Thankfully, times have since changed and Topps has included individually wrapped sticks of gum in a number of products since 2001, beginning with the Heritage brand. However, thanks to the 2003 Bazooka set, the hobby has been treated to a different type of chewing pleasure. Included in every pack of 2003 Bazooka Baseball is a stick of individually wrapped Bazooka bubble-gum. In addition, every pack contains 5 basic cards and a mini-parallel version, similar in size to the 1975 Topps Mini's. Contained in every box are 3 game-used memorabilia cards. You might also want to be on the lookout for some really cool "retro" like inserts, including randomly inserted Bazooka Comics, 4-player mini-stickers and Stand-up's, which mirror a mid-1960's Topps test issue.

We really liked the re-incarnation of the Bazooka brand of Topps baseball. From the base cards to the inserts to the Bazooka bubble-gum, this product proved itself a winner to me.

Tribute is the benchmark high-end product in Topps baseball card product line and we can see why. In every pack you are guaranteed a 6 super high-quality cards consisting of Hall of Famers and other all-time greats. The addition of autographed game-used relics further validates this products claim to the top of the super-premium baseball card heap.

The very thought of ripping through a box of Topps Tribute Perennial All-Stars still gives me chills as it definitely left me with the feeling of wanting more. Good job Topps!

The 2003 Topps Heritage product is patterned after the 1954 release, right down to the short-prints, which mirror the original checklists from that magical year. In addition, Topps went out and had all the living baseball players who had a card in the 1954 set sign autographs for random insertion in the 2003 Heritage product. That concept has won over collectors as many have scurried to pick up certified autographs of players that have never signed cards for any card manufacturer and may never again. In addition to the autographs, be on the lookout for game-used relics and the popular Grandstand Glory relics that contain a piece of a stadium seat from some famous ballparks including Ebbets Field and The Polo Grounds.

Simply put, the 2003 Topps Heritage baseball release has been a breath of fresh air into a card hobby overflowing with serial-numbered rookie parallel cards and game-used jerseys.

This product is very affordable at $2.99 per pack and has made its way onto the retail market rather quickly. Please keep in mind, however, that the Black Bordered Refractors are only available in hobby boxes, which should give an edge in price to the hobby boxes in the secondary market.

I have always been a huge fan of Chrome Basketball as has much of the hobby. It has always been a good source for rookie cards and provides a ton of bang for your buck as it brings to the table a tremendous amount of parallels and inserts. If you are looking for a quality mid-range basketball product, look no further than 2002-03 Topps Chrome Basketball.

We pulled a "who's who" in the basketball trading card market in our box including 2 different Shaquille O'Neals, Amare Stoduemire, Caron Butler, Dirk Nowitzki, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming. Talk about value for your dollar!

There are 2 different parallels with one serial-numbered to 299 and the other to 99. The cards are very attractive and have created quite a stir with collectors as this product has afforded the opportunity to may collectors to own a game-jersey card of their favorite hoopster without shelling out a lot of money. The affordability is the key to this product's success and it appears as if the hobby has really embraced it.

Every box is guaranteed to contain at least 20 game-used jersey cards. Topps also included redemption cards for game-jerseys of those players whom they could not secure threads for prior to printing. As a matter of fact, Topps made the redemption cards good for 2 individual game jerseys of 2 different players on each card. For example, we pulled a Paul Pierce/Ray Allen redemption card. That's a pretty good back -court if you ask me.

Images Supplied by M. Eisner
March 2003