2015-16 Topps UEFA Champions League Showcase Soccer Cards – Review Added

Product Review

2015-16 Topps UEFA Champions League Showcase Product Review

Reviewed by Trey Treutel

Good: Two autographs per box, wide mix of international soccer talent, some big names in the autograph checklist, nice base design.

Bad: Plenty of low-value autographs to pull, one-note feel to product, inserts offer little.

The Bottom Line: By the very basis of the tournament, there are some big teams and some less likely participants. This ultimately results in a diverse group of players, which is good for some, but the low-tier teams are hardly a beacon for talent or value. All things considered, the price is solid and the potential value is there, but, like most products, most would be better off just buying the singles they are after.

Card Design: 3.5/5.0

I enjoyed the base design in 2015-16 Topps UEFA Champions League Showcase. The subtle diagonal lines gave a little personality but still allowed the crisp images to be the focus. It definitely came across as casual elegance and was nice to find in a mid-level release. My only complaint is the the silver text used for the player name makes it rather tough to read who it is since the lighter part of the images (normally the field) is the background for this portion. While the parallels feature very minimal additions, I still found them easy to spot, which is a good thing in my book. They were also each numbered and not overly common, which is also appealing.

Beyond that, however, there is not much else to the set. As far as the basic inserts, none of them really wowed me. Autographs simply add stickers to the base or insert designs.

Although I did not pull one of the Best of the Best inserts, I appreciate that an effort was made to offer a little rarity within the basic card options.

Checklist: 3.5/5.0

Just like any major tournament, there are big teams and small teams. This makes for a great option for soccer collectors who have not had nearly the same chances as other sports to collect from their favorite clubs. Having said that, it also means there are plenty of obscure subjects and it does give the product license to roll with some of the lesser squads in the autograph checklist.

That’s not to say there aren’t a good mix of top players to pull in signed form, which includes current stars and former legends, but I would not go so far as to say the autograph checklist is loaded. Also, perhaps the biggest name in the product, Cristiano Ronaldo autographs seem to be few and far between. Two weeks since release and only one printing plates has surfaced among his signed cards on eBay.

Value: 3.25/5.0

With popular global names like Ronaldo, Pirlo, Hazard, Beckenbauer, Bale, Iniesta, James, Suarez, Muller, Maldini and Rooney, among others, in the autograph checklist, value potential is certainly in play for 2015-16 Topps UEFA Champions League Showcase. But knowing that the two signed cards will likely be the only real value in the box that runs $80-100, collectors will be left to decide how much of a risk they are willing to take. At that price, the risk is not too severe but pulling a pair of $1-10 autographs is certainly a possibility.

The Fun Factor: 3.75/5.0

As a new niche offering for fans of global sport, I found 2015-16 Topps UEFA Champions League Showcase to be quite fun. Although I do consider myself fairly knowledgable about most aspects of the game, I will admit that I did not know several of the players I pulled, including one of the autographs. Therein lies the ultimate problem with a set like this as most fans follow a specific league or maybe a few of them but certainly not all the leagues in Europe. As long as you aren’t bothered by several names that are not as familiar, the product does offer something interesting and new for collectors.

The box used for this review was provided by Topps.

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2015-16 TOPPS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWCASE MANUEL NEUER AUTOGRAPH

$79.00

2015-16 TOPPS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWCASE THOMAS MULLER AUTOGRAPH

$99.00

2015-16 TOPPS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWCASE THOMAS MULLER AUTOGRAPH 84/150

$99.00

2015-16 TOPPS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWCASE MARIO GOTZE AUTOGRAPH

$49.00

2015-16 Topps Champions League Showcase Green Auto Andrea Pirlo 089/150 Juventus

$149.95

2015-16 Topps David Luiz /50 Auto Autographs Gold UEFA CL Showcase Soccer Card

$76.70

2015-16 Topps David Luiz /25 Auto Autographs UEFA CL Showcase Soccer Card

$126.34