While Formula 1 cards have been around in some way or another for most of the league’s lifespan, general interest has really popped off when Topps acquired the license and released their initial set of cards back in 2020. During the height of the COVID collectible boom it quickly took off and has maintained high demand since.
Value
Before I get into the different card types I want to discuss the concept of value as it’s something I see asked about quite a bit.
Generally speaking there are two types of people, those who collect Formula 1 cards because they like the sport, and those who are looking to build monetary value/sell for profit.
Neither is inherently bad, but knowing where you sit dictates how you should approach the hobby. If you’re collecting because you like Formula 1, then collect whatever cards you like. Doesn’t matter if it’s the cheapest or most expensive, just do what brings you joy. There’s a lot of good - and bad - designs across the years and appreciation of said designs is completely subjective.
If you’re just looking for build value then you want to limit yourself to low print runs, popular drivers, and cards with higher quality.
I also want to note that card values are pretty high after initial release, but can drop dramatically afterward. This was really noticeable for the 2023 Chrome/Sapphire release in part because of the overall number of cards now out there four years in. Four years in and 2020, as the first year, remains the release set that demands the highest premium.
Refractors & Parallels
One of the fundamentals of Topps Formula 1 trading cards is that there are base cards, then variants known as refractors or parallels. If you want to get technical refractors are just versions of base cards with a surface variation like a rainbow finish instead of chrome (since there are also inserts with the same finish, refractor of the base set will say "Refractor" on the rear of the card to make it easier to identify in photos). Parallels are different colours or patterns such as a gold, or gold wave. I've seen most people use the terms interchangeably without any consternation.
One thing that sets parallels apart from basic refractors is that they are numbered out a set print run quantity (such as “6 out of 10” or “135 of 299”).
The specific versions will vary depending on release year but let me put this into context for the 2022 Chrome release…
- Base card
- Refractor (unnumbered) (has a bit of a rainbow effect, says Refractor on the back)
- Black & White RayWave (unnumbered)
- Checker Flag (unnumbered)
- Purple/Green (unnumbered)
- Gold/Purple (unnumbered)
- Orange/Red (unnumbered)
- Red/Green (unnumbered)
- Purple (#/399)
- Mini Diamonds (#/299)
- Purple Checker Flag (#/199)
- Green (#/99)
- Green RayWave (#/99)
- Pink Refractor (#/75)
- Pink RayWave (#75)
- Gold Refractor (#/50)
- Gold Wave (#/50)
- Gold Checker Flag (#/50)
- Gold RayWave(#/50 )
- Orange (#/25)
- Orange Wave (#/25)
- Orange Checker Flag (#/25)
- Red (#/5)
- Red Wave Refractor(#/5)
- Red Checker Flag (#/5)
- Red RayWave (#/5)
- Black RayWave(1/1)
- SuperFractor(1/1)
There are similar variants for the Flagship and Sapphire releases as well. As my wife said “they make the same card with different colours so you spend more money to collect them all.”
On top of that there are printing plates, typically black, blue, yellow, and magenta. Plus an autographed version for portrait cards.
The 2022 release had RayWave cards which were only available in the “Lite” boxes, while autos were only in the regular boxes. 2023 did away with lite boxes, and RayWaves, but added in Lava and Aqua Wave. Confusing right? I’ll have links to release info below which make for great reference.
Value here is relative, but typically the rarer the card the more valuable it is. Often you’ll see certain styles get less love, such as the Checkered Flags, and subsequently go for less than a straight colour version.
Inserts
In addition to the base set of cards there are what are called inserts, and often seen as a way to pad overall card counts. For example, the 2022 Chrome release has 200 cards in the base set (numbered 1 through 200) and 54 inserts (across 4 themes). Of those only one theme/5 cards have any sort of rarity. Compare that to 2023 which has 136 inserts across 10 themes.
Like the base cards there parallels, albeit much fewer versions vs. base.
In my opinion the majority of the inserts are pretty lazy from a design perspective. There are cooler cards to be found in the Turbo Attax base.
Images Variations
Image Variations (IVs) are short run alternatives of regular cards featuring different images. Value, like everything else, depends on print run and driver interest.
Flagship (2021-2022)
Flagship is the most basic line of cards, often just called “paper” because there’s nothing really special about them. First released in 2021, there was also a 2022 release, but were dropped for 2023. They’re most notable for having Relic cards featuring an embedded piece of attire. These are supposedly cut from driver/team member worn material but with literally zero provenance attached. Maybe it was worn for a photo shoot, press event, or just so that they had something to chop up for cards.
Chrome (2020-)
Chrome is the flagbearer of the line up. Typically high quality, glossy cards, that are twice as thick as flagship. Retail pricing is between Flagship and Sapphire, along with strong print runs, making them easy accessible to most collectors.
Each year tends to have lots of parallels to chase, along with the always popular autographs for F1 and F2 drivers.
Chrome boxes offer the best chance to pull autograph cards, except for the 2022 Lite boxes which came in at a lower MSRP and offers a chance of RayWave instead of an auto. There are also a lot more F2 driver autos compared to F1 driver or team member autos.
