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2020/21 Topps UEFA Champions League Museum Collection Soccer Hobby Box Break & Review

Collector Type: UEFA Fans/Autograph/Relic/Risk Takers

Look what I got my hands on. Its a box of 2020/21 Topps UEFA Champions League Museum Collection Soccer. This is by far the most expensive box of cards I’ve ever opened. Boxes are currently listed for $525.

Quite the quick and expensive break. Inside each box you’ll find (1) pack. Each pack contains (8) cards – (3) base, (2) parallels, (1) autograph, (1) autograph/relic, and (1) relic.

The base set consists of (75) cards. Parallels include Copper #’ed/99, Sapphire #’ed/75, Gold #’ed/50, Ruby #’ed/25, and Emerald #’ed 1/1.

Autographs include Archival Autographs, Archival Dual Autographs, Framed Autographs, and Lore of the League Autographs.

Autograph/Relics include Museum Autograph Relics, Museum Autograph Jumbo Relics, Museum Framed Autograph Patch, and Single Player Triple Relics Autographs.

Relics include Meaningful Material Single Relics, Momentous Material Jumbo Relics, Momentous Material Prime Patch Relics, Single Player Triple Relics, and Triple Player Team Crest Relics.

If you’ve opened this product before, the 2020/21 version should feel familiar. At $525 you’re taking a massive risk. However, if you pull one of those major hits it will pay off immensely. Like a lot of high-end products, busting by the case or joining a group break may yield better results.

With rookies such as Eduardo Camavinga, Pedri, and Edouard Mendy it gets me really excited for 2020/21 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Sapphire Edition.

Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto:

• Marco Verratti Archival Autographs Sapphire #’ed/75

Auto/Relic:

• Joshua Kimmich Museum Autograph Relic #’ed/75

Relic:

• Timo Werner Momentous Material Jumbo Relic Gold #’ed/50

Parallels:

• André Onana Gold #’ed/50
• Tyler Adams Copper #’ed/99

Base:

• Serge Gnabry #74
• Achraf Hakimi #11
• Paulo Dybala #12

2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer Hobby Box Break & Review

Curious as to what the 2019 Topps Baseball flagship set will look like on Topps Chrome stock?  Have no fear.  2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer is here.

2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer utilizes the 2019 Topps Baseball flagship set design.  It gives us a nice preview as to what the flagship set looks like on chrome stock well before Topps Chrome Baseball comes out.

The set consists of top players from the UEFA Champions League.  (100) cards make up the base set.  Parallels include Refractor, Purple Refractor #’ed/250, Blue Refractor #’ed/150, Green Refractor #’ed/99, Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75, Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, Red Wave Refractor #’ed/10, and Superfractor #’ed 1/1.

You can’t have a set like this without some SP Photo Variations.  Lionel Messi #1, Christian Pulišić #23, Harry Kane #48, Antoine Griezmann #84, and Cristiano Ronaldo #100 cover all of them.  I made a handy little guide showing you what the SP Photo Variations look like.  Checking the CMP codes can be helpful too.  SP Photo Variations end in #223, whereas base cards end in #203.

A single hobby box should yield (1) autograph.  Even if your autograph isn’t some life altering hit, the wide variety of colored refractors helps to balance things out.

Autographs that you can get include Chrome Autographs, Champions League Debut Autographs, Future Stars Autographs, and Superstar Sensations Autographs.  Non-autographed versions of the same titles can be pulled as inserts.

One tiny difference you’ll notice is with the player’s name.  With the 2019 Topps Baseball flagship set the player’s last name is shown above their first name.  When it comes to 2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer its reversed.

Complete Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto

• Matteo Politano Chrome Auto Orange Refractor #’ed/25

Parallels

• Gedson Fernandes Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75
• Marcus Rashford Green Refractor #’ed/99
• Lionel Messi Purple Refractor #’ed/250
• Rafa Silva Purple Refractor #’ed/250
• Marc-André ter Stegen Refractor
• Luka Modric Refractor
• Andreas Pereira Refractor
• Lucas Moura Refractor
• Marco Verratti Refractor

Inserts

• Robert Lewandowski Superstar Sensations
• Neymar Jr. Superstar Sensations
• Marco Reus Superstar Sensations
• Harry Kane Superstar Sensations
• Raheem Sterling Future Stars
• Saúl Ñíguez Future Stars
• Federico Bernardeschi Future Stars

2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer SP Photo Variation Guide

2018/19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer contains (5) SP Photo Variations.  That’s not a lot compared to other sets.  These are quite difficult to pull, and each one has a Superfractor parallel #’ed 1/1.

