I picked up two boxes of 2023 Topps Composite Hobby Box from Fanatics for $289.99/box since Topps has been out of the football scene for awhile and it’s mostly been Panini.
Opening the packs was pretty fun and super nostalgic. If you’re unaware, Topps Composite includes multiples variations of Topps sets, but the caveat is that they are unable to use NFL team names and current players except for a few rookies. In this case, the four rookies were Will Levis, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson and C.J. Stroud. The chase card is the C.J. Stroud autograph as he appears to be the best QB of this class.
Thoughts on the Box
- I am a sucker for past players, especially in the early 2000s to 2010s. This is my “Golden” Era of football players and when I was the most engaged in football.
- Not having the names kinda sucks. I would much prefer that they had the team names on the jerseys.
- Not too upset about not getting current players because honestly the way sports cards work, I don’t see them having much value anyhow.
- I do really like the Chrome Black set. IF they do come out with this set for the NFL, I’m going to have to strongly consider getting some.
- My pull rates suck! Got a lot of nice cards but no low hits worth anything of significant value I don’t believe.
- Leaving box #2 sealed and unopened. Because these are mostly veterans, the payoff would have to be the rookie autograph card I pulled (Will Levis) and him having a great career. So rather than expect to hit on a card, I can certainly make my money back by just holding onto the sealed box. As of today (9/23/2024) the box is reselling for around $439.99 so even just selling it as is, I’d be making my money back plus some. Whereas if I tried selling the cards individually, I probably wouldn’t make the money back.
Top Hits From Box Opening
- Barry Sanders 1/5
- Dante Hall 53/99
- Will Levis Autograph 39/175
Watch the video for the entire box opening and if you’re interested in any card please reach out to me in the comments.
Final Thoughts
Football card releases are weird! It is a bit odd that football cards don’t release until almost a full calendar year after their rookie season is over. For example, Panini Prizm doesn’t come out until around Jan/February when the season is already over. At that point in time the season is already over and everyone has moved onto the NFL Draft. So I can’t even get a 2024 NFL football set and it’s already week 3 of the 2024 NFL Season. By the time Panini Prizm or Select launch for 2024 the season will most likely be 3/4 or completely over. This is also true for this Topps Composite Hobby Box. I would have much preferred to have it be the 2024 NFL class. This would make it more interesting to see whether people would buy high or sell low since they don’t already have a general idea of how the guy is going to play in the NFL.
However, I would say, it probably has been like this for a long time and I’m only starting to get back into the Football card collecting. I’m not planning on investing too heavily into football cards because historically, it’s been Rookie QB auto or bust. Even great/hall of fame position players don’t really drive the same value a QB could generate. Whereas, in baseball you just have a lot more opportunities. Same with Pokemon cards, which are also very consistent and do not have a lot of fluctuations. If you’re into collecting your favorite veteran’s from your childhood, this is definitely a can’t miss. But if you’re not too big on nostalgia and just looking to turn a profit, I’d wait and get another set like Panini Select, Panini Prizm or Contenders for better long term investment. Those tend to carry a little stronger value and have a strong following of collectors.
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