While Topps Chrome Tennis arrives for just the second time to boost a long-neglected market, Panini One Football also lands as one of the hobby’s favorite gambles.
Here’s a look at what you need to know about this week’s top releases before you buy.
2024 Topps Chrome Tennis
Release date: Wednesday
Overview: The second iteration of Topps Chrome Tennis arrives this week with a fresh design and a 200-card base set. Possibly the biggest update to the set comes from the addition of the rookie card shield and “1st” designation.
For years, tennis collectors have been starved for a regular set of releases, and while the long-term cadence has yet to be determined, a second flagship release is a positive sign for the community.
Inserts: A number of easy-to-pull themed inserts arrive such as Aces, Served, Grand Slam Championships, Captured and Center Court. Considered case hits, Toppspin, Let’s Go and Game Set Match are Hobby-exclusives.
Parallels and variations: As expected for a Topps Chrome release, the base set is filled with a number of popular parallels. Refractors fall once in every other pack, in addition to the typical lineup of colors such as Gold /50, Orange /25, Black /10 and Red /5.
The Pink Geometric Refractors /65 and White Geometric Refractors /15 are Breaker’s Delight-exclusives.
Autos and relics: Though they are sticker autographs, an impressive lineup should have tennis fans excited. In addition to must-haves such as Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, there are a number of retired greats to round out the checklist.
Autographs for Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Venus Williams are all available, while the Dual Autographs checklist is highlighted by a Djokovic/Alcaraz numbered to just 25.
- Hobby configuration: Eight cards per pack, 12 packs per box
- Box break: Three Chrome Autographs, 16 Refractors, 18 inserts
- Secondary market value: $189.95 (subject to change)
2023 Panini One Football
Release date: Friday
Overview: Products don’t really get more high-risk, high-reward than Panini One Football. As the name suggests, this product features just a single card per box. And at a $500 price point, it remains one of the biggest boom-or-bust releases in the hobby.
Though Panini One and the basketball iteration, Panini One and One, are extremely expensive in terms of price-per-card, these products are considered some of the best-designed in the hobby. Plenty of boxes will be major misses, but some will contain truly elegant cards.
Inserts: Color Blast remains one of the most important inserts in the hobby, and it returns to Panini One for 2023. Without autographs in Panini products, the C.J. Stroud Color Blast might end up being one of his biggest cards.
The twist for Panini One is that big inserts found in other sets, such as Color Blast, Manga and Night Moves, appear on metal cards here. These cards will be tough grades, but could also look incredible in-hand.
Autos and relics: On-card autographs and high-quality patches are what collectors typically purchase Panini One for, and 2023 delivers as expected. The Rookie Patch Autographs will be among the most important cards in the set while Quad Patch Autographs and One for All Autographs deliver ink for a number of veterans.
Shield Signatures feature on-card autographs with the NFL shield and should be popular among collectors.
- Hobby configuration: One card per pack, one pack per box
- Box break: One autograph or autographed memorabilia card
- Secondary market value: $499.95 (subject to change)
Other releases this week:
- 2023/24 Panini Mosaic Basketball Fast Break (Wednesday)
- 2023/24 Upper Deck Credentials Hockey (Wednesday)
- 2024 Panini Prizm WWE Under Card (Friday)
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.