Five Star is here and I could not be more excited. Not only does the product look incredible as always, but the signatures we have all been craving are starting to look better than ever. Topps had to have known this was going to be difficult with the rookie class lagging behind, but so far, we are seeing things in Five Star that make the wait worthwhile.

2014 Topps Five Star LeSean McCoy Auto Patch

2014 Topps Five Star Marshall Faulk Auto Logo Patch

2014 Topps Five Star Drew Brees Auto Logo Patch

2014 Topps Five Star Eli Manning Auto Triple Book 1/1

2014 Topps Five Star Geno Smith / EJ Manuel Dual Auto

My favorite cards in the product are easily the inscription cards, and though only a few have popped up, the design is really cool. As we have seen in previous years, Topps’ main goal is to provide a huge area for the signature and inscription, while not forcing their design team to put out a blank card. They did a great job this year.

The veteran and rookie auto patch cards look absolutely awesome, especially with the swooping lines and foil embellished elements on the card. Although I think the vet autos have a larger appeal because the player isn’t covered up by the signature area, both are the best looking of the sort for the whole season.

Topps really deserves a ton of credit, as I have seen 5-7 examples already of live autographs where Panini was forced to use redemptions. Its one thing to get HOF and Retired to sign your cards, as the schedule during the year isn’t as intense for them. To come through with guys like Brees, Peterson, AJ Green and Others is a big deal these days, no doubt about it. It really makes you wonder why Panini instituted their program the way they did, as its clear that Topps has their shit together when it comes to Five Star. Treasures, not as much.

Here is the bottom line, and I say it every freaking time. As collectors, we need to support this product like nothing else. Having on card autographs for an entire product is done once a year, and as much as people complain, we don’t show why this is something we care about when it does happen. Go put some bids on the cards, buy into some breaks, do anything you can to make Five Star your favorite product this year. We need more hard signed cards, and this is the best there is. Topps needs to hear your call to action, and they need to hear it loud and clear – CONTENT DELIVERED IN FIVE STAR NEEDS A PLACE IN MORE PRODUCTS.

If we take an apathetic approach, we lose the right to complain as loudly as we could. Its easy to dismiss the complaints when we don’t support the successes that are presented to the community. Five Star is a success, and it is up to everyone to display why we feel it needs to be done more often.

As an autograph collector, this is my biggest day of the year. I cannot even tell you how sad I am that I have to wait until April 30th for that to happen. Standards have been lowered, but Five Star is still the pinnacle. Not only does it look about as High End as it gets, but it exemplifies everything we want. Treasures may have elements of that, but it is FAR from what we get each year from Topps. Stickers do not belong in a hobby like this, and that’s a fact. Lets show them how loud we can be.