Adventures in Trading: Diving Headfirst into the 2026 Topps Insert Card Pool

I've been slowly, but surely, opening the packs and retail blasters that I bought a few weeks ago now, building the 2026 Topps Update Series set and inserts. I still have not opened the Hobby box yet, probably will save that when I am able to commit more time that doesn't involve earning continuing education units for pharmacy or playing the new Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2 (which I will be buying today). On an unrelated note, I've beaten Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (at least the main storyline) but there are so many...MANY...sidequests and battles that have popped up AFTER THE BASIC GAME ENDED!!! So I'm fighting through (literally) to finish everything. 

Oh...I never mentioned I play Legend of Zelda games before??! Well...

Anyway, back to the point.

I've been building the insert sets from the packs I've opened so far. As of this morning, after opening the 1 retail box, 7 blasters, and 9 jumbo packs. Of the 809 cards from all those packages, I "should" have enough (doubt it...that's where the Hobby box comes in) for the base set and 33 insert cards that have added to the growing collection.

But this is an Adventures in Trading post. Why mention what you've opened??!

I'm getting to it.

Now that I have his permission (he said I didn't need it), I want to introduce you to a guy name Bob Jasiak.

Bob, whose handle is bdhrbob, is a prolific trader on the Trading Card Database. He has completed over 1200 trades on the TCDB, and I've had the honor of being involved in 10 of them. He's a Chicago guy, and he lives near the office building where I work. So for every trade we've done, he's driven to the office building, sends me a quick text saying he's in the lobby, and I meet him to exchange cards and a quick story about shows in the area, specifically the monthly show in Schaumburg that I can never attend because I work at the pharmacy (I will go to one, someday...). 

I haven't really dived into the trading space just yet only because I still need to gauge what I need versus what I have (I have extras...specifically the retail specific Stars of MLB that everyone gets). But Bob, a great guy, reached out to me this past Friday, saying,

Hi James , I saw some matches for you so I started picking some from your trade list .

Can you still use them all ? Thanks & Plmk BOB

My response,

Hey Bob:

I would be more than happy to take whatever you are offering. Let me know if you need anything as well.

So he sent me his trade proposal the following day:

 

A 13-card for 13-card trade offer. I'm not picky with value or any of that stuff. I just don't have the time. But I'm not going to say no to a double-digit offer. Especially when I have the cards he's asking for. I accepted the trade request, and said I'd see him on Monday.

Monday came. And he delivered the cards. I had to apologize as I was roped into a quick spreadsheet and had missed his first text. Upon exchanging cards, I explained that write a Hobby blog and was going to ask if I could put his name in the article I was going to write about the trade (this one you're reading here). He said it was fine and that he actually read my blog and the Topps Ripped article about my collection. He was impressed. He said that he trades not only for baseball cards (huge Cubs collector) but also for Bulls and Blackhawks items as well and was thrilled to meet and trade with collectors outside the baseball side of the Hobby. 

I thanked him for the cards, and went back to work.

Bob, if you're reading this, thank you once again for another great trade opportunity. I will, eventually, put more insert cards that I've found onto the TCDB for trade bait. Hopefully we do this again really soon.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama