In addition to the autographed rookie card, every pack contains a random assortment of 5 base cards, which may include un-autographed rookie cards such as Chien-Ming Wang and Bo Hart.
There are also 2 levels of parallels. Red parallels are serial-numbered to 50 copies per card while the blue parallels are serial-numbered to 100 copies.
These parallels also carry over to the certified autographs. The only difference is that the red parallels are limited to 25 and the blue parallels to 50. These are not serial-numbered parallels, however.
The rookie class contained in this product is very strong. Some of the more sought-after autographs include New York Yankees prospect Chien-Ming Wang, Red Sox Hanley Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis, Pirates hurler Bryan Bullington and Cubs phenom Felix Pie.
In addition, Topps took the autograph game one step further and included dual and triple autographed rookie cards. The best of the crop is a Bryan Bullington/Elizardo Ramirez dual-autograph, which has been commanding upwards of $65-70 on eBay in recent weeks.
Each box contains 10 packs with a retail price of $14.99 per pack. In addition to these packs, there is also a box-topper, which contains a randomly inserted rookie relic.
As an added twist, Topps had Bryan Bullington personally autograph a small number of boxes of 2003 Bowman’s Best and randomly inserted them at a ratio of 1:108 boxes. The autographed box comes with a Topps hologram affixed on the top, right next to the signature.
This product boasts a strong checklist, with such sleeper rookies as Michael Hinckley, Ryan Howard and Dustin Moseley. In addition, the price point is reasonable considering the fact that each pack contains at least one certified rookie autograph. Overall, this product is one of my favorites for 2003.
Here’s a quick synopsis of the results of my box break:
Autograph rookies: Hanley Ramirez, Bryan Bullington, Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Durbin, Fernin Tejada, Beau Kemp, Elizardo Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Lew Ford
Autograph rookies red parallel: Chien-Ming Wang
Dual-Autograph: Bryan Bullington / Elizardo Ramirez
