[durfeecoach1]

How many products are putting in filler autos of no name players or lack luster players just to pump up their hit counts on box descriptions? If you feel like I feel paying over $600 for a product and getting back a Charlie White and Brian Bosworth as some of your hits is a slap in the face. I feel bad for anyone that buys products to open them you will never get your money back. I would rather use the $600 on ebay buying $600 worth of cards that I want. What goes throw your mind when you pay $600 for a product and you get back $50-$75 worth of cards. These manufacturers are ripping people off big time. This hobby will never go anywhere if kids will never be able to afford to buy the products. Let the rants begin!

[warcraftin]

We can't all win, but someone does. The companies need to stay in business. Manufacturers are not targeting children with $600 boxes, they target kids with the $2.99 retail packs and packs like score & topps. It's a hobby for fun, if it's your hobby for investment then yes singles are probably a more low-risk investment strategy in this hobby.

[rjcj2017]

I'm assuming if you're talking autos like Charlie (Charles?) White and Brian Bosworth, you're probably talking about some kind of college legends product from Upper Deck or something, right?

So assuming my assumptions are correct (LOL), I would beg to differ wholeheartedly that those guys are fillers ... White won a Heisman Trophy and Bosworth was the most popular, polarizing and accomplished defensive player of his era.

Even though they weren't great NFL players, it sounds like the product you broke was geared more toward college than pro performance.

But, to answer your question, no, I don't think anyone likes filler autos, but imagine the cost to the company ... then the cost to you ... then the corresponding diminished values ... if every box had a Brady auto, Manning auto, Roethlisberger auto, etc. ...

It's not like Brady is going to be like, "OK, Panini, you need a thousand times more autos than I usually sign, but it's OK if you don't pay me more ..."

And it's not like Panini will be like, "OK, it cost us hundreds of thousands more dollars to create product X, but we'll charge the same prices for boxes ..."

Boxes are almost always a guaranteed loss, I think you're paying more for the anticipation of busting packs, and the ensuing "hobby time" afterward of sleeving the cards, sorting them for sets, etc. ...

Historically I don't have a ton of luck busting boxes, so in the rare case when I do pull a valuable card — for example, my Kobe auto out of a Threads box or my Griffin autos out of Contenders or Rookies & Stars — I tend to want to keep them anyway, so technically I always "lose" ... LOL

[bakerman8419]

If ever pack contained a 1/1 Cam Newton auto what would be great about that? The chase is the best part IMO.

[dow714]

Everyone hates getting junk autos but its part of the hobby. Like everyone else has said if each box had star autos in it the boxes would cost more and the value on the card would drop because there would be more quantity. Your best bet is to stay away from the boxes that cost more then $100 and then save up to buy that one great card out of the high end boxes that you need.

[jonathani]

Buying packs/boxes/cases is similar to legalized gambling. Nothing is guaranteed, but that big hit/score is what keeps us buying more. Am I the only one that gets a rush opening a pack of cards? That is anticipation, and my jones is never fixed. I do not mind, though, because this is about the safest hobby or addiction I have ever been involved with.

JonathanI

[pbean]

if "scrub autos" weren't available ..... how many Tom Brady RC autos would there be ???

I would personally love to pull a Vet or HOF'r vs. some newbie, I think there should more of an emphasis on people who have played the game vs. folks who'll be working at the Telephone Booth next week.