Box/Case Question

[the 'stache]

There are really a myriad of options out there, and at different price points. I used to buy boxes trying for the big "hit", but the only "hit" ended up being to my wallet.

My suggestion? Go to Ebay, and put in the name of a player that you like, and see what comes up. If you're a Colts fan, Andrew Luck cards are really hot, and they should continue to appreciate in value as he gets better. But the likelihood of scoring that big Luck card with a signature and patch are slim, and you're going to spend a lot of money to get an autographed card you don't really want.

What I do is buy boxes occasionally to crack open for the fun factor, and then buy the cards I really want individually on EBay, or from COMC.com, or one of the different sports card forums I've frequented. By buying cards individually, you take luck out of the equation (no pun intended. Well, maybe.... ). You can see the exact card you're getting, and judge if it meets your conditional requirements. If you're looking at it as an investment, something you might sell someday, you need to be pretty picky. Look at the card's edges, corners, surface, centering, and if it's a patch or auto, the cut of the window holding the patch, and the quality of the signature. If a player signs, and the pen streaks a little, it can lower the grade. It's not as aesthetically appealing.

As for the individual product lines? There are so many, your best is to start while looking around. In baseball, Topps Museum is a line that has a lot of nice pieces with mixed "ingredients", so to speak. Jersey patches, baseball bat knobs, autographs, etc. The product includes current players, as well as all-time greats. Those will have a published number of "hits" per box. In other words, you'll be guaranteed to get something like "1 jersey card, 1 card with a jersey piece and an autograph, and 1 card with 2 autographs". Those boxes tend to be quite expensive.

If it's the Colts you're looking for, I don't think Upper Deck has it's full NFL license back yet (meaning they can picture players, but not team logos), but the Upper Deck Exquisite line is one of my favorites. They're really thick cards with on card autographs, and uniform patch pieces. Here's one of my cards, Jordy Nelson of the Packers. This is a 2007 rookie card.



You might look into something like the Topps Five Star line. I don't know the current pricing. I'd expect the boxes run a few hundred bucks each. Again, probably smarter to buy something like a box of Topps or Bowman Chrome, with a guaranteed on card auto, and buy the showpiece cards you want individually. This is a nice example:



Keep in mind, that card, bought individually, will be quite expensive. Still, if you want to guarantee you get something you'll like, it could beat buying multiple boxes, and getting nothing in return.

I hope this helps a bit. Good luck!