2015 Topps High Tek Football Box Break-Review

Back in the 1990s, when the first iteration of Topps Tek baseball was on the marketplace, I was not a big fan. To me, it was just odd that you could call the 90 different players a “set” but in actuality, to have a true complete set you needed all 90 patterns for each player (8,100).  I wasn’t crazy about two such extremes. However, there were several collectors who were very active in searching and completing those master sets. Even more interestingly, none of those who did track them all down ever wanted Beckett to give them any publicity for completing such a venture.

In retrospect, the whole concept of Tek was a wasted promotional opportunity for Topps.  If they’d created a contest and awarded prizes to the first person (or people) to be the first to finish a master set, there would have been quite a buzz. Several years later, Upper Deck did it with their Yankee Legacy commemorative set.   It would have been fun to see such a contest with the new Tek product and I have to think sales would have been through the roof it they could pull something like that off.

At least the product has returned to the market—first with baseball and now with 2015 Topps High Tek Football, which has one eight card pack per box with one guaranteed autograph.  Although the cards are noted in the Beckett online price guide for their different background designs, perhaps some notation either front or back would have been helpful.

The player’s name is at the bottom. The backs are clear and you can see the front design except for where the stats are posted.

My local card store (Triple Cards in Plano TX) reported acceptable sales at just under $75 per box while leading online retailers have dropped to $45-50 per box before shipping.

Here’s what we pulled in the box we received from Topps:

Base Cards:  Six with the varying designs

Gold Rainbow Diffractor (#d to 50): Jamison Crowder

Autograph: Landon Collins (on card)

One good aspect of writing these reviews a few days after release is we can see how the secondary market has evolved and in my opinion, the secondary market is dead on.

My solution was to perk this product up with a national contest.  My local shop owner felt High Tek should have been released in packs instead of just one eight card pack in a box. I remember we said something similar about baseball but the point still remains that the way High Tek currently is released doesn’t seem conducive to gaining a lot of popularity.

As we learned this year with the return of Stadium Club, perhaps the best thing card companies can do is when resurrecting the past is to be as true to the original as possible in every way instead of reinventing the wheel. With a few minor tweaks, High Tek could be a real winner but as is, I’m not sure it works.

You can see what’s on eBay here.

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