2002 TOPPS RESERVE
A REVIEW BY HORFIN
|
Cost of Box |
Approx 90.00 (good deal at flea market) |
|
# of Packs |
10 and One Mini-Helmet |
|
# of Cards Per Pack |
5 Cards Per Pack |
|
Total Cards Received |
50 +1 Helmet |
|
Number of Duplicates |
3 Duplicates |
|
Percentage of Base (Non-Short Print) Set |
43/100 (43%) |
|
Percentage of Full Set (With Short Prints) |
45/150 (30%) |
|
Number of Autographs |
2 (1 Card and 1 Helmet) |
|
Number of Game Used |
1 |
|
Number of Total Inserts (including Auto/GU) |
3 |
|
Base Set Rookies Received |
2 |
|
Value of All Cards Received |
$122.50 |
|
Value of All Rookies, GU/Autos/SP |
$73 |
Review of Product: (All grades are on a scale of 1-100 with 1 being the lowest and 100 the highest)
Base Set Card Design:
Front of Card: Nice general design. As with any set, White Borders tend to mask defects. Overall somewhat bland, but definitely not boring. This is a decent Base set.
Back of Card: White backs. The blurb of information on each player is sufficient. I prefer to have a players year-by-year stats listed on every card. Not here. You get 2001 and totals, that’s it. The backs of the cards are general and more or less boring.
Grade of Base Set Card Design: 70
No print lines, no bent corners, no chips = NO PROBLEMS. Thinner than most Premium Brands. Because there are no colors around the borders, even if there are defects you’ll have to search and search hard to find them. Has a Nice Shine to the card. Very Very Clean Set.
Grade of Quality of Base Cards: 90 (Not a 100 because they are not as thick as most premium brands)
There are 50 Rookies in the Set each numbered to 999. Generally you will receive two rookies per box (1:5). This was my second box and in both boxes I got 2 rookies. The Rookie cards are identical to the base cards with two exceptions: (1) Sequential Numbering and (2) The Front has gold emblem instead of silver stating [TR: Topps Reserve]. I got Roy Williams (#’d 477/999) and TJ Duckett (#’d 996/999). There are 26 listed rookie cards, very very good player selection. If you buy a box you have a good chance of getting two listed players. High Quality, could be thicker.
Grade of Quality of Rookie Card Design and Quality: 80 (A Little
Bland, But Good Player Selection)
Parallels and Inserts (Non-Game Used & Non Autos)
There are no Parallels and No Non-Game Used nor Non Autograph Inserts.
Grade of
Parallels and Inserts (Non-Game Used & Non-Autos) Not Applicable
Game Used and Auto Inserts
There are Three Inserts and you will get one of each, that is the good news: You are Guaranteed 1 Autograph; 1 Jersey and 1 Helmet.
Autographs
The Good: Nice Looking card. Around the player’s picture there is brown which fades to white as it approaches the borders. Making detection of imperfections difficult. The Autographs are nice and clean on a Sticker which states “Certified Autograph Issue”. Like all Autographed cards the back is boring.
The Bad: Player Selection. In this box I got Lamar Smith. (In my previous box I got Bill Schroeder). There are Approximately 10 Categories from which you can pull:
These are the Good Ones, You probably one get one:
Group A: 1:134: Jerry Rice Group B: 1:67 Brett Favre;
Group I: 1:12 Ladanian Tomlinson
Namath Autograph 1:13
These are the Medium Ones, You Might get one
Group C: 1:14: D. Terrell, J. Garcia, B. Urlacher
Group E: 1:13: Lamont Jordan, Richard Dent
Group G: 1:17 Chris Chambers
Joiner Autograph 1:13
Hannah Autograph 1:17
These are the “So What” Ones, you probably will get one
of these:
Group D: 1:17: Lamar Smith; M. Robinson
Group F: 1:6: Sammy Morris, Tai Streets, Willie Jackson, Anthony Thomas
Group H: 1:14 Bill Shroeder
Group J: 1:8 Derrick Mason
Overall, I was disappointed with the player selection.
Relics:
The Good: Very Very Nice Card. Thick, Clean. Nice action Photo. I Pulled Corey Dillon with Part Orange and Part Black. Beautiful Card. Little Chance of Chipping. The Back is Boring.
This set has the same problem as the Autographs. Not the best player selection:
Group A; Brunell, George, Moulds (1:64)
Group B: Cowart, Gannon, Garner (1:52)
Group C: Manning, Namath, Keyshawn Johnson, Terrell Owens, Drew Brees, Jimmy Smith, Fred Taylor Travis Minor, Steve McNair, Corey Dillon (1:16)
Group D: Gonzalez, Culpepper, E. James (1:46)
Group E; Fred Taylor, Duece Staley (1:35)
Group F; Marino, Alstott (1:26)
Group G: (1:9) Not Listed
Group H (1:12) Not Listed
Group I (1:15) Not Listed
Group J (1:9) Not Listed
Group K (1:11) Not Listed
Group L (1:4) Not Listed
If you can manage to pull the Manning, Namath, Brees or Marino consider yourself lucky, otherwise you have a good chance of getting an unlisted star or a common.
