[khalz75]

I collected when I was a kid. I have some pretty awesome cards and rookies from 1983-about 1989. I kept them all nice, but this was back in a time when the only choice in cards was pretty much Topps.Just started collecting again and I am super confused!

Just recently, I bought a few value boxes of 2012 Topps football (i guess they are the standard edition with Andrew Luck on the box/packs). I pulled an RG3 Rookie Jumbo Jersey Relic and got hooked on collecting again. In the past few weeks, I have bought every value box (red box with some packs, a guaranteed RG3 or Luck refractor and a pack of platinum), and also I have bought these other boxes that guarantee a jumbo rookie relic or 1957 green border rookie (not packs inside, just one deck wrapped in plastic)... So I have bought every box that 2 local walmarts and kmart had of these two kinds of boxes. (spent alot of money)

In all of these cards I have bought, I have pulled out a few good cards, but only one autograph and the guaranteed relics. No one special except for the RG3 and a Rusell Wilson.

I am not trying to be stupid or ignorant, I am brand new to the collecting hobby again, I am just wondering why I am not pulling hardly any special cards or autographs. Is there a better method that I am missing? I know they are rare and am not expecting something awesome in every box, but for the amount that I have purchased, I would think that I would have pulled a few more of the better cards.

Any tips on collecting this set would be appreciated, and I thank you in advance for replying!

[adcgjh]

Better odds buying hobby boxes from a LCS....
I'm usually let down buying boxes so I usually just buy singles from ebay and/or trade/buy with people here and at other sites....

[branesergen]

Yup you're better off buying singles on ebay or getting a hobby box with guaranteed hits in them. The value packs and blasters sometimes yield great hits but they are few and far between.

[mattyice32]

i had the same problem. i collected the topps value from walmart like practically every week, until i realized that the hit are rare, if any at all. i have pulled a couple decent cards, but the value is. in the weird, high end like magic, chrome etc. Youd probably be better off if you went to the lcs and bought boxes with guaranteed hits

[phinsfan99]

The boxes that guarantee a jumbo relic are called hanger boxes and they do not have autographs in them. If you look at the stated odds on the back of the box it doesn't have any for autos. The ones that have the green exclusives do.

I'm surprised you haven't pulled any autos in the Platinum Hobby packs that are included in the red value boxes. I have pulled 4 + a David Wilson Auto/Patch numbered to 99 and I have ripped about 15 of them.

When I buy the value boxes I am buying them for the exclusive RGIII and Luck cards and to try and complete my tallboy set. The pink, camo, and gold border base cards are nice also. I have pulled Tannehill, RGIII, and some others that fetch a premium.

All in all I think it is a great value and you have to look past the autos and relics if you are going to enjoy this type of break.

[ZSDOne]

To pull autographs from base Topps, your best bet is Hobby Jumbo boxes which guarantee two. Don't go in expecting to get good autographs though.

Other products offer autographs as well - Topps Strata blasters offer a decent chance (about 25% if i recall correctly) of yielding an autograph. Topps Magic which just came out has about a 1:3 chance from blasters of pulling an auto.

The best way to get autograph cards is to buy them individually. You'd be surprised at how cheap you can get individual cards even from high end products. I've even picked up rookie autograph cards (one of which was numbered to 25!) from $200+ boxes for $5. Think about that before buying boxes.