Cheap Wax Wednesday Box Breaks: 2010 Topps Football

Back when Topps had an NFL license, their flagship football release was one of your first chances to grab the new Rookie Cards, much like Topps Series 1 Baseball is today. The 2010 rookie class featured many hot rookies at the time with Tim Tebow ranking as one of the most-hyped among them.

2010 Topps Football has an identical design as their flagship 2010 baseball product, which I actually do enjoy. The base set has a total of 440 cards, making it one of the bigger ones of the season.

Also included in hobby boxes were Topps Attax cards, which were meant to cater to kids. They have codes that could be entered online to unlock digital cards and used to play a game. Later in 2010, Topps even released a standalone Topps Attax product, which featured a game board, much along the lines of MLB Showdown in the early 2000s. Attax actually exists still today, primarily overseas with soccer.

2010 Topps Football has a fairly substantial insert lineup including autographs and relics, which are one per hobby box.

2010 Topps Football Box Break

Cards per pack: 9
Packs per box: 36
Price paid: $24

Shop for 2010 Topps Football boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 highlights:

Chris Johnson, Dez Bryant RC (Rookie Cards are one in every pack, but there was a deep, 110-card rookie checklist), Maurice Jones-Drew Attax, Mike Sims-Walker Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & D.J. Williams Gold #ed 1019/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 2:

Dwight Freeney, Donovan McNabb, Tim Tebow RC (This is the base rookie card for Tebow. There were actually four different variations, including two that were found just in factory sets), Brandon Marshall AT, C.J. Spiller ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Joe McKnight ‘52 Bowman Grey Back parallel (41/52) (1:2,700 packs!)

Pack 3:

DeMarcus Ware, Aaron Rodgers, Carlos Dunlap RC, Favre v. Packers, DeMarcus Ware AT & Dan Marino/Drew Brees Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs)

Pack 4:

Jason Pierre-Paul RC, Jonathan Stewart, Troy Polamalu AT, Matt Leinart NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs) & Chad Greenway Gold #ed 0258/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 5:

Ray Lewis, Jerod Mayo AT, Philip Rivers ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Sam Bradford Peak Performance (1:4 packs)

Pack 6:

Hines Ward, Reggie Bush, Darrelle Revis, Atlanta Falcons (Matt Ryan), Jermaine Gresham RC, Taylor Price RC (one of many failed Patriots WR draft picks over the years) & Dwight Freeney AT

Pack 7:

Santonio Holmes, Revis v. Moss, Brandon Spikes RC, Jim Brown/Adrian Peterson Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Ray Lewis AT

Pack 8:

Colts (Peyton Manning), Reggie Wayne, Chris Johnson, Jon Beason AT, John Elway/Tim Tebow Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Vernon Davis Gold #ed 1057/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 9:

Adrian Peterson, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Brandon LaFell RC, Darren Sharper AT, Rashard Mendenhall ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Laurence Maroney Peak Performance Relic (1:91 packs)

Pack 10:

Andre Johnson, Emmitt Smith NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs) & Troy Polamalu AT

Pack 11:

Clay Matthews, Jamaal Charles, Ryan Mathews RC, Peyton Manning AT, Dexter McCluster NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs) & Chester Taylor Gold #ed 0458/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 12:

Clinton Portis, Joe Haden RC, Eric Berry RC, Andre Johnson AT, Jamaal Charles Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & Frank Gore ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs)

Pack 13:

Peyton Manning (I can only assume he is yelling “Omaha” here), Arizona Cardinals, Ed Reed, John Elway Topps Reprint (1:9 packs) & D.J. Williams AT

Pack 14:

Vince Young, Chad Ochocinco, Eric Dickerson/Steven Jackson Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Maurice Jones-Drew AT

Pack 15:

Pierre Garcon, Dez Bryant ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs), Brandon Marshall AT & Drew Brees Ring of Honor (1:36 packs)

Pack 16:

Michael Crabtree, DeSean Jackson, DeMarcus Ware AT, Ware Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & Sheldon Brown Gold #ed 1325/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 17:

