2010 Topps Chrome - One of the worst releases ever?!

[tribefan]

I've been buying the three-pack retail packs with the Orange refractors and I've been putting aside about half the cards to send back to Topps.

I'm not normally too much of a critic when it comes to centering but for me to notice, it must be bad. This year's 2010 Topps Chrome, both football and baseball products, are some of the worst cut cards I've ever purchased... and that says a lot when you consider that I've been collecting since the early 70s!

Is it a regional thing or are others having the same problems with this product?

What about hobby boxes? I don't have a card shop near me so I'm stuck with the retail option.

And the "curled" paper stock seems worse than ever (football is better than baseball). Overall these releases have been.... Disappointing!


Michael

 

[Myerburg311]

I opened a box and don't remember the centering too bad.. I bought an Orange refractor on ebay and the centering is terrible so maybe it's the retail

 

[dan5]

This is what happens when you are the only Company producing Baseball cards. The Chrome cards in the 2010 Bowman were the same way. Off Center, scratches, & those little printing bubbles or what ever you want to call them.

Probably won't get any better either.

 

[valediction]

This is what happens when you are the only Company producing Baseball cards. The Chrome cards in the 2010 Bowman were the same way. Off Center, scratches, & those little printing bubbles or what ever you want to call them.

Probably won't get any better either.

I have boxes of cards from the 80's-90's that are off center, print spots, lines, rough cut and Topps, UD, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Sportflics were all making cards then. I sprung for a box of 85 Topps in the mid 90's, and about 80% of the cards were 75/25 or worse including the McGwire, Puckett, and one of the 2 Clemens rookies.

 

[theplasticman]

There is no reason for it to be quite this bad.

 

[David K.]

I had a few orange refractors oc 35/65........Best regards, David

 

[OriolesFan8]

To answer your question, the Hobby boxes were just as bad. About 1/3 of the autos I received either had manufacturer defects or had the center of the autos rubbed off from the production process. I do think the curl factor is more prevalent in the retail rack packs, but I did have a few in my hobby boxes. All in all, the QA/QC is horrible. I wrote them a nasty gram but in the end I just mailed back my defective cards.

In the future, I will vote with my money and not buy anymore boxes. I will just buy a base set and leave it at that.

Todd

 

[VintageHeros]

Just today I sent 325 Topps Chrome cards back to Duryea because of centering issues...these were out of two cases but I was being generous because I got tired of pulling them...

After busting two boxes of 2010 Bowman Chrome today it would appear as though the trend will continue, but now with a new nuisance; some kind of fine white residue that appears like scuffing but seems to wipe off...

 

[dan5]

I have boxes of cards from the 80's-90's that are off center, print spots, lines, rough cut and Topps, UD, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Sportflics were all making cards then. I sprung for a box of 85 Topps in the mid 90's, and about 80% of the cards were 75/25 or worse including the McGwire, Puckett, and one of the 2 Clemens rookies.

So, I guess they are using the same printing techniques they used 20 years ago? Pretty sure they have made some advances so this should not still be happening.

Boxes also didn't cost $100 back then either. If they are going to charge these prices the quality should be a lot better than what it is.

I have been collecting Chrome cards since they came out back in the mid '90's and have not had any problems with the quality until the last 2 years.

 

[dan5]

Just today I sent 325 Topps Chrome cards back to Duryea because of centering issues...these were out of two cases but I was being generous because I got tired of pulling them...

After busting two boxes of 2010 Bowman Chrome today it would appear as though the trend will continue, but now with a new nuisance; some kind of fine white residue that appears like scuffing but seems to wipe off...

I thought you could only send 25 per request?

 

[tribefan]

I thought you could only send 25 per request?

That was my understanding. I've been sending a package every other day...

 

[VintageHeros]

For their processing convenience I packaged the cards in team bags counted in lots of 25...I would find it hard to believe that they would not accept returns in that fashion. If they expect me to send them a different package of 25 cards every day for the next two weeks then they are completely out of line and I would be more than happy to draft some letters to the PA Attorney General and the BBB.

Let not forget that all of these returns are additional "out of pocket" costs to their consumers to return their mistake. I spent $12 on postage to send mine back. There is no excuse to be releasing mis-cut product into the market. Where's the quality control?

 

[OriolesFan8]

For their processing convenience I packaged the cards in team bags counted in lots of 25...I would find it hard to believe that they would not accept returns in that fashion. If they expect me to send them a different package of 25 cards every day for the next two weeks then they are completely out of line and I would be more than happy to draft some letters to the PA Attorney General and the BBB.

Let not forget that all of these returns are additional "out of pocket" costs to their consumers to return their mistake. I spent $12 on postage to send mine back. There is no excuse to be releasing mis-cut product into the market. Where's the quality control?

