Box Breaks: 4 Boxes of 2017-18 Select Basketball First Off The Line

 

So I talked about the madness that was Prizm First Off The Line late last year when Panini released a Prizm version of it and the website crashed with so many people trying to order it. I got blanked out. What are First Off The Line boxes (or FOTL)? Well, Panini sells an allocated amount of some of their products to their FOTL program and these boxes not only have special cards found only in these boxes (for example, Red Shimmer Parallels numbered to 8 in Prizm) but can also be bought for the original MSRP price. You also get these boxes in advance of the official release day. For some products this is a BIG deal, because of hype and popularity, products like Prizm sell for well over the MSRP price, even as a pre sale. This way guarantees to a chance to a buy at the original intended price. Prizm was SUCH a huge deal because Prizm Hobby boxes that run for $250 and upwards were available for $120. Demand was insane and the product instantly sold out. Those FOTL Prizm boxes now sell for $500 or more per box. Plus people also believe these boxes are "more loaded" than normal hobby boxes. So the next product to receive this kind of treatment is 2017-18 Select. Now, Select is not nearly as popular as Prizm, but it's a super nice set nonetheless and since boxes have been steadily climbing to over $170 before release, this was still going to be a highly demanded product. These too come with an exclusive parallel, a Neon Orange Pulsar Parallel numbered to 9. So last Friday when they went on sale, I got on the App to order some and lo and behold I was able to get 4 boxes without any kind of problem! Kudos to Panini for resolving their server issues, as there was no kind of problems whatsoever to order. The boxes naturally sold out within the hour (wish I would've bought more, but I have funds tied up elsewhere). I was pleasantly surprised to receive my boxes Friday (official release date is March 7th) so I opened my 4 boxes yesterday and today. So...are they "loaded" are they terrible or are they just like any other hobby offering? Here's what I got to answer those questions!

Box 1

Silver Prizms Concourse
Ben McLemore
Dennis Schroder


Silver Prizms Premier Level
Nerlens Noel

Silver Prizms Courtside
Marc Gasol


Scope Prizms Concourse
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Tri Color Prizms Concourse
Carmelo Anthony
John Henson

Tri Color Prizms Premier Level
Pau Gasol

Blue Prizms Concourse
Jarrett Allen RC (#178/299)

Blue Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
Josh Hart RC (#63/185)

Maroon Prizms Concourse
Ersan Ilyasova (#36/199)


Maroon Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
C.J. Miles (#83/135)

All World Silver Prizm
Drazen Petrovic

Neon Orange Pulsar Prizm
Austin Rivers (#6/9)


Throwback Memorabilia
Raymond Felton
Lance Stephenson


Rookie Signatures Neon Green
Kyle Kuzma (#38/65)



Box 2

Courtside Base RC
Dennis Smith Jr.


Silver Prizms Concourse
Aron Baynes
Raymond Felton


Silver Prizms Premier Level
Tyler Ennis
Bam Adebayo RC

Tri Color Prizms Concourse
Ben McLemore
Dennis Schorder


Tri Color Prizms Premier Level
Lance Stephenson

Scope Prizms Concourse
Jerian Grant

Blue Prizms Concourse
Klay Thompson (#116/299)

Blue Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
DeWayne Dedmon (#118/185)

Maroon Prizms Concourse
Jon Leuer (#160/199)

Purple Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
Justise Winslow (#4/99)


All World
Drazen Petrovic


X Factor Memorabilia
Shawn Marion

Rookie Jersey Autographs
D.J. Wilson (#51/199)

250 Panini Rewards (REALLY PANINI PUT REWARDS IN THESE BOXES?!?

Neon Orange Pulsar Prizm
Paul George (#5/9)

Green Prizm Courtside
BEN SIMMONS (#3/5)


Box 3


Notable Concourse Base RC
Lonzo Ball

Notable Courtside Base RC
De'Aaron Fox


Silver Prizms Concourse
Kris Dunn
Jae Crowder

Silver Prizms Premier Level
Pau Gasol


Silver Prizms Courtside
Kevin Durant

Scope Prizms Concourse
De'Aaron Fox RC

Tri Color Prizms Concourse
James Harden
Doug McDermott


Tri Color Prizms Premier Level
Tyler Ennis

Blue Prizms Concourse
Ramon Sessions (#125/299)

