Over the past couple months I've been in the habit of regularly checking Topps.com for new limited edition releases - and even more regularly, have found myself buying their latest offering! While browsing through the online store last week I came across a collection of oversized 1980 Topps cards which were being sold in a huge, baby-blue wax pack. With a $9.99 price tag I couldn't help but fulfill my curiosity!

The 1980 Phillies Wax Pack set includes five, 8.5"x11.5" 1980 Topps cards from the Phillies team set. Players included are: Mike Schmidt, Dick Ruthven, Greg Luzinski, Bake McBride and Tug McGraw. With only 75 sets created, it's worth adding to your collection. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect (should you decide to buy):

Pros:

Good selection of players. True to their series theme, Topps included both superstars (Schmidt, Luzinski and McGraw) and unsung heroes (McBride, Ruthven).
Size. The cards would great to get autographed.
Packaging. The classic wax-pack wrapper with team logo was a nice touch.

Cons:

Image quality. I knew these were enlarged card images, but was surprised to see they are exactly that - enlarged card images. As a result, the pictures lack clarity and could have been greatly improved by leveraging the negatives to "recreate" the card.

Buy the set here