Roy Campanella, Roger Bresnahan
Hall History (2) – Lou Gehrig, Hall of Fame opens
High Praise (2) – Brooks Robinson, Lou Brock
Induction (2) – Richie Ashburn, Jim Palmer
Induction Year (1) – Al Kaline (wood card)
Museum Pieces (2) – Babe Ruth, Paul Waner
The Village (2) – Cooperstown scenes
Voices of Summer (3) – Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell, Russ Hodges
With Honors (1) – Bobby Doerr

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Cooperstown Signatures (1) – Red Schoendienst (/549)

What's Buzz-worthy: It's been a few years since I opened one of these -- it's a landmark set but one that's not as easily found in boxes as it used to be -- so I figured with a new Hall of Fame class here I'd revisit this one. This has a little bit of risk-reward break-wise at this point, especially if you pay too much for a box, as you get one Hall of Famer autograph here -- and it could be Whitey Herzog ... or it could be Frank Robinson. There are also some boxes where you'll land a pair of autos. This one? Just a single auto this time -- and, oddly, about a dozen fewer inserts than my last break -- but a name who's a favorite for his franchise where he was a player, then a manager and then a coach for decades. Schoendienst was a 10-time All-Star, a five-time World Series champ and entered the hall in 1989. He died at age 95 a few years ago and isn't a tough auto so this box is probably not the strongest despite his credentials. ... These boxes can deliver some solid autos -- some are quite rare and are more on the case level or harder from a 100-card checklist -- and quite a few of the signers are no longer alive since its release, too. While it's not an MLB-licensed set it's still a loaded one with the autograph checklist alone and the other inclusions are varied and interesting ... some educational stuff you don't often find all in one place for a typical baseball card set. This was the first Panini America Hall of Fame set and it's perhaps the best in terms of a comprehensive look at the game as seen in Cooperstown. The base cards carry pretty extensive bios and stat totals, while an array of inserts (gallery of some possibilities are below) takes you there to see artifacts and explore other facets of the game, too. The Vin Scully autograph limited to 100 copies is still a monster card on eBay, while rarer on-card autos will surprise you and there are a lot of big names to be had. From a collecting standpoint, this brand holds up as one of the best ever made when focusing on the Hall in all aspects -- info, design, inclusions, autographs. It's a Cooperstown-worthy release ... and that's why these will get a look from me from time to time.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: B+ (not the biggest auto but some good names among the SPs/parallels)
Fun Grade: B+

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com.