Cardboard Awards: The best of 2011 Football
Now that every 2011 football brand has hit the streets and collectors have been given some time to soak it all in, we need your help in picking the best of the best. After the jump you’ll find a few polls and write-in opportunities for each category in the upcoming awards edition of Beckett Football.
Feel free to just copy and paste with your answers or explain your picks in a sentence or two. Either way, act fast and weigh in with your honest opinion.
Need to review the materials? Click here watch every 2011 football product we opened for Box Busters.
First, the polls …
Product Awards
- Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product)
- Best Bang for Your Buck
- Best Mid-Range Football Product
Attribute Awards
- Best Base Set to Build
- Best Base Set Design
- Best Insert Set
- Best Memorabilia Set
- Best Autograph Set
- Best Rookie Card Design
Manufacturer Awards
- Best Topps Brand
- Best Panini America Brand
- Best Upper Deck Brand
- Best Press Pass Brand
- Best SAGE Brand
- Best Leaf Brand
Other awards
- Best Unlicensed Brand
- Best Collegiate Product
- Best Gimmick
- Oddest Insert
Player Awards
2011 Hobby Rookie of the Year – Can Newton, for he lived up to the hype. He ran the ball well, as many expected. But he also was a true passer.
Best Year on Cardboard –
Breakout Player of the Year – Victor Cruz. He missed all of 2010, where the Giants placed him on injured reserve, so no one else can sign him. It looks like they know what they were doing.
Product Awards
Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product) – Topps Chrome.
Best Bang for Your Buck – Topps Chrome, if you bought in when it first released. For $65 a box, it was worth the money. I pulled a Locker Auto jersey #/25 from a box, so i did well.
Best Mid-Range Football Product – Topps Chrome.
Best High-End, Super Premium Brand (National Treasures, Five Star, Exquisite, etc.) – I really can not afford to purchase these products, so i have not had them in hand. From the pictures and ebay listing, 5 Star looked the best, both design wise and content.
Attribute Awards
Best Base Set to Build – Topps Chrome
Best Base Set Design – Topps Chrome
Best Insert Set
Best Memorabilia Set – Timeless Treasure Material Ink Jersey Prime
Best Autograph Set – Topps Chrome – on card, what more can you ask for.
Best Rookie Card Design – Topps Chrome.
Manufacturer Awards
Best Topps Brand – Topps Chrome
Best Panini America Brand – Timeless Treasure
Best Upper Deck Brand – don’t collect college.
Best Press Pass Brand – don’t collect college.
Best SAGE Brand – don’t collect college.
Best Leaf Brand – don’t collect college.
Other awards
Best Gimmick – Topps Chrome photo variation. I always like the photo variations, it is simple.
Oddest Insert –
Player Awards
2011 Hobby Rookie of the Year – Cam Newton – Really? Since prior to week 1!
Best Year on Cardboard – Alex Smith – As far as a % increase, he did quite well.
Breakout Player of the Year – Tim Tebow – Don’t even know why I’m putting this here.
Product Awards
Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product) – Topps Finest – Beautiful cards, beautiful hits.
Best Bang for Your Buck – Panini Score – $1 a pack!
Best Mid-Range Football Product – Topps Chrome – I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Best High-End, Super Premium Brand (National Treasures, Five Star, Exquisite, etc.) – Topps Five Star – Sweet stuff.
Attribute Awards
Best Base Set to Build – Panini Score – It’s big, it’s cheap, and a decent design.
Best Base Set Design – Topps Inception – So pretty.
Best Insert Set – Topps Finest Atomic Refractors – Love the die-cuts
Best Memorabilia Set – Panini National Treasures Jumbo Patches
Best Autograph Set – Topps Five Star Inscriptions
Best Rookie Card Design – Topps Inception – So pretty.
Manufacturer Awards
Best Topps Brand – Finest
Best Panini America Brand – Playbook – I thought the cards were beautiful and the booklets, awesome.
Best Upper Deck Brand – SP Authentic – Really not much to choose from that was enjoyable, but that was
Best Press Pass Brand – FanFare
Best SAGE Brand – 5-Star
Best Leaf Brand – Lombardi Legacy
Other awards
Best Gimmick – Panini HRX
Oddest Insert – Anything with Combine photos. Which was a lot of them.
