Since 1996 Topps' various Chrome lines have been the benchmark for all things shiny in the hobby. While Bowman Chrome has taken a lot of Topps Chrome's thunder in recent years, the base shiny set keeps on chugging. Beginning in 2004, autograph rookies began appearing in packs to keep the rookie collectors happy while still offering the traditional separate parallel for the set collectors. While I haven't had the budget in the past to collect Topps Chrome (or any Chrome set for that matter), building a set is still somewhat affordable and attainable.

The base set consists of 234 cards, which will continue with a second series. There is a good mix of superstars and rookies. My box yielded 74 singles without any doubles, meaning it'll probably take about four to five boxes to complete the base set. Included at a rate of one-per-box are one of 14 first-year autographs. While it does make finishing the complete set a lot tougher, it does add to the chase as they are all rookie cards. My box contained Brandon Moss, a Red Sox prospect selected in the 8th round of the 2002 draft.

Topps Chrome has all but abandoned adding new insert sets. Instead the chase focus is on multi-leveled parallels, ranging from fairly easy to one-of-a-kinds. Refractors are a Chrome-brand original that debuted with the set back in 1996. Their rainbow finish makes them some of the nicest looking cards ever made. Refractors fall 1:6 packs with my box containing the expected three. Black Refractors are similar except for their black borders. They are also numbered /225. Coming in 1:10 packs, I got two Black Refractors.

While I didn't get any All-American Red Refractors, I did manage to land a Gold Super-fractor, which also happened to be the first 1/1 I have ever pulled from a pack. The Gold Super-fractors look very similar to the Dufex foil cards Pinnacle Brands put out about a decade ago. Inserted into 1:1,234 packs, I beat the odds. To add to the excitement, it's a rookie card of Cubs prospect Sean Marshall.

Overall, 2005 Topps Chrome Series 1 isn't about surprises. It's not even that complicated once you sort out all the different parallels, which isn't hard to do as they all look very distinct. Sure, my box was enhanced by the fact that I beat the odds getting a 1/1, but even in a worst-case scenerio this set is good fun.

Inserts

• Refractors (1:6): 3 (135. Casey Blake, 136. Matt Holliday, 188. Juan Gonzalez)
• Black Refractors (1:10; #/225): 2 (61. Al Leiter [060/225], 72. Bartolo Colon [116/225])
• Gold Super-fractor (1:1,234; #/1): 1 (218. Sean Marshall [1/1])

Card Gallery

Base card - front	Base card - back	1st Year Autograph
Refractor	Black Refractor	Gold Super-fractor
Wrapper