2011 Gypsy Queen Blaster - LEGEN...WAIT FOR IT...

...DARY!

I have been fortunate to make some god retail finds, especailly around Christmas.  This find, however, blows everything out of the water.

Most of you are familiar with discounted blasters.  They're typically found at Target and Wal-Mart with the red 40% off sticker.  Every now and then, you find Chrome or A&G.  Recently, some 2011 and 2012 boxes have shown up.  Several people have snagged 2012 GQ off the shelves for 12 bucks. 

I went into Target a couple of months ago and saw a fresh batch of discounted blasters.  As I scanned the box tops, one didn't look right.  It was Gypsy Queen, but it was 2011, not 2012.  I thought it had to be a mistake, but it wasn't.  The price scanner confirmed $11.95.

For those of you who don't know.  2011 GQ blew off the shelves and blasters are very hard to come by.  You can get them on ebay for well above the original price.  I'm not sure who made the decision to discount this blaster, but I thank them. 

Of course, when you find something like that, you have to ask yourself the inevitable question...open or sell?  Selling I could triple my money.  I probably could have traded it to Sam for a bunch of stuff.  But, I am a hopeless pack ripper, so I knew what I had to do.  I ripped it. I'm glad I did.  It was epic.

Love the base cards.  Like A&G, they went with some SP action as well:

This box also provided some foreshadowing in the base cards:

Keep those guys in the back of your mind.  You'll see them again.

I thought 2011 GQ really thrived in the insert game.  It gave Topps a chance to showcase some insert ideas that wouldn't necessarily fit in A&G.

I'm a fan of checklists in products, too.  The GQ CLs are pretty nice looking.  Like A&G, GQ has minis:

The black border minis are 1:12 packs, so I beat the odds there.  That wasn't the only place I beat the odds:

#918/999

The framed paper were 1:11 packs, so that was a nice pull.  The Yaz photo makes it especially awesome.

This blaster wasn't done yet.  Remember that Ellsbury guy, well he beat the 1:139 odds:

It's always great to get a hit out of a blaster.  "But Spankee, you also showed a Yount card and said he'd show up again!"  Ladies and gentlemen this blaster also had a 1:530 pack pull, making this the most epic blaster find ever.  This is my "that never happens to me" moment. 


#6/10

I still couldn't believe I found a $12 2011 GQ blaster.  Then I pull a relic AND a #/10 stamp?  Unbelievable.  You bet your butt I drove straight from Target to another Target.  Unfotunately, they didn't have any.  Oh well, I'll just have to settle for insanely lucky.