Topps Community Break Box #6: 2001 Topps Fusion

How many of you knew this stuff even existed?  I know I didn’t.  This is about as close to modern oddball as you can get.  Forget Topps Stars, this is 5 sets in 1!  It takes the “Best” of different Topps worlds and “fuses” it into one globule of a set.

Designs stolen from or inspired by Bowman’s Best, Topps Finest, Gallery, Gold Label and Stadium Club can be found here.  Do these count towards Andy’s Stadium Club quest?  If so, I have some unclaimed team leftovers with his name on it!  If not, well…I still have those leftovers.

Could have been called Topps Con-Fusion

It’s worth mentioning each and every time, all of these boxes are courtesy of our good friends and Community Break Sponsor: BASEBALL CARD EXCHANGE

This box also features our first guaranteed hit.  Supposedly there’s an autograph in every box, but the packs inside claim one auto OR relic.  Seems the packaging people didn’t fuse their copy writing notes.  Well, which did we get in our little box of mixed nuts?

Yeah…Sorry about the double video business again.  Like I said before, I ended up charging between each video.  Sometimes I got impatient and assumed I charged enough when I didn’t.  I think this is the last time this happens.

If you want a taste of each design, here you go.

I like each of these designs separately. Together, it's a bit much.

Each card stays true to its home base.  The Gold Label are thick, the Gallery is textured, etc.  Good job all around.  I like that there’s one of each type per pack, too.  Still, I don’t know if the sum of all the parts even equals the whole, let alone is greater.

A Hall of Famer, and Roberto Alomar

It’s worth mentioning again that the bat relics are 1:82 packs.  That Alomar relic was a unexpected saving grace.  Phil Wilson’s autograph is cool and all, even if he did sign it with his eyes closed, but it’s hardly a great way to start the hit brigade.  Congratulations to Baseball Dad on your sweet bat relic!  If anyone wants the Wilson Auto, it’ll be available for trade.

This box doesn’t come with any inserts, only a schizophrenic complex, so it’s no surprise the Braves streak comes to an end.  I’m just happy we got ourselves a couple cards to toss into the hit column!

Otherwise, it was a solid, even box.  Most teams walked away with 5 or 6 cards, even those teams that hadn’t been getting much love so far.  Let’s hope that trend continues.

Team breakdown so far:
Anaheim Angels – Base:  33 –Inserts/Parallels: 1  –Hits: 1
Arizona Diamondbacks – Alec– Base:  13 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Atlanta Braves – Colbey– Base:  39 –Inserts/Parallels:  5 –Hits:  0
Baltimore Orioles – Hobb’s Knights– Base:  19 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
Boston Red Sox – Summa Cum Lousy– Base:  19 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Chicago Cubs – Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Chicago White Sox – Base:  17 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Cincinnati Reds – Jason C– Base:  19 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Cleveland Indians – Baseball Dad– Base:  32 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  1
Colorado Rockies – Cards From the Quarry– Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Detroit Tigers – Grand Cards– Base:  15 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Florida Marlins – Base:  21 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Houston Astros – Base:  18 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Kansas City Royals – Base:  12 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Los Angeles Dodgers – Stealing Home– Base:  21 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Milwaukee Brewers – Base:  6 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Minnesota Twins – Base:  10 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Montreal Expos – Base:  18 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
New York Mets – The Sandlot– Base:  23 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
New York Yankees – Baseball Card Hall of Fame-Base:  44 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Oakland Athletics – Base:  15 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
Philadelphia Phillies – Daddyoho– Base:  25 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Pittsburgh Pirates – Base:  13 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
San Diego Padres – Base:  17 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
San Francisco Giants – Cheap Card Collecting– Base:  13 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Seattle Mariners – Baseball Card Hall of Fame– Base:  17 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
St. Louis Cardinals – Cards on Cards– Base:  27 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Base:  12 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Texas Rangers – Play at the Plate– Base: 21  –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Toronto Blue Jays – Dave– Base:  20 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0