I feel sorry for the Gypsy Queen master set builder

Many of you know that I was out of town for a couple days earlier this week for work.  It's sad, but anytime I'm in another town for work, I seek out the local Wal-Mart in order to grab some packs.  I just have to see if my luck is any better there than in my hometown.

After kind of ripping on Gypsy Queen last weekend, I felt pity for the set and decided to give it another try, so I bought a blaster.

I opened the packs up while I was at the hotel on Wednesday night, and enjoyed looking at the cards.

Well, I started looking at them in a little more depth this afternoon, and I must say that I feel very sorry for anyone who decides to build a "master set" of 2012 Gypsy Queen.  Why?  Because some cruel, sadistic bastard designed this insanity (yes, I know insanity is a love of mine, but sometimes you go too far...)

First off, I have to give a shout out to Sports Card Radio for posting photos of all the variations.  Without that, I for sure would be hopelessly lost.

Now, on to the goods:

As I mentioned before, I do like the inserts.   The borders are colorful, and the photos are well done also.  I especially like the purple of the moonshots insert, and the sliding stars is almost the same bronze color as the framed cards I posted previously.

OK, now that we've gotten the kudos out of the way, take a look at the minis.   I apologize for the upcoming confusion.

Here's the backs of 4 of the 8 minis I pulled:

Ricky Romero on the left is a green bordered mini.  The Tom Seaver is a photo variation SP.  The John Smoltz is a Gypsy Queen back variation, and the Seth Smith on the right is a straight cut variation of the 301-350 numbered exclusive minis.

The other 4 minis I pulled were base versions of Cobb, Hunter, Maris and Musial (ahhh...the legends)

All I gotta say is....holy shit.

Who in their right mind could keep up with all of this?  All totaled, there are EIGHT variations of minis.  And people think I'm insane?? 

Oh yes, let's not forget the base cards.

Yes, similar to the Upton cards I pulled last week, I pulled both of the Votto variations in this blaster.  Which one is the SP?  You can't tell the players without a program!!  (psst...don't tell the kid in the desk next to you, but the one on the left is the SP)  The Reggie Jackson on the bottom is also a variation SP, makes me wonder how short printed they are if this guy is pulling them. 

While I know that Gypsy Queen is going to be wildly popular this summer, it may turn out to be my "whipping boy" of sorts.  The minis have a whopping 91 photo variations, add to that the 301-350 cards that are exclusive to the minis, and it is all just a little too much for me.  But, it will likely provide me with some more writing material as we go on.

If you're building the master set, bless your heart, because GQ is starting to make my insanity set look like a walk in the park.

A little part of me wishes that cards today were as simple as back in '64:

If that were the case, then a lot of us wouldn't have much to write about, would we?

Thanks for reading, Robert