NFL Trading Cards – In Search of the Ultra-Rare Panini Kaboom

Western/ American culture is a bit of an oddity. Trends like fashion, music, art, etc… have a way of gaining and losing popularity in circular fashions. The ripped-jeans that were found on every pair of legs around 2004 were once again the pants of choice this past year. After gaining mainstream popularity in the late 80s, the synthesizer seemingly took a 30-year hiatus before becoming a featured instrument in rap, rock, and pop music. Perhaps it’s nostalgia but what was once popular usually reappears repackaged ready for a new generation. Now, trading cards are back in a big way, particularly NFL cards and NBA cards.

The sports world has seen its own throwback captivate new and old minds alike. Namely, trading cards – whatever the sport, but particularly in the realms of the NFL and NBA. Perhaps you couldn’t care less about cardboard, or never were interested to begin with, but trading cards are still on a meteoric rise that began earlier this year. With this surge of interest (perhaps a product of the pandemic) the cards themselves have seen their prices rise as well, creating a market of hobbyists, collectors, resellers and hoarders.

I thought it would be fun to jump into the trading card market, why you might start collecting trading NFL cards and NBA cards if you haven’t already and join in me my journey looking for an ultra-rare Panini Kaboom card.

[CARUSO]

What’s my Motivation?

There are numerous reasons why you might consider starting a trading card collection. It could be as simple as wanting to acquire pieces of memorabilia of your favorite players or teams. For the “purists” who claim to have never left the hobby, it’s always been about the players, the teams, and the leagues. There’s just something about having a tangible artifact to help you remember specific players. As a DFS player, one of the most creative ways to commemorate a tournament win could be to assemble a collection of all the players in that winning lineup.

However, for the majority of people jumping headfirst into trading cards, it’s about one thing – money. Some people see trading cards as nothing more than a flip. Go to the local Wal-Mart, Target, etc. and buy the cards at market value only to immediately flip them for two, three, or four times their value on sites like eBay or Amazon. Unfortunately, this has been the only way to acquire NBA cards of late. You either have to willingly pay above-market prices or stalk card vendors when they restock shelves.

Those with a little more patience have found success in buying masses of cards, sitting on them for months while the market dries up, then selling for an even better profit. This formula has rewarded buyers with the foresight to snatch up packs and boxes with hot rookie classes. The 2020 NFL and 2019 NBA cards for rookies were a great example of this. A box with possible cards of Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, RJ Barrett, Tyler Herro, and others would have cost you $20 a year ago. Now, you can’t touch that box for less than $224.95!  Heck, a simple $6 purchase of a 2019 NBA Fat Pack from a year ago is now retailing for $49.95.

“Good fortune comes to those who wait”…

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Cards as an Investment

If you’re not into what is considered the shadier side of the trading card market (flipping), there is another avenue – investing in the actual cards themselves. The reason these packs and boxes sell for so much pertains to the cards inside. In fact, before the Pandemic was ever an issue here in the United States, Forbes reported that trading cards were seeing an uptick as an alternative investment. Personally, this is what trading cards have become to me.

Yes, I have my personal fandom for the Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, and Thunder and if any pack I open has players from these teams I’ll value them a bit more. However, acquiring and selling certain cards has become a side investment for me. I have my pension through work. I have a Roth IRA that sees monthly contributions. However, it’s nice having something tangible with a value that exists outside of a monthly report. Trading cards are that tangible asset I can put a small percentage of my investments in each month or quarter. On the other hand, you have to remember this is speculative. We literally have no idea what’s inside the box or pack. Thus, this type of investment should never be the main focus of your portfolio, just a small portion that you get to enjoy opening in the process.

Attaining this “investment” has been tough. If I wanted NASCAR or NHL trading cards, no problem. They’re always on the shelves. Finding NBA and NFL cards has been another story. In my town, visiting the same Wal-Mart for five straight days still left me empty-handed. On Thursday the 10th, I went across state lines and visited two more Wal-Marts and a Target, finding nothing. Finally, I went back to my local Wal-Mart today around the time the card vendor supposedly restocks the shelves and my persistence was rewarded.

The Payoff

I could have easily dropped over $1,000 trying to find the cards I want. For the purpose of this article, I bought a Panini Playoff 40 card value pack as well as a Panini 2020 Absolute Football box. I chose the Panini Playoff pack because, for cents per card, it’s the cheapest path to purchasing cards or just starting the hobby in general. The Absolute Football box was chosen because it guarantees me one autographed card or memorabilia card. If I’m lucky, a Kaboom insert will be in one of the packs – a card that could instantly command $100 on the open market.