Sorry Andy Dalton took his team to the playoffs, yea not as much flash as Newton, can’t always vote for flash, this is not ESPN
•Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product): Topps Triple Threads
•Best Bang for Your Buck: Topps Chrome
•Best Mid-Range Football Product: Topps Finest
Attribute Awards
•Best Base Set to Build – Topps Base Set
•Best Base Set Design- Topps Legends
•Best Insert Set – Topps Atomic refractors
•Best Memorabilia Set – Triple Threads
•Best Autograph Set- Topps Supreme
•Best Rookie Card Design- Bowman Sterling
Manufacturer Awards
•Best Topps Brand – Triple Threads
•Best Panini America Brand – Absolute Memorabilia
•Best Upper Deck Brand – Sp Authentic
•Best Press Pass Brand – Legends
•Best SAGE Brand – Five Star
•Best Leaf Brand – Metal Draft
Other awards
•Best Unlicensed Brand – Upper Deck
•Best Collegiate Product – UD Oklahoma/Texas
•Best Gimmick – Topps SP’s
•Oddest Insert – Leaf Football shaped die cuts
Product Awards
Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product) – Topps Chrome
Best Bang for Your Buck – Score
Best Mid-Range Football Product – Inception
Attribute Awards
Best Base Set to Build – Topps Chrome
Best Base Set Design – Inception
Best Insert Set – Topps Chrome Superfractors
Best Memorabilia Set – Certified Mirror Black
Best Autograph Set – Score Signatures
Best Rookie Card Design – Inception
Manufacturer Awards
Best Topps Brand – Chrome.
Best Panini America Brand – Score.
Best Upper Deck Brand – SP Authentic
Best Press Pass Brand – none.
Best SAGE Brand – none.
Best Leaf Brand – Metal Draft
Other awards
Best Unlicensed Brand – none.
Best Collegiate Product – SP Authentic
Best Gimmick – College Mascot Cards
Oddest Insert – Whatever the kicker insert set was
Product Awards
Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product)-Topps Inception. Had some of the best looking rookie autographs, lots of multi-colored patches and silver sharpie rookie autographs.
Best Bang for Your Buck- 2011 Certified. Its less than 100 with 4 hits and some great looking cards and patches.
Best Mid-Range Football Product-Certified.It was always less than 100 and mixed in many star players autographs with the rookie autographs.
Attribute Awards
Best Base Set to Build- Topps Magic Rookies
Best Base Set Design-Topps Inception
Best Insert Set-Topps Finest Atomic Refractor RC’s, wow these looked awesome this year. I was very impressed.
Best Memorabilia Set-Inception RC Team Jumbo Patch- The patches did not dissappoint as they looked great. They were hard to find as they were considered case hits, only being #/4 .
Best Autograph Set- Gold Standard Football RPA’s – Love silver autographs!
Best Rookie Card Design-Playoff Contenders. The rookie card designs looked great this year.
Manufacturer Awards
Best Topps Brand- Topps Inception- Topps wins for best brand producing some great products with Inception, Chrome, Finest and Topps Platinum this year but Inception is my choice as the best of the bunch.
Best Panini America Brand- National Treasures
Best Upper Deck Brand- 2011 SP Authentic
Best Press Pass Brand-Press Pass Legends
Best SAGE Brand-Five Star
Best Leaf Brand-Leaf Metal Draft
Other awards
Best Unlicensed Brand-Press Pass Legends
Best Collegiate Product-2011 SP Authentic
Best Gimmick- The HRX Video cards in 2011 Totally Certified
Oddest Insert- The Net Fusion set in Crown Royale Football. The cards had a very nice design, it was just odd showcasing the NFL Kickers
Product Awards
Product of the Year (Best overall 2011 Football product)- Press Pass Legends
Best Bang for Your Buck- Topps Supreme
Best Mid-Range Football Product – Plates and Patches
Attribute Awards
Best Base Set to Build- Rising Rookies
Best Base Set Design- Finest
Best Insert Set- Legends of the Fall
Best Memorabilia Set- Triple Thread relics
Best Autograph Set-Saturday Signatures
Best Rookie Card Design-Playbook Booklets
Manufacturer Awards
Best Topps Brand- Finest
Best Panini America Brand- Playbook
Best Upper Deck Brand-pfft
Best Press Pass Brand- Legends
Best SAGE Brand-na
Best Leaf Brand- Metal Draft
Other awards
Best Unlicensed Brand- Sweetspot
Best Collegiate Product-Sweetspot
Best Gimmick-extra long booklet thing in Playbook
Oddest Insert- Prime Signatures Prime Proofs