Product Review: 2014 Tristar Hidden Treasures Game Changers Baseball

Every year I love hearing and seeing what Tristar has in store for us collectors. This year, one of the products that peaked my interest was Hidden Treasures Game Changers. Typically when you think of a series like this from Tristar you think of average players from the past or present filling up the boxes. This Hidden treasures product seems to be the same but with some slight variations to previous Hidden Treasures.

The 2014 product will have only 2400 balls which will be sorted into 200 total cases. Each case of 12 will include 1 Autograph ball from a 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee, 2 autographed balls of Hall of Fame members, 1 autographed ball of a current Game Changer, and 1 Double Play Ticket to redeem an additional autographed ball.

Some of the players listed in the checklist include Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Derek Jeter, Mike Trout, Cal Ripken Jr, and the list goes on. The Grand treasure in the product is a Babe Ruth autographed baseball.

Being a baseball fan and lover of autographed baseballs I decided to take a chance on three boxes, lets see how I did:

Box #1: Mookie Wilson (Inscribed "Mets HOF 1996")

Box #2: Jose Canseco (Inscribed "88 MVP")

Box #3: Tim McCarver

Lets start with the packaging. The product looks like it's in a gold bar. The formation is pretty good and still stack-able for those that buy and wait to open. Each box has it's own serial number out of 2400 printed on a Tristar authenticated sticker. I've seen a lot of breakers open the box totally wrong. There are sealed stickers on the bottom of both sides you need to slice through first before sliding the middle piece. The ball is located in the middle in it's own compartment. Tristar still puts the balls into a clear sandwich type baggie which I wish they would stop doing. Each ball comes with it's own Game Changer Facts card describing the feats of the player.

Breaking down each ball I was happy with the pulls. The Mookie Wilson ball is cool being a Mets fan and also that he inscribed "METS HOF" on it. He is under the Game Charger title due to the famous hit that is still rolling through Buckner's legs.

Canseco was my favorite player growing up so this was a major score for me. I still collect items of him for my PC and the one item I was missing was a autographed ball. This ball was also inscribed so double bonus.

Tim McCarver was a puzzle at first to me as being in this product but then reading the card with it understood. McCarver was elected into the broadcasters wing of the Hall of Fame in 2012. Not sure if Tristar pegged him as one of those "Hall of Fame members" or a Game Changer for being a recognized broadcaster. Only if we opened a case with him in it would we know.

Each of the baseballs have a serial number on a Tristar holographic sticker. This number you can use to go into the Tristar database and find out more info on your product. You can also print them off for additional proof of authenticity for your collection. Almost all of the ones I have done in the past provide a place and date of the signed product on the certificate. Another thing about the baseballs is that they are all new Bud Selig baseballs. I'm sure the older deceased player autographed baseballs are either Bobby Brown or older but can't confirm at this time.

Overall from a collector I did well. I pulled my childhood favorite player, a Mets HOFer and McCarver was a decent pull. I saw players like Dontrelle Willis, Aoki Norichika, and Don Schwall on the checklist to name a few that I really hoped to not pull. Avoiding those names out of 2400 baseballs is a pretty good feat. Autographed baseballs are a great collectible item for your own PC or as a gift. Of course the complaints of storing them will never change but having an item like this that the player held in their hand while signing is a pretty cool thing.  If your looking to buy into this product have a look at the checklist first. This particular product is a gamble with the checklist, but if your a baseball fan it's worth it.

Most cards/hits pulled in our breaks end up on our site storefront www.packgambler.com, or our COMC account ThePackGambler. If you are interested in any of the cards we have mentioned please send us an e-mail at packgamblersales@gmail.com

Gambler Overall Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Cost: 5/5
Autographs: 4/5
Overall Players Used: 3.5/5
Design: 4/5
Concept: 4/5
Fun Aspect: 5/5