Official Review: 2008 Topps Letterman (Mini Box)

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank our Sponsor, Topps, for providing us with this box to review.



Product Description
3 mini-boxes per box
1 pack per mini-box
4 cards per pack
MSRP: 169.99-185.99


PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
EVERY 8-BOX CASE CONTAINS:
- 1 Autographed Letterman Booklet Card!
- 1 Autographed Rookie Patch Card!

EVERY MASTER BOX CONTAINS:
- 1 Autographed Letterman Card!
- 1 Autographed Patch Card!
- 1 Patch Card!
- 3 Rookie Cards!
- 6 Veteran/Retired Cards!


CONTENT BREAKDOWN
BASE CARDS
- Veterans/Retired (50) - Seq. #'d to 949.
- Rookies (50) - Seq. #'d to 419.

PARALLEL CARDS
- Superfractor (100) - All one of one.
- X-Fractor (100) - Seq. #'d to 25.
- Refractor (100) - Seq. #'d to 99.

14K GOLD LETTERMAN CARDS - GENUINE 14-CARAT GOLD!
- 14K Gold Letterman Cards (10 subs/64 cards) - 10 NFL stars including Joe Namath, Peyton Manning, and LaDainian Tomlinson are showcased on cards featuring a solid 14-carat gold letter. Each player will have one card for each letter of his last name. All one of one!

TOPPS EXCLUSIVE! AUTOGRAPHED LETTERMAN BOOKLET CARDS - 1 PER 8-BOX HOBBY CASE
Autographed Letterman Booklet Cards (30) - #"d to 50.
- SuperFractor - One of One!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 10.

AUTOGRAPHED PATCH CARDS - NUMBERED TO 50 OR LESS. 1 PER MASTER BOX!
Autographed Authentic Quad Relics (30)
Autographed Jersey Number Patches (35)
Autographed Team Logo Patches (35)

Above available in SuperFractor One of One, X-Fractor, and Refractor parallel versions.

Rookie Autographed Patches - 30 rookies with their autograph and Rookie logo patch

10 subjects numbered to 29.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 5.

20 subjects numbered to 99.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 10.

Dual Rookie Autographed Patches - 40 rookies will be featured side by side on 20 cards with their signatures and 2 patches.

10 cards numbered to 5.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 2.
- Refractor - #'d to 3.

10 cards numbered to 10.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 5.

AUTOGRAPHED LETTERMAN CARDS - NUMBERED TO 50 OR LESS. 1 PER MASTER BOX!
Autographed Letterman Patches - 35 players sign a card featuring a letter from their jersey. 223 unique cards.

92 cards numbered to 10.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 5.

61 cards numbered to 29.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 5.
- Refractor - #'d to 10.

70 cards numbered to 59.
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 15.
- Refractor - #'d to 25.

Autographed Authentic Letterman Patches
15 stars autograph each letter of their name, creating more than 99 unique cards - All one of one.

Autographed Authentic Jersey Tags (20) - All one of one.

PATCH CARDS - NUMBERED TO 30 OR LESS. 1 PER MASTER BOX!
Jersey Number Patches (45) - #'d to 30.
Team Logo Patches (45) - #'d to 30.
Authentic Quad Patches (45) - #'d to 20.

Above available in the following parallel versions:
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 5.

Authentic Letterman Patches - 15 players appear on cards featuring a letter of their last name, creating more than 99 unique cards. One of one.

Authentic Jersey Patches (20) - One of one.

Letterman Patches - 45 players featured on cards showcasing a single letter from their jersey, creating 277 unique cards.

61 cards numbered to 30
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 5.

216 cards numbered to 15
- SuperFractor - One of one!
- X-Fractor - #'d to 3.
- Refractor - #'d to 10.

WHAT WE PULLED

Base /949 (2): Tony Romo, Steven Jackson
Rookies /419 (1): Mario Manningham
Logo Patch Auto /75 (1): David Harris



The base and rookie cards have the player pictured on a sleek foil board. Towards the bottom, there is an orange "L" in a box to symbolize the set and a white banner which displays the player's last name and the team he plays for. The player is pictured in an action pose. The background consists of a giant square that almost looks like a black canvas in a larger version of the player's face under his helmet is shown. The background pictures has various lines, like watermarks, to convey the idea you are seeing it on film.

The auto we pulled utilizes a faux logo patch for the team. It matches the logo you would find on the player's jersey. Underneath that logo, the team's name is stitched using the team's primary color. This is all displayed on a huge jersey swatch that takes up most of the card. The auto is on a sticker that placed on the lower right side of the swatch. The player's name is displayed across the top of the card. The player is pictured on the left of the swatch and is done on the right as well, but blended into the foil board.

Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set: 5/5
Fun: 4.5/5
Overall design: 5/5
Value: 2.5/5
Re-buy: 3.5/5

Overall: 20.5/25 (82%)

I am a huge fan of using foil board for base cards. Though the tend to bow in the middle due to weight, the look of the cards are amazing. There's so much more you can do with designing cards on foil board and I wish companies would employ it more. Topps kept the layout simple on these cards and that's impressive considering this is a high-end set and conventional wisdom says to that these cards msut stand out, which is truly not the case. Kudos for Topps on getting this right.

It's really hard to get a full grasp of a product when you only get to open one pack (a minibox in this case). It ends up being a small sampling of what the product has to offer. However, who in their right mind uses an auto sticker on a jersey swatch? That is one of the tackiest and laziest things I have seen in a while in cards. How hard is it to produce the cards, send a rep to meet with the player, get them signed on the swatch and then insert into packs? I'm sure it's harder than it seems, but common sense says that an auto sticker is absolutely not a good idea. To me, it ruins what could have been a really nice looking card. Card companies are too dependent on sticker autos and we the collectors have to pay for it. I understand the rationale behind them, but doesn't mean I have to like it.

All and all, Topps Letterman delivers what you expect from a mini box or a box with limited packs. The anticipation builds up all in one shot instead of 18-24 packs. It's either a huge celebration or a big letdown.

As always, a big thanks to our friends at Topps providing this minibox and the opportunity to review it.

[JKC]

Very nice break and review! I too am not that crazy about the "sticker" auto ON the swatch for that one, but overall it looks like a good set.

Thanks Topps!

Darin

[gladdyontherise]

Solid break again, but jeez i hate those stickers!

[dicekmvp]

is this going to be up for sase? if so i would like the manningham

[hagansp]

down with the stickers!!

I love the fold out autos though...shame you didn't get one

[trevorp121]

Great job Topps! Looks like a nice break

[spuds1961]

nice product,except for the sticker autos on patches,nice review Tony.take care Steve

[etmill01]

I also think it is a very nice product, but I also don't care too much for the sticker autos on the patches..Thanks Ed

[TheTGB]

I love the product, however, the sticker autos on the patches? I'm not a fan of this at all and really hope it's not a thing that will be used in the future of products. I know it's easier to send stickers, it's cheaper, etc. but it doesn't look good.

[SingleDaddyof2]

Nice job Tony!