A few weeks ago, Topps announced that they would be releasing a small batch of online exclusive packs that contained one of a short list of HOF autographs. These autographs would have a 60th anniversary reprint of the player’s rookie card, and would be one per pack for 75 bucks. Some of them have already started to surface, and for the most part, no real surprises.

Here are some examples up so far:

2016 Topps 60th Anniversary Cris Carter Reprint Auto

2016 Topps 60th Anniversary Dan Marino Reprint Auto

Definitely not as nice as the on card ones from years past:

2001 Topps Archives Barry Sanders Reprint RC Auto

1998 Topps Walter Payton 1976 RC Reprint Auto

The only drawback is that the autographs are stickers and not hard signed, which makes sense if these were supposed to be used for the flagship set. If these were on card, I would have bought a few myself, and Im still tempted even with the sticker. Im not sure how much value these might hold, as promo sets tend to get much softer with time, as opposed to standard issue. I dont really get why, but they do.

I think that pulling someone like Marino, Rice or Elway would definitely be cool, especially for the cost of a mid range box of regular cards. At the same time, these types of reprints have been done so many times, Im wondering if the market is so over-saturated that it almost doesnt matter.

Topps has really been pushing online exclusive content like this since they started running programs through their store, and I would love to see them turn this type of thing into a way to bypass the loss of license – similar to what UDA does. If that is the ultimate goal, im on board.

If you are interested in buying some of the current packs, they are still available on Topps.com.