Torry Holt, Philip Rivers AT & Mike Williams Peak Performance (1:4 packs)

Pack 18:

Jamaal Charles ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Michael Turner AT

Pack 19:

Tony Gonzalez, Vikings (Favre & Peterson), Jerome Harrison Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & DeMeco Ryans AT

Pack 20:

Golden Tate RC, Matthew Stafford, Brian Dawkins AT & Dan Marino NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs)

Pack 21:

Ricky Williams, Aqib Talib, Montario Hardesty ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs), LaDainian Tomlinson/Ryan Mathews Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs), Nnamdi Asamugha AT & San Diego Chargers (That’s right, kids, the Chargers used to play in San Diego!)

Pack 22:

Julian Edelman, D.J. Williams AT & Andre Johnson Topps Reprint (1:9 packs)

Pack 23:

Houston Texans, Aaron Hernandez RC (a talented tight end that quickly ran into very serious off-the-field problems), Drew Brees AT & Elvis Dumervil ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs)

Pack 24:

Green Bay Packers, Sean Lee RC, Joe Montana Topps Reprint (1:9 packs), Tim Tebow Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & Adrian Peterson AT

Pack 25:

Marshawn Lynch, James Laurinatis AT, Ryan Mathews NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs) & Alex Smith Gold #ed 0058/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 26:

Peyton Manning, Brian Urlacher, Joe Flacco, Rob Gronkowski RC, Cedric Benson AT, Dexter McCluster ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Patrick Willis/Rolando McClain Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs)

Pack 27:

Peyton Manning, New Orleans Saints, C.J. Spiller RC, Frank Gore & Brett Favre AT

Pack 28:

Richard Seymour, Earl Thomas RC, Brian Dawkins/Eric Berry Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Oshi Atogwe AT

Pack 29:

Greg Olsen, DeMarcus Ware, Tom Brady, Jerod Mayo AT, Joe Namath/Mark Sanchez Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Jimmy Clausen ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs)

Pack 30:

Randy Moss, Patrick Willis, Emmanuel Sanders RC, LeSean McCoy, Wes Welker & Dwight Freeney AT

Pack 31:

Julius Peppers, Arian Foster, Jimmy Graham RC, Jahvid Best RC (Best looked like he might be something special until early career concussion issues), Arrelious Benn Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & Ray Lewis AT

Pack 32:

Steven Jackson, Brett Favre, Alex Smith, Drew Brees AT, Calvin Johnson ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs) & Shonn Greene Gold #ed 0183/2010 (1:5 packs)

Pack 33:

Vince Wilfork, Demaryius Thomas RC, Adrian Peterson AT, Emmitt Smith/LaDainian Tomlinson Gridiron Lineage (1:4 packs) & Frank Gore Topps Reprints (1:9 packs)

Pack 34:

Patrick Willis, James Laurinitis AT & Joe Montana NFL Draft 75th (1:6 packs)

Pack 35:

Terrell Owens, Sam Bradford RC, Cedric Benson AT, Felix Jones Peak Performance (1:4 packs) & Demaryius Thomas ‘52 Bowman (1:3 packs)

Pack 36:

Dexter McCluster RC, Tony Romo & Brett Favre AT

Overall this was a fun break. The rookie checklist in 2010 is stacked and I pulled quite a few of the good ones. I only got Gold parallels, but missed out on Black (1:70 packs), Printing Plates (1:3,500 packs) and Platinum (1:8,800 packs). You’re guaranteed an autograph or relic in every hobby box. Mine wasn’t great, but it being a Patriots card made up for it, for me at least.

As a lover of vintage and art-based cards, the 1952 Bowman inserts were a big hit for me.

I grabbed this box as part of a Black Friday sale back in 2016. Now, you might not be able to find boxes for the $24 that I paid, but there are still boxes of 2010 Topps Football out there. If you are into rookies and lots of different inserts, this is a box that shouldn’t disappoint.

Shop for 2010 Topps Football on:

• Beckett Marketplace
• eBay

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.