Enigma
12-12-2008, 06:45 AM
First and foremost, I'd like to thank our Sponsor, Donruss, for providing us with this box to review.
http://www.blowoutcards.com/images/baseball/2008donrusseliteextraBB.jpg
Product Description
20 packs per box
5 cards per pack
MSRP: $70.99-$79.99
VIDEO BREAK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3RusNgDGwE
In 2008, the release will feature more than 200 of the top prospects in baseball.
Highlights include:
- Rookie Cards, autographs and game-used cards of the biggest prospects in baseball - Gordon Beckham and Buster Posey!
- Look for rookie cards and autographs from other top prospects such as Rick Porcello, Neftali Feliz, Isaac Galloway, Ike Davis, Logan Morrison, Michael Taylor, Caleb Gindl, Mat Gamel, Wilmer Flores, Bryan Petersen, Allan Dykstra, Ryan Perry, Tyler Ladendorf, Michel Inoa, Xavier Avery, Anthony Gose, Jordan Danks, Shooter Hunt and Chase D'Arnaud
Other notable names include:
* Jose Duran (SS, Brewers) - 2008 Big 12 Player of the Year
* Sean Ratliff (OF, Mets) - Played for Stanford in the College World Series
* Kyle Russell (OF, Dodgers) - Slugging outfielder our of University of Texas
* Juan Carlos Sulbaran (P, Reds) - Advanced pitcher from American Heritage HS in Florida
* Rafael Rodriguez (OF, Giants) - Signed for a $2.55 million bonus in July. . .on his 16th birthday
* Cat Osterman - 2005 ESPY for Best Female College Athlete and Top Female Olympic Performance, 2006 ESPY for Best Female College Athlete, 2004 Olympic gold medal winner
ALSO - Donruss Elite Extra Edition will include the top three players from the 2008 NBA Draft: Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo.
Signed ON-CARD Collegiate Patches return with a lengthy list of top prospects and celebrities, including Matt Wieters.
Also look for Throwback Threads, College Ties and School Colors.
Donruss Elite Extra Edition is licensed by the Collegiate Licensing Company.
PER BOX ITEMS
- 4 Autographs or Memorabilia Cards
- 5 Inserts or Parallels
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
First autograph cards of baseball’s top baseball draft picks:
- Buster Posey, Rick Porcello and Gordon Beckham
Also including 1st round picks:
- Ike Davis, Andrew Cashner, Ryan Perry, Anthony Hewitt, Christian Friedrich, Daniel Schlereth, Carlos Gutierrez, Shooter Hunt, Brad Holt, Zach Collier, Evan Frederickson, Mike Montgomery, Lance Lynn, Jaff Decker, Wade Miley, Bryan Price, Logan Forsythe
- Collegiate signed patches of Celebrities and Draft Picks!
- Also look for Throwbacks Threads and College Ties inserts featuring autograph, memorabilia and autographed memorabilia cards.
CARD SETS
Commons (100)
- An impressive lineup of Draft Picks highlight Elite Extra Edition's base offering, each set upon metallized film board.
Autographed Rookies (75)
- Autographed rookie cards from the top Draft Picks of 2008, and notable names from previous drafts as well, set upon double rainbow film board and numbered to 1,499 or less.
Turn of the Century Rookies Signatures (175)
- Partial parallel includes an autograph and is numbered to 999 or less.
Aspirations Die-Cut (175)
- Base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with blue foil and each
numbered to 150 or less.
Status Die-Cut (175)
- Die-cut base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with red foil
and each numbered to 50 or less.
Gold Status Die-Cut (175)
- Die-cut base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with gold foil
and each numbered to 25 or less.
Aspirations Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Die-Cut base set parallel on rainbow film board, with an autograph, each
numbered to 100 or less.
Red Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 50 or less.
Gold Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 5 or less.
Black Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 1.
School Colors (50)
- This magnificent parallel highlights the high school or college that recent
draft picks attended and is numbered to 1,500.
School Colors Materials (50)
- Parallel numbered to 100 or less.
School Colors Materials Prime (50)
- Parallel numbered to 25 or less.
School Colors Autographs (50)
- Parallel numbered to 100 or less.
Throwback Threads (25)
- Insert with parallels numbered to 500 or less.
Throwback Threads Autographs (25)
- This game-used insert includes a swatch of material cut from items used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game and an autograph, with each numbered to 100 or less.
Throwback Threads Prime (25)
- Only the best of the best material makes this cut; Attractive game-used insert includes a PRIME piece of material from an item used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game, with each numbered to 50 or less.
Throwback Threads Prime Autographs (25)
- Highly-desirable insert includes a swatch of PRIME material taken from an item used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game with the added element of an autograph included. Each card is numbered to 50 or less.
College Ties Green (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with green foil, and each numbered to 1,500 or less.
