Here it is, the final product that Topps will produce under its NFL license. After 60 years of producing sets, Diamond football is the period at the end of the brand’s sentence. As I mentioned yesterday, this is not something I think is a good situation for the hobby, and I do give them credit for going out with a big bang. The cards look nice, and the set features some amazing looking examples.

Here are some of the nicer hits posted so far;

2015 Topps Diamond Aaron Rodgers Auto /10

2015 Topps Diamond Jameis Winston Jumbo Patch Auto RC /50

2015 Topps Diamond Amari Cooper / Kevin White Dual Patch Auto Booklet

2015 Topps Diamond Jerome Bettis Jumbo Patch Auto

What I like about Diamond is more about the cards without the autographs signed on them. I like the design, I like the monochrome look, I like the way they chose to model this set. Its a very different take on a super premium set, and I think for a one time thing, its really nicely executed.

Boxes are VERY hit and miss. At 275 bucks, its not like Supreme where it can afford to be hit and miss. Its a 3 card pack, all cards are autographed, and one is almost always a redemption. Obviously that hurts considerably, but its not like they can push the product back, right? We have already seen that Topps is continuing to get the signings done, as many of the redemptions from Definitive look to be coming along nicely. Either way, you need to have nice cards in all the slots to get close to a favorable ROI.

I dont like that they used the crazy paint pen colors to sign the cards. Although they arent even close to the shitty examples we saw in Spectra, its hard to see them as a viable option for signing cards. That being said, gold and silver signed cards arent really special anymore, so I get why they wanted to try something different. The design helps the pen color stand out, and for the most part, its something I can overlook.

Is Diamond as good as Definitive was? I think that is comparing apples and oranges in a lot of ways. Definitive was more of a traditional looking product, where this is like the concept car on the show floor. Its there just to show that its possible to make something in that manner.

Topps ending its run with as many on card products as they did was beyond awesome. It showed that a calendar with a slew of hard signed sets at affordable prices is possible, and that is where I think we are going to see a HUGE dropoff next year. Panini loves stickers, and they love holding back on card for their super premium lines. Its a shitty thing for product quality, and I think we will continue to come back to products like Tek, Museum, Diamond, and Definitive when Panini goes on their sticker frenzy in 2016.

RIP Topps Football, things wont be the same without you.