Buzz Break: 2021 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2021 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Packs per box: 25 (24 standard, one four-card Silver Chrome topper)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 340
Base set completion: 
318 of 350 (91 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Fernando Tatis Jr., Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Eloy Jimenez, Cody Bellinger, Austin Riley, Pete Alonso, Luis Robert, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr., Albert Pujols, Shohei Ohtani, Max Scherzer, Brendan McKay, Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger, Kyle Lewis, Bo Bichette, Aristides Aquino, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, Shane Bieber, Corey Seager, Aaron Judge, Walker Buehler, Gavin Lux, Nico Hoerner, Yordan Alvarez, Max Fried, Justin Verlander ... and others

Rookie Cards (49) – Joey Bart, Sixto Sanchez, Bobby Dalbec, Edward Olivares, Deivi Garcia, Jo Adell, Andres Gimenez, Isaac Paredes, David Peterson, Albert Abreu, Tarik Skubal, Daniel Johnson, Nate Pearson, Nick Heath, Beau Burrows, Monte Harrison, Humberto Mejia, Ryan Mountcastle, Anderson Tejeda, Kodi Whitley, Evan White, Tyler Stephenson, James Kaprielian, Brady Singer, Ryan Castellani, Cristian Javier, Cristian Pache, Brandon Bielak, Nick Madrigal, Luis Patino, Blake Taylor, Dane Dunning, Kris Bubic, Ian Anderson, Santiago Espinal, Spencer Howard, Keibert Ruiz, Leody Taveras, Jesus Sanchez, Mitch White, Alec Bohm, Dylan Carlson, Luis Garcia, Codi Heuer, Triston McKenzie, Casey Mize, Nick Neidert, Eddy Alvarez, Daulton Varsho

Insert/short-print cards: 21 (all in gallery below with some base)
Rainbow foil parallel (2) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kris Bubic
Gold parallel (1) – Tyler Stephenson (/2,021)
Orange foil parallel (1) – J.D. Davis (/299)
70 Years of Topps (2) – Will Clark, Rickey Henderson
Double Headers (1) – Mariano Rivera
1986 Topps (6) – Mike Trout, Jackie Robinson, Cody Bellinger, Gleyber Torres, Cristian Javier, Joey Votto
Home Run Challenge (1) – Eloy Jimenez
Platinum Players (1) – Reggie Jackson
History of Topps (1) – Garbage Pail Kids introduced
Topps Through the Years (1) – Cal Ripken Jr.
1986 Topps Chrome (3) – Triston McKenzie, Yoan Moncada, Buster Posey (box-topper pack)
Purple 1986 Topps Chrome (1) – Shogo Akiyama (/99)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Topps 70 Years of Baseball Autographs (1) – Seth Romero

What's Buzz-worthy: This box is remarkably similar to my past hobby break (so many of my base card images are recycled to save some server space) My ink here is once again one in 140 packs. That Orange parallel is a tougher find, too. All in all, this break was fine ... but not that flashy at all, though the Gold RC and the Chrome pack was pretty solid. After ripping some hobby here, I think these packs need more inserts -- the years of alleged "bloat" on that front need to return in flagship. I said it. The names are quite small -- I've noted that a few times on Twitter -- but they are not as un-readable as I had feared and this design feels a little crisper (and a tad less boring than last year) when in hand. Beyond that? This one is going to be a beast in Chrome with Refractor stock, etching and colorful parallels. ... There are a number of nods to the mask-wearing MLB world of last year with cardboard cutouts in the stands  and other views you can see early on in the gallery below. There are a lot of horizontal cards in this one and I think those are actually the home to some better photos. Overall, I think this is better than last year and last year was popular. If we get a standard season of cardboard and the cards to show for it, then Series 2 and Update could be scorchers following this one's relatively strong start. I'd rip jumbos if you can swing it for the guaranteed stuff or blasters if you want a little more variety on the cheap. If you're somewhere in the middle of those two this format works.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A-
Fun Grade: C+ (need a lot more parallel volume and more inserts in this)

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