Topps Community Break Box #7: 2001 Topps Gallery

We’ve already passed the half-way mark.  It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?  Makes me want to start up another break against my better judgment (and financial abilities).

While National Chicle was far from a resounding success, I can’t think of a single collector that didn’t like Topps Gallery.  Like any art form, it has evolved over the years, and I’m sure there are quite a few wishing it would have a renaissance.  Hey, that would be a good name for a re-birth of the set!  Topps Gallery: Renaissance.  Feel free to take that and run with it, Clay.

You're only here to see if we got the Pujols Rookie aren't you?

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

One video this time!  Sure you could cheat and scroll to the scans, but where’s the suspense in that?  Where’s the drama?  Art is all about the dramatic, you know!

Want to know what the set looks like without that fancy movin’ pikchure box?

Guzman approves. Awww yeah!

There’s only a handful of artists working on the all-painted set, but you can see that they do a good job.  I wonder how they thought of the background on Damon’s card.  I included a few of the rookie cards in the scan as you can see.  These are all SPs coming in at 1:3.5 packs.  There are also prospects, which aren’t as easy to point out.  I won’t be counting SPs as inserts in my breakdown because…

Not pictured, another Brooks

…we got quite a few inserts.  Well, only 5.  The legends are also SPs.  It really stinks that we got Brooks X3 when there are 9 total retired players in the set.  We’re also short a gallery Heritage insert.  At 1:12 packs, we should have seen another. Instead we got a 4th Star Gallery.  I still find it odd that these aren’t painted or art based at all.

But enough of all that.  You want to know if we got the Albert Pujols rookie, right?  Well, here you go.  Here’s the hit of the box!

Appropriate to show a gold glover on the day the awards were announced

Sorry, madding…No Pujols this time.  But congratulations Jason C!  I know it’s not Ken Griffey Jr, but it is a 1:133 bat relic for the Reds.  I know I wasn’t expecting to see anything like this in our box.  Honestly, I was half expecting to find a redemption somewhere in there, but luckily, we avoided that.

Team breakdown so far:
Anaheim Angels – Base:  37 –Inserts/Parallels: 1  –Hits: 1
Arizona Diamondbacks – Alec– Base:  15 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Atlanta Braves – Colbey– Base:  47 –Inserts/Parallels:  5 –Hits:  0
Baltimore Orioles – Hobb’s Knights– Base:  24 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
Boston Red Sox – Summa Cum Lousy– Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  4 –Hits:  0
Chicago Cubs – Base:  23 –Inserts/Parallels:  4 –Hits:  0
Chicago White Sox – Base:  21 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Cincinnati Reds – Jason C– Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  1
Cleveland Indians – Baseball Dad– Base:  37 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  1
Colorado Rockies – Cards From the Quarry– Base:  26 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Detroit Tigers – Grand Cards– Base:  16 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Florida Marlins – Base:  27 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Houston Astros – Base:  25 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Kansas City Royals – Base:  15 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Los Angeles Dodgers – Stealing Home– Base:  26 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Milwaukee Brewers – Base:  10 –Inserts/Parallels:  0 –Hits:  0
Minnesota Twins – Base:  11 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Montreal Expos – Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  4 –Hits:  0
New York Mets – The Sandlot– Base:  30 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
New York Yankees – Baseball Card Hall of Fame-Base:  53 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Oakland Athletics – Base:  21 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
Philadelphia Phillies – Daddyoho– Base:  35 –Inserts/Parallels:  3 –Hits:  0
Pittsburgh Pirates – Base:  16 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
San Diego Padres – Base:  20 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
San Francisco Giants – Cheap Card Collecting– Base:  18 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
Seattle Mariners – Baseball Card Hall of Fame– Base:  22 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0
St. Louis Cardinals – Cards on Cards– Base:  31 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Base:  14 –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Texas Rangers – Play at the Plate– Base: 25  –Inserts/Parallels:  1 –Hits:  0
Toronto Blue Jays – Dave– Base:  28 –Inserts/Parallels:  2 –Hits:  0