College Ties Gold (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with gold foil, and each numbered to 500 or less.
College Ties Red (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with red foil, and each numbered to 100 or less.
College Ties Autographs (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with blue foil and an autograph. Each card numbered to 100 or less.
College Ties Jerseys (35)
- Game-used material adorns this highly-collectible insert highlighting collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school. Each card printed on double rainbow film board with silver foil
and numbered to 500 or less.
College Ties Jerseys Prime (35)
- PRIME game-used material adorns this highly-collectible insert highlighting collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school. Each card printed on double rainbow film board with silver foil and numbered to 50 or less.
Collegiate Patches (65)
- A ground-breaking insert that debuted in 2007 Elite Extra Edition, each card is highlighted by an embroidered collegiate logo and an autograph from a collegiate legend. Each card is numbered to 250 or less.
WHAT WE PULLED
Base (91/100) - 91%
Dupes - 0
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00000.jpg
This year's cards utilize a foil board which it typical from a Donruss Elite release. For the base set, the player's professional team is displayed. The sides have a dot matrix design. On the bottom, the player's name is seen. Directly above is the set's name and the Donruss Elite logo. On both sides of the logo is the player's position.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00001.jpg
Another staple of the Donruss Elite sets are the Status and Aspirations inserts. Normally, the print run of both cards would equal 100. The Status parallel would equal to the player's jersey number and the Aspirations parallel would equal to whatever number added to the jersey number would equal 100. However, this year, the cards are randomly numbered like before, but they don't have a particular criteria for the numbering. The parallels are on a double foil board, which enhances the prism effect on the front of the cards. These parallels are also die-cut, each with their own unique look.
Aspirations (2): Greg Veloz /150, Jordan Meaker /150
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00002.jpg
Donruss Elite Extra Edition uses a lot of photos of players in their college uniforms. The main two sets are School Colors and College Ties. School Colors features an individual player intheir college uniform. The color scheme of the card is set to match that of the school. Cards are numbered to 1500. There are 50 players featured and there are no parallels, though autographs and memorabilia cards can be found for this set. The design has the Donruss Elite logo in the top left corner and the set name next to it, which extends across the top of the card. At the bottom, below the player's picture is the insert set's name, then the player's name and followed by the school's logo.
College Ties features two players from the same school pictured together. The players are not necessarily former teammates, just two players who played for the same school. On the card, both player's have their pictureon the left side, one above the another. The players position and name appear directly above and below their respective positions on the card. The pictures are sepearated by the insert set's name. The background for each player has a series of triangles all pointing to the right. On the right side, the Donruss Elite logo is seen. Though the card is horizontal in nature, the name of the school runs vertically along the right edge of the card. There are many parallel versions of this card.
College Ties Green (1500 or less)
College Ties Gold (500 or less)
College Ties Red (100 or less)
School Colors (2): Brett Jacobson /1500 (Vanderbilt), Jose Duran /1500 (Texas A&M)
College Ties Green (1): Sawyer Carroll/Scott Green /1500 (Kentucky)
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00003.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00004.jpg
There are various autos and relics throughout this release, with the most highly sought after being the Collegiate Patches Autos. These feature a huge swatch with the college logo stitched in one corner and the auto across the swatch. The base and parallel autos match their regular base and insert counterparts in design with the auto (sticker) above the set name and the serial number directly below the auto.
Rookie Auto (1) - Allan Dykstra /1069
Turn of the Century Auto (1) - Adam Moore /844
Aspirations Auto (1) - Vance Worley /25
Status Red Auto (1) - Charlie Furbush /50
Throwback Threads Autographs (1) - Andrew Cashner /100
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set: 5/5
Fun: 4/5
Overall design: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall: 21.5/25 (86%)
Donruss Elite Extra Edition delivers again much like it did last year and leaves us collectors shaking our heads on why the MLB will not give a license back to Donruss. With 17-20 releases a year from the other major card companies, it seems the collectors would be happier if it was spread out more as Donruss tends to have the best base card designs in the industry.
The base cards are amazing this year. I really like how the player's picture stands out in contrast to the card. It makes the set somewhat worth trying to put together, especially considering you can almost complete a base set in one box.
The drawback is not being able to see the pro team's logo on the uniforms, which limits the type of pictures that can be used. This guarantees the player is turned away from the camera and can be boring.
Basically half the packs will produce either and insert, parallel, relic or auto. Average run will yield 9 overall, but some will have the Throwback Threads or Collegiate Patch card and will produce 10 (much like this box).
Donruss Elite Extra Edition strikes a nice balance with using pictures of players in their college uniforms. There are numerous collectors who collect based on a school and they love getting cards showing off that school.
