2008 Topps Finest Football (Mini-Box)
Set features;
(Mini-box)
Each sealed box contains 6 packs of 5 cards each in a 150 card set including 50 Rookies. >>> Each box contains ONE Autograph cards. Parallel sets: Veteran 4:box (Blue, Green > #`d to 299, Black > #`d to 99, Gold > #`d to 50, Red > #`d to 25, SuperFractor > each is a 1-of-1, and Framed Printing Plates > each is a 1-of-1), Rookie (Autograph 1:6, Blue > #`d to 50, Green > #`d to 25, Black > #`d to 10, X-Fractor > each is a 1-of-1, and Framed Printing Plates > each is a 1-of-1). Insert: Finest Moments 1:3 (parallels: Refractor 1:1, Blue > #`d to 299, Green > #`d to 199, Black > #`d to 99, Gold > #`d to 50, X-Fractor > #`d to 25, White Framed X-Factor > each is a 1-of-1, and SuperFractor > each is a 1-of-1; Autograph, parallels: Refractor > #`d to 25 and SuperFractor > each is a 1-of-1; Dual Autograph, parallels: Refractor > #`d to 10 and Gold Refractor > each is a 1-of-1; Cut Signatures, Signature Series > #`d to 50, and Framed Printing Plates > each is a 1-of-1).
EVERY MASTER BOX CONTAINS:
• Three Numbered Autographed cards - 1 per mini-box!
• Six Finest Moments cards - 2 per mini-box!
• Twelve Parallel Cards - 4 per mini box!
• One Tom Brady Box Loader!
• One Adrian Peterson Box Loader!
• All Rookie and Rookie Autograph Cards are Numbered!
Here's what we pulled in our mini-box of 2008 Topps Finest Football.
Base cards;
Nothing surprising here, which is a good thing... Topps keeps the Finest designs fresh every year while maintaining the overall concept - player images brought to the forefront, with stylized/embossed backgrounds, lots of chrome and heavy gloss.
Parallel cards;
We pulled 4 refractor parallels from the base set: 3 unnumbered blue refractors, and a green refractor of Laurence Maroney numbered to 299.
Personally I'm still not a big fan of the various colors of refractors, but collectors look forward to these every year (putting together player master sets, for example), and I do still love to see that refractor finish waiting for me in a pack!
Insert cards;
We pulled three Finest Moment insert cards: an Adrian Peterson, a Darren McFadden refractor, and a Brian Brohm blue refractor. These inserts highlight a particular game in the player's career. The Brohm is numbered to 299.
Rookie cards;
This rookie is a refractor, numbered to 699. All rookie cards in this year's set are numbered, and each one comes in an autographed and regular version. In past years, Finest had non-numbered base rookies... for my personal collecting tastes I think I preferred the old way, but this is a draw for those looking for something a bit harder to find and they should hold their value better. The downside is there was only one in the mini-box. Overall the checklist of rookies included in this year's set is solid.
Autograph cards;
The hit of the box was this Malcolm Kelly Finest Moments autograph (non serial numbered). These autos still utilize the silver sticker autos, which mesh nicely with the card design. The autographed insert sets have a nice mix of rookies, veterans and retired stars.
Final Thoughts on 2008 Topps Finest Football;
Topps continues to tweak the Finest brand, moving it back toward the high mid-range by adding minor hits to each mini-box and numbering the rookies. They have maintained the look and feel, though, that Finest fans are accustomed to. Finest continues to show why it is such a long-running premium brand. Online, mini-boxes appear to be selling around $40 with full boxes around $120.
Here's how I would rate this product;
* Value = 4
* Innovation = 4
* Fun and Experience = 5
* Rebuy Value = 4
I rate this product an "A-" for Topps!
NPN Information;
NPN 2008 Topps Finest Football
P.O. Box 785
Pittston, PA 18642
Postmarked by December 3, 2008 and received by December 10, 2008. One request per household. Drawings on or about December 17, 2008.
A huge thanks to Clay from Topps and to Trader Retreat for the opportunity to break and review this product.
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2008 Topps Finest Football review
