A Guide To The 2021 Select Football Checklist And How To Invest [Updated]

Select Football 2021 released on August 24th, and here’s everything you need to know about the tremendously popular brand.

We break down the basics of this sought-after product, what you can expect, a full checklist and how to invest 2021 Select Football cards.

Be the first to buy 2021 Select Football cards on eBay

2021 Select Football product basics 

Select is a fan favorite that started as hobby-only, but a retail edition helps it rank in the top-tier of mass-market sports card royalty along with Prizm and Optic. These three products all feature chromium cards and Prizm-based inserts and parallels, giving layers of scarcity and different eye appeal for collectors to enthusiastically pursue. 

Select Football is perhaps best known for two unique features. For one, the product has three unique tiers cards that represent different levels of increasing scarcity: concourse, premier, and field level.

The product is also known for its XRC, which is redeemable for a draft pick from the next rookie class (example: QB3 = the third quarterback drafted). With this year’s untimely release, the XRC’s will drop after the draft, thus losing some of their charm.

What to expect from 2021 Panini Select Football

This year’s hobby product has a familiar composition that is in line with the previous iterations of Select: a box consisting of 12 packs with 5 cards per pack. Each box averages 2 autographs and a memorabilia card. Expect an average of 15 parallels per box, including 10 silvers.

The online-exclusive First of the Line (FOTL) format contains Neon Orange Rookie Patch Autograph and a limited base parallel that is either a Neon Orange Pulsar or Tiger Prizm.

The base set of 400 cards is divided among the three typical subsets: concourse, premier level, and field level, and each of the subsets has its own parallels (for example, each subset has gold /10). This year’s product can be pre-ordered for $1,200, while last year it released at $1,400.

2021 Select Football checklist information

The 2021 Select football checklist looks a lot like previous years, but Select has the argument of “don’t add paint to a masterpiece” on its side. 

There is a deep list of parallels available at every level of base cards. For example, here is the concourse level breakdown:

• Silver Prizm
• Zebra Prizm SSP
• Tri-Color Prizm – #/249
• Blue Prizm – #/199
• Maroon Prizm – #/149
• Red Prizm – #/99
• Purple Prizm – #/75
• Orange Prizm – #/49
• White Prizm – #/35
• Tie-Dye Prizm – #/25
• Gold Prizm – #/10
• Green Prizm – #/5
• Green & Black Snakeskin – #/2
• Black Prizm  – 1/1

The already-rarer Field Level includes fewer parallels:

• Silver Prizm
• Zebra Prizm SSP
• Tri-Color Prizm – #/75
• Red Prizm – #/49
• White Prizm – #/35
• Tie-Dye Prizm – #/25
• Gold Prizm – #/10
• Green Prizm – #/5
• Green & Black Snakeskin – #/2
• Black Prizm – 1/1

The XRC’s are still something to get excited about, but they definitely aren’t as “fun” since the draft is already in the rearview mirror. 

These exchange cards, historically, the first chance to truly get a licensed card that matters for the future rookie class. 

These cards are very valuable and a great way to stake an early claim on your favorite early draft pick.

In addition to the standard XRCs, which have the silver Prizm look, there are parallels: tie-dye /25, gold /10, and black 1/1s  add even more scarcity to the exciting rookie class. 

This year’s Select will bring a few more inserts, including hobby-exclusive Color Wheel, Firestorm, and Phenomenom. 

Investing in 2021 Select Football cards

With a pre-order price of $1,200, buying a box of Select is certainly something to put a lot of thought into. 

For one thing, Select is a bit safer of a rip because it includes 60 cards. Many of the recent releases that cost $1,000+ have only included 8 – 10 cards in total, so at least with Select, you have more chances of pulling nice cards and getting your money back.

But still, you’re paying $20/card with a new box of Select — it’s a big investment in something that might not pay off at all. Here’s our take on how to consider investing in select. 

Get in line for a 2021 Panini Select Hobby Box

Investing in Select Football box (sealed)

If you’re planning to invest in a 2021 Select Football hobby box with the intent of holding them, here are some numbers to consider.

• Current resell of 2020 hobby: $1,450
• Current resell of 2019 hobby: $1,100
• Current resell of 2018 hobby: $2,000
• Current resell of 2017 hobby: $6,100

A couple of takeaways here

For one, time seems to help. The 2018 class isn’t decisively better than the 2020 class, but the boxes are worth 30% more. That implies that Select, since it’s such a popular product, will age well no matter how strong the rookie class.

And, the other point: the rookie class matters. Yeah, this might sound contradictory, but having a combination of age +  a great rookie class (2017) can lead to explosive value down the line.

If you are buying a sealed box to sit on, Select isn’t a bad option – especially if you like the 2021 rookie class and believe in Trevor Lawrence and company.  But the stars will need to align for you to expect the same kind of returns as the 2017 boxes are currently seeing. 

And this hasn’t been verified by Panini, but there are definitely more boxes being printed in 2021 than there were in 2017 and 2018. This alone will help cap the potential if you are buying this product sealed with the hope to flip in 5 – 10 years.

Investing in rookies

Select rookie cards are one of the blue-chip investments of modern Panini rookies – perhaps second to only Prizm. If you’re going to invest in just one card of anybody, Select is a great way to go.

Your best bet of making a guaranteed profit on this product is finding a few silver or field-level rookies of players you believe in, buying them raw (after asking for more pictures), then getting them graded. 

If you can scoop up silvers of the rookies you like and grade, then you’ll be set for a long-term hold. Collectors go nuts for Select PSA 10s, especially if you can get cards in one of the two rarest tiers.

But caution: don’t buy the first Select cards that appear on eBay for this year. The price will inevitably drop as the supply meets the demand.

Bottom line: rip, hold or pass?

Select is always a popular brand, and this year shows no signs of it slowing down.  

Perhaps the recency of the NFL draft will actually prime the XRCs to be an even hotter chase since collectors can target their favorite players. Either way, Select is a heavyweight in the industry and won’t slow down anytime soon. 

What do you think of this product? What will it be worth in 5 years? Let us know on Twitter @card_lines. 

Other related products

If you are a fan of the Select line of products, you may want to check these previous releases:

• 2020 Select Football Retail
• 2020-21 Select Basketball

Full 2021 Select Football checklist

The 2021 Panini Select Football checklist is available below in searchable form.