2011 Sweet Spot

When UD brought back Sweet Spot last year I was excited for the college helmets because I collect LSU players. It was hit and miss, but overall a success - so they brought it back in 2011. The main pitfall last year was the supplemental jersey hits were dollar bin bound no matter the player almost. The main hits were generally great and the NCAA variation was the only card I did not like.

Price Paid: $98.95
Sale Value (on ebay): $55.00 (week after release)

Design: The base are excellent and resemble a less desirable 2011 Upper Deck. Of course, we all know what to expect from the helmet cards and they do live up to the hype. I happen to enjoy these cards and the two I got were cleanly designed and highly desirable for a college collector. The variations this year are a success as well. Last year, the lower prints were a generic NCAA helmet, but now we have two versions of the same team's helmet which makes the collector have more options. Also, the base cards have auto variations that replace last year's swatches. This is a major upgrade as they provide four hits people will generally want. Booklet cards are also included which are aesthetically pleasing as well. The only complaint I have is that the one insert is awful. I would avoid the Scouting Report cards...really, who wants to see Mortensen or McShay on their card? 4.5/5

Checklist: As I stated before the base auto list helped the product tremendously. After seeing multiple breaks last year it was very predictable and the same players were coming out over and over. 2011 brings unpredictability because the checklist is very deep. The veteran helmet list is enormous and has rare names included. It really delivers for just about anyone and everyone. 5/5

Fun: Similarly to last year we get four tins with four packs with at least one hit in each. You can open them all and have the Sweet Spots for last or just break them in order. At the price, the risk is not incredibly high so you shouldn't be panicking if you have no huge hits. However, the huge hits are in there and that makes it more fun. 4/5

What I got:

Daniel Thomas Base Auto
Ryan Whalen Base Auto
Jonathan Baldwin Sweet Spot Auto
Kelvin Sheppard Sweet Spot Auto

Overall/Value: Unfortunately, the value is standard unless you get a big hit. Minus 20-40 is probably the norm, but one big hit could put you over the top as well. Singles are probably the way to go, but I would not discourage anyone from trying it out, either. 3.5/5

My Break/Tilt: The players I got all have potential and I got a PC hit. I love the look of the cards and I would probably give it another shot if I had the money. 4.5/5

Overall: 21.5/25 B

So here we go - Score did a very good job this year with their release. Topps is the main competition and in the past I have leaned towards Score if I wanted a cheap break. I am not going to be breaking a jumbo version of Topps so I can make a fair comparison between the two.

Price Paid: $52.95
Sale Value (on ebay): $37.00 (week of release)

Design: There are so many variations and inserts and different types of hits it is hard to keep track of everything able to be pulled from this product. This seems to be the most serious set of Topps I have ever seen. The base set is very clean as usual with white borders, a team logo and stripe with the player name included at the bottom. The photography is excellent and the set should be easy to complete even with 440 cards. However, the rookies are still looking like male models in their shots which make the base rookie cards undesirable for me. The 1950 Bowman mini's do not do it for me either with the posed, poorly done art work. The ToppsTown inserts are nice looking metallic cards similar to 2002 pristine cards and provide rookie inserts I would rather have than the base. The Faces of the Franchise inserts are better than average providing two players from each team on a card with a little bit too much photoshopping done for me. Unfortunately, the worst cards are the most common base relics and gameday auto cards. If the Game Day cards had the team name at the top rather than a giant font stating GAMEDAY, they would be great. Also, wasting the bottom half of the card with white is pointless unless you have on card autographs...and these have oddly placed stickers. Finally, I am always a hater of rookie premier photo shoots and the red zone photos. Again, for the reason of male modeling photography. If I pull one it would go straight to ebay no matter who the player is. With all of that being said, the chase cards are sketch cards and Super Bowl Legend relics all of which look amazing including super bowl ring replicas, stamps, autographs, sticket stubs etc. So if you are lucky enough to hit one of those, they have the potential to be a centerpiece of any collection. 3.5/5

Checklist: The Super Bowl Legend cards alone make the checklist amazing for me. Topps certainly isn't just for kids anymore and seems to be more about chase cards. The checklist is loaded with potential that is unlikely, but not impossible to pull. I'd imagine every Jumbo case has 1-2 SB Legends card included. The potential for a huge hit is there even if you will most likely pull dollar bin jerseys and some cheap gameday auto cards. 5/5

Fun: Topps is always a fun product to break. You get 36 packs and 360 cards to sort through and a plethora of gem mint condition top rookies. Jumbo is probably even more fun as you have a better chance at a big pull. It's not perfect because there's no suspense, but it also has lasting value. 4.5/5

What I got:

Gameday Jersey Tony Gonzalez

Gold Parallel /2011 x4 (vets)

Black Parallel /55 Brandon Merriweather

10 minis

Dalton toppstown

Ponder toppstown

30 or so more inserts

Overall/Value: With one hit per box Topps had to make the set collectible and the base desirable. Based on the market it seems as if they have succeeded so far. There is enough going to here to keep collectors interested. I believe the box is about $10 overpriced and will hopefully come down after it's out for a while. The value at $52.95 will not last with this product. 3.5/5

My Break/Tilt: I had an average break and still didn't come out badly. I only pulled 5-6 cards I wanted to keep which is about average for this product. I'm not blown away, but it was fun and the price tag is about right for now. 4/5

Overall: 20.5/25 C+