2005 Topps Finest Football
What I pulled--
Parallels and Inserts:
Refractor - Roddy White (#315/399), Anquan Boldin (#253/399)
Blue Refractor - Rex Grossman (#112/299)
Blue X-Fractor - Marion Barber (#122/150)
Green Refractor - Tony Gonzalez (#27/199)
Green X-Fractor - Andre Johnson (#13/50)
Black Refractor - Michael Vick (#76/99)
Gold Refractor - Randy Moss (#9/49)
Peyton Manning Finest Moment Box Topper #7 (#98/599)
Autographs:
Rookie Autograph - J.R. Russell
Rookie Autograph Blue Refractor - Channing Crowder (#15/299)
Finest Autograph - Nate Burleson
Review:
Finest is consistently one of the top sets Topps produces across all of their sports. And 2005 Finest
Football is no different.
From the card's stock (the same as Topps Chrome) to the design, this year's Finest is a winner across the
board. The bulls-eye style design is sharp and eye-popping. The pictures are crisp and jump off the cards.
People may complain about the curling that some of the cards sustain, but that is an easily correctable
issue if stored properly. Even the packaging is great, with a box consisting of three six-pack boxes, and
each box guaranteeing an autograph.
The beauty of this set is the numerous, multi-colored parallels. White (1:2 packs), blue (1:2), green (1:3),
black (1:6) and gold (1:12) numbered refractor parallels abound, as do the white (1:3), blue (1:4), green (1:12) and black (1:24)
X-fractors, while the gold X-fractors are 1:60 and the framed, framed X and superfractors fall at a rate of 1:590 each. Each of
these parallels are striking to look at, although the player's name gets lost on the black ones (good thing I pulled someone as
recognizable as Michael Vick!).
As I mentioned, autographs are guaranteed one per mini-box. There are a number of variations from the
base set, featuring some of the league's top rookies, as well as a number of vets. There are even a bunch
of legends, who have signed as part of the Topps 50th Anniversary Team, although these cards fall 1:1181
packs. And finally, each box comes with a separately wrapped box loader featuring a Peyton Manning
Finest Moment card commemorating his 49 TD passes in 2004.
Is there anything to dislike about this set? Absolutely not. This is a super-premium set that gives solid
value and a bunch of cards that are a pleasure to add to a collection. This is an easy grade for me...........
A
