Element alert: 2011 Topps Platinum Football

By Andrew Tolentino | Football Editor

On the cusp of last night’s draft drama, Topps unveiled its elemental-appreciation product — 2011 Topps Football — to the collecting world.

Following the company’s summer ramp-up, Platinum will hit shelves in early September with newfound rookie clout and fresh product features. Brand-spankin’-new brand components include: on-card rookie autograph cards, rookie   Supreme-Sized patch cards, rookie autograph jumbo patch Refractor cards and Platinum die-cut cards.

Vexing Hexagraph autograph Rookie Cards — limited to 10,  showcasing six newcomer signatures — are sure to add some double-sided allure to this year’s release.

Each box of 2011 Platinum promises three hits and a per-pack perk: two on-card rookie Refractor autographs, one Refractor patch autograph and one Refractor Rookie Card in each pack.

The box, by the numbers

• 20 packs per box
• Five cards per pack (four veteran base cards, plus one Chrome Rookie Card)

Go beyond the break for more details and visual stimulation.

Platinum die-cut cards

• 15 NFL rookies and 10 veterans as depicted on cardboard silhouettes

On-card autograph Rookie Cards

• Desirable doppelgangers of the 50 base Rookie Cards, also available in new parallel versions such as:
  • Gold Refractors (numbered to 10)
  • White Refractors (numbered to 50)
  • Green Refractors (numbered to 399)

Multi-autograph Refractor Rookie Cards

• Group-‘graphed grabs — replacing hard-signed autograph hits — numbered as follows:
  • Dual (numbered to 25)
  • Triple (numbered to 10)
  • Hexagraph (double-sided, numbered to 10)

Rookie autograph jumbo patch cards

• Limited, signed, super-sized, rookie-worn patches — also appearing in parallels
  • Red Refractor NFL Shield (new, 1/1)
  • Superfractor (1/1)
  • Gold Refractor (numbered to 10)
  • White Refractor (new, numbered to 25)
  • Blue Refractor (numbered to 99)
  • Green Refractor (new, numbered to 199)

Rookie dual autograph dual patch cards

• Rookie hits, paired and numbered to 25 on refractive cardboard

Autograph Platinum Patch cards

• 25 rookies and five veterans featured alongside respective Supreme-sized player/game-worn jersey pieces (numbered to five)

Autograph veteran patch cards

• 15 proven players showcased with signatures and game-used swatches on numbered and paralleled pulls:
  • Superfractor (1/1)
  • Gold Refractor (numbered to 10)
  • White Refractor (numbered to 25)

Stay tuned to Beckett.com for more information and preview images for this forthcoming Topps product.