Topps Precision, the second to last product from Topps this year, hit stores today to much anticipation. After busting a few boxes myself, and seeing what the product has to offer, I think it definitely succeeds in a lot of ways I don’t think a product like this has ever succeeded. Don’t get me wrong, it has drawbacks like any product at this price point, but the success of the design and theme should provide some great singles to chase.

In my two boxes, I didn’t have much luck, but I definitely believe that the cards were high above the quality we saw in any of Panini’s offerings this year. The stock is similar to Inception, and the on card autographs that are paired with game photos look incredible. They made good use of the Gaussian blur on photoshop, and I think the results speak for themselves. The players have absolutely enormous spaces to sign, and the huge autographs are really cool.

The patch and jersey autograph cards succeed where Inception’s failed, as the border has been ditched around the sticker. As a result, the card looks much more complete and visually appealing, especially with a stark white background to the card. There are also a lot of multi-signed cards and books (as usual), and for the most part, it’s a great idea to add more of these types of cards to supplement the huge price point.

I kind of feel like Bowman Sterling and Topps Inception got drunk and hooked up, and this is the result of the night of passionate love making. Sterling has a ridiculous price per pack for sticker autographs, and this product builds on that part of it with more hard signed signatures. Inception was void of veteran autograph content, and had some issues with checklist, but Precision is a huge improvement for 70 extra dollars per box. Not only will you get 3 autos and an auto relic, but you will also get at least one hard signed card.

The signed veteran base cards are pretty impressive looking for stickers, but it is truly unfortunate that this could not function more like SP Authentic of 2009 and previous. The cards would rival content like we saw in Upper Deck’s last licensed run through the calendar, and I am wholly disappointed it didn’t happen.

Here are some of the big hits so far:

Jake Locker 1/1 Auto Patch RC

Cam Newton Gold Ink Auto RC /50
Andy Dalton On Card Red Ink Auto /75

Drew Brees, Colston, Mark Ingram Triple Auto

Eric Dickerson Base Auto – Definitely a welcome return for Dickerson.

Jimmy Graham Base Auto – About time Graham got a good looking auto like this.

For what this box costs, there is definitely a lot to expect, most of which it will deliver. With pack price delivering a guaranteed auto, I think there is good reason to try at least one or two. Like Tier One in baseball, the format may be prohibitive to buy a whole bunch of packs, so it may be just as good wait for singles. I was definitely impressed with the look of the cards, even though my boxes were lackluster in terms of players.

I will definitely be waiting for more to be posted to start buying, however. Without a doubt, it will soften the fix I need before Five Star hits in late February.