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Bench Warmer
Product review: 2008 Leaf Rookies and Stars Football
By: Rob Wynkoop
5 cards per pack – 24 packs per box – 12 boxes per case
100-card base set / 250 card complete set
A perennial favorite among rookie collectors is the Leaf Rookies and Stars brand, and this year Donruss / Playoff produces a quality product at a great price point that may make this release a hobby darling in 2008. The set contains 100 base cards of about 3-4 “star” players from each of the 32 NFL teams.
The base checklist is typical of any standard release, but there are a few notable names missing. Not to be a Titans homer, but Vince Young is featured in this set and he hasn’t played since week 1. In the meantime Kerry Collins has guided the Titans to an undefeated season but is nowhere to be found. There are many examples of this in the base set. For example, one will find the Bronco’s Brandon Stokley in the set, but Brandon Marshall is not included.
The base set is easy to complete from one single box. This one had 8 duplicates total. The look and feel of the base set is very nice. They have a smell that reminds me of the same high-gloss finish of the 1991 Topps Stadium Club release. (I know there are some out there that still remember this distinctive aroma.) The design is fairly no frills; it’s kind of mechanical looking with sharp edges and clean lines. The background doesn’t overpower the player images and for the most part the shots seem to catch the players’ action well. The card backs are also clean and uncluttered. It has a quality blurb from the 2007 season of each player and it lists the physical stats and round in which the player was drafted. It also lists the college each player attended, however they used a font that is extremely small, making it difficult to read without holding the card very close.
Another negative aspect of the card back in my opinion is the terrible choice of fonts used for the cards’ numbering in the set. It is a very rounded font that makes most numbers actually look like upside down letters. While building the set, I lost my place several times and incorrectly sorted cards because of how tricky this font is on the eyes. For example, the number 50 card of Tony Gonzalez looks more like the word “SO” which is quite confusing when collating these things. (Who even puts sets together anyway besides me and Budman?)
On to the part that most people care about: “the hits.” Each box is supposed to contain 4 hits plus a dozen or so inserts and numbered rookies. The packs are equipped with dummy cards to prevent pack searching which is a plus. There is a 15 card insert set called “Elements” which are not serial numbered. This box yielded one – Card 111 Devin Hester. The Elements inserts feature players against backdrops of different weather conditions – snow in the case of Hester. The card looks like the “Elements” were photoshopped in to me, but they really look much better than the actual base card background’s black dot theme. I think if the whole set had used these burred out backgrounds within the white frames it would have been a very eye pleasing release – similar to UD Masterpieces.
I received 4 base rookie cards each numbered to 999 (Jonathan Hefney, Jordon Dizon, Darius Reynaud, Tim Hightower). The box also contained two parallel rookies: a sharp looking silver longevity Sedrick Ellis numbered to 249 and the best looking card of the whole break – a Longevity Holofoil of Mike Jenkins numbered to 99. There were also two veteran parallels: a longevity Larry Fitzgerald #’d to 249 and a Reggie Bush Longevity Holofoil numbered 17/25.
The rookie parallels I found to be rather pedestrian. This box contained a total of three numbered inserts one was a dual “Studio Rookies” of Rashard Mendenhall (Yay! Zeeck) and Limas Sweed numbered to a scant 1000 copies. There is room on the card for an autograph sticker, but without it there is a large empty space that makes you feel like “this would have been awesome had it been signed.” I received a holofoil version of the Studio Rookies Darren McFadden, but it was numbered to 500 taking away much of the prestige of the holofoil rarity that made the Reggie Bush appealing. Lastly, there was a Holofoil Harry Douglas Cross Training Insert numbered to 500. It’s strikes me as a card destined for a quarter box somewhere down the line. It also looks quite strange because the set design makes him appear to have either been sawed in half like David Blaine or have the longest torso in the history of man (see scans).
Whew… for those of you I haven’t put to sleep – the “real” hits left a bit to be desired, but were adequate. As far as memorabilia cards and autographs go this set is very long on rookies and short on stars – which makes the product name a little misleading. I would say of the “Gold Stars” jersey card checklist I pulled the best possible veteran: Eli Manning. My Eli Manning had the Gold Holofoil look to it and was numbered to 250, but it was a dull, boring grey pants swatch. Other available jersey cards include: Vince Young, Chad Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Santonio Holmes, Jerious Norwood and a few other veterans, but players who are by no means stars. There are two memorabilia subsets where you do have the chance to find a Peyton Manning or LaDanian Tomlinson jersey, patch or autograph in this release. Brett Favre is not featured on any memorabilia or autograph card. Though Adrian Peterson adorns both the product box and pack packaging, he only appears in one memorabilia card.
