2017 BBM Authentic Edition: Young Carp, Young Tigers, and Young Fighters

BBM has been issuing a few theme-based series this year. Theme isn't must of a concept, though, as they're just premium products sharing similar designs. Earlier in the season it was Heat, and in the fall came Authentic Edition.

 The Carp Authentic Edition set can be called "Wakakoi" (Young Carp).  It hit shelves in late August with a price point of 6000 yen. 2000 total sets were produced, with each box containing one base set plus one hit.

 The base set has 25 cards on premium stock.

 Nine different memorabilia cards can be found, each in four levels. The base level has a regular swatch (99 copies each), a foil signature version is numbered to 50 copies each, patch versions are numbered to 20 copies each, and big patch versions are numbered out of 10. Card M9 is a bat with no patch versions, though its foil signature version is numbered out of 51 and a second parallel is numbered out of 18.

One type of autograph card was made, as you see above. Print runs range from 6-20 copies, though almost all players only have 10 autographs or less.

 The Tigers Authentic version is called "Wakatora" (Young Tigers). It also came out in late August, with a 2000-set print run and a 6000-yen price point. Again, one base set and one hit came per box.

 The 25-card base set design is similar to the Carp set.

 Again, nine different Memorabilia cards were made. All Tigers cards use jerseys. Again, there are multiple versions: a base card numbered out of 99, a foil signature parallel numbered out of 40, and a patch version numbered out of 10.

More autographed cards can be found in the Tigers box; print runs range from 20-30 copies each per player. Again, only one style of autograph was produced.

 The Fighters Authentic Edition actually goes by its English name, "Young Fighters". And like the previous two sets, 2000 sets were produced, with an SRP of 6000 yen. Each box contains one base set plus one special card.

 Unlike the prior two sets, the Young Fighters base set has 29 cards. The basic design is similar to the others, though each set stands alone. Furthermore, the Fighters set is much more colorful.

 Identical to the Tigers set, the Fighters Authentic set includes nine jersey Memorabilia cards. Base cards are numbered to 99, foil signature parallels to 45, and patch parallels to 20.

Several subjects have autographs in the set, but print runs are generally lower. Ohtani has only five copies, while other players have 10, 20, or 30 copies.

I must say that I miss BBM's prior late-season offerings. They used to have some interesting box sets. However, there are three good pack-based sets this year, which I'll get to over the next few weeks... I hope!

2017 BBM Rising Sun

One set I missed this year when it was originally released was the 2017 BBM set titled Rising Sun. While it is identified as a 2017 release, the set came out last December - about one year ago, to be exact. It wasn't until this fall that I finally got a card for my type collection, but you won't see that card; it was filed away without being scanned!

Why did it take so long to get a Rising Sun single? This is an ultra-premium release that followed in the footsteps of Master of Insert. As such, even commons from the base set don't come cheap, and the set has been on the back burner for a while.

With a price point of 13,000 yen per box and only six cards per box, this is a gamble, similar to US products. But, since I'm in Japan, card prices tend to stay relatively high. Unlike America, where that $150 box will most likely net you $20 in cards.

Only 1500 boxes total were produced, which means only 9000 cards total were made for this issue. That includes all base, parallel, insert, and hit cards. BBM advertises that each box contains six cards - one is an insert card, while another is an autograph or memorabilia card. Based on print runs, you'll get 2.4 base cards, 1.2 parallels, 1.4 inserts, and one hit. (If my math is correct, 55 boxes contain two hits.)

 There are 36 subjects in the base set. Those are numbered out of 99 copies, making it one of the most limited base sets in existence. A parallel set is numbered out of 50 copies, though some players are numbered to 48 or 47.

 The Prime 3D is a perfect example of Japan's overuse of "the". Each card in this 12-card set is serial-numbered to only 25 copies. As you might have already guessed, these cards have a 3D effect.

 Each of the 36 players has a card in the Nightbreaker insert set, serial-numbered to 50 copies each.

 While autographs are probably the biggest draw in a premium product, they aren't exactly easy to come by. Only 19 players have autographs, with print runs from 5 to 30 copies each. I count 259 autographs total.

 Memorabilia cards appear for 23 players. Most of these are jerseys or undershirts, but Sakamoto has a bat card. The clothing swatches are numbered to 30 or 50 copies each, while Sakamoto's bat card is numbered to only 6. And for 15 of the players, a patch parallel version of their jersey card was issued; each of those are numbered to 15 copies. One player has an autographed batting glove memorabilia card. That card is numbered to five copies.

Yuki Matsui is the only player that can be found in the Autographed Authentic Ball set. Matsui signed 20 authentic baseballs which were chopped up to be used in this set. Or maybe only a few balls were chopped up, but he signed each in multiple places. Anyway, there are 20 of these cards.

Sure, pulling a Shohei Ohtani autograph (only 5 copies) or relic (180 copies total among three cards, two with patch parallels) would give you pretty good value for your investment. And that Matsui ball probably would pay for the box and maybe then some. But I honestly can't seeing this being a smart break. Yes, you'll get some additional money - better than in the States - for the other five cards. Oh well, it's not like I'll ever drop 13,000 yen on a 6-card box anyway!

Note that all images used in this post are promotional images from BBM. I don't have any of these cards.

2017 BBM 2nd Version

It's been forever since my last post. I've been busy... again. Let's see if I can get caught up on 2017's sets before 2018!

 BBM's 2nd Version came out back in August - yes, four months ago. There's nothing unsurprising under the hood.

 The set starts out with "1st Version Update", which is a subset that's completely pointless to me. Though, I guess if you consider the 2nd Version set to be a true mid-year set, rather than just a second series, it makes a tiny bit of sense.

 The 2nd Version design has slightly opaque borders on the left and right which matches the bottom banner. Those aspects carry over to the back. What makes 2nd Version unique from 1st Version, aside from the design, is the statistics. The 1st Version set and its updates have statistics through the 2016 season, while the 2nd Version set includes stats through late May.

Similar to the 1st Version set, 2nd Version has some "secret" variations - one per team. The Yamasaki card above is a variation I pulled from a pack.

 Team Checklists bring up the rear of the set, and BBM went with mascots. The Marines have an additional secret variation for their team checklist.

 1st Version Update and 2nd Version both have identical parallels. The most common is Silver Signature, which is not serial numbered.

 Here's a 1st Version Update parallel.

Gold Signature parallels are serial-numbered to 100 copies.

 Hologram foil signatures are serial numbered to 50.

Red foil is serial-numbered to 25, while green foil signatures are numbered to only 10.

 First Pitch is an unbelievably popular subset now which has been pulled out of the base set for the past couple of years. While the cards appear to be printed in the same quantities as regular cards, they carry premiums - some go for 300-400 yen each!

BBM's checklist states that these cards are available in parallels of 200 and 50 cards as well as autographed versions. Additionally, one of the subjects has a secret variation, bringing the total in the set to fourteen.

 The lone insert set in 2nd Version is Bright Stars. These are available in parallels of 150 and 50 serial numbered copies too.

 Cross Squall is this year's cross-brand insert, and autographed and parallel versions are included.

Only a few types of hits are available: the previously-mentioned Cross Squall autographs, as well as memorabilia cards, regular autographs and combo autographs.