Sometimes simplicity can be a refreshing change. In some previous years, Topps Chrome Football aspired to make Chrome versions of everything - base cards, inserts and memorabilia cards - plus extra rookies that weren't in the regular Topps set. For 2007, Chrome Football is a slimmed-down take on the base brand, putting the spotlight on the NFL's rookies, stars and the Chrome technology itself.
Hobby boxes of 2007 Topps Chrome Football contain 24 packs of four cards each. Rookie cards fall at a rate of 1:2 packs, and each box contains one rookie autograph on average.
Base Cards and Parallels
Sharing the same base card design as 2007 Topps Football isn't a bad way to kick off 2007 Topps Chrome, but the black-bordered photos don't seem to pop out at the viewer as much as in some previous years. As noted in the introduction, Chrome limits the veterans to only 165 cards, making compilation of the whole base set a bit more realistic. My review box contained 59 veterans with no duplicates.
Topps brings back the same 110 rookies who made their way into its base football brand, seeding them 1:2 packs. That feels about right, as Chrome rookie cards traditionally don't command top dollar but do hold their value well over time. I found the expected 12 rookies, including Adrian Peterson, Dwayne Jarrett and Kevin Kolb.
Refractor parallels are a Chrome staple, but Topps made a wise decision not to go crazy with them in 2007. All of the veterans and rookies can be found in just two levels: unnumbered regular Refractors and White Refractors numbered to 869.
The Refractors in the About.com sample box combined to fall one in every other pack, with a total of eight standard Refractors (five veterans, three rookies) and four White Refractors (three veterans, one rookie).
Autographed Cards
Slightly less than half of the rookies in 2007 Topps Chrome can also be found on autographed variations of their standard cards, plus White Refractor versions of just 50 copies each. The cards use signed stickers like so many current sports card products, but they are transparent and are incorporated pretty effectively into the design, as you can see from the Sidney Rice I pulled.
While most collectors will find a rookie autograph, a few other signed inserts are also in the mix. The 2007 Signature Series continues from other Topps football products with a roster of 25 current and former NFL stars. Chrome also pays tribute to LaDainian Tomlinson's magnificent 2006 season with an autographed variation of his card for each of his 31 total touchdowns. Only the very fortunate will find one though, as they're all unique one-of-one's.
Insert Cards and Box Toppers
Three of the insert sets from 2007 Topps Football are repeated in Chrome. Running Back Royalty compares Tomlinson to ten of the greatest backs of all time, and the Brett Favre Collection highlights the first 200 of the gunslinger's career TD passes with one card each. Topps' long-running Ring of Honor series adds a card for last season's Super Bowl MVP, Peyton Manning.
The LT Variation insert is unique to Topps Chrome, but it's nothing special as it puts a silver border around Tomlinson's base card photo and adds a number for one of 2006 touchdowns. It would have been nice if the cards differed from each other in some way, like featuring an actual photo of the touchdown in question.
All of the insert cards have the two Refractor levels, with normal Refractors numbered to 199 and White Refractors numbered to 100. I found 12 inserts in all: six Brett Favre Collection (and one Refractor), two RB Royalty, two LT variations and the lone Ring of Honor card.
Each hobby box of Topps Chrome also serves up a box topper pack which could hold a number of extras. Though most will yield a Red Refractor of one of the base cards, the pack could hold a Gold Super-Fractor of one of the rookie autographs (#'d to 10), or a Super-Fractor parallel or printing plate of one of the base cards (all limited to a single copy). My held a Red Refractor of Tennessee Titans rookie back Chris Henry, and while Topps' advance materials suggested it would have a print run of ten copies, the card is numbered 002/139.
The Last Word
There's little doubt Topps Chrome benefits from its more focused game plan in 2007. The extra inserts and memorabilia cards aren't missed, and the additional rookies from some past years were largely fringe prospects anyway. One does wonder if a single unnumbered rookie autograph, which is a feature of numerous 2007 football products, is enough of a hook to command the interest of hobbyists beyond those who just love Chrome sets.
That question makes this season's release a solid value rather than an exceptional one, but collectors who enjoy the brand's tradition and look should be satisfied with it again in 2007.