Die Cut Neon Green Prizm Premier Level
Norman Powell (#38/65)

Tie Dye Prizms Concourse
Ben McLemore (#25/25)

Tie Dye Prizms Courtside
Evan Fournier (#11/25)


Neon Orange Pulsar Prizm
Jrue Holiday (#9/9)


With Authority
Dominique Wilkins

X Factor Memorabilia
Frank Ntilikina


Throwback Memorabilia Purple Prizm
Aaron Afflalo (#56/99)


Select Signatures Silver Prizm
John Stockton (#41/49)


Box 4


Notable Concourse Base RC
Lonzo Ball


Notable Premier Level Base RC
Josh Jackson

Silver Concourse Prizms
Andrew Wiggins
Damian Lillard
Eric Bledsoe


Silver Premier Level Prizms
Jordan Clarkson


Tri Color Prizms Concourse
Jon Leuer


Tri Color Prizms Premier Level
Michael Kidd Gilchrist
Devin Booker

Scope Prizm Concourse
Josh Richardson


All World Silver Prizm
Manu Ginobili

Blue Prizms Concourse
Andre Iguodala (#131/299)

Blue Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
Justise Winslow (#185/185)

White Prizms Concourse
Dennis Schorder (#101/149)

Purple Die Cut Prizms Premier Level
Jeremy Lin (#5/99)

Rookie Jersey Autographs
Josh Jackson (#57/199)

Throwback Memorabilia
Terrence Ross

Draft Selections Memorabilia Purple Prizm
Zach Collins (#58/99)

Neon Orange Pulsar Prizms
Hassan Whiteside (#1/9)

So..talk about a Jekyll and Hyde Break. I opened the first two boxes last night and hit the Kuzma and Simmons (both no brainer Top 5 hits) but it fell off a cliff today. For all the hype FOTL boxes gets, these boxes were no different than any other hobby box. There's literally 5 cards out of the whole break worth anything decent. Every single one of the numbered parallels outside of the Simmons were of CRAP players..not once decent numbered Prizm..not ONE. The memorabilia cards are worthless as it is, and even more when guys like Aaron Afflalo, Raymond Felton, and Terrance Ross make the set. These cards should in no way be considered "hits". To add further insult to injury I hit a Panini Rewards card...that is UNACCEPTABLE for these types of boxes. A waste of an auto hit. The Orange Pulsar exclusives were all crap except for Paul George. I hit 0 Tatums, Markkanens, Fultz, Kuzma, or Donovan Mitchell base cards. The Stockton is a nice on card auto, and the Josh Jackson Auto/Jersey is a decent hit (albeit a sticker auto), but outside of that literally nothing. At least I didn't pay $250 a box for this crap, but I sure wish now I sold them for that much. Overall disappointed considering the high expectations this stuff has. I would NOT touch this stuff at it's current price point at all. Here's some pics of the cards.

 

Top 5 Pulls of 2018

#1 2017-18 Panini Select Rookie Autographs Neon Green Prizm Kyle Kuzma (#38/65)

#2 2017-18 Panini Contenders The Finals Ticket Rookie Autographs Markelle Fultz (#40/49)

#3 2017-18 Panini Select Ben Simmons Green Prizm (#3/5)

#4 2017-18 Panini Contenders Historic Playoff Tickets Autographs Dwyane Wade (#18/25)

#5 2017-18 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Variation Autograph Redemption Josh Jackson (# to 75)

Box Breaks: 2 Hobby Boxes of 2017-18 Panini Contenders Basketball

 

It feels like it's been MONTHS since I've opened new product, but it's actually just been about a month in a half. So to captilize on this year's hot rookie class, Panini decided to reintroduce Contenders to the NBA Market. There hasn't been a Contenders NBA Release since 2012-13, though Panini has made Contenders draft picks for basketball. I've always been curious as to  why they discontinued Contenders considering how popular it is in football, but lo and behold here it is and this product is SCORCHING HOT. What started as $140 per box product has now jumped to around $230-$240 a box. I definitely wanted to try a couple of boxes and was lucky to get 2 boxes for a little over MSRP at $152 a piece. The price literally jumped minutes after I bought my two boxes. So is it worth the risk and hype? Let's find out!

