Most expensive box of baseball cards ever costs more than a car – Yahoo Sports

Remember being a kid and saving up your weekly allowance to buy a pack of baseball cards? Well, now you can do that as an adult, only it might take a couple months worth of salary depending on how crazy you’re willing to get.

For the price of $22,000, you can own the most expensive box of baseball cards ever assembled. Topps released its 2016 Transcendent Collection on Friday, and even the most dedicated collectors might have a hard time justifying the purchase.

“So,” you’re probably wondering, “what does $20,000 worth of cards get me.” Allow us to try and explain.

First off, the set of cards is delivered in a pretty awesome metal briefcase. That’s a nice start. The actual Collection contains the following:

• 50 framed autographs from 39 of the greatest living signers including big names like Barry Bonds, Bryce Harper and Nolan Ryan, among many other legends
• At least one autograph from each of the 39 signers (full list)
• The possibility of a low-numbered paralleled version of the signers, including at least one guaranteed 1-of-1
• 1 Kris Bryant 1-of-1 autograph featuring one of the historic Topps designs
• 1 cut signature oversized box topper of a baseball, historical or pop culture icon
• 1 hand-drawn sketch – a 1-of-1
• 1 complete set of the sketch reproduction (numbered to 65)
• 1 complete set of the MLB Icons (50 cards, numbered to 65)
• 1 invitation to Topps 65^th Anniversary party

Got all that? Basically, you get a ton of autographed cards, many of which feature baseball legends, a Kris Bryant autographed card that is unique to each pack, two complete card sets, and an invitation to a crazy party in Vegas.

Yeah, buying this set of cards means you get to hang out with Bryant in Vegas for a Topps event on Jan. 18. Topps will cover hotel accommodations, dinner, cocktails and will provide other giveaways during the party. Each box comes with one invite to that event.

Oh, and did you notice above that the cut signature box topper could include a historical figure? Yeah, you might get this George Washington card.

Put that all together and … uh … you can understand why it costs $20,000 for the set.

For any of you out there who has an extra $20,000 laying around, or has recently come into a lot of money, here’s where we leave you disappointed. Only 65 sets were made by Topps, and they’ve already sold out on the company’s website. If you absolutely need to own the 2016 Topps Transcendent Collection, you’re going to have to turn to secondary markets, and we cringe just thinking about how much the price will be jacked up there.

Until then, you can enviously watch as others open some really excellent and ridiculously expensive baseball cards.

Hey, the good news is, there are plenty of baseball card sets out there that don’t cost $20,000. You can still go out and spend your weekly salary on a bunch of baseball cards if you want. And since you’re an adult now, you won’t have to choose between new cards or ice cream anymore. You can afford both now!

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik