2009 Tristar Obak Review

I’ve been waiting for Tristar Obak for quite some time. It’s one of those products that anticipation kept building up and with the National Sports Collectors Convention exclusives, hit a high point just before its release. Thankfully, my opinion of the product has only improved after bustin’ a Hobby box, which by the way was serial numbered.

Obak features legends of the game and current big name Minor League prospect such as Mike Stanton and Buster Posey. Perhaps the biggest surprise from Obak came in the form of its non-sports figures which aside from the typical Obama card, were actually very interesting and informative.

The product utilizes sticker autographs but thankfully they fit well with the design and do not take much away from the overall look of the cards. My only problem with Obak is the photography which for some reason came out very pixelated and sometimes downright blurry. I would expect something like this from the older pictures but it’s a problem even with the new shots, including that of Obama.

I think despite its minor flaws, Tristar has a hit on their hands with Obak. I am crossing my fingers hoping for a 2010 return with new subjects and players from years past. Where else can you find autographs of Vince Coleman and Dale Murphy alongside prospect autographs of Madison Bumgarner?

Information:

Current eBay price – N/A ($76 on Dave & Adam’s)

Guarantees – 144 cards, two autographs #d to 200 or less

Look for – Dale Murphy, Tom Seaver, Duke Snider autographs, 1/1′s

The Good:

Beautiful retro-themed design

Every autograph numbered to 200 or less

Excellent non-sports and historical subjects

The Bad:

Very bad pixelated photography

Sticker autographs

Results:

Autograph: Gene Conley #’d 013/200

Autograph: Lonnie Chisenhall #’d 20/50

Final Grade: B

(thumbnails lead to full-size scans)