The next hit was a Rashard Mendenhall Studio Rookies Materials Jersey Card. It was a straight-forward, black jersey swatch of the Steelers rookie and it was numbered to 250 also. The third memorabilia card was a Studio Rookies Dual Jersey of Jamall Charles and Glen Dorsey of the KC Chiefs. The two swatches were both red, even worn pieces from the Rookie Premier Photoshoot. The card is numbered to 250 also.
The real saving grace for this box break was a true rookie, SP Rookie Signatures Ray Rice Auto numbered to 105. These cards feature a manufactured patch with the Team, NFL or College Logo and the players autograph. This one was rather low numbered, but was not a parallel – I am presuming that it will be an SP.
Overall, I feel like in the long run this product is a great buy for the money. If one is buying this product with hopes of pulling a big name “star” auto patch for a chance to make a quick buck, I would move along to another product. This release, though modestly priced at about $75-95 delivers some great rookies with high potential values down the road (See 2001: LaDanian Tomlinson $400, 2003: Tony Romo $900, 2004: Eli Manning $200). If you’re into rookies and don’t mind holding on to them for a while, this is a really fun product. Choosing between this and other recent Playoff releases, I believe I would choose Leaf Rookies and Stars over Leaf Certified and Leaf Limited this year.
Overall, I give this product a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Scans:
Front and Back of the base cards. Note the tiny college print and the odd upside down LL's for the numbering.
These are the different base set parallels from the break. The Hester is from the Elements subset.
Base, Longevity and Longevity Holofoil Parallel Rookies
The Douglas card with the expanding abdomen. :lollol:
Rookie Inserts /500
The redeemer of the bunch - 08 Leaf R&S SP Rookie Auto Ray Rice Logo Patch RC /105
Hope you all liked the review, those of you that read through it all. Mods please feel free to post on the front page if you deem it worthy.
By: Rob Wynkoop
5 cards per pack – 24 packs per box – 12 boxes per case
100-card base set / 250 card complete set
A perennial favorite among rookie collectors is the Leaf Rookies and Stars brand, and this year Donruss / Playoff produces a quality product at a great price point that may make this release a hobby darling in 2008. The set contains 100 base cards of about 3-4 “star” players from each of the 32 NFL teams.
The base checklist is typical of any standard release, but there are a few notable names missing. Not to be a Titans homer, but Vince Young is featured in this set and he hasn’t played since week 1. In the meantime Kerry Collins has guided the Titans to an undefeated season but is nowhere to be found. There are many examples of this in the base set. For example, one will find the Bronco’s Brandon Stokley in the set, but Brandon Marshall is not included.
The base set is easy to complete from one single box. This one had 8 duplicates total. The look and feel of the base set is very nice. They have a smell that reminds me of the same high-gloss finish of the 1991 Topps Stadium Club release. (I know there are some out there that still remember this distinctive aroma.) The design is fairly no frills; it’s kind of mechanical looking with sharp edges and clean lines. The background doesn’t overpower the player images and for the most part the shots seem to catch the players’ action well. The card backs are also clean and uncluttered. It has a quality blurb from the 2007 season of each player and it lists the physical stats and round in which the player was drafted. It also lists the college each player attended, however they used a font that is extremely small, making it difficult to read without holding the card very close.
Another negative aspect of the card back in my opinion is the terrible choice of fonts used for the cards’ numbering in the set. It is a very rounded font that makes most numbers actually look like upside down letters. While building the set, I lost my place several times and incorrectly sorted cards because of how tricky this font is on the eyes. For example, the number 50 card of Tony Gonzalez looks more like the word “SO” which is quite confusing when collating these things. (Who even puts sets together anyway besides me and Budman?)
