The first nine weeks of 2022 didn’t produce a huge number of new releases as the sports card manufacturers continued to deal with supply chain issues but that’s about to change. March has plenty of product currently on the docket, starting with a pretty big group of releases arriving over the next few days.
Here’s a brief overview of what to expect.
3/9/22
2021 Panini Contenders Football
This hallmark football brand debuted before Tom Brady was an NFL pup and it’s back for another year, albeit a month after the season. Each Hobby box of 2021 Contenders Football includes 18 packs with six cards per pack. Once again, you can expect five autographs, one parallel and 18 insert cards in an average box.
Of course, the Rookie Ticket Autographs and their multiple parallels are the big draw. One interesting subset should be the Contenders to Canton issue, featuring Hall of Famers who are shown with their gold jacket–and their first Contenders card.
Boxes are online for upwards of $700.
2022 Topps Opening Day
It’s either a cruel joke or an oasis in a desert of despair to announce the arrival of “Opening Day.” While there are no games currently on the horizon, the baseball cards continue to trickle out with this long running release designed to attract budget minded collectors who don’t need a half dozen hits to be happy. It’s a “fun first” kind of release with a 200-card base set.
There are 36 packs in a hobby box, and each pack contains seven cards — six base cards and one insert. Autographs and relic cards are possible, too, but won’t be common.
Boxes are available for around $55.
2021-22 Panini Prizm Premier League Soccer
The third in a quartet of releases scheduled to arrive Wednesday is the Prizm Premier League offering from Panini which offers one autograph, 17 Prizms parallels and six inserts per hobby box. Color Blast inserts are in the mix and considered case hits.
It’s a pretty comprehensive Premier League base set with 200 cards.
Boxes are running about $400 online.
2021 Topps Formula One Chrome
This one was supposed to come out last fall, but finally arrives this week. 2021 Chrome F1 is essentially a shinier version of the flagship product.
There’s a standard Hobby box, with 18 packs of four cards (12 boxes per case), a Hobby Lite box with 16 packs of four cards (16 boxes per case) and a Value box option. Hobby boxes are where you’re most likely to find autographs. There’s a 200-card base set.
Boxes are online for $679-$700.
3/11
2021-22 Panini Origins Basketball
Collectors who’ve been anticipating more current year NBA products get their wish with this release.
Back for a third year, the artsy Origins offers a single pack of seven cards: two autograph or memorabilia cards; two inserts or parallels and three base cards.
Boxes of 2021-22 Panini Origins Basketball are currently available online.
2021 Panini Playbook Football
Playbook Hobby boxes contain a single four-card pack. Two will be memorabilia cards and two will carry autographs, with one booklet card per box, on average.
The autograph content in 2021 Playbook starts with Rookies Jersey Autographs, all numbered to 299 or less but they don’t call it Playbook for nothing. The product is built upon a variety of fold-out cards.
2021 Playbook boxes are online for around $480.
2022 Topps Heritage Baseball
The blast from the past focuses on 1973 this year. Hobby boxes offer 24 packs with nine cards per pack along with a wrapped box topper card or poster insert. Boxes will again have one autograph or relic card.
As usual, the base set will consist of 500 cards with the last 100 short printed. Each box should have eight SPs.
Heritage shouldn’t be hard to find with hobby and blaster boxes along with retail packs usually part of the plan. You can check pricing on eBay here.
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2021-22 Panini Contenders Basketball Preview
2021 Panini Contenders Football Preview
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2021-22 Hoops Basketball Preview
2021 Panini Origins Football Preview
