On the Radar: 2015 Topps Chrome Football

I am sad. I am sad because this will be the last time I get to talk about a Topps Chrome football preview.

With Panini taking over the NFL license next year, Topps Chrome will likely unable to be made in the same capacity as it will be this year, thus forcing 2015 to be the brand’s farewell tour. Chrome has always been a product I go nuts over more than any other product, save Five Star maybe, and its frustrating that it will be gone next year. Exclusives fucking blow, and now my favorite set of the year will be a casualty of that new deal. Wonderful.

Knowing that this is such a cheap break, its insane what comes out of the boxes:

2014 Topps Chrome Odell Beckham Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Kelvin Benjamin Auto Superfractor 1/1

2014 Topps Chrome Peyton Manning Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

2014 Topps Chrome Teddy Bridgewater Black Refractor Auto BGS 10

2014 Topps Chrome Andrew Luck Base Auto Variation SSP BGS 9.5

I think that this version of Topps Chrome is going to have a lot of questions, mainly stemming from the wax breaking train wreck of 2014’s edition. Because of a massively inflated production run, Chrome’s box breaks suffered to the Nth degree. It was close to impossible to pull anything of worth, and even harder to pull one of the better cards in the product. Although Topps Chrome Mini was significantly better in almost every way, it wont curb the collectors from questioning their stance on the product. It could have a lasting effect, as no one will want to buy in until they see the checklist and the odds, and I can guarantee that it may impact how 2015 Chrome goes into play.

Now, Chrome is still the undisputed king of football cards, regardless of wax issues in 2014, but at the same time, the cards could be the coolest design ever and it wouldnt matter. Wax breaks are just as important to the people that break this product, almost above and beyond design. Last year's product looked amazing, but because of how bad it performed on the breaks, the whole thing came apart at the seems. This year, I would have to guess we will get a run somewhere in between where it was last year and where it was in years prior. I dont think Topps wants to sit on closeout product from their last year in the game.

This could also serve as an opportunity to produce a larger veteran and retired autograph checklist, as they will want to clean out the stickers in the warehouse. Vet autographs have been a valuable part of the set over the last two years, and I would be interested to see how they play it out. This can be both good and bad, as a sticker dump may not be the best situation for a product with a knack for low performance in the box format. It could also be a cool way to finish out the run with some top autographs.

Either way, I love the 2015 design, and I love the way it looks to transfer to Chrome. The autographs will look stunning, as they always do, and the inserts look great too. I love the 1976 throwback cards, and to see the added content is pretty damn cool. There is a lot of dreariness and downtrodden feelings floating around football right now, as I dont see many people happy that Panini is going to be the only game in town. Seeing cards like this really does provide a momentary relief from that impending doom, but its just that – momentary.

Panini is going to fuck up the football hobby like never before, thanks to a number different reasons, and to see Topps and sets like Chrome disappear is nothing but disappointing. You hate to lose that history, and you hate to lose what Chrome brings to the table. Its not every day that one of cheapest boxes of the year delivers the top chase card of the year, and Panini still hasnt figured out how to make a similar concept work. The Superfractors are the cards that all the big buyers want, and pay more than Treasures and Flawless, sometimes combined. All of it will be gone in 2016, and that should be a testimony that things arent going in the right direction.

Its going to be a bitter goodbye for Chrome, and yet I still cant wait for it to come out.

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