"Help!!!, What Hobby Box Should I Buy"

[hayn]

Actually, my title should read, "What hobby box would you buy and why". I'm at a stage where I am looking over various football card products, cost, highlights, number of hits, number of cards per hobby box, short term financial gain, long term financial gain, and most importantly what gets you excited. It matters not on what's pulled from a hobby box, if I've learned one thing from every forum member here it's; "Have Fun"! I take that to heart, and I thank you all for that.

I think I can speak for all forum members, no matter the cost of a hobby box, if the product you open does not have a sense of extreme excitement, why buy it! So here I am once again, to find out what product you enjoyed most and why. This information will allow me to decide on which product to choose and most importantly to get insight from experienced and professional collectors that I've seen here on CCW. I say experienced, due to the fact that I've been collecting for 6 months now. I say professional because I see many forum members trading and selling cards on this forum and the secondary market. Anytime money is paid for service due, you're in fact a professional!

One of my favorite products are 2012 Panini Black. Why? The Black design seems to make anyone do a double take. 2011 Panini Gold Standard has that same effect, at least for me. And both these products have a subdued and subtle design which makes these types of cards border on an piece of art. I do agree that picking up singles on eBay is the way to go. As you've seen by my thread on mailday regarding a 2011 Panini Gold Standard Brett Favre card. Although, due to my addiction to this new hobby, I keep hearing Dacardworld calling me in my dreams to order a 2011 Panini Gold Standard. I still have a few months to decide on what I'll be ordering.

My current choices are (These are what I've enjoyed) 2012 Panini Certified, 2011 Panini Gold Standard, 2012 Panini Absolute, 2012 Totally Certified, 2012 Elite, or 2012 Panini Crown Royale. If you have any suggestions, please share them with me. I would like to get another 2012 Panini Black and a 2012 Panini Momentum as Mrs. Toshi and I both like these products.

I've already indulged in products from Topps like Topps, Topps Bowman, Topps Chrome, Topps Platinum, Topps Finest, Topps Triple Threads (I really like Triple Threads but not the cost), and Topps Supreme. As for Panini, I've enjoyed Score, Gridiron, 12 RS, Certified, Prominence, Limited, Absolute, Contenders, Crown Royale, Momentum, Black, Prizm, Totally Certified, and Playbook. Of course I have purchased the usual items from Upper Deck, Leaf, and Sage. I might have missed a few here and there as my memory is not what it's used to be. What I'm trying convey is to share my collecting experience here so that you or other forum members could enlighten me with a product I've never purchased.

What I'm looking for is a hobby box that has 1/1 Andrew Luck, RGIII Superfractor, Russell Wilson Auto Relic Printing Plate, Alfred Morris Relic Auto, and a Triple Auto Relic of Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers 1/5. LOL!!!! In my dreams!

Seriously, a hobby box in the $100.00 - $150.00, I'm looking for quality and not quantity. So anywhere from 12 cards to 30 cards. The basic 4 hits with 2 guaranteed autos. The other 2 being relic or relic autos. Good balance of vets and rookies, and I definitely would like all of my hobby box purchases come from 2012! I'm sure I don't have to explain why. Now if your personal criteria does fall in line with my request here, no problem! Just share with me why and what you would buy! I don't care if you say you're willing to blow $700.00 on the new release of Upper Deck Exquisite. All I want is input. Any help would be welcomed, positive or negative! I'm open to anything.


Thank you,

Toshi

[bcw716]

Since we've had our 2nd child, my box buying has taken a big hit. In 2011 & 1st part of 2012 I bought at least 2-3 boxes a month & now I'm down to maybe 1 every 2 months(crappy pulls led to some disenchantment also) so i've been buying singles lately. It is hard for me to buy a box of cards with only 4-10 cards in it so I tend to stick with mid end stuff. The main product I look forward to every year is Crown Royale. The silhouettes are sweet & I just like the overall value of the boxes. This year, I bought several boxes of Certified and really like the design(I didn't in 2011). I also really like Totally Certified, SP Authentic. Topps Valor looks really cool & Prime Signatures has really grown on me this year. I have a bonus coming up in the next few weeks(hopefully) & I'm pretty much set on at least one box of Prime Sigs(which I haven't bought before) and debating on the Panini Black which is really sharp & would be a new product for me, another box of Contenders(which I normally haven't been a fan of but this year's looks great) or Crown.

[hayn]

Since we've had our 2nd child, my box buying has taken a big hit. In 2011 & 1st part of 2012 I bought at least 2-3 boxes a month & now I'm down to maybe 1 every 2 months(crappy pulls led to some disenchantment also) so i've been buying singles lately. It is hard for me to buy a box of cards with only 4-10 cards in it so I tend to stick with mid end stuff. The main product I look forward to every year is Crown Royale. The silhouettes are sweet & I just like the overall value of the boxes. This year, I bought several boxes of Certified and really like the design(I didn't in 2011). I also really like Totally Certified, SP Authentic. Topps Valor looks really cool & Prime Signatures has really grown on me this year. I have a bonus coming up in the next few weeks(hopefully) & I'm pretty much set on at least one box of Prime Sigs(which I haven't bought before) and debating on the Panini Black which is really sharp & would be a new product for me, another box of Contenders(which I normally haven't been a fan of but this year's looks great) or Crown.

It sounds like we have the same tastes in football card products. The Certified and Totally Certified are products that Mrs. Toshi and I have enjoyed. We are awaiting on our redemption from Totally Certified, it is a Fabric Auto Phenom Red of Russell Wilson. I have hesitated on my choice of purchasing the SP Authentic you mentioned. I have not seen a lot of college football so my knowledge of players in college was minimal. When Mrs. Toshi and I finally purchased our first SP Authentic, we were blown away! We have not purchased the Prime Signatures nor the Contenders. We have bought a pack here and a pack there of Contenders but not a hobby box. As for your main product of Crown Royale? I absolutely fell in love with the die cut base cards. I do recommend that you purchase Black. We have purchased two blacks so far and we are both determined to get another Black before the end of 2013.

Starting a family is the most fulfilling experience in life. Like your current situation, I had not purchased anything for myself as the majority of my money went to my son and daughter. Now that they are adults, my obligation to them is minimal at best. So I know exactly where you're coming from! Hence, I have no issues on spending money on my self after 22 years. Thank you for your input, and I look forward in what hobby box you'll be purchasing.