We discussed this in another thread, and a poster said Topps would accept returns of cards if they were packaged in 25 cards segments.

Todd

 

[bubby01]

There is no reason for it to be quite this bad.

Really, if you think about it, there is no reason for it to be good either. Zero competition=Bad Quality. I can live with the poor collation, but bad quality is completely unacceptable.

 

[valediction]

So, I guess they are using the same printing techniques they used 20 years ago? Pretty sure they have made some advances so this should not still be happening.

Boxes also didn't cost $100 back then either. If they are going to charge these prices the quality should be a lot better than what it is.

I have been collecting Chrome cards since they came out back in the mid '90's and have not had any problems with the quality until the last 2 years.

I never argued the cards didn't have serious problems, only that it's NOT because Topps is the only cardmaker. Too many people are living in a world where cards were perfect until now. They weren't, they never have been. They act like every card was perfectly centered, no chipping/fraying/rough cuts, no refractor lines, no curl. I've had good and bad experiences with every company. UD boxes where at least one card in every pack was caught in the sealer and had the nice little pattern embossed on the top border, had 3 boxes of Fleer missing foil, GU cards that looked like a 3 year old got hold of it for the day, missing/disfigured holograms, chrome cards curled, scratched up or with nasty refractor lines. I opened 3 blasters of Goodwin Champions and every mini was miscut in 2 of the boxes. I bought a factory sealed box of 2001 Topps traded where every chrome card had a dent in it, in 2002 I sent Topps back my autographs of Yogi Berra and Don Mattingly because one was smudged and the other had 4 big bubbles in the card surface.

As for the boxes not costing $100, you also weren't pulling Pujols,Mays, Killebrew, etc autographs or cards /25 out of $25 boxes.

 

[dlackey]

The curl on these does seem to be worse on retail, may be the worst Topps Chrome cards to curl like that since the 2002 Topps Chrome cards.

Dennis
________
Michigan Dispensaries

 

[RyanL24]

I never argued the cards didn't have serious problems, only that it's NOT because Topps is the only cardmaker.

Every product ever has had at least 1 problem that disappointed at least 1 customer. 2010 Topps Chrome is different. It has enough problems that every customer who opens a box will experience it.

I've read so many threads about it. There are the people who open a few packs or 1 box and get NO mint condition cards. There are people who open a case and are disappointed by the lack of color, and of course the low quality of cards. There are people who ripped 30 cases and had nothing but complaints. The way Topps printed this stuff up, it was like they were trying to produce more cards than they did in 1987.

Of the dozens of threads I've read about 2010 Topps Chrome, I can't think of 1 that was made by a satisfied customer. Why are the cards so low in quality?

Topps is the only game in town. They don't need to find a printer who takes pride in their work, in fact... they got rid of that printer. Now they use a company who takes pride in their low low cost. Topps makes more money by paying less for printing. How can they get away with that? What are we going to do, go buy cards made by another company? We can't, and they know that. There is a thing called quality control, and it's somebody's job. I would bet my proverbial farm that this person recognized the terrible quality and mentioned it to their superiors, who said "Eh, who cares? We're the only game in town."


It's really easy to tell how ****** the product is by looking at the prices of boxes. They have been dropping like a rock ever since that first day the product was released, and everybody realized... hey... this product is crap.

 

[DaClyde]

Someone let me know when these hit $20 a box, and I might pick up a couple. If there are any left...

 

[bubby01]

Someone let me know when these hit $20 a box, and I might pick up a couple. If there are any left...

Rest assure, there will be a ton of this stuff left, for years to come.

 

[VintageHeros]

Just wanted to follow up on my story here...

About 10 days ago I sent Topps 325 badly centered base cards and two empty hobby boxes w/ wrappers that were missing autos...

Today, UPS knocks on the door and hands me a huge box from Topps...

Topps wrote me a letter explaining that they could not replace my cards on a card for card basis (which I asked them not to bother doing anyways)...thankfully, they did not send any 2010 Topps Chrome (I busted two cases and have way too much already!)...Instead, they compensated we with:

2 Boxes of 2010 Bowman Chrome Value Packs - 18 Value Packs/box Value Pack = 3 packs/4 cards plus 1 pack/3 xfractors
1 Box of 2010 Bowman Chrome Retail
1 Box of 2009 Bowman Sterling
and a 2010 Topps #661 Stephen Strasburg RC

they also added the two missing autos from my cases of 2010 Topps Chrome - Allen Craig and Cesar Valdez (the guy who evidently never saw an auto card before and had to sign everything twice! I thought Topps "witnessed" these autographs, shouldn't the witness have told Mr. Valdez to sign the front of the card and not the back? I guess that's for another thread...)

This move by Topps is impressive. Their response was very quick and the compensation was more than adequate (in my opinion).