This week, Panini brings a new batch of Rated Rookies to the hobby with 2020-21 Donruss Optic Basketball, Topps celebrates tomorrow’s stars with 2021 Topps Pro Debut Baseball, and Pokémon drops Evolving Skies, the newest expansion in the Sword & Shield Series. Learn about all of these releases and more in the latest edition of The Rip.
2020-21 Donruss Optic Basketball
2020-21 Donruss Optic Basketball continues the tradition of utilizing this year’s Donruss card design and adding a chromium finish. The base set checklist is home to 200 total cards, 150 stars and veterans, and 50 Rated Rookies. Hobby boxes include twelve exclusive color-variation parallels including the sought-after Optic Holo. The inserts include the annual The Rookies checklist, with other options including Lights Out, Star Gazing, plus more. Most of the top rookies like LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards are featured on the Rated Rookies signatures checklist as well.
The 2020-21 Donruss Optic Basketball Hobby Box comes with four cards per pack, and 20 packs per box. You can expect to hit one autograph in each box and a combination of 20 inserts or limited print run parallels. This year’s set will also include the lower price point retail boxes like blasters and mega boxes as well.
2020-21 Donruss Optic Hobby Boxes release on August 27th at local and online trading card hobby shops. Retail products are expected to start appearing on shelves of Targets and Walmarts around this same time.
2021 Panini Certified Football
Like all NFL sets this year, 2021 Panini Certified Football is sure to be extremely popular with the potential of the incoming NFL rookie quarterback class that includes Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson. The 200 card base set checklist is divided up between 100 veterans and 100 rookies and includes eleven limited print run parallel options for each card in the standard hobby box. The Freshman Fabric Mirror Signatures subset offers some of the biggest hits the set has to offer. Within this subset, each card features a rookie and every card includes a sticker autograph along with a multi-colored piece of their uniform sewn into the card.
The 2021 Panini Certified Hobby Box holds five cards per pack, and 10 packs per box. Inside of each box you can expect to find one Freshman Fabric Signature, one additional autograph, two relics, ten inserts, and two rookies or color variation rookie parallels.
The 2021 Panini Certified Hobby Box is set to release on August 25th at local and online trading card hobby shops.
2021 Topps Pro Debut Baseball 
2021 Topps Pro Debut Baseball utilizes the Series 1 card design to bring a checklist packed with 150 top Minor League Baseball prospects and 50 recent draft picks. The hits that can be found in the set come in the forms of autographs and memorabilia cards that include pieces of jerseys and equipment from top Minor League prospects. Players that have been touted as future All-Stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Austin Martin will appear in the set.
2021 Topps Pro Debut Baseball comes in two different hobby box formats. The standard hobby box comes with eight cards per pack and 24 packs per box including a combination of four autographs and relic cards. The HTA Jumbo Box is loaded with 24 cards per pack and six packs per box. Inside of each HTA Jumbo box, you will typically add three autographs and 36 base chrome cards to your collection.
2021 Topps Pro Debut Baseball releases on August 25th. You will be able to find both variations of boxes at local and online trading card hobby shops.
2021 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy
Adding in chromium stock on the annual Star Wars Galaxy set, 2021 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy is a debut product for the movie franchise. The set takes artwork found in previous Star Wars Galaxy sets, and covers most of the Star Wars Universe from the three trilogies to the new Star Wars shows on Disney+ such as The Mandalorian. The biggest hits are character cards featuring autographs from the actors who played them such as Obi-Wan as played by Ewan McGregor and Pablo Pascal’s Mandalorian. Sketch cards are extremely rare inserts that are only found in one out of every six boxes on average.
The 2021 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy Hobby Box comes with eight cards per pack, and 24 packs per box with each box promising one autograph. 2021 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy cards are scheduled to hit shelves on August 25th at local and online trading card hobby shops.
2021 Topps WWE NXT
2021 Topps WWE NXT uses the next generation of wrestling talent from the Men’s and Women’s Division to build out its set. The 100 card base set is composed solely of past moments from WWE NXT Men’s Division matches. Autographs are available in the set including former NXT Champion and current member of SmackDown, Finn Bálor.
The 2021 Topps WWE NXT Hobby Box comes with seven cards per pack, and 18 packs per box and includes two autographs. 2021 Topps WWE NXT releases on August 25th and can be found at local or online trading card hobby shops.
Pokémon x Japan Post Stamp Box
Earlier this summer it was announced that the Pokémon Company and Japan Post were collaborating on a collection box full of limited-edition Pokémon stamps and promo cards. The stamps included in the collection take inspiration from several classic Japanese stamps that date back to the 17th century and were designed by Mitsuhiro Arita, the artist behind many of the Base Set Pokémon cards including the iconic Charizard. The pre-order for the Pokémon x Japan Post Stamp Box took place on July 26th and sold out quickly for a retail price of $40.
The Pokémon x Japan Post Stamp Box is limited to 80,000 copies. Inside you will find Pokémon themed postage stamps that are only valid in Japan featuring classic pocket monsters like Charizard, Pikachu, plus more, a copy of the Lite Version of the Family Pokémon Trading Card Game, and two limited Black Star Promo cards that include Pikachu and Cramorant in the style of traditional Japanese-style artwork.
The Pokémon x Japan Post Stamp Box will ship on August 25th to those who were fortunate enough to pre-order the collection.
Pokemon Sword & Shield Evolving Skies
Pokémon Evolving Skies is the seventh main expansion to the Sword & Shield series and marks the return of Dragon-type Pokémon to the TCG for the first time since Cosmic Eclipse in 2019. The Pokémon Evolving Skies set centers around the Alloy Pokémon Duraludon and flying Dragon-type Pokémon Rayquaza. Cards from the Japanese Pokémon sets Skyscraping Perfection/Blue Skystream and Eevee Heroes make up a majority of the Pokémon Evolving Skies checklist. Headlining the set are the VMAX cards for Leafeon, Flareon, Vaporeon, Glaceon, Jolteon, Espeon, Sylveon, Umbreon, Rayquaza, and Duraludon.
The Pokémon Evolving Skies Booster Box comes in the standard format as it holds 36 booster packs, each containing ten cards. Pokémon Evolving Skies officially releases on August 27th.