Box 1
Season Ticket Premium
Andrew Wiggins
Dwight Howard

Playoff Ticket
Nicolas Batum (#222/249)
Kent Bazemore (#046/249)

Historic Playoff Ticket Autograph
Dwyane Wade (#18/25)


Rookie Variation Season Ticket Autograph
Josh Jackson Redemption

Box 2


Season Ticket Premium
Andrew Wiggins
Chris Paul

Playoff Ticket
D'Angelo Russell (#162/249)
Dwight Howard (#174/249)


NBA Ink
Cody Zeller (#151/199)

The Finals Rookie Autograph Ticket
Markelle Fultz (#40/49)

Overall Thoughts: This was a GREAT break. I am very satisfied with the results as 3 of the 4 hits were outstanding. The Josh Jackson Autograph Redemption is definitely a nice stash card of the 3rd overall pick of the draft, which I went ahead and redeemed, as is the low numbered Markelle Fultz. Fultz has had a disappointing rookie season because of the unknown severity of a shoulder injury affecting his shooting, and it's looking more and more like he's going to sit out the rest of the season, so this is definitely a card I'll hold onto to see if he breaks out next year. It could be a hell of a card to own (even now, it currently sells as a $130-$200 card which isn't bad for someone who hasn't played much at all this year). My favorite pull though? The D-Wade auto numbered to 25. Such a great looking card and appropriately features Wade in a Heat Jersey, where he belongs. The hits made up for the mediocre parallels. Also, overall this rip can get pretty old fast as the checklist is super small (100 cards) and you get 120 cards per box. My 2nd box was literally all base doubles. I wouldn't touch this at it's current $230-$240 price but I wish I had bought more at the $150 price I got it at! Here's pics of the cards and hits!

Top 5 Pulls of 2018

#1 2017-18 Panini Contenders The Finals Ticket Rookie Autographs Markelle Fultz (#40/49)

#2 2017-18 Panini Contenders Historic Playoff Tickets Autographs Dwyane Wade (#18/25)

#3 2017-18 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Variation Autograph Redemption Josh Jackson (# to 75)

#4 2017-18 Panini Prizm Silver Prizm Frank Ntilikina RC

#5 2017-18 Panini Prizm Silver Prizm Terrance Ferguson RC

Topps Now Mail Days: Chipper N' Belly

I can't believe it, but I'm FINALLY getting the last of my Topps Now Purchases. After these last two, I'm just waiting for one now. So here's what I got this past week


So one of the two Bellinger's I'm waiting finally came in. Strangely he signed these Rookie of The Year autos and not the NL HR Record Breaker auto which was released like a couple of months earlier. I bought both the Judge and Belly ROY autos at the same time so it's nice to officially have the pair together in hand.


This one coming in already was definitely a pleasant surprise! It didn't take long at all to get in. I opted for the blue parallel to 49 because I had a $30 coupon for Topps Now that I could use. Very nice card celebrating Chipper's induction to the Hall of Fame.

So after alllll that ordering last year, that just leaves one card left to receive. The Bellinger N.L. Home Run Record Breaker card, which is ironically, the first card I ever ordered off Topps Now.

Topps Now Mailday: Los Angeles Dodgers Postseason Set Autograph Edition

So my final postseason set came in today..and honestly I'm beyond upset and deflated to go into much detail. Same format as the others. 15 team cards an additional 2 bonus cards for the Dodgers winning the NLDS and NLCS and an auto. Here's the team set







So onto the once again predictable depressing part. There were only 3 signers..Kershaw, Bellinger and Alex Wood, with the base auto being numbered to 99 and parallels to follow. You wanna just take a wild guess who I got and what version despite having a 66% chance of not having the worst guy on the checklist?


Yep..Alex Wood to 99..just like the damn Baez. Unbelievable. I really hate the way these are distributed. I know it's random and I know they probably random'd the order before shipping anything out but I hate the fact that it just seems like you don't even get a shot at Kershaw or Bellinger because they haven't signed their cards yet. I'd rather all autos be distributed at the same time when everyone signs. It probably wouldn't make ANY difference..but it's just perception of it feeling more fair. And of course I get the worst player and the highest print run possible. I knew the risks, i'm not blaming anyone, and I still love Topps Now cards, but I'm NEVER doing this team set with the random auto again. It's definitely not worth it to me.

