2011 Bowman Sterling - What Works in MLB Doesnt Always Transfer - Sports Cards UncensoredSports Cards Uncensored

Topps has undergone an incredible brand transformation over the last two years in football, moving from the back of the pack in design and content to miles ahead. The difference in quality between Topps’ best products and Panini’s best product is much, much greater than the difference between Topps best and worst. The gap has gotten that wide. Yes, Topps’ worst product is now better than Panini’s best, at least in terms of the way the cards are designed and produced.

Bowman Sterling, like Triple Threads, is definitely one of Topps’ worst products. Although it is successful in baseball as a high end prospect product, it fails to see the type of success in football because every product has the same crop of rookies to fill out a set. If rookies were only two to three products per year instead of every product, this Sterling set may be more of a treat. However, with the price point where it is, and the cards where they are, this set might as well be on mars in terms of collectability.

The least attractive part of Sterling is that a pack from the box costs about the same as the MSRP for Topps Chrome. Now, Chrome, at 65 bucks a box had on card autos and a top design. Sterling at 50 dollars a pack does not. It is price point prohibitive as I like to say, as there is such a small chance of making money on this product that it becomes impossible to buy. That doesnt mean people wont try, but less will try than other products.

On a positive note, this is Sterling’s most successful design in the entire run of the product. I get a very Star Trek like Egyptian feel to the cards, and because I am such a nerd, I think it looks pretty cool. The jersey cards even look like an acceptable addition to the slate, something that is hard to do these days. However, there is still a lack of true game photos and stickers for the autographs, and that is a deal breaker on a product that costs as much as this one does.

Here are some big ones that have been posted so far:

AJ Green Auto Jersey Refractor RC