It's a little risky to build a football card set around one particular insert, but if it's unique and popular enough, it can be a worthwhile gamble. Topps' Co-Signers autographed cards fit the bill, and they appear in every box of the 2007 brand of the same name.
Each box of 2007 Topps Co-Signers Football holds 12 six-card packs, one of which will contain a dual-autographed card. Other highlights include three rookie cards numbered to 2249, ten parallel cards and one autographed rookie card variation per box on average.
Base Cards
Co-Signers kicks off with a small but diverse base set that spotlights a mix of veterans, retired players and 2007 rookies. The first 50 subjects are 35 current players and 15 legends, guys like Joe Montana, Jim Brown and Fred Biletnikoff.
The base card design is similar to the one used in the 2007 baseball brand, with a color photo of each player flanked by a black and white close-up of the same picture. A silver foil facsimile autograph appears toward the bottom, and silver foil bars at the top and bottom contain the player and team information.
Card backs feature a full-color shot of the photo on the front plus a few years of stats. The 50 rookie cards - falling three per box - are much the same, with only a Topps RC logo on the front and college stats on the back setting them apart.
With such a small set of commons, it would be disappointing not to find them all in one box. The sample box I opened came through with all 50 veteran/retired cards (plus seven duplicates) and exceeded expectations with four rookies, including Adrian Peterson.
Autographed Cards
The dual-signed cards in Co-Signers are certainly not unique, but they do have name recognition going for them as they appeared in other Topps brands in years past. This year's Co-Signers Autographs use signed stickers placed in recessed windows that make them look like cut signatures. It's a simple, effective design.
With 50 different combos on the 2007 checklist, the pairings range from amazing (Joe Namath/John Elway) to pedestrian (Yamon Figurs/Jacoby Jones). Topps does include a short write-up on the back of each card that explains what the two players have in common, which is a small but nice touch.
Each 24-box case will also produce one Rookie Co-Signers card , which is exactly like it sounds: a dual autographed card matching two 2007 rookies. Lucky collectors can also pull Tri-Signers Autographs that up the ante with three signatures.
Rounding out the autograph program are Rookie Auto Variations of 48 of the 50 rookies, falling one per box.
The About.com sample box yielded a Co-Signers Autographs card sure to please Cowboys fans thanks to signatures from Tony Romo and Isaiah Stanback. I also found a Rookie Auto Variation of Ravens return specialist Yamon Figurs.
Parallel Cards
The Changing Faces parallel cards in Co-Signers Football are unquestionably creative. They can also be confusing, since each player has two different versions that replace the ghost image on the front with a picture of a teammate or player at the same position - and then each of those versions has nine different levels, each with its own numbering and foil treatment.
That's a whopping 18 counterparts for each base card, which is enough to make any collector's head spin. The print runs also don't differ much between some of the levels, leading to very little difference in value. One plus is that the checklist Topps inserts in each box helps explain the system, listing the two combinations for each player.
My review box held the expected 10 parallels, with print runs ranging from 349 to 50 copies. Of special note was a Hyper Gold Red Adrian Peterson/Sidney Rice numbered 01/50.
The Last Word
For autograph collectors, Co-Signers definitely delivers the goods. Plenty of other brands have dual autographs, but not many seed them one per box, and the 2007 checklist is very solid.
The rest of the elements aren't quite as exciting, as the rookies have higher print runs than in other similarly priced brands and the parallels can be a bit bewildering. That shouldn't dissuade many collectors from chasing the autographs, and the hunt should be equally fun by the box or by the pack.