Wednesday, November 9, 2011

2011 Press Pass Legends Racing Trading Cards Box Break Recap and Review


Many products this year have used some form of the word “legend” in their name or insert sets, but none of them have come close to delivering legends as well as 2011 Press Pass Legends Racing.  It is a history lesson of racing in a box. Press Pass finishes 2011 strong with Legends Racing, an amazing set of cards.

We classify 2011 Press Pass Legends Racing as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 3 mini boxes.  Each mini box contains 6 – 5 card packs with one Autograph card and one Race-Used memorabilia card for a total of 6 hits per hobby box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

First from the base set

Legends Drivers
 Richard Petty, front and back

 Current Drivers
 Carl Edwards, front and back

 Trophy Room
 Bobby Allison, front and back

 Legendary Leaders
 Mario Andretti, front and back

 Inside Scoop
 Richard Petty

Numbered Parallels
 Davey Allison #/250, Don Carlits #/250

 David Pearson #/99, Ken Schrader #/250

 Jeff Gordon #/250, Danica Patrick #/250

 Dale Earnhardt Trophy Room #/99, Jeff Gordon Legendary Leaders #/250

Battle Scars Inside Scoop #/250

From the inserts

Motorsports Masters
 Richard Petty, David Pearson

 Dale Inman, Paul Goldsmith

 Richard Childress

Parallels
Paul Goldsmith #/199

Pacing The Field
 Ned Jarrett

 Dave Marcis

Dale Earnhardt

And the hits.

Lasting Legacies - Race Used Memorabilia
 Ricky Rudd Firesuit Patch #/25

 Bill Elliott Sheet Metal #/50

 Dale Eatnhardt Firesuit #/199

On-Card Autographs
 Denny Hamlin Current Drivers Auto #/50

 Ernie Irvan Legends Drivers Auto #/50

 John Force Motorsports Masters Auto #/96

Overall Look
The design team at Press Pass is normally good, but with Legends, they are great.  Checker boarding with a retro feel but modern appeal.  The photography selection is fantastic.  Insert cards are just as good.  This is a set you will keep coming back to look at time and time again.

Quality and Variety of Drivers and Subsets
Legends for sure, this is an amazing checklist with proven drivers and recognizable names.  Crossing all types of racing, this will appeal to a wide range of fans.

Do the Hits satisfy?
Not only do these hits satisfy, they exceed expectations.  We are so conditioned to expect a let down when a set boasts about the legends of the sports that are included.  But hit after hit here delivers.  When 4 out of your 6 hits are on NASCAR’s list of the top 50 drivers of all-time and the other 2 hits include a driver who almost won the Sprint Cup Series in 2010, finishing second overall and the number 2 ranked NHRA driver of all-time, one of the most dominate drag racers ever, you know you have a special release of cards on your hands.  And, as always, Press Pass autos are all on-card.

Will you keep coming back for more?
If you are a racing fan, you will buy as many boxes of Legends as your budget will allow.

Rating
5 out of 5

2011 Press Pass Legends Racing completely delivers.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

2011 Topps Chrome Football Box Break Recap and Review


This years regular Football card release by Topps was filled with great photography and design which has carry over to 2011 Topps Chrome Football.  Collectors of the base set will appreciate the shiny version.

Topps Chrome Football falls under our trading card category.  Each box contains 24 - 4 cards per packs with a promise of 1 chrome rookie autographed card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled from the box.

Base set
 Cam Newton, Front and Back

Base parallels

Refractors
 Matt Cassel, Ryan Torain

 Sam Bradford, Jabaal Sheard

 Jermichael Finley, Dontay Moch

 Dion Lewis, Jordan Todman

 Jordan Shipley Black Border #/299

 Braylon Edwards Atomic #/139

Christian Ponder Sepia #/99

Inserts

Finest Freshman
 Jake Locker, Greg Little

 Jamie Harper, Cam Newton

Rookie Recognition
 Jerrel Jernigan, Leonard Hankerson

Bowman Chrome
 Andy Dalton, Mark Ingram

Superlative Rookies Die-Cut
Stevan Ridley

The Hits
Edmond Gates Chrome Refractor On-Card Auto #/99

Randy Moss Superfractor 1/1

Overall Look
Just like the regular set this year, the design of the base set is attractive but it’s the photography that makes this set stand out.  The inserts and die cuts look great too.

Quality and Variety of Players and Subsets.
At 220 base cards the checklist probably could have been cut down a little to keep the quality at a premium but overall the list is very good.

Do the hits hold up?
Our auto was on-card.  There are some premium hits to be had here from the Rookie Class.  Hit a superfractor like we did and the auto will seem like a bonus.

Will you want to collect them all?
This set works well for set and rainbow collectors.  You’ll want them all and more.

Rating
 
4 out of 5

2011 Topps Chrome Football wraps up the rookie prospecting for the year nicely.