Lionel Messi #1, Christian Pulišić #23, Harry Kane #48, Antoine Griezmann #84, and Cristiano Ronaldo #100 are the only SP Photo Variations.  While each of them has a base card in the main set, their SP Photo Variation is harder to find.  CMP codes for SP Photo Variations end in #223, whereas base cards end in #203.

Here’s what the SP Photo Variations look like:

2018/19 Topps UEFA Champions League Museum Collection Soccer Hobby Box Break & Review

Even if you don’t speak the language, you have to admit soccer broadcasters can be very entertaining.  Especially when a goal is made.  I’d like to see cards made that commemorate some of the most memorable soccer calls in history.  How that could be done isn’t quite clear.  I guess you could have the broadcasters inscribe what they said on a card.  Don’t ask me how they would spell some of the crazy noises they make.  Placing a microchip in the card with a recording of the actual call would be ideal.  But I’ve got a feeling that could get expensive.

This is the second year soccer fans have had the opportunity to enjoy UEFA Champions League Topps Museum Collection.  The 2018/19 version of this popular brand contains (1) pack inside each box.  Every pack should have (8) cards.  (1) Autograph, (1) Autograph/Relic, and (1) Relic should be pulled from every pack.  That’s (3) total hits.  (2) base parallels, and (3) regular base cards are in each pack too.

Collectors opening boxes of this product are mainly focused on the hits.  But there is a base set to put together if that’s something you’re into.  The base set consists of (75) cards.  A handful of parallels are available – Copper #’ed/99, Sapphire #’ed/75, Gold #’ed/50, Ruby #’ed/25, and Emerald #’ed 1/1.

As mentioned before, hits are the meat and potatoes of this brand.  Hits you can pull include Archival Autographs, Archival Dual Autographs, Framed Autographs, Road to Madrid Autographs, Museum Autograph Relics, Autograph Jumbo Relics, Framed Autograph Patch, Single Player Triple Relic Autographs, Meaningful Material Single Relics, Dual Meaningful Material Patch Relics, Momentous Material Jumbo Relics, Momentous Material Prime Patch Relics, and Single Player Triple Relics.

Unlike it’s baseball counterpart, there are no Canvas Collection inserts with original artwork.  Sticker autographs are also the go to.  Most soccer products that pertain to leagues outside of the United States have sticker autographs.

As of right now, a box will cost around $100.  There is also a Bundesliga edition.

Complete Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto

• Andreas Pereira Archival Autographs Ruby #’ed/25

Auto/Relic

• Jeroen Zoet Museum Autograph Relics Gold #’ed/50

Relic

• Marco Reus Meaningful Material Single Relics #’ed/99

Parallels

• Iker Casillas Copper #’ed/99
• Miralem Pjanić Gold #’ed/50

Base

• Benjamin Henrichs #70
• Gareth Bale #15
• Bertrand Traoré #8

2018/19 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Soccer Hobby Box Break & Review

Bundesliga!  That sounds like something Farmer Fran would yell in The Waterboy.

Hang on!  We’ve got one more product to talk about which features that 2018 Topps Baseball pixel-party flagship design.  I’m talking about 2018/19 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Soccer.

The Bundesliga is a German soccer league.  Although Topps has created cards for this league before, this is the first time its gotten full distribution here in the United States.  The Topps Chrome brand has a huge following, no matter the sport.  If you’re a soccer fan, that’s an additional plus.

You’ll find (18) packs per box, with (4) cards per pack.  This is a hobby-only release.  A single box will cost about $55.

The entire set consists of (90) cards.  Parallels include Blue Refractor #’ed/199, Green Refractor #’ed/99, Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/99 or #’ed/75, Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, and Red Wave Refractor #’ed/10.  Standard Refractors are suppose to come 1:3 packs, but I did not pull any.  Purple Refractors #’ed/250, and Superfractors #’ed 1/1 have yet to surface.  A few sources have indicated that there are photo variations.  I don’t think these exist.  To me, it looks like some changes took place between the time this product’s details were initially released, and when it actually came out.

