Buzz 12 in 12: Busting a 2001 Topps Archives NFL retail box (Hour 8)

Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 8.

The box: 2001 Topps Archives NFL retail box
The cost: $55 (will vary if you can find it) 

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

Packs per box: 20
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 160
Base set completion: 
148 of 178 (83 percent)
Duplicates: 11

Notables on base cards – Warren Moon, Art Donovan, Jackie Slater, Bart Starr, Jack Youngblood, Billy Sims, Bo Jackson, Bob Griese, Boomer Esiason, Charlie Joiner, Chuck Bednarik, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Deacon Jones, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Don Maynard, Barry Sanders, Bubba Smith, Elroy Hirsch, Eric Dickerson, Fred Biletnikoff, Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Joe Theismann, John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Ken Stabler, Drew Pearson, Troy Aikman, Ozzie Newsome, Paul Hornung, Roger Staubach, Ronnie Lott, Tom Dempsey, Tony Dorsett, Walter Payton, Y.A. Tittle, William Perry, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Sammy Baugh, Red Grange, Knute Rockne, Jim Thorpe

Inserts: None (see sampling of everything in gallery below)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Autographs (1) – Ed "Too Tall" Jones

What's Buzz-worthy: A simple concept -- reprints of first cards and final cards with autographs in the mix -- is what makes up the 2001 Topps Archives football card set. This one is a celebration of some of the biggest names in NFL history up to that time, though some of the reprints are of cards you could have landed for far less than the $3.99 for one of these retail packs. I jumped at the shot at this one though I knew that autographs wouldn't be guaranteed in every box (they're one in every two boxes at 1:40) but I landed one of a player I've met in the past so it wasn't as much of a surprise as it might have been -- there are some legendary possibilities. Among the signers here? Barry Sanders, Bubba Smith, Chuck Bednarik, Dick Butkus, Dan Fouts, Deacon Jones, Eric Dickerson, Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, John Hannah, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Len Dawson, Lawrence Taylor, Roger Staubach and a number of other Hall of Famers and notables. There are also buybacks and autographed buybacks in these packs and you can add some Relics to the hobby lineup if you can land one of those boxes. This was a fun brea, though it took far too long to sort because of the tiny reprint numbering (thankfully not as small as it is for the baseball set.) This is one to rip if you can find it -- baseball seems to be a lot easier to land than this one.

Product Grade: A+
Box Grade: A
Fun Grade: A

What's next? Be back in an hour ...

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