Release Date: October 11, 2023

I’ve gotten into the habit of buying a single case of hobby boxes for the Topps baseball cards that I want to collect. It’s a fun way to build a set, find some interesting cards, and track just how profitable (or unprofitable) it was.

This time, I ripped a case of 2023 Topps Update Jumbo Hobby Boxes. There are 6 boxes in the case. Each box contains a guaranteed autograph card, as well as 2 relic cards, which are generally cards that contain a piece of a player’s uniform or bat, or a manufactured patch celebrating an achievement, like an MVP award or World Series win. There’s also all sorts of insert cards for different miniature sets. I’ll cover those a little later.

What did I get?

The first thing to note is that when you rip multiple boxes like this, you’re going to end up with a TON of base cards. On average, I have approximately 8.5 of each of the 330 base cards. (Some were as few as 7, others were as many as 10). I created 6 complete sets from these cards, and I’ll sell the rest as singles on eBay. Don’t get excited, these complete sets sold for about $35 each before fees, shipping, and materials.

Beyond that, I unpacked lots of unique cards from these packs. Foil parallels, autographs, inserts, and relic cards. For my own personal collection (PC), I’m pretty selective. I’ll take any cool Cleveland Guardians cards, but I’ve really made the decision that unless it’s a mega-star or the hottest rookie, I’m probably better off selling it while the hype is hot.

The Best of the Best

Here’s a look at the best cards I decided to keep. This is in addition to one entire complete set of the base cards and inserts.
I also collect the entire set of Silver Pack Chrome cards from each set.

MLMA-CC – Corbin Carroll – Arizona Diamondbacks – 2023 Topps Update Major League Material Autographs /50

AA-53 – Roger Clemens – Boston Red Sox 2023 – Topps Update All Aces Autographs /10

Juan Soto – San Diego Padres – 2023 Topps Update Sketch Card 1/1

88US-36 – Aaron Judge – New York Yankees – 2023 Topps Update ’88 Topps Gold /50

HL-42 – Chipper Jones – Atlanta Braves – 2023 Topps Heavy Lumber

BIG-4 – Adley Rutschman – Baltimore Orioles – 2023 Topps Update Oversized Topps Big Gold /50

The Stuff I Sold

Overall, I sold 123 individual cards, and 5 base sets for $631.78. You can see the entire list here. Keep in mind that the “profit” column is the actual money I received for each sale, after shipping materials, postage, and eBay fees. On average, I keep about 78% of what the cards sell for.

This is the first time I’ve written a post like this, and I’m curious about what you’d like to know in future posts. Leave your question in the comments, and I’ll be sure to answer them. I’m in the process of going through a case of 2023 Topps Archives currently, and I’m looking forward to 2023 Topps Chrome Update, and 2023 Topps Stadium Club in its delayed form in January 2024.