Favre's Last Stand?
Written: Jul 10 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A solid collection with some good inserts
Cons: Other cards are overproduced and superfluous
The Bottom Line: Topps can do better than average, yet they settle for just that.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Topps Football Cards 2008 |
In a sports segment on his show, comedian Stephen Colbert noted that Brett Favre retirement season has now lasted longer than the XFL. After both the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Favre announced he was retiring. In the summer of 2008, however, Favre longed to rejoin the Green Bay Packers, where he had spent sixteen memorable seasons. The Packers, meanwhile, had already prepared themselves for a life after Favre. After many days of debate about Favre's 2008 plans, the Packers dealt Favre to the New York Jets.
Shortly before the trade, however, Topps issued its base brand set, with pack wrappers that featured Packer Favre. In a set that was already full of Favre cards, Topps added two more cards to the factory set releases that reflected the trade. Around the time of the factory set releases, Topps also released team factory set, which included and updated Favre card in the Jets set. Besides the factory sets, Topps offered the cards in 10-card packs for $2 (some Wal-Mart packs had 12 cards for the same price), 36-card value packs for $5, and 46-card jumbo packs for $10-12.
As they did in both 2006 and 2007, Topps spread the basic set cards and their related inserts in a number of places. The basic set had 440 cards filled with veterans, rookies, and highlight cards. In addition, Topps made six different factory sets with the basic set plus five rookie exclusive cards. One general factory set was made, as well as one made for Target stores. Team factory sets were made for the Giants, Patriots, Packers, and Cowboys, where the five bonus cards consisted entirely of rookie players from that team. Giants receiver D.J. Hall was in both the Giants and the Target sets. The card, in both sets, was numbered 3 of 5. The difference lies in the text of each card. In the Giants set, Topps talks about how Hall impressed in New York's mini-camp. In the Target set, Topps starts by talking about his high school days in Florida (Hall ended the 2008 season on the Raiders practice squad). In addition, Topps replaced the Packers Favre basic set card (#34) with a card picturing Favre in a computer-created Jets uniform. Twelve-card team sets were made for each of the 32 NFL teams. The difference between the team cards and the others is that the team cards are black bordered, while the others were white bordered.
Other variations were created in the basic set offerings, all of which are of limited availability (one variation per 12,000) packs. Before he officially ended his retirement, Topps made two other #34 cards that honored his tenure with Green Bay. One shows him quarterbacking, with the spirit of Vince Lombardi watching him. The other shows Favre puttering around Lambeau Field on a lawn tractor. A Jets variation of the lawn tractor was also made, with a serial-numbered print run of 500. In addition to the Favre variations, Topps made variations of five rookies where they are not wearing their helmets. The five are Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (#331), Packers quarterback Brian Brohm (#332), Raiders running back Darren McFadden (#346), Steelers halfback Rashard Mendenhall (#347), and Panthers rusher Jonathan Stewart (#348). The cards with the leading value among readily available basic set cards, according to the July 2009 issue of "Beckett Sports Card Monthly," are the Jets Favre card ($12) and the helmeted Ryan card ($6). The variations range in value from $50 to $300.
The basic set also has a couple of noteworthy uncorrected errors. The player pictured on card #116 is not Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis. The jersey numbers are, for the most part, obstructed, so I can't judge identity by that criterion. If it is one of Curtis's fellow wide receivers, the most likely candidates are Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown. A second mistake was on the cards of Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (#209 in the basic set and #OTG-JAL in the Own The Game inserts). Allen, who was traded from the Chiefs to the Vikings in 2008, is shown wearing jersey #89, even though he has worn #69 in both Kansas City and Minnesota. No full-time defender, in fact, as worn a jersey number in the eighties since Julius Adams retired from the Patriots in 1987, as NFL numbering rules established in 1973 assigned those numbers to incoming wide receivers and tight ends only. Also, Topps put the same back on the card of Steelers wideout Limas Sweed (#365) as they did on the card of Seahawks rookie Justin Forsett (#362). Collectors have to look at the card front to determine whether they have Sweed or Forsett. Sweed's rookie card was never updated to include his personal information.
