2008 Topps Co-Signers
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
HyperSilver Red (#ed to 400) - Jeff Kent/Rafael Furcal, John Smoltz/Tom Glavine, Mike Lowell/J.D. Drew
HyperSilver Bronze (#ed to 300) - Erik Bedard, Mark Buehrle, Jeff Kent
HyperSilver Blue (#ed to 250) - Eric Chavez, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, Andruw Jones/Juan Pierre, Johan
Santana/Billy Wagner
HyperSilver Green Autograph - Nyjer Morgan (#14/200)
Solo Sigs - Jorge Arce
Co-Signers - Brandon Jones/Josh Anderson
Review:
No, no, no, no.
I’ve always been a fan of Co-Signers, especially the value packed box that contains at least one
multi-player autograph card. But Topps has committed a major faux pas in this year’s release,
which has done a decent job of turning off many collectors to the brand.
Boxer autographs.
I’m all for trying new things. Last year, Topps dropped some autographs of famous astronauts into
Co-Signers, and it was met with rousing success. Why? Scarcity, plus the fact that these cards did not
usually count as part of the total number of hits in the box (much like the Rip Card Girl autographs in this
year’s Topps Finest release). However, in Co-Signers, the boxing autographs DO count in the number of
hits, and, for many collectors, pulling a boxing autograph is simply not the reason we are buying these
cards.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the rest of the product, starting with the great card design (I might be in the
minority, but I love the big team logos in the background of the player photo). Add to that the usual
assortment of multi-colored and numbered parallels, this year featuring both single players and dual
players, and two other autographed cards (one a dual), and you have a great product. However, that boxing
autograph is a major downer. I might have pulled a star boxer for all I know (I’m not a fan of the sport), but that doesn’t matter
to me. Many of the names in the checklist are guys only hardcore fight fans will know, which eliminates (and dare I say
alienates) a very large part of the brands’ target audience.
Of course, if you like this kind of thing, go get yourself a box. I have a feeling there is plenty available. I’ll give two grades for Co-
Signers, to be fair: one for the brand, one for the box break with the boxer in it…….
Without boxing autograph: B+
With boxing autograph: C-
What I pulled--
Inserts and Parallels:
HyperSilver Red (#ed to 400) - Jeff Kent/Rafael Furcal, John Smoltz/Tom Glavine, Mike Lowell/J.D. Drew
HyperSilver Bronze (#ed to 300) - Erik Bedard, Mark Buehrle, Jeff Kent
HyperSilver Blue (#ed to 250) - Eric Chavez, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, Andruw Jones/Juan Pierre, Johan
Santana/Billy Wagner
HyperSilver Green Autograph - Nyjer Morgan (#14/200)
Solo Sigs - Jorge Arce
Co-Signers - Brandon Jones/Josh Anderson
Review:
No, no, no, no.
I’ve always been a fan of Co-Signers, especially the value packed box that contains at least one
multi-player autograph card. But Topps has committed a major faux pas in this year’s release,
which has done a decent job of turning off many collectors to the brand.
Boxer autographs.
I’m all for trying new things. Last year, Topps dropped some autographs of famous astronauts into
Co-Signers, and it was met with rousing success. Why? Scarcity, plus the fact that these cards did not
usually count as part of the total number of hits in the box (much like the Rip Card Girl autographs in this
year’s Topps Finest release). However, in Co-Signers, the boxing autographs DO count in the number of
hits, and, for many collectors, pulling a boxing autograph is simply not the reason we are buying these
cards.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the rest of the product, starting with the great card design (I might be in the
minority, but I love the big team logos in the background of the player photo). Add to that the usual
assortment of multi-colored and numbered parallels, this year featuring both single players and dual
players, and two other autographed cards (one a dual), and you have a great product. However, that boxing
autograph is a major downer. I might have pulled a star boxer for all I know (I’m not a fan of the sport), but that doesn’t matter
to me. Many of the names in the checklist are guys only hardcore fight fans will know, which eliminates (and dare I say
alienates) a very large part of the brands’ target audience.
Of course, if you like this kind of thing, go get yourself a box. I have a feeling there is plenty available. I’ll give two grades for Co-
Signers, to be fair: one for the brand, one for the box break with the boxer in it…….
Without boxing autograph: B+
With boxing autograph: C-
