At this point in the game, Topps Chrome Football is almost as much of an institution as the regular Topps Football set. Collectors who prefer the Chrome look are a pretty loyal bunch, and Topps doesn't tinker with the formula for the set too much for 2008.
Hobby boxes of 2008 Topps Chrome Football come with 24 packs of four cards each. Expect to find one autographed rookie per box and a box topper pack with either a low-numbered parallel or an additional rookie autograph.
Base Cards and Parallels
If you're at all familiar with Chrome Football, you already know it's usually a jazzier riff on this season's Topps Football set. The big difference in 2008 is that Topps did a complete 180 with the borders, going from the white of the regular set to the black ones here. Which one looks better is a matter of personal taste, but the black seems like a better choice to show off the way the Chrome stock catches the light.
The base set is pared down from the standard Topps release but still manages to pack in veterans, Pro Bowl cards, 2007 season highlights and award winners into the first 165 cards. A full complement of 110 rookies rounds off the checklist, and rookie cards are seeded slightly higher than one per pack.
All Chrome products get Refractor parallels and this one is no exception. This season's mix includes regular Refractors, Copper (numbered to 425), Red (#'d to 25) and SuperFractors (1-of-1). All base cards can be found in all levels.
I opened a random box of Topps Chrome Football to review and found 39 of the 165 veterans, making it a bit more of a challenge to assemble a full set than regular Topps. Top names among the 28 rookies included Rashard Mendenhall, Felix Jones and Brian Brohm. I also pulled a total of eight regular and one Copper Refractor.
Autographed Cards
One of the perennial attractions of Chrome Football is autographed versions of the rookie cards, and one of these cards is once again found in every hobby box. Not all rookies signed for the set, but those who did include quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco and running backs Mendenhall, Jones and Darren McFadden.
Carrying the same numbering as their unsigned counterparts, the autographed cards are variations instead of true rookie cards, but that doesn't usually hurt their popularity. It's a little disappointing to see Topps use stickers for the signatures but the design makes them pretty unobtrusive. While the regular rookie autos are unnumbered, they can also be found in white-bordered versions numbered to 50.
A few other autographs also snuck into Topps Chrome. The 2008 Signature Series continues from other Topps football brands with 25 more players, and Tom Brady Tribute Autographs celebrate the New England QB's record-setting 2007 campaign with signed cards appropriately numbered to 50.
As expected, my sample box yielded a lone rookie autograph of quarterback Josh Johnson.
Insert Cards and Box Toppers
Regular insert cards are part of the product mix, though not a substantial part. For the most part, these are Chrome takes on the base brand's lineup of inserts, including Ring of Honor, Hall of Fame and the Brett Favre Collection.
The military tributes that are running through several football brands can also be found here. The NFL Honor Roll cards that highlight NFL players who served in the military look especially sharp on the Chrome stock. All told, I found 18 insert cards, or three in every four packs.
A box topper pack finishes off every hobby box with a specially encased parallel card. Base cards have Gold Refractors numbered to 50, while the autographed rookie variations are numbered to 10. The printing plates used to make the rookie autographs are also possible to find, signed and limited to one copy each.
My box topper was a Gold version of the Drew Brees League Leader card.
The Last Word
Chrome Football isn't broken, and Topps obviously feels no need to fix it. The rookie cards are some of the nicest "normal" first-year cards on the market (no autographs, jersey pieces, numbering, etc.), and Refractors always have their fans too.
It is worth noting that the standard Topps set got increased memorabilia and autographed content for 2008, while Chrome stands pat with a lone signature. That makes this set feel a little stagnant in comparison. It shouldn't matter too much, as Topps notes in the sell sheet that Chrome was its top performing football brand of 2007, and there's no reason to think it won't be in the running for that honor again this season.