On to the part that most people care about: “the hits.” Each box is supposed to contain 4 hits plus a dozen or so inserts and numbered rookies. The packs are equipped with dummy cards to prevent pack searching which is a plus. There is a 15 card insert set called “Elements” which are not serial numbered. This box yielded one – Card 111 Devin Hester. The Elements inserts feature players against backdrops of different weather conditions – snow in the case of Hester. The card looks like the “Elements” were photoshopped in to me, but they really look much better than the actual base card background’s black dot theme. I think if the whole set had used these burred out backgrounds within the white frames it would have been a very eye pleasing release – similar to UD Masterpieces.
I received 4 base rookie cards each numbered to 999 (Jonathan Hefney, Jordon Dizon, Darius Reynaud, Tim Hightower). The box also contained two parallel rookies: a sharp looking silver longevity Sedrick Ellis numbered to 249 and the best looking card of the whole break – a Longevity Holofoil of Mike Jenkins numbered to 99. There were also two veteran parallels: a longevity Larry Fitzgerald #’d to 249 and a Reggie Bush Longevity Holofoil numbered 17/25.
The rookie parallels I found to be rather pedestrian. This box contained a total of three numbered inserts one was a dual “Studio Rookies” of Rashard Mendenhall (Yay! Zeeck) and Limas Sweed numbered to a scant 1000 copies. There is room on the card for an autograph sticker, but without it there is a large empty space that makes you feel like “this would have been awesome had it been signed.” I received a holofoil version of the Studio Rookies Darren McFadden, but it was numbered to 500 taking away much of the prestige of the holofoil rarity that made the Reggie Bush appealing. Lastly, there was a Holofoil Harry Douglas Cross Training Insert numbered to 500. It’s strikes me as a card destined for a quarter box somewhere down the line. It also looks quite strange because the set design makes him appear to have either been sawed in half like David Blaine or have the longest torso in the history of man (see scans).
Whew… for those of you I haven’t put to sleep – the “real” hits left a bit to be desired, but were adequate. As far as memorabilia cards and autographs go this set is very long on rookies and short on stars – which makes the product name a little misleading. I would say of the “Gold Stars” jersey card checklist I pulled the best possible veteran: Eli Manning. My Eli Manning had the Gold Holofoil look to it and was numbered to 250, but it was a dull, boring grey pants swatch. Other available jersey cards include: Vince Young, Chad Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Santonio Holmes, Jerious Norwood and a few other veterans, but players who are by no means stars. There are two memorabilia subsets where you do have the chance to find a Peyton Manning or LaDanian Tomlinson jersey, patch or autograph in this release. Brett Favre is not featured on any memorabilia or autograph card. Though Adrian Peterson adorns both the product box and pack packaging, he only appears in one memorabilia card.
The next hit was a Rashard Mendenhall Studio Rookies Materials Jersey Card. It was a straight-forward, black jersey swatch of the Steelers rookie and it was numbered to 250 also. The third memorabilia card was a Studio Rookies Dual Jersey of Jamall Charles and Glen Dorsey of the KC Chiefs. The two swatches were both red, even worn pieces from the Rookie Premier Photoshoot. The card is numbered to 250 also.
The real saving grace for this box break was a true rookie, SP Rookie Signatures Ray Rice Auto numbered to 105. These cards feature a manufactured patch with the Team, NFL or College Logo and the players autograph. This one was rather low numbered, but was not a parallel – I am presuming that it will be an SP.
Overall, I feel like in the long run this product is a great buy for the money. If one is buying this product with hopes of pulling a big name “star” auto patch for a chance to make a quick buck, I would move along to another product. This release, though modestly priced at about $75-95 delivers some great rookies with high potential values down the road (See 2001: LaDanian Tomlinson $400, 2003: Tony Romo $900, 2004: Eli Manning $200). If you’re into rookies and don’t mind holding on to them for a while, this is a really fun product. Choosing between this and other recent Playoff releases, I believe I would choose Leaf Rookies and Stars over Leaf Certified and Leaf Limited this year.
Overall, I give this product a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Scans:
Front and Back of the base cards. Note the tiny college print and the odd upside down LL's for the numbering.
These are the different base set parallels from the break. The Hester is from the Elements subset.
Base, Longevity and Longevity Holofoil Parallel Rookies
The Douglas card with the expanding abdomen. :lollol:
Rookie Inserts /500
The redeemer of the bunch - 08 Leaf R&S SP Rookie Auto Ray Rice Logo Patch RC /105
Hope you all liked the review, those of you that read through it all. Mods please feel free to post on the front page if you deem it worthy.
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