The seller definitely tried to hide the fact that the box is retail. It's printed on the side of the box that the product is to be sold only as individual packs, but that side wasn't in any of the auction pictures. Of course, I should have noticed from the pictures that the packs have six cards instead of eight.

The pulls were decent, but I'm now on the prowl for a hobby box.

I called Topps yet again about the redemptions. This time, the customer service rep said they were not going to get the Bret Michaels cards and offered me a mystery non-sport replacement with the same Beckett book value. I'm not sure how Beckett could assign a value to a card that doesn't exist, but maybe they're basing it on the redemption card.

Anyway, the Bret Michaels' relic is supposedly valued at $20 and I was allowed to request cards I might like, with no guarantee as to what I would receive. I should get the card in three to four weeks.

ive been waiting 2 1/2 years for a topps jake lamotta relic card ? they said if I would accept any thing else they would randomly pick out a card as a replacement ? I refused and am still waiting

I received my replacement card for the Bret Michaels relic redemption. I requested a non-sport card (since it came from a non-sport set), with a preference for musicians. Guess what I received today? An auto for a deceased Mets baseball player! The card was produced to be a replacement card and is not part of any set.

I'm am seriously ticked off. I don't understand how Topps could think this is an adequate replacement for a card from an entertainment set. The only saving grace is that it seems to sell in the $45-$55 range on eBay. Of course, that means I have to go through the hassle of selling it, because I most certainly don't want a sports auto.

Lesson learned. I will NEVER again trust any Topps redemption. If I pull one, it will immediately go up for sale. From what I've seen, Topps did not come through on any of the redemptions for this set. If anyone here sent in a redemption, prepare to be severely disappointed.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kbmum,

I'll post one last footnote on the redemptions in this release. As expected, Topps did not have an agreement with Jimi Hendrix's estate to obtain memorabilia. Over the summer, Topps sent out replacement cards -- a Dwight Gooden auto numbered to 199. Words fail me.

I hope no one here blew a load of cash on the Axl Rose redemptions in the Topps Archives and Topps Allen & Ginter sets.