Topps Redemption Redeemed: 2013 Topps Miguel Cabrera Triple Crown Relic

After a few months of waiting, I finally got the card I was owed from a redemption I redeemed back in March. Due to Miguel Cabrera being the first man in 45 years to win the Triple Crown, Topps wanted to recognize the rare feat with a 10-card relic set. My theory is that since the feat happened at the very end of the season, Topps was too far into the production cycle to add the cards into packs, so they just inserted redemptions, which would allow them to acquire the memorabilia and produce the cards, without delaying the release of Series 1. Either way, all 10 cards have finally been produced and are making their way to collectors.

They may have made everyone wait on these, but they definitely made it worth it by how they treated these cards. Topps went all out on these, starting with a foil coating that can grab anyone's attention, with the relic piece proudly displayed in the middle of the baseball diamond. They also die cut all four sides, which helps make the card extra special. After all, if we are to believe that this accomplishment is a big deal, the tribute set to it should treat it as a big deal.

There are 10 of these cards, but when purchasing the redemption, I specifically went after card TCR-10. The way I figured, they would likely do a chronological look at the season, with card number ten either saying something or showing something about Cabrera reaching the accomplishment. As it turns out, I was right. I'm not sure if the photo on the front is from the final game, but the text on the back references the last game of the season, and actually show that even though he ended up on top, there was still a tight race for a few of the categories.