Thanks again to our friends at Donruss for supplying this product to us and giving us the opportunity to review it.
http://www.blowoutcards.com/images/baseball/2008donrusseliteextraBB.jpg
Product Description
20 packs per box
5 cards per pack
MSRP: $70.99-$79.99
VIDEO BREAK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3RusNgDGwE
In 2008, the release will feature more than 200 of the top prospects in baseball.
Highlights include:
- Rookie Cards, autographs and game-used cards of the biggest prospects in baseball - Gordon Beckham and Buster Posey!
- Look for rookie cards and autographs from other top prospects such as Rick Porcello, Neftali Feliz, Isaac Galloway, Ike Davis, Logan Morrison, Michael Taylor, Caleb Gindl, Mat Gamel, Wilmer Flores, Bryan Petersen, Allan Dykstra, Ryan Perry, Tyler Ladendorf, Michel Inoa, Xavier Avery, Anthony Gose, Jordan Danks, Shooter Hunt and Chase D'Arnaud
Other notable names include:
* Jose Duran (SS, Brewers) - 2008 Big 12 Player of the Year
* Sean Ratliff (OF, Mets) - Played for Stanford in the College World Series
* Kyle Russell (OF, Dodgers) - Slugging outfielder our of University of Texas
* Juan Carlos Sulbaran (P, Reds) - Advanced pitcher from American Heritage HS in Florida
* Rafael Rodriguez (OF, Giants) - Signed for a $2.55 million bonus in July. . .on his 16th birthday
* Cat Osterman - 2005 ESPY for Best Female College Athlete and Top Female Olympic Performance, 2006 ESPY for Best Female College Athlete, 2004 Olympic gold medal winner
ALSO - Donruss Elite Extra Edition will include the top three players from the 2008 NBA Draft: Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo.
Signed ON-CARD Collegiate Patches return with a lengthy list of top prospects and celebrities, including Matt Wieters.
Also look for Throwback Threads, College Ties and School Colors.
Donruss Elite Extra Edition is licensed by the Collegiate Licensing Company.
PER BOX ITEMS
- 4 Autographs or Memorabilia Cards
- 5 Inserts or Parallels
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
First autograph cards of baseball’s top baseball draft picks:
- Buster Posey, Rick Porcello and Gordon Beckham
Also including 1st round picks:
- Ike Davis, Andrew Cashner, Ryan Perry, Anthony Hewitt, Christian Friedrich, Daniel Schlereth, Carlos Gutierrez, Shooter Hunt, Brad Holt, Zach Collier, Evan Frederickson, Mike Montgomery, Lance Lynn, Jaff Decker, Wade Miley, Bryan Price, Logan Forsythe
- Collegiate signed patches of Celebrities and Draft Picks!
- Also look for Throwbacks Threads and College Ties inserts featuring autograph, memorabilia and autographed memorabilia cards.
CARD SETS
Commons (100)
- An impressive lineup of Draft Picks highlight Elite Extra Edition's base offering, each set upon metallized film board.
Autographed Rookies (75)
- Autographed rookie cards from the top Draft Picks of 2008, and notable names from previous drafts as well, set upon double rainbow film board and numbered to 1,499 or less.
Turn of the Century Rookies Signatures (175)
- Partial parallel includes an autograph and is numbered to 999 or less.
Aspirations Die-Cut (175)
- Base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with blue foil and each
numbered to 150 or less.
Status Die-Cut (175)
- Die-cut base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with red foil
and each numbered to 50 or less.
Gold Status Die-Cut (175)
- Die-cut base set parallel includes double rainbow film board with gold foil
and each numbered to 25 or less.
Aspirations Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Die-Cut base set parallel on rainbow film board, with an autograph, each
numbered to 100 or less.
Red Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 50 or less.
Gold Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 5 or less.
Black Status Signatures Die-Cut (175)
- Parallel numbered to 1.
School Colors (50)
- This magnificent parallel highlights the high school or college that recent
draft picks attended and is numbered to 1,500.
School Colors Materials (50)
- Parallel numbered to 100 or less.
School Colors Materials Prime (50)
- Parallel numbered to 25 or less.
School Colors Autographs (50)
- Parallel numbered to 100 or less.
Throwback Threads (25)
- Insert with parallels numbered to 500 or less.
Throwback Threads Autographs (25)
- This game-used insert includes a swatch of material cut from items used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game and an autograph, with each numbered to 100 or less.
Throwback Threads Prime (25)
- Only the best of the best material makes this cut; Attractive game-used insert includes a PRIME piece of material from an item used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game, with each numbered to 50 or less.
Throwback Threads Prime Autographs (25)
- Highly-desirable insert includes a swatch of PRIME material taken from an item used in a collegiate, high school or minor league game with the added element of an autograph included. Each card is numbered to 50 or less.
College Ties Green (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with green foil, and each numbered to 1,500 or less.
College Ties Gold (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with gold foil, and each numbered to 500 or less.
College Ties Red (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with red foil, and each numbered to 100 or less.
