Pack Break: 2015 Topps Valor Football Value Pack

I mentioned in my last post that I would be making the transition from baseball to football and what better way to do so than breaking a new pack of NFL football cards? 

I think I've made that transition back to more of a casual trading card fan when compared to myself just a few years ago. While I'm not totally oblivious to the trading card release calendar, I have to be honest when I say that I knew very little of Topps' newer set of NFL cards, Valor. Most sets have a theme or gimmick and Valor fits the bill, but what do the cards look like? I hadn't a clue so I grabbed a value pack for $6 bucks from Target the other day...and let me say that I'm very impressed!

The first card out of the pack was a keeper for me, Carolina Panthers rookie linebacker Shaq Thompson. Now while I don't care for images of the players in their practice gear, the design and look of the card make up for the short comings of the picture.

I love how the photo has been given that "ginter" or "magic" treatment. It has that artistic canvas like look. The background has a painted feel and when mixed with the art it makes a beautiful card. The Valor logo is the only foil stamping, done in bronze, which is a fresh change of pace from most card releases full of foil stamping. The image is done in a glossy manner, while the card background has a matte feel.

Overall I'm very impressed with the overall look of the cards, even the base and rookie cards.

A few more cards into the pack yielded me the next Panthers card. Luke Kuechly is the beast in the middle of the field for the team. He missed games 2-4 with a concussion, but re-joined the team last week and caused all sorts of trouble for Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. This Gridiron Warriors card appears to be an insert, however the pack didn't list any odds for these. It's another beautiful card as it shares some of the same designs as the base/rookie cards have. Another keeper for me.

Isn't this guy supposed to be pretty good? Sorry, my team is 5-0 going into Sunday night against the Eagles so I haven't paid much attention to the rest of the league.

I love sets that mix in a few cards of older, retired players. I can't say I was watching many NFL games back with Bo played, but I know he was a force to be reckoned with on the field.

There are a ton of serially numbered parallels. I ended up w/ this Glory parallel numbered to 99 of Ameer Abdullah. Pack odds show these come at 1:17 Value packs.

I can see myself grabbing a few more of these packs as I really like the look. Not sure at this time how many cards are in the set, but this was a fun pack to open and much nicer than Topps flagship football offering in my opinion.