Topps Football is a true hobby staple, and it would be easy for its manufacturer to coast on its name recognition. It's to Topps' credit that it continues to try to improve its base football brand, and the 2008 edition looks to continue that trend with more cards per pack and a guaranteed relic (or memorabilia card) or autograph in each hobby box.
Hobby boxes of 2008 Topps Football pack out with 36 10-card packs per box and the aforementioned hit in every box. Jumbo boxes get 10 47-card packs once again, but offer two autographs per box.
Base Cards and Parallels
The 440-card base set shares a design with 2008 Topps Baseball, and while it would be nice to see the football set branch out on its own, Topps seems pretty comfortable doing things this way for the time being. White borders give a clean look, with team colored circles at the top that emphasize the team name and give the cards a retro feel without copying any specific past set.
Player selection is a little more diverse than in many products thanks to the large set size, and Topps does a nice job with digital trickery to put many players who changed places in the offseason into their new uniforms. The full color card backs are excellent as usual, with full career statistics and write-ups if room permits.
Along with 285 veterans and 110 rookies - in their NFL uniforms - the set is rounded off with cards of League Leaders, Pro Bowlers and 2007 Highlights. There are also cards to commemorate the 2007 NFL MVP (Tom Brady) and Rookies of the Year (Adrian Peterson and Patrick Willis).
Parallels are kept to a fairly sane level with gold foil versions falling 1:2 packs and several mirror variations with different colored borders: Gold (#'d to 2008), Black (#'d to 53) and Platinum (1-of-1).
The random hobby box I opened for this review yielded 296 of 440 base cards, along with 18 gold foil parallels, five Gold and one Black.
Relic Cards and Autographs
Collectors who specialize in autographs and memorabilia cards aren't going to all of a sudden come flocking to Topps Football, but the addition of one hit in every box is a nice bonus for everyone else. As in previous seasons, Topps makes good use of its exclusive relationships with the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl to put together many of the relic cards in the 2008 set. Other game-used cards include League Leader relics and Topps Performance Highlights, which focus on top performers from 2007.
On the autograph front, the 2008 Signature Series continues into this set with 25 NFL stars signing ten cards each. Other highlights include Hall of Fame Autographs from the Class of 2008 and Super Bowl MVP Game Ball Cards which place Eli Manning's signature on a piece of game-used football from Super Bowl XLII.
The ever popular (but very scarce) NFL Rookie Premiere Autographs also return, with single, dual and quad versions available. Red ink versions are also out there in very limited quantities.
I found one relic in my sample box, the All-Pro Relics Reggie Wayne pictured here.
Insert Cards
Topps Football always packs in a wide assortment of insert cards, and that's definitely the case once again this season. There's an extra card per pack to accommodate even more, but I only pulled 37 inserts in my sample box compared to 30 in 2007, so collectors who are only interested in building the set shouldn't despair - some of the extra cards are base cards too.
Dependable Own the Game returns to spotlight some of the NFL's best, and the Brett Favre Collection continues to document each one of his career TD passes. New for 2008 are NFL Dynasties Tribute cards, which feature players from the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers, 1980's San Francisco 49ers, 1990's Dallas Cowboys and 2000's New England Patriots and also come in memorabilia and autographed versions.
Eli Manning gets a Ring of Honor card as the most recent Super Bowl MVP, and the newest Hall of Fame inductees get their own cards. Though unlisted on the set's checklists, there are also Turn Back the Clock cards that feature rookies, stars and legends on a throwback design in conjunction with a weekly program that Topps runs during the NFL season with participating hobby stores.
Topps Football also kicks off the beginning of the 2008 Topps FB Military Salute, which will run through numerous Topps brands and honor the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. Fans of the Game cards picture active military personnel who root for specific NFL teams, and NFL Honor Roll cards are dedicated to players who also served in the military.
The Last Word
Topps Football is about as reliable as lower end football sets get, delivering year after year with a product that is accessible and affordable. The 2008 edition may not blow collectors away with its design or content, but it adds even more value into each pack and box than it did the last time out, and that's a fact that all football fans can appreciate.
