What Is a Hobby Box vs. Retail Box?
A collector’s guide to different sports card boxes.
There are many different sports card releases every year, and some of the most popular releases come in a variety of configurations. For example, Donruss Optic Football comes in both hobby and retail formats. Whether you’re returning to the hobby or are a new collector, you might be wondering: what is a hobby box? And how do retail boxes compare? Keep reading to learn which types of boxes are right for you!
What Is a Hobby Box?
The most popular sports card releases and biggest chase cards are often found in hobby boxes. You can only find these high-end boxes in hobby shops. While hobby boxes carry a much higher price tag than retail boxes, they usually guarantee at least one autograph or memorabilia card per box. You also have a much higher chance of pulling the rarer and more valuable cards from a hobby box than you do from retail boxes.
What Is a Hobby Box Hit?
The type of hit, and how many you can expect to pull, can vary from release to release. For example, a Prizm Football Hobby Box usually guarantees 2 autographs per box, more than 100 total cards, and can cost between $1,000-$2,000.
Other hobby boxes can get much more expensive, however. Flawless Football is only released as a hobby box, making it an ultra-high-end option for serious collectors. Depending on the strength of the rookie class, Flawless Football Hobby Boxes can sell from $5,000 to upwards of $20,000. These boxes contain only 10 cards, but usually guarantee 6 autographs and 2-3 memorabilia cards.
Along with the guaranteed hits, hobby boxes also give you a good chance to pull a variety of other valuable cards. These can be short prints (SP), super short prints (SSP), or serial numbered cards with print runs ranging from /199 to 1/1. Many hobby products also carry “case hits.” These are some of the toughest cards to pull because they usually fall 1 per case, with most hobby cases containing 12 boxes.
What Is a Retail Box?
A retail box is one that can be found in large retail stores like Target or Walmart. These boxes offer an affordable way to open packs and get common base cards. You might also get inserts or retail-exclusive parallels. Retail boxes, however, don’t usually guarantee a big hit like an autographed card. The odds you’ll pull a valuable card from a retail box are very low, which is why these retail boxes are much more affordable than high-end hobby boxes.
Blaster Box vs. Mega Box
Under the retail umbrella are blaster boxes and mega boxes. These are two different types of boxes that are found in large retail stores. A blaster box is usually more affordable than a mega box, but it comes with fewer total cards in the box. You can expect about 24 cards in a Prizm Football Blaster and 5 blaster exclusive parallel cards.
Along with a slightly higher price tag and more total cards, mega boxes usually come with a guarantee of “one autograph or memorabilia card per box.” Low value memorabilia cards are usually what you can expect to pull from a mega box, although some lucky collectors will find an autograph in their mega box. Prizm Football Mega boxes usually come with 42 total cards and 5 parallel cards that are exclusive to mega boxes.
The special parallel cards found in blaster and mega boxes are exclusive to their respective retail formats. This means that even though hobby boxes carry the high-end prestige and price tag, you won’t find retail-exclusive parallels in hobby boxes. This gives retail formats their own chase element that collectors can enjoy even if they don’t want to break the bank. Depending on the player you pull and the type of card, retail-exclusive parallels can sometimes make you a nice profit.
What Are Hobby Blaster Boxes and Hobby Mega Boxes?
Unlike the blaster and mega boxes that are found at Target and Walmart, hobby blaster and hobby mega boxes are new, affordable products that are exclusive to hobby shops. The configuration of hobby blaster and hobby mega boxes are similar to the configuration of the normal retail blaster and mega boxes, but they come with their own exclusive parallels.
These hobby blaster and hobby mega exclusive parallels are much more valuable than the blaster and retail exclusive parallels. The hobby configurations may also come with additional hits that you won’t find in the regular retail versions.
What Is a Hobby Box vs. Retail Box? Which Is Best for You?
If you’re new to the hobby, you might be wondering: “what is a hobby box and is it right for me?” Depending on your budget and collecting goals, a hobby box might be a good place to start. If you want to ease in at a lower price point, there are many great retail products to get started with.
The difference between a hobby and retail box is very much “you get what you pay for.” Retail boxes are affordable options that give collectors a low-stakes way to build a set or get cool, retail exclusive parallels cards. Hobby boxes appeal to collectors who are focused on chasing high value cards.
Whether you’re looking for sealed hobby boxes or sealed retail boxes, we have something for you! Check out our large selection of sealed boxes and cases today.