College Ties Autographs (35)
- Highlights collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school and printed on double rainbow film board with blue foil and an autograph. Each card numbered to 100 or less.
College Ties Jerseys (35)
- Game-used material adorns this highly-collectible insert highlighting collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school. Each card printed on double rainbow film board with silver foil
and numbered to 500 or less.
College Ties Jerseys Prime (35)
- PRIME game-used material adorns this highly-collectible insert highlighting collegiate stars paired with other noteworthy players or coaches from the same school. Each card printed on double rainbow film board with silver foil and numbered to 50 or less.
Collegiate Patches (65)
- A ground-breaking insert that debuted in 2007 Elite Extra Edition, each card is highlighted by an embroidered collegiate logo and an autograph from a collegiate legend. Each card is numbered to 250 or less.
WHAT WE PULLED
Base (91/100) - 91%
Dupes - 0
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00000.jpg
This year's cards utilize a foil board which it typical from a Donruss Elite release. For the base set, the player's professional team is displayed. The sides have a dot matrix design. On the bottom, the player's name is seen. Directly above is the set's name and the Donruss Elite logo. On both sides of the logo is the player's position.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00001.jpg
Another staple of the Donruss Elite sets are the Status and Aspirations inserts. Normally, the print run of both cards would equal 100. The Status parallel would equal to the player's jersey number and the Aspirations parallel would equal to whatever number added to the jersey number would equal 100. However, this year, the cards are randomly numbered like before, but they don't have a particular criteria for the numbering. The parallels are on a double foil board, which enhances the prism effect on the front of the cards. These parallels are also die-cut, each with their own unique look.
Aspirations (2): Greg Veloz /150, Jordan Meaker /150
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00002.jpg
Donruss Elite Extra Edition uses a lot of photos of players in their college uniforms. The main two sets are School Colors and College Ties. School Colors features an individual player intheir college uniform. The color scheme of the card is set to match that of the school. Cards are numbered to 1500. There are 50 players featured and there are no parallels, though autographs and memorabilia cards can be found for this set. The design has the Donruss Elite logo in the top left corner and the set name next to it, which extends across the top of the card. At the bottom, below the player's picture is the insert set's name, then the player's name and followed by the school's logo.
College Ties features two players from the same school pictured together. The players are not necessarily former teammates, just two players who played for the same school. On the card, both player's have their pictureon the left side, one above the another. The players position and name appear directly above and below their respective positions on the card. The pictures are sepearated by the insert set's name. The background for each player has a series of triangles all pointing to the right. On the right side, the Donruss Elite logo is seen. Though the card is horizontal in nature, the name of the school runs vertically along the right edge of the card. There are many parallel versions of this card.
College Ties Green (1500 or less)
College Ties Gold (500 or less)
College Ties Red (100 or less)
School Colors (2): Brett Jacobson /1500 (Vanderbilt), Jose Duran /1500 (Texas A&M)
College Ties Green (1): Sawyer Carroll/Scott Green /1500 (Kentucky)
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00003.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/enigmas_cards/Reviews/CCF12112008_00004.jpg
There are various autos and relics throughout this release, with the most highly sought after being the Collegiate Patches Autos. These feature a huge swatch with the college logo stitched in one corner and the auto across the swatch. The base and parallel autos match their regular base and insert counterparts in design with the auto (sticker) above the set name and the serial number directly below the auto.
Rookie Auto (1) - Allan Dykstra /1069
Turn of the Century Auto (1) - Adam Moore /844
Aspirations Auto (1) - Vance Worley /25
Status Red Auto (1) - Charlie Furbush /50
Throwback Threads Autographs (1) - Andrew Cashner /100
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set: 5/5
Fun: 4/5
Overall design: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall: 21.5/25 (86%)
Donruss Elite Extra Edition delivers again much like it did last year and leaves us collectors shaking our heads on why the MLB will not give a license back to Donruss. With 17-20 releases a year from the other major card companies, it seems the collectors would be happier if it was spread out more as Donruss tends to have the best base card designs in the industry.
The base cards are amazing this year. I really like how the player's picture stands out in contrast to the card. It makes the set somewhat worth trying to put together, especially considering you can almost complete a base set in one box.
The drawback is not being able to see the pro team's logo on the uniforms, which limits the type of pictures that can be used. This guarantees the player is turned away from the camera and can be boring.
Basically half the packs will produce either and insert, parallel, relic or auto. Average run will yield 9 overall, but some will have the Throwback Threads or Collegiate Patch card and will produce 10 (much like this box).
Donruss Elite Extra Edition strikes a nice balance with using pictures of players in their college uniforms. There are numerous collectors who collect based on a school and they love getting cards showing off that school.
Thanks again to our friends at Donruss for supplying this product to us and giving us the opportunity to review it.