Just like most Topps Chrome products, every box should have (1) autograph.  Parallels include Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75, Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, and Red Wave Refractor #’ed/5.  Autographed Blue Refractors, Green Refractors, and Superfractors have not popped up.

Three types of inserts can be pulled – Future Stars, Superstar Sensations, and Top 11.  Non-autographed versions should have Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, and Superfractor #’ed 1/1 parallels.  No Superfractors have hit the secondary market as of this writing.  The autographed counterparts vary in serial numbering.

2018/19 Topps Chrome Bundesliga is setup very similar to 2017/18 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League.  Between the one autograph, stack of refractors, and a box price of $55, you can get a nice balance of pulls.  I believe that’s what makes Topps Chrome so popular.  Great looking cards!

Here is what I pulled:

Auto

• Takashi Usami Blue Wave Refractor Auto #’ed/75

Parallels

• Michael Gregoritsch Orange Refractor #’ed/25
• Marco Reus Green Refractor #’ed/99
• Ja-Cheol Koo Green Refractor #’ed/99
• Weston McKennie Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75
• Yann Sommer Blue Refractor #’ed/199
• Péter Gulácsi Blue Refractor #’ed/199

Inserts

• Rouwen Hennings Superstar Sensations
• Enrico Valentini Superstar Sensations
• Julian Brandt Superstar Sensations
• Janik Haberer Future Stars
• Christian Pulisic Future Stars
• Nadiem Amiri Future Stars

Houston Dynamo ’19 Topps MLS Relic Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Alberth Elis 2019 Topps Major League Soccer Single-Player Dual Relic #’ed/215.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, May 10, 2019 @ 8:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

Earthquakes ’19 Topps MLS Jumbo Relic Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Danny Hoesen 2019 Topps Major League Soccer Jumbo Relic #’ed/220.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, May 3, 2019 @ 8:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

2019 Topps Major League Soccer Box Break & Review

Topps puts out a bunch of different soccer products throughout the year.  I find them to be a nice change of pace.  In the past, I’ve pulled some fun cards that includes low-numbered autographs and interesting relics.  The patch cards you get from soccer boxes can be absolutely insane.

2019 Topps Major League Soccer is a flagship brand that focuses more on set building and relics.  In fact, you won’t find a single autograph anywhere within this product.  That’s a little bit unusual as past releases have had autographs.

Two formats can be enjoyed when it comes to 2019 Topps MLS – hobby & blaster boxes.  A hobby box will come with (3) relics, while the retail blasters have (1).  A hobby box will run about $73 as of right now.

The base set consists of (200) cards.  You’ll notice it has it’s own design separate from that of the MLB flagship set.  Parallels include Blue #’ed/99, Gold #’ed/50, Orange #’ed/25, Red #’ed/10 (retail), and Black #’ed 1/1.

(15) cards have photo variations.  Each has a Black #’ed 1/1 parallel.

• #1 Zlatan Ibrahimović
• #18 Brad Guzan
• #24 Diego Valeri
• #28 Gyasi Zardes
• #34 Tim Howard
• #35 Sean Johnson
• #50 Bradley Wright-Phillips
• #53 Giovani dos Santos
• #79 Carlos Vela
• #90 Albert Rusnak
• #98 Jozy Altidore
• #100 Josef Martinez
• #127 Ignacio Piatti
• #146 Alberth Elis
• #155 Wayne Rooney

CMP codes can help.

• Base – #492
• Photo Variation – #514

That hobby box of yours should contain (2) Jumbo Relics, and (1) Dual Relic.  Both of course have Orange #’ed/25 and Black #’ed 1/1 parallels.  Rarer relics include Crests of Honor #’ed/5, and Nameplate Patches #’ed 1/1.

Inserts come in the form of 2018 MLS Award Winners, All-Stars, Throwback Topps, and Young Phenoms.  All have Orange #’ed/25, Red #’ed/10, and Black #’ed 1/1 parallels.

Does anyone else think Gyasi Zardes looks like Wesley Snipes a.k.a. Willie “Mays” Hayes?

The autographs are greatly missed by collectors.  I’m not sure why those were left out other than to keep the cost down.  Overall a fun break.  Very solid.