Topps Now Mailday: Chicago Cubs Postseason Set Autograph Edition

So my Chicago Cubs Topps Now Set came in today and it's just like the other sets I bought. A full team set, a bonus card (since the Cubs won the Divisional Round) and an autograph. Here's the team set






So onto the autograph. Now here's the kicker..Cubs autograph sets were released weeks ago already so I've seen tons of Javier Baez and Ian Happ autos out on the market. The 3rd guy on the checklist? Kris Bryant. One would assume that maybe Bryant hadn't signed his cards and that's why they only released two of the subjects so when I FINALLY got confirmation my set was sent out and thought for sure I was getting a KB. Imagine my disappointment when I see this


Not only was it NOT Kris Bryant, but the easiest card to find, the numbered to 99 version. The reason I'm so outraged and mad is that there is ZERO excuse that Topps shouldn't have sent me my set weeks ago when the rest of the Baez sets were sent out. You are not telling me he only signed a few sets and then signed a few more weeks later. A very crap move on Topps part for giving us collectors false hope into thinking we got a Kris Bryant auto. This definitely left a sour taste in my mouth and I doubt I'll ever buy Topps Now sets with Random autos again. 

Maildays From January

So instead of making random posts throughout the month with my pickups, I've decided from this point on to make one mailday post for the entire of month after the month has ended. So here's what I got in January

2017-18 Panini Prizm Jayson Tatum Ruby Wave RC

 

Tatum's one of the rookies I'm collecting and I'm a sucker for the Prizm rookie parallels. I'd love to add the higher end parallels, but with those going for a ton, I'll have to stick with the lower end ones, like this retail only parallel.

2017 Leaf Certified Alvin Kamara Auto/Patch RC (#8/299)

 

One of the things I had been wanting to do was add some Kamara cards to my collection as he was my fantasy football SAVIOR. I didn't win my league, but it was 3 points away from making it to the title game, and that's after a disasterous 2-6 start. Thanks in large part to Kamara, I was able to win the last 5 weeks of the regular season, make the playoffs and win one playoff game before losing barely by 3 in the semifinals against the #2 seed. I did end up winning 3rd place though so all in all not a bad season, but back to this card. It's a sticker auto, but still a nice card with a giant patch. I really like it and it was super affordable.

17-18 Absolute Memorabilia Jayson Tatum Tools of the Trade Triple Relic/Auto (#35/199)

 

My first Tatum auto, though I hope to add an on card auto of him very soon. Not too flashy, just a couple of plain green swatches, a piece of basketball and a sticker auto, but it's still a nice card overall.

2017 Topps Archives Active Players Edition Luis Severino 2016 Topps Gold Label Auto (#1/1)

 

If you remember my horrific 8 box break of Archives Active Player Edition, I pulled a redemption for a Luis Severino Autograph. Well I got it in last month and was pleasantly surprised to get a 1/1! I know 1/1's are everywhere in this product, but it still made this pull a little bit better getting one. I also love Topps Gold Label cards so I think it's a really nice card.

2017 Panini Prizm Christian McCaffrey Green Scope Prizm Auto RC (#76/99)

 

This year's running back was super deep and I was hoping to add at least one auto rookie of each of the top guys. I decided to go with this Prizm of McCaffrey because although it's a sticker, I love Prizm Parallels and this just looked really cool.

16-17 Optic Anfernee Hardaway Dominators Gold Autograph (#6/10)

 

There was just no way I wasn't going to win this card. My favorite player of all time PLUS it being a gold prizm refractor, which is my favorite parallel. Numbered to only 10 copies, I paid quite a pretty "Penny" (yes, pun intended) but it's well worth it. Such a beautiful card, even with the sticker auto. Definitely a new favorite in my Penny PC.

2016-17 Panini Prizm Mosiac Ben Simmons RC PSA 10

 

Although collectors don't really view this with the same reverence as regular Prizm, I still found it to be a really cool rookie card and getting a graded 10 version was definitely an added plus. Simmons has a bright future, and has had a tremendous rookie season this year. I think all Simmons rookies have potential to grow, so why not take a stab at this one while it's still relatively affordable?

17-18 Panini Revolution Rookie Autographs Dennis Smith Jr.

