MMA COLLECTIBLES: UFC Topps Chrome 2019 review

Topps recently released the UFC Topps Chrome 2019 box. Christian Moore gives his thoughts on the box.

The Basics:UFC Topps Chrome 2019

2019 UFC Topps Chrome

Price per box: $65

Packs per box: 24

Cards per pack: 4

Hits per box: 2 autographs

Box Breakdown:

Autographs– Ben Askren, Maycee Barber

Parallels– Nina Ansaroff Black (#/10), Marina Rodruiguez Blue (#/75), Alexander Volkanovski Green (#/99), and Deiveson Figueiredo Future Stars Green (#/99)

About the Product

This marks the 3rd year of Topps’ UFC Chrome product. While previous Chrome products have been very hit or miss, this year has been adjusted quite a bit, and makes the product much more interesting for hardore MMA/UFC fans. In past products, there has been the top cards to chase such as a Conor McGregor, or Francis Ngannou, but this product goes a different way. With so many Topps products of UFC, and with a limited roster, the value’s of the cards and overall product tend to drop, as too much market saturation for many fighters has been a problem.

With top fighters like Daniel Comier, TJ Dillishaw, Demetrious Johnson, and others having numerous cards in every product, even top stars lose value, as there is so much of them. So what was the solution? Topps answered that question with this new product, focusing on prospects and younger talent, much like other sports such as baseball and football tend to do. While the product doesn’t have names like McGregor, Nurmagomedov, Diaz, or Masvidal, it still has a ton of punching power in its hits.

Sure, if you want your shot at a Daniel Cormier, GSP or Max Holloway hit, the possibilities are there, but the hottest cards in this year’s product are the rookie cards. With the likes of Ben Askren, Maycee Barber, Anthony Smith, Andrea Lee, and Hakeem Dawodu being just few of the hot commodities, this product gathers an interest that separates it from previous sets.

Box and Product Review

Overall I was very pleased with the product. As far as the quality and look of the cards, Chrome has always been possibly the best looking set you can get your hands on for a reasonable price. The product doesn’t feature hits of some of the UFC’s biggest stars as previously mentioned, but that seemed almost needed. Yet, without the likes of McGregor or Khabib, the product still features many stars like Cormier, Cyborg, Nunes, and GSP just to name a few, with prospect scattered throughout.

As with other products in other sports that are filled with prospect cards, not every prospect you get will be an instant jackpot, or a long run jackpot. However, with high level future stars like Barber, Dern, and Dawodu, a hit now is something that could most definitely climb in value drastically as time goes on.

Another great thing about this product is that even though you only get 2 hits, there is still money makers spread throughout the entirety of the box. Excluding the 2 hits in my box, I received 4 numbered parallels, ranging in numbering from 10-99. The cool thing for me as well, is the lower numbered cards look very slick and cool, and have a very unique look. Even the basic inserts have there own unique look, with the 1984, and Fire inserts looking especially cool.

When you get yourself a box of this product, even after you get your 2 autographs, be on the lookout, as the very low numbered cards can be sneaky. While a higher numbered card tends to be bright and vibrant, the lower numbered Black and Red inserts can be not as obvious once pulled. Be on the lookout for parallels of all of your favorite fighters in the colors of Green (#99), Blue Wave (#/75), Gold (#/50), Orange (#/25), Black (#/10), Red (#/5), and the very special SuperFractors (#/1).

Final Thoughts

I think that this product took an interesting, and different approach that makes it very different from past products. In my opinion, Chrome has always been one of the nicest looking products, no matter the sport. That being said, you may not make your money back on a box every time, but with prospect autographs that can increase in price throughout time, autographs of top stars, and autograph firsts in the case of Ben Askren, make this product a must buy, especially with only a $65 tag. With some cases you make your money back, or make a profit, and in others you may not gain a profit, but with the reasonably low price, the amount of talent in the product, and the awesome design of the cards, you will find yourself satisfied.