Here is what I pulled:

Relics

• Danny Hoesen Jumbo Relic Orange Parallel Patch #’ed/25
• Danny Hoesen Jumbo Relic #’ed/220
• Alberth Elis Single-Player Dual Relic #’ed/215

Parallels

• Graham Zusi All-Star Orange #’ed/25
• Johnny Russell Gold #’ed/50
• Jonathan Lewis Gold #’ed/50
• Derrick Jones Blue #’ed/99
• Sebastian Lletget Blue #’ed/99
• Vako Blue #’ed/99
• Alex Ring Blue #’ed/99

Inserts

• Corey Baird 2018 MLS Award Winners – Rookie Of The Year
• Latif Blessing Young Phenoms
• Ezequiel Barco Young Phenoms
• Kellyn Acosta Young Phenoms
• Chris Mueller Young Phenoms
• Alex Ring All-Star
• Josef Martínez All-Star
• Diego Valeri All-Star
• Miguel Almirón All-Star
• Francisco Calvo All-Star
• Graham Zusi All-Star
• Jozy Altidore Throwback Topps
• Cristian Roldan Throwback Topps
• Sacha Kljestan Throwback Topps
• Zlatan Ibrahimović Throwback Topps

2018/19 Topps Chrome Premier League Soccer Box Break & Review

Topps is king when it comes to Chrome-based products.  It doesn’t matter if its baseball, football, or professional wrestling, there will always be a core group of collectors lining up to rip into a box.  I bet if Topps made a Chrome set based solely on the Swiss curling team it would sell.

If you’re into Premier League soccer, you might have some fun with the new 2018/19 Topps Chrome Premier League product.  Boxes sell for around $55.  Inside every box there are (18) packs containing (4) cards each.  You’ll also find (1) autograph per box too.

The base set is comprised of (100) cards featuring top players from the Premier League.  Topps chose to use the 2018 baseball flagship design.  They did the same thing with 2017/18 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League.  Parallels are what make Chrome products so great, and this set has plenty of them.  Base set parallels include Refractor, Purple Refractor #’ed/250, Blue Refractor #’ed/150, Green Refractor #’ed/99, Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75, Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, Red Wave Refractor #’ed/10, and Superfractor #’ed 1/1.

While ripping through your box, its a good idea to check the CMP code on those standard refractors.  There are (5) image variations to watch for.  Each has a refractor-like coloring, and the CMP code on the back ends in #08.  Base cards end in #88.  Superfractor versions of these variations exist as well.  The five players these apply to are Harry Kane #1, Romelu Lukaku #22, Kevin De Bruyne #50, N’Golo Kanté #63, and Mohamed Salah #100.  Here is a nice little guide I made to help.

Autographs come in four different formats – Base Chrome, New Signings, Premier League Debuts, and Superstar Sensations.  The Base Chrome Autographs have Blue Refractor #’ed/150, Green Refractor #’ed/99, Blue Wave Refractor #’ed/75, Gold Refractor #’ed/50, Orange Refractor #’ed/25, Red Refractor #’ed/10, Red Wave Refractor #’ed/10, and Superfractor #’ed/1 parallels.  The only parallels the other autographs have are Superfractors.  New Signings, Premier League Debuts, and Superstar Sensations all have unsigned counterparts.

No matter the sport, Topps Chrome always offers up a lot.  Between the image variations, refractors, and guaranteed autograph, the risk is fairly spread around.  You can’t beat it for $55.

Complete Checklist

Here is what I pulled:

Auto

• Dele Alli Superstar Sensations Auto #’ed/30

Parallels

• James Ward-Prowse Gold Refractor #’ed/50
• Mesut Özil Green Refractor #’ed/99
• Kelechi Iheanacho Blue Refractor #’ed/150
• Kieran Trippier Purple Refractor #’ed/250
• Andros Townsend Refractor
• Ruben Neves Refractor
• Jack Cork Refractor
• Tom Cairney Refractor
• Junior Hoilett Refractor
• Antonio Rüdiger Refractor

Inserts

• Andriy Yarmolenko New Signings
• Mohamed Elyounoussi New Signings
• Richarlison New Signings
• Ayoze Pérez Superstar Sensations
• Steve Mounié Superstar Sensations
• Chris Wood Superstar Sensations
• Jordan Pickford Superstar Sensations