Topps Chrome Rant + Collecting in General

[Steveefranchise]

With the crapshoot that was 2014 Topps Chrome Football, I needed an outlet to voice my frustration on the over-saturation and over-production of some of these products.

Look at the last few years of Topps Chrome Football for example:

2011 Topps Chrome - Features 44 Rookie Autograph Selections
2012 Topps Chrome - Features 45 Rookie Autograph Selections
2013 Topps Chrome - Features 60 Rookie Autograph Selections
2014 Topps Chrome - Features 73 Rookie Autograph Selections

In my mind, there are several factors to contribute to this.

(1) Bigger is better-anyone who's cracked a case of 2014 knows this isn't true.
(2) The diamond in the rough. Richard Sherman had no autographs in Topps Chrome his rookie year. Sometimes a late prospect like that is missed and then demand is created later.
(3) Money. The more cards you add to a set the more cases, boxes and packs can be produced and sold.*

*The problem with this equation is that the more money card companies make by expanding a set the less value the collector receives.

Adding all these three factors together creates the graveyard that is 2014 Topps Chrome Football. Did the autograph class really need to get nearly doubled from where it was just a few years ago?

In all honesty, I'm more of a basketball collector myself and nothing bothers me more than stomaching some of the garbage that Panini puts out. I follow new releases and on nearly every Knight's Lance update there's always someone asking if their obscure PC player is included in the set (usually Ersan Illysova).

Low and behold he is, and I pull three of him in my case because Panini has included his on card autographs serial numbered /199 (with five different parallels). One person in the world is thrilled to pull the Illysova autograph and the other 798 people to pull one are devastated.

Card companies - LESS IS BETTER. Stop the rapid expansion. Stop putting undrafted free agents in the rookie autographs. Stop including the entire second round of the NBA draft in your product.

If there is a diamond in the rough who gets drafted in the sixth round (Tom Brady) and gets overlooked, then it happens and everyone is all the more surprised. We do not need autographs for every quarterback to declare for the NFL draft.

If the Ersan Illysova supercollector is disappointed that his Milwaukee Buck is never included in a product, it improves the experience who have to pull all of his parallels in our cases. Utilitarian.

Make one product that encompasses everything. Not twenty.

Done.

*Apologies to the Illysova super-collector. I just remember you always asking Hackler if he's in the new set. You need some for PC? PM me. I bet I have them.

[Pot Roast]

[Steveefranchise]

Hahaha TY! I needed that for sure.

[oshmeehan]

Love Ersan!

[Clarka3]

card companies don't give much of a #@#@#@#@ about us. less is better? To them, that means stuff like NT and Five Star. 5 card per box type deals, with astronomical prices that kick casual collectors like myself right out of the game. I already can't justify dropping 150 on a box of Contenders, and that's usually one of the products I rip a box or two of each year.


Inflated print runs means more product to ship and sell. They are just grabbing the money while they can. There won't be a shift until the breakers stop pre-ordering.

[phreak9]

Originally Posted by Clarka3

card companies don't give much of a #@#@#@#@ about us. less is better? To them, that means stuff like NT and Five Star. 5 card per box type deals, with astronomical prices that kick casual collectors like myself right out of the game. I already can't justify dropping 150 on a box of Contenders, and that's usually one of the products I rip a box or two of each year.


Inflated print runs means more product to ship and sell. They are just grabbing the money while they can. There won't be a shift until the breakers stop pre-ordering.

^^^this

the companies truly do not care. they just want the cars off the lot ASAP!
i have had some amazing rare 1/1 items that just have a topps hologram with a reference number that cannot be searched on their own site and contact us email addresses and phone numbers no one ever answers. between panini, topps and upper deck only upper deck answered the phone (2 or 3 times in a row in just a few rings too!). two things i will never buy? chrysler/dodge vehicles and topps products.

not to mention the event worn/not from any specific event game or season/this patch is authenticated by panini (and presented 1/1 and is the same insert that used to be game worn, but who knows!?).

thye have created so many sets and the sticker autos keep costs down so they just rake in the money. if i were to ever build a set or get really serious beyond in person autos and super rare expensives i would buy product made before the event worn jersey and sticker auto garbage came around. its the early 90's overproduction thing all over again just with sticker autos and fake worn jerseys.

[CTHusky08]

Grade A Rant

[NickM]

In a year where the draft is strong on skill position players, 60 autos is not too many, if you pick the right players. Don't forget that there are 32 teams whose fans want someone to chase after.
Topps Chrome this year had a lot of junk in the checklist - UDFAs who didn't even make it onto practice squads. Meanwhile, people like Khalil Mack and Zack Martin didn't get autos.
They compounded the problem by seriously SPing most of the high-demand autos, and the increased production led to a dearth of color autos.
2000-2500 base autos of a decent but not high-demand player (e.g., Kony Ealy) is way too many for the market.
And 2000 plus autos of someone like Cody Hoffman turns his auto into worthless junk bound eventually for quarter boxes.