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The box: 2011 TRISTAR Obak football cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 24 (plus one jumbo T4 box-topper)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 144
Base set completion:
101 of 110 (94 percent)
Duplicates: 9
Notables on base cards – Sammy Baugh, Dutch Clark, Red Grange, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Tim Mara, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, Johnny Unitas, Paul Hornung, Terry Bradshaw, Earl Campbell, Morten Andersen, Roger Staubach, Gale Sayers, Jim Otto, Jim Parker, Norm Van Brocklin, Vince Lombardi, John Heisman, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Doak Walker, Darrell Royal, Bo Jackson, John David Crow, Hopalong Cassady, Johnny Lattner, Charlie Ward, Tom Dempsey, Lem Barney, Dennis Byrd, Edgar Allen Poe, Bob Lilly, “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, Emlen Tunnell, Walter Camp, Fritz Pollard, Thomas Riddell, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Eddie LeBaron
Insert cards: 30 (gallery of all inserts and some base is below)
Short-prints (Nos. 111-120) (2) – Rocky Bleier, Jack Lummus
Mini (23) – Rocky Bleier, Gerald Ford, Walter Camp, Harry Beecher, Bo Jackson, Bronko Nagurski, Fritz Pollard, Terry Bradshaw, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Johnny Unitas, Sammy Baugh, Poe brothers, Kurt Warner, Gino Cappelletti, Vince Lombardi, Gale Sayers, Bart Starr, John F. Kennedy, Benny Friedman, Earl Campbell, Pudge Heffelfinger, John Heisman, Charles Follis
Brown Mini (1) – Rocky Bleier (/75)
Orange parallel (1) – Johnny Poe (/10)
Green parallel (2) – Joe Foss, Jack Chevigny (/25)
T4 box-topper (1) – Roger Staubach & Terry Bradshaw (/80)
Autographs/Memorabilia: 4
Autographs (1) – Tom Dempsey (/100)
Brown Autographs (1) – Gino Cappelletti (/50)
Green Autographs (1) – Mel Renfro (/25)
Cut Autographs (1) – David Carr (/5)
What’s Buzz-worthy: This brand only hit the gridiron once but it’s a pretty comprehensive look at some of the greats of the college game as well as the professional ranks with a retro style and plenty of quirky inclusions. Like its baseball counterpart, its base set is comprised of several subsets of significant players as well as legendary trivia question answers. First a rundown of the subsets — First Hall Class, College Hall of Fame, No. 1 Overall Draft Picks, Famous Nicknames, Football Firsts, Behind The Name, History’s Greatest Players, U.S. Presidents, Heisman Winners, Game-changers, Heroes & Legends, Can You Believe and Serving Our Country. Who created the Wishbone or screen pass? They’re in here. Who invented the first helmet? He’s in here. And so are so many legends you do know. Each box includes four autographs (one via a cut — this one’s made me chuckle) and this box included some good names, but not necessarily super-expensive ones. For years, Tom Dempsey held the NFL record for the longest field goal and he’s still known for his foot — he was born without toes and wore a modified shoe. Another auto here? Hall of Famer Mel Renfro. The insert lineup here includes minis and parallels just like the baseball release — and this collector was satisfied with the names in that set (many of the biggest names) while the Serving Our Country military subset is one that’s very unique and this one delivered some strong names, including NFL Purple Heart recipient Rocky Bleier. The baseball release of Obak was the third and some of its best cards were done before its 2011 release, this football one — the only one — packs it all into one spot. Just 1,800 serial-numbered boxes were made so ripping into boxes of this one aren’t getting any easier, despite the fact that it’s not even a decade old. If you like football history, this might be the best possible set ever made examining that.
Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: A
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