 

I may have HATED opening that master case of Revolution last year, but that doesn't mean I don't love the look of the cards. I love that the autos are all on card and I'm a big fan of the sparkly design. Dennis Smith Jr. is another one of the rookies I'm collecting and this is my first auto of him.

13-14 Panini Preferred Anfernee Hardaway Silhouettes Auto/Jersey (#20/25)

 

Another Penny that I saw and said "Yup..I'm winning that". On card auto, popular Silhouettes design and large jersey swatch.  Great addition to my Penny collection.

99-00 Topps Finest New Millennium Refractor Vince Carter BGS 9 (#151/300) 

 

Man, I LOVE old school Topps Finest inserts and this one is just so awesome. A 2nd year Vince Refractor numbered to 300 when that actually meant something. I think this is a very underrated card and think I got a heck of a deal getting this for under $20.

2017 Bowman's Best Cuts Alex Bregman Autograph (#45/50)

 

This Bregman looked just so nice I had to have it. Also being an on card auto didn't hurt. Bregman is part of that young Astros core that should be contenders for years to come.

17-18 Panini Prizm Dennis Smith Jr. Sensational Swatches Starburst Parallel (#5/10)

 

Couldn't help myself with this, the patch may be a litter lackluster, but I just love the overall design of the card. It's also numbered to only 10 copies.

1996 SPX Gold Michael Jordan PSA 8

 

I have ALWAYS wanted this card. During my first stretch of collecting, I owned the base version, but I have always wanted the gold version and I finally got it. I really don't care about the grade much, I just jumped at it because it was an auction. It's not worth a ton, but it's still in my opinion one of the coolest MJ's ever made.

2017 Donruss Optic Alvin Kamara Auto RC (#6/150)

 

So earlier in the month, I got a Kamara sticker rookie with a patch, but I really wanted an on card auto of him and what better than a Donruss Optic auto rookie? It's on card and it's chrome. Great combo.

2017-18 Panini Prizm Russell Westbrook Cracked Ice Parallel (#6/99)

 

This was only 8 bucks, but it's a SUPER sweet looking parallel card of Russ. This card really pops in person. 

2017-18 Panini Prizm Dwyane Wade Green Pulsar Parallel (#9/25)

 

I know D-Wade has probably fallin a bit off the map hobby wise, but there's no way I could pass on this numbered to 25 Prizm Parallel for only 6 bucks shipped. A great card of a future Hall of Famer.

2017-18 Panini Totally Certified Karl Anthony Towns Emerald Parallel (#5/5)

 

I was pleasantly surprised to win this for under $20 considering it's an emerald parallel numbered to only 5 copies. Very nice card and I'm a big fan of KAT.

2016-17 Immaculate Collection Jamal Murray Auto/Patch RC (#87/99)

 

Murray's not a guy I actively buy, but I wanted one nice RC of him because I think he has the potential to be a star in this league. What better than an on card auto/patch from a high end set like Immaculate. If I'm right, this could be a great card to own. He's had a great sophomore season so far and here's hoping he continues to trend upward.

2017 Flawless Ken Griffey Jr. Dual Patch (#7/10)

 

Again, when I set my sights on a card I want, I make damn sure I'm going to win it! The minute I saw this, I put it on my watch list and actually put a $100 bid with 5 seconds left just to make sure I was going to get it. I actually won it for a little less than half that which is great because this card has some NICE patches, and it's numbered to only 10 copies. I know unlicensed Panini baseball is a pass for some, but here, the lack of logos is barely noticeable thank to the pic. Overall clean design, just a great looking Griffey and I'm thankful that maybe it being a Panini card drove the price down!

2017 Immaculate Alvin Kamara Authentics Laundry Tag Patch (#5/5)

 

Some people think tags are ridiculous and of course this is a player worn jersey not game used..but this card just..I dunno stood out to me and I had to have it(I have to have a lot of stuff huh? lol). It's just a really cool looking card.

2012 Topps Tier One Sandy Koufax Autograph (13/25)

 

And my best pickup of the month. I've been wanting a Sandy Koufax auto ever since I got back into collecting. I saw this, made an offer and the seller accepted. This card is just wow..so great. I love the bold silver sig, and it's just a smooth looking card. So excited to have ended the month with such a great card!

And those are my pickups for January!