As we saw with Allen and Ginter, there are suprises in many of Topps’ products. This goes double for lower end products, especially those that have huge following among the collecting public. With 2011 Topps Football hitting store shelves officially today, we are starting to get a clearer picture of what those surprises are for the product. From what I have seen so far, many of them are new not only to the product, but to cards in general. For a product that costs what Topps does per box, it’s a huge win in many cases.
The first surprise is one that seems to be a theme throughout the whole product, Super Bowl Legends. This part of the product has a few different elements to it, some great, some not so great. Starting with the great, there is a new code program for 2011 that is similar to the diamond giveaway in baseball. Collectors will pull codes in the packs, and redeem them for chances at special prizes. I assume digital rings will be a part of it, as will be trading. This adds a HUGE amount of value to the packout, because the codes themselves can sometimes fetch up to 15% of the pack price for jumbo just by its inclusion. Secondly, there are new coin and ring cards that have manufactured and embedded items as an ADDED hit to a box. For a hit that doesn’t count towards allotment for the box, these low numbered cards are a great addition, and look cool for what they are. Lastly, there are VERY low numbered autos and jerseys of the Super Bowl Legends, which look simple and cool in their construction. These will be highly sought after and should be pretty valuable. The one bad one for these are the venue relic cards which look to be confetti from the celebration. I don’t get or want any of these cards, and really never understood why venue relics were even included, although I have seen at least one turf card that may be a little different.
Here are some examples:
John Elway Super Bowl Legend Coin
Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl Legend Ring
Another surprise is the inclusion of veteran base variation cards at a 1 per case ratio. So far, the confirmed list is Brady, Brees, Peterson, and Arian Foster, but that list will grow. I have said time and time again that these types of card need to be included in more of the low end sets out there, the rarer the better. Absolutely love these.
Examples:
Aaron Rodgers Base Photo Variation SP
Lastly, we are also seeing Base Rookie Auto variation cards, new for the first time in 2011. This could make me the most excited of any of these, because of how much I attack the base rookie chrome autos. With Chrome not coming this year until 10/26, these will be a great and valuable holdover due to rarity and awesome design.
Examples:
Jerrel Jernigan Base Rookie Auto Variation
Mikel Leshoure Base Rookie Auto Variation
Leonard Hankerson Base Rookie Auto Variation
There will be more as the set is more widely busted. I will be doing some boxes today and will post results when I have them. Please check back when you can!