How much are breakers making on Topps Dynasty? 📦

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• How much are breakers making on Topps Dynasty? 📦

• In-person autograph flipping is causing a stir 🥣

• People to follow in the hobby 👥

• Meme of the day 🃏

HOW MUCH ARE BREAKERS MAKING ON TOPPS DYNASTY? 📦

With 2023 Topps Dynasty Baseball dropping recently, I went ahead and calculated prices across 11 different breakers offering the product. The prices are for a full case break, which contains 5 boxes, each with a single card. Here are the numbers:

Before we analyze the numbers, it’s important to note that $5k is the retail price of a case, but they sold out within a couple minutes (or less). If you want to buy a case today, it’ll run you between $6.2-6.3k on eBay. It’s unclear how much breakers are getting the product for (below/at/above retail), but it’s worth keeping in mind as we look at the numbers.

There’s a number of big takeaways:

• The most common break format for Topps Dynasty is Random Player, followed by Serial Number, and then Pick Your Team.

• Most people zero out, given there’s only 5 cards pulled per case break.

• There’s 107 players on the checklist, but not all the random player breaks have 107 spots (one has 76 spots?).

• There’s fairly high variance in the prices being charged, with some breakers coming in close to retail while others like Jumbo’s and Filthbomb are charging a 30%+ premium over retail.

• Price variance for a given team is pretty high — PullWax is charging $275 for the Dodgers, while Filthbomb is charging $850 for the exact same spot (more than a 3x price increase).

• Both Pick Your Team breaks were charging $400 for the Wemby spot.

• Most expensive teams (average break spot price): Angels ($775), Yankees ($775), Dodgers ($563), Orioles ($525), Mariners ($438).

• Cheapest teams (average break spot price): Athletics ($14), Giants ($16), Brewers ($37), Rockies ($40), Pirates ($42).

• If you really want to open a box of Topps Dynasty right now, buying into one of the lower-priced breaks is actually more financially prudent than buying your own box/case.

IN-PERSON AUTOGRAPH FLIPPING IS CAUSING A STIR 🥣

An incident that went semi-viral in hobby circles is bringing into question the ethics of in-person autograph flipping. Former NBA player (star?) Vernon Maxwell went to Twitter to express his frustration upon finding out a “fan“ he autographed some basketballs and baseballs for turned around and flipped them the very next day.

At the heart of this controversy is the act of obtaining autographs under the guise of fandom, only to turn around and sell them for profit. While it's common for athletes to charge for signings at official events, the debate here is around autographs from regular fan encounters getting flipped, and whether it turns what’s supposed to be a meaningful exchange into a transactional opportunity.

Community reactions have been varied. Some argue that once an autograph is in your hands, you’re entitled to do whatever you wish with it, including sell it for a profit. Others worry this could make athletes hesitant to sign autographs casually, ultimately penalizing genuine fans.

There’s definitely a delicate balance between appreciating autographs as a personal memento versus treating them as a tradable commodity. What I wonder, though, is if you’re selling a signed basketball for $60, how much are you really making? The ball itself is $30 and you’re offering free shipping, so you’re making at most, what, $20? Was it really worth it? 😆

PEOPLE TO FOLLOW IN THE HOBBY 👥

• Sports Card Analysis: Detailed analysis of case breaks

• Scottie B Cards: Commentary and predictions on modern cards

• Acme Packs: Wax-ripping content

MEME OF THE DAY 🃏