I was not a fan of Topps Prime last year, as I didnt feel it was up to the level that it possibly could have been. The cards in the product just seemed like it was another excuse to have a hit per pack product, with little difference from others like it. When I saw the previews this year, I couldnt help but feel the same way. More booklets, more 2 dollar jersey cards, more of the same from last year. The idea of using a variety of rookie swatches other than jersey is actually a great idea, but the execution isnt at a high level in my opinion. Maybe the sell sheet isnt doing the product the justice it will eventually have, but the initial reports arent as good based on what is being posted.
Now that I see the first cards starting to hit eBay, the design looks to be an upgrade, but the format has proven to be just like expectations on the sell sheet. Although there is the potential for some nicer cards that do look superior to their 2010 counterparts, I just am not as excited about these as I have been for other Topps products this year. With Chrome now a month away, it doesnt seem like I want to empty my wallet for cards that will be far surpassed in a product coming soon.
We have not yet seen anything big hit ebay yet, but there has been a few nice autos that are up. I assume these cards are retail packs hitting target and wal-mart before the release date, and that we will start to see hobby hits on tuesday. Regardless, I have yet to see any reason why I should spend any money on Prime, especially with more of the combine photographs. At this point, we have had pre-season photos that have been available, and Panini has already made it public that they will be using the goods. I hope Topps follows suit.
The good thing is, the SP list from previous products looks to have a strong presence with what we are seeing. For collectors that havent been able to afford the top rookies, Prime should be your first chance to get a nice auto for your collection. The base autos look pretty nice, something that I wish was available last year. The base cards, with full game photos and all, are always left behind when it comes to auto parallels in a lot of products. Im glad they went this direction for 2011, as I really like the base card design.
Here is what is up so far:
Ray Lewis Quad Jersey Auto /100
Jake Locker Quad Jersey Auto /199