Altogether, I spent $26 plus tax – a minor investment that most people throw away in their weekly morning stops at their local coffee shop. Sure, I could have bought this pack and box, thrown them both up on eBay, and made two to three times profit. However, if I wanted a quick dollar I would just play more DFS. Plus, there is no guarantee that my listings actually sell anytime soon.

I may be making a purchase I have to sit on for weeks, months, or perhaps longer. Besides, half of the fun is in the actual opening of NBA cards or NFL cards. That is exactly what I’m about to get into. Consider this like an unboxing video you might watch on YouTube, save for Google interrupting the video with ads you could care less to see, or me asking you to download Raid – Shadow Legends.

[NFLDepthCharts]

Panini Playoff

As I stated above, if you’re looking for an entry-level way into trading cards – this is the best way to do so considering the impact on your wallet. These “fat packs” exist for nearly every sport giving the hobbyist the best bang for their buck and the investor a cheap path to a possibly profitable outcome. In fact, I would consider these packs great stocking stuffers and a way to get your kids interested in something you value. This pack had players like former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and tight end Tony Gonzalez sporting a Chiefs jersey. You could easily give this to your son, brother, or dad and they would be happy with the players included.

As for the pack itself, there were only two cards worth mentioning. Sandwiched between base set cards of various current and former players was a Behind the Numbers Christian McCaffrey and Rookie Wave Jerry Jeudy. Unfortunately, neither of them was signed or colored parallels giving both of these cards a value of around a dollar.

Nearly every other card was a “base set” card or standard card. Base set cards are what make up the majority of your packs. Not necessarily pack “filler” because you need those cards to assemble the whole set, but value-wise they are pretty negligible. The cards that set packs apart are those with color parallels, special editions of players, signatures, and cards with jerseys.

In the end, investment-wise it was a bust. However, that’s the expectation you have to have when opening a pack that costs nearly three times less than the box. These packs are probably better suited for someone trying to compile a set of players or team.

Panini Absolute Football

Finally, what I had been looking forward to – the Absolute Football Hangar box. I know I’m guaranteed at least one autographed or memorabilia card. If I grabbed the right box off the shelf, then there’s a Kaboom card that easily paid for the entire purchase. With eight cards in each pack, I have 64 cards to sort through. Let’s go pack by pack. Special insert NFL cards will be noted with italics.

• Pack1: base set Kirk Cousins, Davante Adams, Darius Slayton, Sam Darnold as well as four rookie cards with Ravens wideout Devin Duvernay being the most notable.
• Pack2: base set Joey Bosa, Unsung Heroes Quenton Nelson, and four rookies including base set Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
• Pack3: base set Marlon Mack, Jimmy Garoppolo, Rob Gronkowski, AJ Green, Ben Roethlisberger as well as four rookie cards highlighted by Bills receiver Gabriel Davis.
• Pack4: base set DJ Chark Jr., Chris Carson, Lamar Jackson, and five rookie cards that included Tee Higgins and an Introductions edition Cee Dee Lamb.
• Pack5: base set Tre’Davious White, Michael Thomas, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Mosley, and four rookie cards that included Tua Tagovailoa.
• Pack6: base set Ezekiel Elliott, Marvin Jones Jr., Mike Gesecki, Star Gazing Lamar Jackson, and four rookie cards.
• Pack7: base set Devante Parker, Stephon Gilmore, Travis Kelce, Red Zone Damien Williams, and four rookies that included D’andre Swift, Michael Pittman Jr., and Henry Ruggs. By far the best group of rookies from any of these packs.
• Pack8: base set Josh Allen (Jaguars), Anthony Miller, Fantasy Flashback Jerry Rice, and four rookie cards that included Brandon Aiyuk. However, this package held the thickest card as well. Sadly, it was not a Kaboom card or a signature card. It was a Rookie Materials card featuring Gabriel Davis.

In the end, I had six special inserts plus a couple of rookie cards I was pretty happy to have. Far from a goldmine, it was a fair pack with promising young players in base set cards and special inserts. As of now, this Hangar Box feels like a bust. However, with time these cards could accrue value and make the $20 investment worth it. Regardless, I had fun opening the packs hoping for something rare and limited.

For the month, I’m probably done unless family members and friends gift me some boxes or packs of NFL cards or NBA cards for Christmas. In that case, I’ll be searching for an elusive Kaboom card once again.

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