2013 Calbee Series Three

The final Calbee set this year (Series Three) got released back in September but (as is typical for me) I just got my set in the mail last week.  There's 101 cards in the set this time (unlike the 100 cards for the previous two Series) - 72 player cards, 23 All Star cards, 2 Hideki Matsui Memorial cards and 4 checklist cards.

The 72 player cards break down to 6 per team (like the first Series but one less per team than the second Series).  As usual, the photography is outstanding:

#216

#179

#191

#183

#157

The All Star subset features the 23 players who were elected by the fans to the All Star teams this season.  It looks like the photos were taken at the games themselves.  With BBM declining to do an All Star set this year for the first time ever, these are the only cards commemorating this year's All Star games.

#AS-22

#AS-03

The two previous Calbee Series this year only had a single subset to go with the player cards and checklists.  Series Three has two.  The second subset is a two card "Hideki Matsui Memorial" subset.  The first of the two cards is a reprint of Matsui's "Title Holder" insert card from the 2003 Calbee set, which I believe is his most recent Calbee card.  (I'm actually not sure whether this card should be considered a premium card or not.  Jamabalaya lists it with the insert cards for the set and does not include it in their complete base sets - at least I think they don't.  I could be wrong.)

#M-1

The other card shows Matsui and Shigeo Nagashima from last May's National Honor Award ceremony at the Tokyo Dome.

#M-2

The checklists complete the mascot theme for the year with the mascots for the Dragons, Lions, Fighters and Giants.  Despite being thoroughly sick of this theme, I thought a couple of the photos were pretty good this time around:

#C-9

#C-10

Like Series Two, I don't have a whole lot more to say about this set other than it's a typical Calbee set.  Calbee is not like a box of chocolates - you pretty much know what you're going to get.

You can see all the cards at Jambalaya, along with the limited edition mail order redemption "Strikeout Pitcher" boxed set.