Autographed Mini-Helmets
Lets face it. If you are dropping $110-$120 for this product you are buying this for the Mini_Helmet. I have purchased two boxes. In this Box I got Dave Casper (Raiders), which I am happy with. In the first box I got Tim Carter, (Giants) – So What. The same problem arises here: Player Selection:
Instead of me listing all of them, look at beckett: The Big Names are 100 or less. Which is good if you pull one. But you probably wont. You are more likely to get:
P. Price, T. Holt, W. Lanier, Bert Jones, M Haynes, Sehorn, Strahan, Toon, Brody, Schroeder, Mo Lewis, Gonazalez, Randle, S. Davis, Metcalf, Robinson, Doug Williams, S. Moss, McCareins, Dan Morgan, Travis Minor, Jesse Palmer, Weinke, Okoye, Drew Pearson, Hampton, Casper, Sistrunik, Steve Smith, McDonald, Clayton, Bryant and Andre Davis. NO BIG NAMES HERE.
The Downfall to this set is the UNLIKELIHOOD that you will pull a good player. However, it is always cool to get the Autographed Helmet.
Grade of
Game Used and Auto Inserts: 75 (Player Selection pulls down what would
otherwise be a 90)
OTHER FACTORS:
INSERT PLAYER SELECTION: 60 (Major Drawback of these
Inserts)
ROOKIE PLAYER SELECTION: 85 (You will get at least one
Nice Lookin’ Star Rookie)
# OF GAME USED/AUTOS IN A BOX: 75 (3 IN A BOX IS PRETTY
GOOD)
PRICE OF BOX: 75 (I got a great deal at $90. I see it on EBAY for $119.00 – BOTH ARE
OVERPRICED!)
VALUE OF CARDS RECEIVED: $122.50 RECEIVED AND $90.00
PAID IS A TERRIBLE RATIO (1.36:1). THE
BEST IS PROBABLY 3.5 TO 1 WHICH WOULD RECEIVE A 100% GRADE. HERE WE HAVE A 1.36 TO 1 RATIO, PATHETIC.
(The idea here is if you get a 2 to 1 ratio and sold all the cards at 50% of
book value then you would break even).
This is an ALL OR NOTHING SET.
If you get that big Helmet, Autograph or Game Used, then you will get
your money back. If you don’t you will
be HIGHLY disappointed. If I had paid
$119 for this set and received $122.00.
This is basically a 1:1 ratio!
Giving it a 50 grade
|
CATEGORY |
GRADE |
WEIGHT |
|
BASE SET DESIGN |
70 |
3 |
|
BASE SET QUALITY |
90 |
3 |
|
ROOKIE DESIGN & QUALITY & NUMBER RECEIVED |
80 |
13 |
|
PARALLEL & INSERTS |
NOT |
APPLY |
|
GU/AUTO INSERTS |
75 |
17 |
|
INSERT PLAYER SELECTION |
60 |
7.5 |
|
ROOKIE PLAYER SELECTION |
85 |
12.5 |
|
# OF GAME USED/AUTOS |
75 |
10 |
|
PRICE OF BOX |
75 |
10 |
|
NUMBER OF DUPLICATES |
40 |
2 |
|
PERCENT OF FULL SET |
30 |
2 |
|
VALUE OF CARDS RECEIVED |
50 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total Grade |
69.475 |
|
(Because there was no Parallels or Inserts, the 5% of
that grade was attributed to GU/AUTO INSERTS)
Thus, this set in my book brings a D+ into the class
room. This set is definitely and ALL OR
NOTHING SET. If you get the Marino,
Namath, etc, then you will be happy. If
you don’t, you won’t. Be realistic. Statistically you won’t pull one. I only paid $90.00 and I am still
disappointed. If I had paid the regular
value ($119.00) I’d be kicking myself
right now. In my opinion only buy this
product if (1) you want to build the set, which would be an awesome set or (2)
if you are feeling particularly lucky!
