Reid's Rips: 2023-24 Topps Finest Basketball Hobby
When I visited my LCS this week, there were two boxes of 2023-24 Topps Finest Basketball left on the shelf.
Reid's Rips: 2025 SAGE Low Series Football Blaster
Reid's Rips: 2018 Panini Contenders Football Mega
Although I'm well aware that these are unlicensed cards with airbrushed uniforms and oddly cropped images, the sight of Victor Wembanyama on the box made me take a chance.
Reid's Rips: 2025 Leaf Metal Sports Heroes Hobby Box
Boxes contain two autographs, six uncommon base cards, two rare base cards, two base refractors, 10 base card parallels, and 10 inserts.
The six card packs all felt full, heavy, and thick, so I was excited to rip in.
My excitement quickly left the building, as the first pack didn't contribute much, like the focus of the best card in my pack, a Showstoppers Joel Embiid. As a Sixers fan, I wish we could get him to start a show.
My second pack offered up my first autograph, a Rookies of Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney. Clowney averaged just 5.8 points per game in limited action during this rookie season and has bumped that up to just under 10 points per game in 37 games this year.
My third pack had a checkerboard rookie of New Orleans Pelicans Jordan Hawkins, and an Arrivals rookie of G. Dick, better known as Toronto Raptors Gradey Dick. The Raptors guard is averaging almost 16 points per game in 40 starts this year, and is definitely showing promise in the league, especially with his memorable post-game jersey swaps. Other than the name abbreviation on the bottom, it's an odd picture of Dick. It looked like they caught him mid blink or nearly falling asleep.
The best card in my next pack was a rare checkerboard parallel of LeBron James.
In the following pack, I hit my second autograph and kept with the Los Angeles Lakers theme when I hit an Austin Reaves refractor auto. It's cool to pull a Reaves auto, but man, these images with photoshopping and airbrushing are tough to look at.
I have a friend who always swears by last pack magic, never leaving the last pack in an opened box. I definitely fell into some last pack wizardry here. I pulled a base rookie of Victor Wembanyama, a checkerboard parallel of Blazers stud rookie (well, second year star) Scoot Henderson as well as a Jaylen Williams numbered to 50. I'll take the strong finish to the box.
At least I got in on some minor Wemby action, and with the flashy parallels and average (if not above average) autos, it was a fun rip. I don't think there's any way I get close to my $225 back, though.
Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms