I have been seeing a flood of end of year Best Of lists lately so I decided to join in and bring some actual data with me.
I went back and ranked every 2025 product format I analyzed across multiple sports using the metrics that matter most to anyone chasing value:
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Cost per parallel
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Cost per autograph
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Cost per numbered card
Plus a few additional indicators that tend to reveal themselves once you start digging into the numbers.
Rather than drop a giant spreadsheet into everyone’s feed, I am rolling this out as a short series over the next few days so it stays readable and useful.
In total this project covers 108 different product formats across a wide range of price points. The first step was sorting them into four tiers:
• Under $100
• $101 to $250
• $251 to $500
• $501 and up
A handful of products could not be included for a few reasons. Some do not publish odds and others are so high end or niche that they do not fit cleanly into a value driven model.
The most notable exclusions are Allen and Ginter, Five Star, Bob Ross, Black and White, Diamond Icons and Definitive.
One exception worth mentioning is Pro Debut. In my view it was one of the strongest value products of the year but because it did not have published odds the data is less precise. I was still able to estimate the key metrics well enough to justify keeping it in the study.
All hobby pricing is based on current market levels at the time of writing. I used the lower price between the two largest online hobby retailers. Prices can move quickly so this is simply a snapshot. I did not use eBay pricing for sealed wax. While it is sometimes cheaper it also carries more risk and certain products are far too prone to abuse for me to recommend buying sealed there. Retail products were priced at MSRP unless one of the major retailers had them below that level.
Today’s focus is ranking the best and worst formats by cost per parallel within each price tier.
Here is what the data shows.
Data analysis performed by CellDood.
Takeaways
It is not surprising to see Heritage formats sitting at the top of the cheaper tiers. 2025 Heritage received a major upgrade with significantly more Chrome, though the weak rookie class caps the upside. What did surprise me was how high 2024 Heritage High ranked across the lower tiers. That product has an outstanding rookie class and I still think it is a very solid value rip.
As expected for anyone who follows this closely, Bowman and Bowman Chrome Mega boxes are absolute disasters for value even at the lowest price tier. Adding a red rookie and a couple of lasers was not nearly enough to save those formats.
One of the bigger surprises was how poorly Bowman Blasters performed for parallel value. They are generally well liked and for good reason. The floor is rough but they still have one of the highest ceilings of any value box which does matter.
In a broad sense, formats that include Fanatics in the name tend to have a strong parallel structure. There are exceptions but if you are torn on a product, Fanatics branded boxes are usually a safer bet.
Yes, I know there are $100 boxes sitting in the $101 to $250 tier.
Yes, I see it.
No, I am not fixing it.
The much hyped NBA Chrome Hangers at $20, which comes out to $9.35 per parallel, do not even land in the top 40 when measured against everything else. That said, cheaper formats often produce a lot of low value parallels and this metric does not capture hit quality. The retail NBA Chrome ceiling is still absurd and we are seeing that play out right now.
Topps Chrome Boxing is a bit of a sleeper. If you are into that space it offers sneaky value with some big names on the autograph checklist, very limited production and hobby pricing that keeps sliding, currently around $250. There may be some upside there even if $250 is not exactly cheap for any Chrome product.
Most products launch with strong value and then lose it quickly as prices climb. This project is not about what was good at release. It is about what still makes sense at current market pricing. In many of my release breakdowns I have pointed out which formats have the traits that tend to push prices higher. Getting in early on those is usually the right move.
If sealed wax is your thing, in the current environment the best play often appears to be keeping it sealed even if that takes some discipline.
Same tables as above but not in image form.
Best Cost Per Parallel | Under $100
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 Heritage | Hanger Box | Baseball | $13.00 | $1.93 |
| 2 | 2025 Heritage | Value Box | Baseball | $25.00 | $2.01 |
| 3 | 2025 Topps Holiday | Tin | Baseball | $15.00 | $2.05 |
| 4 | 2025 Heritage | Fat Pack | Baseball | $7.00 | $2.09 |
| 5 | 2025 Heritage | Mega | Baseball | $48.00 | $2.17 |
| 6 | 2024 Heritage High | Value Box | Baseball | $35.00 | $2.31 |
| 7 | 2025-26 Topps NBA Flagship | Fanatics Value | Basketball | $30.00 | $2.47 |
| 8 | 2025 Topps Update | Fanatics Value | Baseball | $30.00 | $2.52 |
| 9 | 2025-26 Topps NBA Flagship | Costco Super Box | Basketball | $40.00 | $2.64 |
| 10 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Fanatics Value | Baseball | $30.00 | $2.65 |
| 11 | 2025 Topps Holiday | Mega | Baseball | $30.00 | $2.86 |
| 12 | 2025 Topps Chrome | Value | Baseball | $35.00 | $3.11 |
| 13 | 2024 Topps Chrome Football | Value Box | Football | $30.00 | $4.11 |
| 14 | 2025 Topps Chrome | Mega | Baseball | $70.00 | $4.24 |
| 15 | 2025 Topps Series 1 | Fanatics Box | Baseball | $30.00 | $4.55 |
Worst Cost Per Parallel | Under $100
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 2025 Bowman Chrome | Mega | Baseball | $70.00 | $198.80 |
| 55 | 2025 Bowman | Mega | Baseball | $50.00 | $139.50 |
| 54 | 2025 Archives | Value Box | Baseball | $25.00 | $91.75 |
| 53 | 2025 Bowman | Value Box | Baseball | $40.00 | $24.24 |
| 52 | 2025 Topps Update | Fat Pack | Baseball | $7.00 | $15.56 |
| 51 | 2025 Topps Series 1 | Fat Pack | Baseball | $7.00 | $15.22 |
| 50 | 2025-26 Topps NBA Flagship | Fat Pack | Basketball | $7.00 | $13.21 |
| 49 | 2025 Topps Series 1 | Mega | Baseball | $50.00 | $13.05 |
| 48 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Fat Pack | Baseball | $7.00 | $12.28 |
| 47 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Mega | Baseball | $50.00 | $11.50 |
Best Cost Per Parallel | $101 to $250
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 Heritage | Hobby | Baseball | $145.00 | $3.50 |
| 2 | 2025 Heritage High | Hobby | Baseball | $100.00 | $3.55 |
| 3 | 2024 Heritage High | Hobby | Baseball | $140.00 | $4.35 |
| 4 | 2025-26 Chrome NBA | Fanatics Mega | Basketball | $100.00 | $8.60 |
| 5 | 2025 Topps Chrome Boxing | Hobby | Combat | $250.00 | $9.97 |
| 6 | 2025 Topps Chrome UFC | Hobby | Combat | $245.00 | $11.14 |
| 7 | 2025 Bowman Chrome University | Hobby | Football | $130.00 | $13.09 |
| 8 | 2025 Topps Chrome F1 | Hobby | Racing | $240.00 | $14.57 |
| 9 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Retail Display | Baseball | $100.00 | $17.54 |
| 10 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Jumbo | Baseball | $235.00 | $17.80 |
Worst Cost Per Parallel | $101 to $250
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 2025 Bowman Chrome University Sapphire | Hobby | Football | $240.00 | $80.00 |
| 22 | 2025 Topps Chrome Logofractor | Mega | Baseball | $120.00 | $53.33 |
| 21 | 2025 Topps Series 1 | Hobby | Baseball | $165.00 | $52.22 |
| 20 | 2025-26 Topps NBA Flagship | Hobby | Basketball | $250.00 | $45.45 |
| 19 | 2025 Topps Series 2 | Hobby | Baseball | $150.00 | $40.54 |
| 18 | 2025 Topps Update | Hobby | Baseball | $170.00 | $37.86 |
| 17 | 2025 Bowman Chrome University | Breaker’s | Football | $230.00 | $36.80 |
| 16 | 2025 Topps Chrome | Hobby | Baseball | $225.00 | $25.98 |
| 15 | 2025 Bowman’s Best University | Hobby | Football | $250.00 | $25.00 |
| 14 | 2025 Pro Debut | Hobby | Baseball | $175.00 | $23.33 |
Best Cost Per Parallel | $251 to $500
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 Topps Update | Jumbo | Baseball | $300.00 | $19.80 |
| 2 | 2025 Finest | Hobby | Baseball | $400.00 | $19.85 |
| 3 | 2025 Topps Chrome | Jumbo | Baseball | $440.00 | $20.97 |
| 4 | 2025 Topps Series 1 | Jumbo | Baseball | $265.00 | $21.34 |
| 5 | 2025 Topps Chrome Update | Hobby | Baseball | $300.00 | $25.55 |
Worst Cost Per Parallel | $251 to $500
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2025 Topps Chrome Black | Hobby | Baseball | $400.00 | $200.00 |
| 13 | 2025 Bowman Chrome | Breaker’s | Baseball | $500.00 | $163.40 |
| 12 | 2024 Topps Chrome Football | Breaker’s | Football | $425.00 | $92.59 |
| 11 | 2025 Topps Chrome UFC | Breaker’s | Combat | $300.00 | $70.59 |
| 10 | 2025 Bowman Chrome | Hobby | Baseball | $460.00 | $59.66 |
Best Cost Per Parallel | $501+
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 Topps Chrome Update | Jumbo | Baseball | $565.00 | $34.30 |
| 2 | 2025-26 Chrome NBA | Hobby | Basketball | $635.00 | $43.05 |
| 3 | 2025 Topps Chrome Update | Breaker’s | Baseball | $600.00 | $75.33 |
| 4 | 2024 Bowman Draft | Hobby (Jumbo) | Baseball | $1,510.00 | $81.10 |
| 5 | 2025-26 Chrome NBA | Jumbo | Basketball | $1,880.00 | $81.92 |
Worst Cost Per Parallel | $501+
| Rank | Product | Format | Sport | Current Price | Cost/Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2025-26 Chrome NBA | Breaker’s | Basketball | $2,840.00 | $681.20 |
| 13 | 2025 Topps Tribute | Hobby | Baseball | $800.00 | $465.12 |
| 12 | 2025 Bowman Chrome Sapphire | Hobby | Baseball | $1,200.00 | $334.26 |
| 11 | 2025 Topps Chrome Sapphire | Hobby | Baseball | $850.00 | $236.77 |
| 10 | 2025 Bowman | Breaker’s | Baseball | $800.00 | $208.88 |
