One of the most important football products and a popular configuration for one of the hobby’s top basketball sets drop this week.
Here’s a look at the key features to know before you buy.
2023 Contenders Football
Release date: Friday
Overview: Driven by its lineup of autographs, Contenders Football remains one of the most popular and important football products in sports cards.
Paired with rookies that include Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua and more, 2023 Contenders Football is poised to have long-term staying power as a key set with a strong first-year class.
For collectors new to the hobby or this product, it’s imperative to know Contenders can be extremely boom-or-bust with its value heavily tied to hitting autographs for important rookies. Hobbyists hunting for base rookie cards should look elsewhere.
Inserts: Far from the focus, collectors can still chase inserts such as Supernatural, Crown Jewels and Superstar Die-Cuts.
Autos and relics: Rookie Ticket Autographs are the major chase for Contenders Football every year, and this lineup of rookies could be one of the best in recent years. Rookie Ticket RPS, die-cut Rookie Ticket RPS Ticket Stubs and Cracked Ice parallels will be major targets for collectors and will command high prices on the secondary market.
In addition to rookies, there’s autographs for veterans through the NFL Ink Autographs set and some of the NFL’s all-time greats with Legendary Contenders Autographs.
- Hobby configuration: Eight cards per pack, six packs per box, 12 boxes per case
- Box break: Five autographs and 10 inserts or parallels per box
- Secondary market value: $499.95
2023-24 Optic Fast Break Basketball
Release date: Wednesday
Overview: Closely following the release of 2023-24 Optic Basketball in June, the Fast Break configuration adds the popular disco parallels to one of Panini’s most popular products.
Where the flagship Optic Basketball Hobby release dropped with 80 total cards, Fast Break delivers 90 cards at a significantly lower price point. Though the Fast Break disco parallels are popular, it should be noted they often don’t match the same secondary market value as the true color parallels.
Parallels: As noted previously, the disco parallels included in Fast Break configurations are a major draw for many collectors. In addition to the Fast Break Holo, collectors can chase the disco variations for parallels such as Fast Break Purple /99, Fast Break Red /75, Fast Break Blue /49, Fast Break Pink /25, Fast Break Gold /10 and Fast Break Black 1/1.
New to Fast Break this cycle are Red and Yellow /7 and Neon Green /5.
Inserts: New to Optic this cycle, Rising Suns and Red Hot Rookies inserts arrive with Fast Break parallels. Returning are sets such as Elite Dominators, The Rookies, Lights Out and Raining 3s with Fast Break parallels.
Autos and relics: Rated Rookie Signatures will be the major chase with Fast Break parallels, including the all-new Fast Break Pink /25 and Fast Break Black 1/1.
- Hobby configuration: Nine cards per pack, 10 packs per box
- Box break: One autograph, 18 inserts or parallels per box
- Secondary market value: $349.95 (subject to change)
Other releases
- 2023-24 Panini Select Premier League Soccer (Wednesday)
- Pokemon EX Battle Deck: Victini EX & Miraidon EX (Friday)
- 2024 Wild Card Five Card Draw Baseball (Friday)
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.