SCF Official Review: 2009 Topps Unique

[Enigma]

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



24 packs per box
7 cards per pack
Current Retail Price: 104.99 - 114.99 (online)

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS:

BASE CARDS (200) - 6 PER PACK!
Rookies (50) 1:2 packs
Veterans (150)

BASE PARALLEL CARDS (800 card variations) - 1 PER PACK!
Unique (200) #'d 1/1
Reserve (200) #'d to 25
Select (200) #'d to 99
Premier (200) #'d

INSERT CARDS (200 card variations) - 10 PER BOX!
Unique Unis (20)
Unparallelled Performances (20)
Alone at the Top (10)

Insert Parallel Cards
Unique (50) #'d 1/1
Reserve (50) #'d to 25
Select (50) #'d to 99

PATCH/JUMBO RELIC CARDS (192) - 1 PER BOX!
Primetime Patches (155) #'d to 99 or less
Jumbo Relics (37) #'d to 40 or less

AUTOGRAPH CARDS (731) - 1 PER BOX!
Gamebreaker Autographs (26)
Dynamic Dual Autographs (10) #'d to 25
Triple Threat Autographs (10) #'d to 10

AUTOGRAPH RELIC CARDS
Gamebreaker Autograph Relics (10) #'d to 25
Dynamic Dual Autograph Relics (10) #'d to 10
Triple Threat Autographs Relics (10) #'d to 5
Jumbo Autograph Relics (24) #'d to 10

UNIQUE AUTOGRAPH RELIC CARDS - 1 UNIQUE AUTOGRAPH RELIC or RELIC CARD PER 10-COUNT CASE!
NFL Autograph Crest (237) #'d 1/1
Reebok Logo Autograph (235) #'d 1/1
Size Tag Autographs (159) #'d 1/1

RELIC CARDS (808) - 1 PER BOX!
Gamebreaker Relics (25) #'d to 315 or less
Dynamic Dual Relics (25) #'d to 99 or less
Triple Threat Relics (28) #'d to 25

UNIQUE RELIC CARDS - 1 UNIQUE RELIC or AUTOGRAPH RELIC CARD PER 10-COUNT CASE!
Jersey Letter Relics (521) #'d 1/1
NFL Crest Relic (80) #'d 1/1
Authentic Tag Relic (103) #'d 1/1
Size Tag Relic (26) #'d 1/1

WHAT WE PULLED



Base: 113/200 (56.5%)
Dupes: 1
Parallel /1829 (12): Dustin Keller, Donnie Avery, Chester Taylor, Trent Edwards, Brandon Jacobs, Greg Jennings, Thomas Jones, Darren McFadden, Hines Ward, Josh Freeman, Mike Thomas, Sammie Stroughter
Premier /799 (21): Darren Sharper, Patrick Willis, Chris Cooley, Matt Forte, Patrick Crayton, Steve Breaston, Chris Chambers, Darrelle Revis, Chaz Schilens, Tim Hightower, Santonio Holmes, Brian Westbrook, Reggie Bush, Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson, Kenny Britt, Mike Wallace, Stephen McGee, Jeremy Maclin
Select /99 (3): Steve Breaston, Maurice Jones-Drew, Santana Moss



Alone At The Top (2)
Unparalleled Performances (4)
Unparalleled Performances Select /99 (1): DeAngelo Williams
Unique Unis (4)



Game Breakers Johnny Knox Auto /750
Game Breakers Frank Gore Jersey /199
Jason Smith Jumbo Relic 3-color Patch /10



FINAL RATINGS

Base - 3.5/5
Design - 3/5
Fun - 4/5
Value - 5/5
Rebuy - 4/5

Total - 19.5/25 (78%)

This is the first year for Unique from Topps as there's an effort on companies to produce new products to capture the collectors. The base set is 200 cards made up of 150 veterans and 50 rookies. The cards are placed on a pigskin-style background with the player's photo offset from the center. There are a couple of parallels numbering from 1829 or less.

There are three insert sets: Alone At The Top, Unparalleled Performances and Unique Unis. Alone At The Top features players who were the top statisically at their position last season. Unparalleled Performances focuses on spectacular individual performances from the previous season. Uniquie Unis showcases former/throwback uniforms through the years of various teams. Each one has parallels numbered to 99 or less.

On average, there are two relics and one auto per box. There are various relic and auto sets in this release. Some of the more common are the Game Breakers, Dynamic Dual and Triple Threat relic and auto sets. The highlight would be the 1/1 case hits.

As previously mentioned, Topps Unique is a new product. You can expect to complete a little over 50% of the base set (including rookies). The design needs some work though. For instance, the last name for all the Jets players is unreadable unless you turn the card at an angle. Also, the player's last name on all cards is written on the pigskin, but you have to turn the card as well to have any chance of reading it.

Between the parallels, relics and autos, there's a lot to be found in Unique. When you add in the inserts, there's around 50 chase cards per box, with 75% of them being numbered. That creates a lot of enjoyment in each pack as you get some bang for the buck. The price tag is a bit steep for those wanting multiple boxes, but it can be very rewarding for those parlaying into the secondary market.

Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors for giving us the opportunity to open and review this release. For information on their products, you can check them out at www.topps.com.

[CHillyDoggy]

Not a big fan of the base design but the low numbered nice patch type hits in this product are really nice from what I've seen, like the Smith in this break.

[#50 Tyler Hansbrough]

good break.. that Smith Patch is sick and low #'d. thanks Topps