Sapphire (2020-)
Sapphire swaps out the chrome background for a coloured, fractured, reflective design. I don’t know how to describe this, just look at the photo.
The print count for Sapphire is a lot less than Chrome, resulting in a higher price per box and typically higher price on the secondary market vs Chrome. However base Sapphire are still printed in large enough quantities that secondary market prices still drop off dramatically.
Chrome and Sapphire card designs typically match 1:1, but Sapphire tends to have fewer parallels (for example the 2021 Chrome release had base plus 23 parallels, while 2021 Sapphire has only base plus 10 parallels.
2023 Sapphire saw the addition of autograph cards as well, but only for a portion of F1 drivers. Also, I believe 2023 was the first time Sapphire featured inserts.
Dynasty (2020-)
Dynasty are the premier Formula 1 cards. Each card comes with both a driver/team member autograph and a relic swatch. Whereas the relics with Flagship tend to be nondescript (aka single colour) patches from who-knows-where, the Dynasty relics often feature recognizable logos or sponsors. They also have pieces of gloves and zippers.
Dynasty boxes come with a single card, costing north of $1100, making it the most expensive product. It’s also a gamble as only top drivers and top relics demand a higher price than MSRP. While still expensive compared to the rest of the lineup, cards can be found on eBay for upwards of 70% off what someone originally paid for them.
Lights Out (2021-2022)
Photo via Topps
Lights Out was a small run of 60 or so cards in 2021 and 2022. Featuring a darker design aesthetic (hence the name) the boxes guaranteed at two numbered parallels. I really like some of the designs but the card quality was closer to Flagship than Chrome. Two years on from the last release and parallels from this set can be had for less than Chrome of the same year.
The Story of Senna (2023)
This a run of 51 cards, spread out over 17 weeks, focusing on Ayrton Senna. Like Topps Now print runs were determined by the number of orders with various foil parallels thrown in for good measure.
Eccellenza (2023-?)
Card photos via Topps
In 2023 Topps released Eccellenza, an Italian exclusive but open to online buyers worldwide. They’re somewhat closer to Flagship, in that they’re non-chome cards and come with relics, but are thicker and have a high print quality.
In my opinion these are some of the best cards Topps released. The simple design and low print run probably make them the least error prone of the lot. There are also a lot of relics which feature logo or banding samples which were previously reserved for Dynasty.
Turbo Attax (2020-)
Photo via Topps
First released in 2020, Turbo Attax sits in a weird place. They’re designed around some sort of game, with driver stat cards, event cards, etc. As far as I’m aware no one in the history of the universe has ever played the game. Instead they’re highly printed run of cards where I see the highest availability/interest in Europe and India.
In terms of material they’re the cheapest of the rest of the cards F1 card line up, and combined with the massive print runs, make them the least valuable on the secondary market. There are numbered cards, which based on the nearly limitless print run, make them the rarest hits… but they still don’t demand any significant value.
Things are a tad different for the 2024 release with higher quality, akin to Flagship, and some really nice designs and mix of foil and gloss surfaces.
At the end of the day Turbo Attax are fun to rip and collect, but are hardly worth anything on the secondary market.
Topps Now (2020-)
Card photos via Topps
First released by Topps in 2016, with the first Now Formula 1 cards in 2020, these cards are only sold through the Topps website. Topps Now cards go up for sale a week or two after a race to celebrate recent events like race wins or other record breaking events. Print runs are based on the number of cards ordered (aka if folks older 900ish cards, they produce 900ish cards). Depending on the card there may be numbered colour or other variants randomly sent out with orders.
The current list price of a Now card is $8.99 if you buy just one, but drop down when you buy in bulk. It’s structured so folks buy a lot of cards in hopes of getting a parallel. All those extras tend to end up on eBay at lower-than-retail pricing which is your best bet if you’re looking for a single card.
Again, value is highly dependent on driver interest, occasion, and image.
Topps’ Quality
Frankly, there are a lot of issues which will vary between years and releases. Typos, inaccurate information, misprints where the front and rear of the card don’t match etc. There are also various printing issues such as misalignments or gaps in effect material. Then there’s quality issues with damage during packaging like surface marks or corner dents. The 2022 Chrome release has excellent edges, whereas the 2023 Chrome base cards look like they were cut with a rusty pizza wheel. For the price you pay for some of these sets the quality can often be disappointing.
The conspiracy theorist in me says that this lax attention to quality control is intentional and all about bolstering the secondary market… grading cards.
Grading
At its core grading is simply sending a card to someone else so give it a score based on the quality of the card. This can be a costly process with cost/card varying depending on grader and bulk discounting. If a card returns with a good rating it potentially enhances the cost of the card on the secondary market.
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) tends to have the highest volume of graded F1 cards out there and often is preferred by sellers and collectors alike. You’ll also see the rest of the usual graders out there like TAG, Beckett, and Sportscard Guarantee Corporation (SGC).
How much one is valued over the other is a whole article unto itself. Some folks will send a card off to be graded with one service and depending on the result send it to another one hoping for a better, more valuable result.
