2007-08 Topps Co-Signers Basketball

2007-08 Topps Co-Signers Basketball... "The True Autograph Collector's Series Takes On the NBA"

This hobby-exclusive release features two autographed cards (one of which is dual) and 10 low-numbered parallels per box.  As is typical for Topps products, it's packed with a good mix of stars, rookies and veterans.

Set Features;

Each sealed box contains 12 packs of 6 cards each in a 100 card base set including 50 Rookies (#`d to 1299). >>> Each box contains THREE Rookie cards, ONE Autograph Rookie card, and ONE Dual Autograph card. Parallel set: Changing Faces (Gold: Red > #`d to 250, Blue > #`d to 199, Green > #`d to 175; Hyper Silver: Red > #`d to 150, Blue > #`d to 99, Green > #`d to 75; Hyper Gold: Red > #`d to 50, Blue > #`d to 25, Green > #each is a 1-of-1) and Framed Printing Plates (400 base and 340 Autograph > each is a 1-of-1). Insert: Autograph cards (Dual: Gold > #`d to 75 or less, Hyper Silver > #`d to 35 or less, Hyper Gold > each is a 1-of-1; Autograph Rookie: Gold > #`d to 50, Hyper Silver > #`d to 25, Hyper Gold > each is a 1-of-1; Tri-Signers: Gold > #`d to 10, Hyper Silver > #`d to 5, Hyper Gold > each is a 1-of-1)

Here's what we pulled in our box of 2007-08 Topps Co-Signers Basketball.

Base Cards;

The base card design has a black and white background photo overlaid with a different, color foreground photo which is a nice concept.  Personally I don't like the silver foil with the B&W background as it makes the card look a little dreary, but the beautiful black Co-Signers logo helps set it off.

Parallels;

(3) Changing Faces Gold Red /109... Baron Davis / Al Harrington; Elgin Baylor / Kobe Bryant; Morris Almond / Deron Williams

(3) Changing Faces Gold Blue /89... Andrea Bargnani / Chris Bosh; Chris Paul / Adam Haluska; Jason Smith / Herbert Hill

(1) Changing Faces Gold Green /59... Antawn Jamison / Gilbert Arenas

(1) Changing Faces Hyper Silver Red /39... Baron Davis / Brandan Wright

(1) Changing Faces Hyper Silver Blue /29... Morris Almond / Deron Williams

(1) Changing Faces Hyper Silver Green /19... Isiah Thomas / Dennis Rodman
Co-Signers provided a nice group of pulls as you can see above.  These parallels were 1 per pack in packs not containing an auto.  You won't see too many boxes at this price with so many low numbered pulls.  While I kind of wish there was more variety, (maybe one insert set), these low numbered parallels are nice and are even lower numbered than what the sell sheets say.  The Hyper Silver cards have a sweet refractor type surface.  I was frustrated at first trying to figure out the different parallels and numbering, but after simply reading the back of the pack it became obvious!

Rookie Cards;

The rookie cards are all numbered to 499 which is a nice feature similar to the parallels.  There is nothing on the front of the card distinguishing the RCs from the base cards, which is unusual for Topps and a bit confusing to me.  However, they do feature the same clean photography with a good mix of shots.

Gabe Pruitt, Al Thornton, Sammy Mejia

Autograph Cards;

The autos we received were rookie Aaron Brooks and a dual auto of Emeka Okafor and Jared Dudley.  The autos are stickers, but are recessed into the card which to me improves the appearance.  I also love the team logos on the stickers of the dual auto.  The color graphics on the dual is a nice change of pace.

Final Thoughts on 2007 Topps Co-Signers Basketball;

I'll be honest - I wasn't a fan of the Co-Signers football set when I saw it.  I watched some box breaks at a shop, talked to some guys at a show about their experiences, and saw some box break results online; and at a glance I didn't care for the look of the cards and didn't think there was enough variety in the dual autos (saw many repeats in multi-box breaks, etc.)  However upon opening the basketball product and taking more time to really look at what is going on with it, I have a much higher opinion of it.  I also didn't realize how moderately priced the boxes were.  In today's market, autograph collectors can't do much better than a box with a guaranteed auto and dual auto for well under $100.

Favorite Card;

The dual auto, not only for being the top hit in the box but also for its design.  Honorable mention to the Rodman/Thomas Changing Faces /19 and a few of the legends base cards (Bird, Drexler, Robinson).

Here's how I would rate this product;

Value = 4
Innovation = 4
Fun and Experience = 5
Rebuy Value = 4

I rate this product a "B+" for Topps!
Co-Signers basketball brought me a long way from my initial 50,000-ft. view of the Co-Signers family and is a solid product!

NPN Information;

NPN 07-08 Topps Co-Signers Basketball
P.O. Box 2036
Duryea, PA 18642

A huge thanks to Topps for providing this box, and to Trader Retreat for the opportunity to review the product!  Be on the lookout for contests involving the cards pulled in this break!