Payday Pack - Raising Cain

While I was creating my last post, it dawned on me that the Daniel Murphy card was part of some Gypsy Queens I had purchased awhile back. I had started a Payday Pack post for them, but it never got finished.  Seems like motivation enough to finish the post for this week's Payday Pack!

So a couple weeks after its release, I decided to give the Gypsy Queen set a try. It looked like a nice enough set, and the blog reviews have been mostly positive. The only packs available were the Jumbo packs, with 3 6-card packs plus 5 of their green border parallels. Rather than pick my usual Top 3, I'll pick one from each pack and one from among the parallels.

Pack #1

2017 Topps Gypsy Queen - Missing Black Plate #40 Nomar Mazara

Also Got:
#195 Sonny Gray
#83 Tyler Austin (RC)
#96 Daniel Murphy
#146 Ricky Nolasco
#263 Colin Rea

I'm going to have to do some scanning soon. I had to borrow this picture. So, I'll be honest, I don't really get the appeal of the missing black plate.  It's really bland. None of the other cards really stood out though, so Nomar gets the nod.

Pack #2

2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #168 Aaron Judge (RC)

Also Got:
#172 Jon Gray
#60 Jameson Taillon
#219 Lorenzo Cain
#70 Leonys Martin
#204 Carlos Gonzalez

You can't go wrong with an Aaron Judge rookie card! Even us Red Sox fans have to admit he's likable and fun to watch. He deserved to win the Home Run Derby, and in my opinion once he got past Justin Bour in the first round, he made the rest of the derby seemed a little anticlimactic.

Pack #3

2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #225 Jose De Leon (RC)

Also Got:
#83 Tyler Austin (RC)*
#172 Jon Gray*
#219 Lorenzo Cain*
#70 Leonys Martin*
#175 Gregory Polanco

That De Leon card is a beaut! I love the cloudy sky backdrop. Nicely done artwork! The rest of this pack was a letdown. The asterisks next to the names here represent the doubles from this jumbo pack. I would have expected better collation here.

Green Parallels

2017 Topps Gypsy Queen - Green Border #219 Lorenzo Cain

Also Got:
#257 Addison Russell
#127 Yoenis Cespedes
#69 Randal Grichuk
#210 Adam Jones

Here we have the third card of Lorenzo Cain! 3 out of 23 total cards is a little odd, but at least it's a parallel. I like the green borders quite a bit. It emphasizes the border art very well.

Overall, I like the set. I may not buy another pack unless it hit clearance price, but a worthy add to the collection.