DO NOT buy this product. If you are going to buy a box, then you will NOT get your money’s
worth. The Player Selection is
Horrible. The Concept is: “Lets pull
them in with a guarantee of ONE AUTO, ONE GAME USED AND ONE AUTO’D HELMET PER
BOX, BUT LET’S NOT TELL THEM THAT THERE ARE 50 OR LESS OF ALL THE GOOD PLAYERS”
Here is what I pulled, with the best stuff on top:
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
Auto'd
Mini Helmet (500 Made) |
|
Casper,
Dave |
Oakland
Raiders |
23 |
1 |
$30.00 |
$30.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
Game Worn
Relic |
|
Dillon,
Corey |
Cincinnati
Bengals |
7 |
1 |
$8.00 |
$8.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
Autographs |
|
Smith,
Lamar |
Carolina
Panthers |
5 |
1 |
$10.00 |
$10.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
Rookie
(#'d 996/999) |
132 |
Duckett,
T.J. |
Atlanta
Falcons |
2 |
1 |
$10.00 |
$10.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
Rookie
(#'d 477/999) |
110 |
Williams,
Roy |
Dallas
Cowboys |
9 |
1 |
$15.00 |
$15.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
1 |
Vick,
Michael |
Atlanta
Falcons |
2 |
1 |
$4.00 |
$4.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
2 |
Chambers,
Chris |
Miami
Dolphins |
17 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
5 |
Gardner,
Rod |
Washington
Redskins |
32 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
6 |
Thrash,
James |
Philadelphia
Eagles |
24 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
14 |
George,
Eddie |
Tennessee
Titans |
31 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
15 |
McMahon,
Mike |
Detriot
Lions |
11 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
16 |
Horn, Joe |
New
Orleans Saints |
20 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
18 |
James,
Edgerrin |
Indianapolis
Colts |
14 |
1 |
$1.50 |
$1.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
19 |
Anderson,
Mike |
Denver
Broncos |
10 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
22 |
Boston,
David |
Arizona
Cardinals |
1 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
27 |
Holmes,
Priest |
Kansas
City Chiefs |
16 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
28 |
Growell,
Germane |
Detriot
Lions |
11 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
30 |
Couch,
TIm |
Cleveland
Browns |
8 |
1 |
$1.50 |
$1.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
31 |
Glenn,
Terry |
Green Bay
Packers |
12 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
32 |
Ismail,
Qadry |
Carolina
Panthers |
5 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
33 |
Brooks,
Aaron |
New
Orleans Saints |
20 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
38 |
Weinke,
Chris |
Carolina
Panthers |
5 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
40 |
Green,
Ahman |
Green Bay
Packers |
12 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
42 |
Hearst,
Garrison |
San
Fransisco 49ers |
28 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
44 |
Burress,
Plaxico |
Pittsburg
Steelers |
25 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
49 |
Brown,
Troy |
New
England Patriots |
19 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
52 |
Staley,
Duce |
Philadelphia
Eagles |
24 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
54 |
Mason,
Derrick |
Tennessee
Titans |
31 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
57 |
Smith,
Jimmy |
Jacksonville
Jaguars |
15 |
2 |
$0.75 |
$1.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
58 |
Morris,
Sylvester |
Kansas
City Chiefs |
16 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
60 |
Lewis,
Jamal |
Baltimore
Ravens |
3 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
61 |
Dunn,
Warrick |
Atlanta
Falcons |
2 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
62 |
Smith,
Rod |
Denver
Broncos |
10 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
64 |
Ward,
Hines |
Pittsburg
Steelers |
25 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
66 |
Williams,
Ricky |
Miami
Dolphins |
17 |
1 |
$1.50 |
$1.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
67 |
Thomas,
Anthony |
Chicago
Bears |
6 |
1 |
$2.00 |
$2.00 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
73 |
Manning,
Peyton |
Indianapolis
Colts |
14 |
1 |
$2.50 |
$2.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
76 |
Moss,
Santana |
New York
Jets |
22 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
78 |
Gonzalez,
Tony |
Kansas
City Chiefs |
16 |
2 |
$0.75 |
$1.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
79 |
Brunell,
Mark |
Jacksonville
Jaguars |
15 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
82 |
Muhammad,
Muhsin |
Carolina
Panthers |
5 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
84 |
Toomer,
Amani |
New York
Giants |
21 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
89 |
Martin,
Curtis |
New York
Jets |
22 |
1 |
$1.25 |
$1.25 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
90 |
Minnis,
Marvin |
Kansas
City Chiefs |
16 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
93 |
Gannon,
Rich |
Oakland
Raiders |
23 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
95 |
Miller,
Jim |
Chicago
Bears |
6 |
1 |
$0.50 |
$0.50 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
98 |
Collins,
Kerry |
New York
Giants |
21 |
1 |
$0.75 |
$0.75 |
|
2002 |
Topps |
Reserve |
|
100 |
Faulk,
Marshall |
Saint
Louis Rams |
26 |
2 |
$1.50 |
$3.00 |
EMAIL ME: smiller32@woh.rr.com
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