First Look: 2009 Topps Chrome Football


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Topps Chrome, the last existing Topps set I even consider purchasing has release sell sheet info. After last years worthless calendar of products like Lettermen and Triple Suck, I have lost complete faith in anything with a Topps brand name on it. When the sell sheet was posted on FCB, I took a long hard look, and was hopeful for the first time in a while. I think the cards have the possibility to look great, a huge improvement over 2008. 2007 was still the best in recent memory, but if these turn out as good as they look on the sell sheet, it could come close. Last year, the price was lowered as well, which made this product affordable again, and I bought my fair share. If that continues, I will continue to buy, much like the rest of the poor people like me.

On to more important things, mainly, if the Rookie Autos are on card autographs, I may poop myself. I have been waiting for on card chrome autos for so long that it hurts. If Topps were smart, they would get these on card, because the curved auto space will be AWFUL with a huge straight foil sticker. Think about how that will look, the corners protruding out into the player picture. Gross. Maybe we will get lucky and Topps will actually do something right for once. I know, not likely.

Also, the RC Patch autos are back too, and out of 25 as they were last year. I found this completely unnecessary, but people seemed to like them. In a product like this, pulling one of those is like pulling a 1/1 out of base Topps, but it is worth mentioning.

(Just in case you were wondering, the cards pictured here are mock-ups, airbrushed pictures, and OTA pictures. These are not the actual pics from the product.)

Topps Continues To Suck At Just About Everything

Well, Topps is closing the doors on its basketball division, and here is one of those shitty ass things that will happen along the way. See, in case you forgot, Topps went and produced a product that raided their stores of Basketball stickers, and called it signature editon. It was basically a poorly thrown together product, solely to use up all the extra stickers before they lose the license. Of course, this left a lot of cards without the proper supplies to be made. On top of all that, if they didn’t have the stuff back from the athletes, they werent going to try and fufill it, and here is the result.

I have gotten about 3 emails in the last 24 hours from people who have outstanding Topps B-ball redemptions. All have been cancelled. Instead you will receive a replacement from the underwhelming Topps product mentioned above, where your card will most likely be a crap auto numbered to 15,000. Im sorry, but if you put out the commitment to help your customers before you lost the license, it is STILL your responsibility to fufill it. You do not get a free pass because you have given up on your basketball division.

For all of you who have Topps stuff, and also those of you who broke the golden rule of purchasing Topps products that cost more than 100 dollars, please be sure to let me know what you get as your replacement. If you end up with a JameSon Curry signature edition numbered to eleventy billion, I want to hear your horror story (for the record, that name is not a typo, he actually has a fucking captial letter halfway through his name for no reason).

Nice job Topps, glad to see that customer service is not your focus.

H/T Matt, Jerry, Shawn