Why 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football Should Have Been A Dropout

2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football is perhaps the worst high-end football product you can buy.  Dropping on December 6 at $700/box, this high-rolling product falls short in almost every way. 

Let’s unpack its shortcomings. 

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

2023 National Treasures Collegiate at a glance

Here are the most important details on the 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football release:

• Price: $700
• Cards: 8 cards per box
• 7 autos or memorabilia cards per box
• No autos of Young, Stroud or Levis

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

2023 National Treasures Collegiate product information 

National Treasures is the most popular high-end sports card brand. For over a decade, National Treasures has been a high-end brand that delivers premium cards to collectors with exquisite taste (no pun intended). It’s known for eye-catching jersey cards, on-card autos of some of the best rookies and legends of the game, and every card in the set is numbered. 

That said, the Collegiate edition doesn’t come close to the same appeal. This year, there are three things really working against it.

For one, it’s a late release. It’s a college product coming out as the next college season begins looking at Bowl Games and as the NFL playoff picture comes into focus. 

Two,  this product will not have autographs of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud or Will Levis. All three of them signed an exclusive deal with Fanatics and don’t feature autographs in Panini products. 

And finally, it’s a college product. These cards never age well and almost all collectors strongly prefer NFL-licensed cards. 

And, to be fair, the $700 price tag of this box isn’t awful compared to the NFL-licensed boxes that sell for thousands of dollars, but it’s still $700 that could be better spent elsewhere.

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

What to expect from 2023 National Treasures Collegiate

National Treasures does a great job of keeping a timeless feel to the product. From the art to the sets, everything about it feels elegantly antique while also seeming modern and forward-looking.

It’s a unique, artful balance that Panini hasn’t captured in any other brand quite like they do with National Treasures. 

Looking to rip a box? Here’s what to expect. 

Each box comes with 8 total cards: 7 autos or memorabilia cards and 1 base/insert parallel. 

Many of these cards will feel very familiar thanks to the checklists they follow. In fact, we didn’t see the word “new” one time in the set notes. It seems to be a collection of the common sets:  Notable Nicknames, Rookie Silhouettes, Team Logo Signatures, etc.

2023 National Treasures Collegiate checklist information 

National Treasures returns with a familiar amount of on-card autographs and oversized patches of NFL rookies, stars and legends.

The College Materials Signatures are the big chase cards here, but they’re not quite as magical feeling when the patches are from college jerseys. Nothing like a “Big 12” logo on a card, right?

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

Common versions are numbered to /99, but there will be variations going all the way down to 1/1s.

The parallels of this set include: 

• Blue #/49
• Silver #/39
• Purple #/25
• Red #/11
• Gold #/10
• Bowl Logo #/10 or less (3 versions)
• Emerald #/5
• Team Slogan #/5 or less
• Brand Logo #/2
• Conference Logo 1/1
• Platinum 1/1
• Team Logo Shield 1/1.

This year also includes Dual Signatures, but the college teammate pairings leave a lot to be desired. See for yourself:

• Brian Branch/Will Anderson Jr. – Alabama Crimson Tide
• Myles Murphy/Bryan Bresee – Clemson Tigers
• Jalen Carter/Kelee Ringo – Georgia Bulldogs
• Tank Dell/Clayton Tune – Houston Cougars
• Christian Gonzalez/Noah Sewell – Oregon Ducks
• Max Duggan/Quentin Johnston – TCU Horned Frogs

I think Tank Dell and Clayton Tune is probably the best one, but yikes.

Other sets include Rookie Silhouettes and Notable Nicknames.

Value of 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football

Let’s look at investing in National Treasures as a potential investment, both sealed and singles. 

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

Investing in National Treasures College Football boxes

This product is set to release at $700.

With that in mind, here’s the value of sealed National Treasures boxes for the last few years:

As aways, the price of the sealed boxes depends largely on the rookies from the class. The 2020 box (Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and more) sells for a lot, while the two most recent are pretty weak.

And also keep in mind that the 2022 and 2021 box sell for less than the 2023 release price despite having all the top rookies as signers. Imagine the value of a 2021 box without Trevor Lawrence and the next two best rookies – that’s about how the 2023 box is built. 

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

Investing in National Treasures College Football singles

I don’t want to rain on any parades, but I wouldn’t buy any singles of this product unless it’s to add to your PC – particularly if you’re a die-hard fan of a particular college football program.. 

While there will certainly be some nice cards of Anthony Richardson and others, there will also be better cards and smarter ways to use your money coming from other NFL-licensed nox. 

According to recent eBay comps (as of November 15, 2023), the Trevor Lawrence National Treasures Collegiate RPA sold for $226 (BGS 9) while the NFL version of the same card (raw) sold for $12,980. Yes, that’s about 50x as much. 

See the difference.

I hope those images haunt your dreams next time you’re thinking about buying anything Collegiate. 

Bottom line: Should you rip, hold or pass on 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football?

2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football has more red flags than the Texas Tech marching band.

These boxes are the hobby equivalent of watching Romeo and Juliet in a theater… without the two titular characters ever stepping foot on stage. Without Stroud, Young or Levis, this Collegiate product should have been “dropped-out” of the Panini rotation. 

Follow us on TikTok right here, and subscribe to our YouTube.

Don’t miss out on our free newsletter, which sends out twice a week!

Shop for 2023 National Treasures Collegiate Football on eBay

Keep up on breaking Sports Card News, our latest articles, product specials and exclusive content with expert analysis of hobby trends.