To put things very simply, if you’re going to sell cards, getting them graded is the best way to get top value for them. If you’re just building a personal collection all you’re doing is spending money that could be better spent elsewhere. Getting cards graded isn’t a sure road to profit either. I see lots of folks take basic, common cards, get them graded, then sell them for net zero or even a loss.
Where to Buy Boxes
When releases first drop it’s typically on Topp’s website. This will be the lowest shot at MSRP before it hits the card shops which tend to run at a higher price.
Personally, I generally check out Steel City Collectibles and Dave & Adam’s, but there are lot of card shops out there that get F1 allocations. Look for a good price and check within your country to see if you can save on shipping.
Avoid buying loose packets. While relatively uncommon, it’s possible for folks to open packs and release them. More likely someone will break a box, then once they find a valuable card, just sell off the rest of the packets because the odds of a nice hit within have dropped dramatically.
Where to Buy/Sell Singles
Like the rest of the collectible card market, the top place is eBay. Goldin is another site worth checking out, but there’s a high buyer’s premium and extended auction services which, in my opinion, hurts buyers.
COMC (Check Out My Card) is a good place as well, serving both as a marketplace and a consignment shop. I really like how you can buy cards then ship out, combined as a lot, at your convenience.
Speaking of consignment, there are various folks who offer these services like DCSports87, Rated Rips, and Medalist. Always make sure to read T&Cs, some consignment shops won't return cards they’re unable to sell.
Breaks
Breaks are definitely for the degenerate gamblers of the hobby. How it works is a breaker buys up a bunch of product, then breaks that down into different spots for purchase. Breaker adds on margin for services. Case is then ripped live on places like Instagram, Twitch, or WhatNot.
The average break consists of a case of cards, divided up by driver, where the most popular driver has the highest price tag. Lets’s say you drop $500 on the Lewis Hamilton spot. You get whatever Hamilton cards are pulled from that case. If you hit nothing of value, you’re SOL. If you hit a rare auto, you’re in the green.
You’ll find lots of variations of this, from half-case rips to even a ten-case rip I participated in once. Sometimes it’s broken down by refractor type, or a random draw for a driver.
General ROI on breaks is pretty low. It’s for the folks who want to gamble on a big rip, and like gambling, there’s something to be said for the fun of the chase.
How to price check
The easiest way to price check a card is via 130point.com which makes it easy to search sold eBay listings. The prices on active listings are just what folks want to sell for, not what folks are willing to buy for.
If you can’t find a direct comp, check for another driver of similar caliber or like refractor style.
Must have accessories
There are two must-have accessories for collectors, penny sleeves and top loaders.
Penny sleeves are inexpensive plastic sleeves, hence the name. They help protect the surface of your card, and make it easier to insert into top loaders. Top loaders are ridged plastic sleeves that help protect the card from handling damage. You really need to use both in conjunction for proper protection.
Card thickness is measured in points where 1000 points equates to 1inch of thickness. BCW has a handy printable guide and blog for reference. Here's a quick guide for the various F1 cards...
| Card Type | Thickness (inches) | Thickness (points) |
| Flagship | ||
| Turbo Attax | ||
| Chrome | ||
| Sapphire | ||
| Eccellenza | ||
| Dynasty |
9-pocket card pages for binders are great if you want to build a collection in a browsable format, but the lack of rigidity makes them prone to edge damage or bends if not handled carefully. Pro Tip: Grab some Post-it notes and label each page with multiples of nine. For example, first page has a Post-it that says 9, page two has a post it note that says 18, and so forth. This will make it easier to find the right page for a card when first filling out the set. If you want to get fancy they do make binder pages that support top loaders, and even graded cards.
Magnetic card holders are the thickest of the lot, providing the best protection and presentation for general use, albeit at a high price. Cards tend to move around in them a bit so it’s not recommended to place cards in them for shipping.
Hard plastic material cases, top loaders and magnetic holders alike, are prone to surface scratching. The cards are fine, but the surface scratches can become unsightly. While cards can always be swapped between top loaders and magnetic cases, not so much with graded cards. Thankfully can get even more protection with self sealing plastic baggies.
Also want to call out Card Savers. Unlike traditional top loaders they’re semi rigid and oversized, but thin, making it so cards barely move around within them. Great for shipping, and the packaging graders prefer, but I haven’t seen many store in them.
Like anything you can get the OG brands, or the knockoffs. If I’m going to spend money on cards I’m going to spend money on the best holders. Don’t want to worry about plastic degrading or suspect UV protection ratings. Though I imagine most would never be able to tell the difference.
Helpful Links
Cardboard Connection is my go-to for keeping track of release details, refractor listing, card list, etc etc...
2020
2021
2022
2023
- 2023 Chrome
- 2023 Sapphire (I guess Cardboard Connection never made one for this release, so this link is to a similar posting from Beckett)
- 2023 Eccellenza
- 2023 Topps Now
- 2023 Story of Senna
Publication History
- Aug 5, 2024 - Initial Publication