The insert cards are quite numerous, thanks to a collection of 242 inserts which fetes every touchdown pass Favre threw, starting with #201 and ending with #442 (The first 200 of the collection were issued in 2007). The inserts, which are also called chase cards, would lead insert collectors to Wal-Mart, Target, and to hobby stores. Besides the Favre inserts, other themes that returned from the 2007 offering include a 30-card Own The Game set, highlighting the best performers in the 2007 NFL season, the Hall Of Fame set, which honors the incoming class of inductees, and the Red Hot Rookies, a 15-card set found in Wal-Mart packs that says more about some of the top draft selections. The continuing Ring Of Honor set, begun in 2002, added Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning in 2008. Parallel cards also return, with gold foil variations being the most readily available. Gold and black bordered cards return, with serial numbers stamped on each card. A one-of-one platinum parallel also returns. The packs also include four checklist cards, while hobby boxes also include a checklist sheet and a sticker for boxing the 2008 cards.
The Turn Back The Clock cards, which were a hobby store promotional exclusive from 2005-07, made a pack debut of sorts in 2008. The 2008 TBTC set grew to 40 cards in 2008, up from 22 in the previous three years. The stores still had 22 of the cards, but the other 18 were in the packs. Other insert themes debuted in 2008. The Target exclusive inserts were a 16-card set that looked at the career highlights of Patriots star Tom Brady. A 38-card NFL Dynasties set honored payers on the teams that dominated the Super Bowls during the 1970s (Steelers), 1980s (49ers), 1990s (Cowboys) and 2000s (Patriots). Two other insert sets have military themes. Eleven enlisted men were included in the Fans Of The Game set, and name the teams that these men follow. An NFL Honor Roll set commemorates nine NFL players who served their country. The packs also have a number of autograph and relic memorabilia inserts.
The set is a mixed bag for a number of reasons. First, Topps makes collectors jump through too many hoops to get their base brand cards. I don't mind Target and Wal-Mart exclusives, but six different factory sets and a team set for each franchise redefines the meaning of superfluous. If Topps can expend so much time and effort to flood the market with product, they can make the factory set exclusive cards a part of the regular pack offerings. I'm just as thrilled to get factory cards like Orlando Scandrick of the Cowboys and Ryan Torain of the Broncos as I was getting any of the pack cards. I also think the military sets got shortchanged, especially the Honor Roll. It wouldn't have hurt to include more fans, and I wish Topps would have honored players who gave their lives for their country, like Al Blozis of the Giants (World War II), Bob Kalsu of the Bills (Vietnam), and Pat Tillman of the Cardinals (Afghanistan). Also, Topps make it hard for collectors to tell the difference between a basic set card, which stamps the names of the players in silver foil, and its gold foil parallel. It is sometimes hard to tell one from the other when the light shines a certain way on the cards.
The altered photography of traded and free agent players continues to be a joke. In addition to the Favre and Allen cards, Topps also did a disservice to the cards of Vikings wideout Bernard Berrian (#141) and Eagles defensive back Asante Samuel (#250). The jerseys look too neat, and thus look phony. These cards, thankfully, the exception to the rule. The basic cards are handsome and informative, with good player shots and a good incorporation of team colors on both front and back. My favorite shots include the one of Buccaneers receiver Joey Galloway (#118), making a reception with a defender draped around his waist, and Colts defensive back Bob Sanders (#263), bending his knees and getting low in preparation to make a tackle. In addition to the military sets, I also like the old fashioned designs of the Turn Back The Clock set, which resemble the design of the 1959 Topps gridiron offerings, and the Red Hot Rookies, which have black and white shots and resemble the Mayo cards of the late nineteenth century.
Brett Favre has twice said that he is through as a player. At this point in time, he seems to have spoken too soon once again. as the Vikings are taking a look at this future Hall Of Famer, who was released by the Jets in April. Even though it is unlikely that Favre will repeat as a Topps spokesman, I think it might be funny to have Favre on their 2009 wrappers, clad in a computer-created uniform with the Topps name and logo on it so that they will correctly identify his association with at least one place. Topps is a brand of football cards I will continue to buy because it delivers a good offering year after year. It is well past time, however, for the company to rethink certain strategies. Topps should make football card collecting a challenge, but that challenge should not include making certain players hard to get, no matter how obscure they are. If I had been skilled enough to be included on a sports card, I'd want fans to be able to find it without much difficulty. Instead, Topps overproduces some cards, and doesn't do right by others they have elected to include.
Thank you Abraham (openroad), for adding these cards to the database for me.
Recommended:
Yes
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pmills1210
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Member: Pat Mills
Location: East Chicago, In.
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"Nothing in moderation." - Ernie Kovacs. Read and enjoy!
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