SCF Official Review: 2008/09 Topps Chrome

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank the fine folks at Topps for providing us with this box to review.



Product Description
24 packs per box
4 cards per pack
MSRP: $79.99 - 89.99

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
- An Autographed Rookie Card in every hobby box!
- 12 Rookies in every hobby box!
- 12 Refractor Parallel cards in every hobby box!
- One '58/59 Autograph Variation card in every hobby case!
- 1 Autographed Youthquake card in every hobby case!

CONTENT BREAKDOWN
AUTOGRAPH REFRACTOR CARDS - 1 AUTO ROOKIE PER HOBBY BOX!
- Rookie Autographed Refractors(35) - 1 per box! Numbered!
- Youthquake Autographed Refractors(15) - 1 per case! Numbered!
- 58/59 Autographed Variation Refractors(15) - 1 per case! Numbered!

Autographed Parallel Cards:
- SuperFractor - Hobby Exclusive(65) - #'d 1 of 1.
- Red Refractor(65) - Seq. #'d to 5.
- Gold Refractor(65) - Seq. #'d to 10.
- X-Fractor(65) - Seq. #'d to 25.

BASE CARDS - 12 ROOKIES PER BOX!
- Rookies(40) - 12 rookie cards per box!
- Veterans/Retired(180)

PARALLEL CARDS - 12 PER BOX!
- SuperFractor - Hobby Exclusive(220) - #'d 1 of 1.
- Printing Plates(220 subjects) - #'d 1 of 1.
- Gold Refractor(220) - Seq. #'d to 50.
- X-Fractor(220) - Seq. #'d to 99.
- Refractor(220) - Seq. #'d to 499.

VIDEO BREAK

PART 1



PART 2



WHAT WE PULLED

Base (89/220) - 40.45%
Dupes - 1



The base design of the cards should look familiar as they are similar to the base Topps design. The Chrome version has a gloss on the cards to give it a chrome/shiny look. The name of the team is at the top with the letters in circles. A full body action photo commandeers most of the card front. At the bottom of the photo is the player's name. The team's logo is in one corner and the brand name is in the other. The first 180 cards are devoted to current and former veterans in the NBA. The final 40 are the rookies. On average, there are 12 rookies per box. However, we beat the odds and pulled 14.



There are five parallels in the set. They are:

Refractor /499
Xfractor /99
Gold Refractor /50
Printing Plates /1
Superfractor /1

The regular refractor has an orange border, but otherwise looks exactly the same. The xfractor has a checkerboard effect that spans the picture on the card. The gold refractor obviously has a gold border. The original description for Topps Chrome states 12 parallels per box on average. If that is the case, then we got shorted as we only pulled 5 total. It is my belief that the correct run is between 4-6 per box.

Refractor /499 (4) - Udonis Haslem, Eddie House, Amare Stoudemire, Donte Greene
Gold Refractor /50 (1) - Mike Miller



There are three types of autos this year. They are:

Rookie Refractor /795 (1 per box)
Youthquake Refractor (1 per case)
58/59 Variation Refractor (1 per case)

The Rookie Refractor autos are the rookie cards with a clear sticker auto attached to them underneath the picture. These autos are numbered to 795 and you get 1 per box. There are 35 rookies featured with autos, even though there are 40 rookie subjects overall. The case hits this year are the Youthquake and the 58/59 Variation Autos. There are 15 subjects for each set.

Rookie Refractor Auto /795 (1) - Kyle Weaver

Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set: 4.5/5
Fun: 4/5
Overall design: 3.5/5
Value: 3/5
Re-buy: 2.5/5

Overall: 17.5/25 (70%)

Topps Chrome's design is direct copy of the base Topps set's design other than adding the gloss over the cards. The design itself is nice, but when you've seen it already, it tends to lose its appeal.

The parallels are only a couple and that's a nice thing and keeps the set entertaining. When you are not stuck chasing after 10-15 versions of a card from one set, it keeps you expenses low and your interest high.

Some bothersome aspects do become glaringly obvious. For instance, including the rookies, there are 220 cards in this set. With only 96 cards possible out of a box on average and a few are parallels and an auto, that leaves around 90 base and rookies per box. So in order to complete the base set, I would have to get lucky in four boxes to do it. That means an investment of a couple hundred dollars for what is designed to be a "low-end" set. Only getting 1 auto (in most cases) and a couple of parallels does not justify the price tag.

There are no inserts in Chrome, so there's nothing else there to grab our attention other than a couple of cards bordered in a different color. It really does take away from the fun of looking at the cards when all of them are cookie cutters of one another.

At least when you open a box, you know you are going to get a rookie auto and that's a nice feature. However, in the case of the auto we pulled, the player is shown in the uniform of the team that drafted him, yet the team listed on the card is the one he plays for. Would it not be possible to go back and reshoot the photo with the correct uniform? If you have the time to change the name at the top of the card, getting a new photo should not be that difficult as well.

All in all, Topps Chrome is a nice addtion to run parallel with the base Topps set. The glossy look and the sharp colors are always nice to behold. Limiting the types of cards in the set makes most player collectors happy as the chase is not so hard. In the end, Topps Chrome is a simple product that collectors love to see every year.

Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors at Topps for providing us with this box and the opportunity to do this review.

[molly1984]

Nice review Tony, I agree about the auto, but maybe it's just too busy during the season for players to re-do their photo? who knows. But it would be nice. One thing I like about Topps Chrome is that there is more rookie coverage, this set has 40 rookies and the regular topps set has only 25, so that's a plus.

[gladdyontherise]

Solid Break!

[trevorp121]

Thanks Topps! Nice break tony.

[garnett_21]

Decent break and well-written review Tony. I agree about the price being a bit steep for only completing 40% of the set. But, getting a rookie auto is nice! Thanks Topps!

[lil5up3rman]

Nice break Tony not bad at all, again thank to Topps for another great break. Daniel

[RenegadeLonghorn]

Nice design on the Chrome as usual. I wish they would include an extra auto or more parallels/rookies at that price.

[JKC]

Very nice break and review, Tony. Thanks Topps!

Darin

[TheTGB]

They look great but I have to say the lack of inserts bothers me as a collector. Where is the variety? I know that's common in a lot of Topps products recently but I think an insert set or two would spice it up a little bit. Just change it up a little bit.

[theael]

Tough break,at least you pulled a Stoudemire for me lol...lmk about it