Unboxed: 2020 Leaf Metal Rookie

Leaf released their newest product, 2020 Leaf Metal Rookie, on October 9th. Each box contains 5 top-loaded autographed cards that are numbered to 50 or less. The boxes were only available directly from Leaf on their website and were $139.99 each.

The set features some of the top rookies and prospects in baseball and football. On the football side you can find cards of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Clyde Edwards Helaire, Jonathan Taylor and CeeDee Lamb. Mega-prospects like Jasson Dominguez, Wander Franco, Bobby Witt Jr., Marco Luciano and Julio Rodriguez are the headliners for baseball collectors.

Here’s what we got in our box!

Ke’Shawn Vaughn 9/50

Grant Delpit 29/50
Devin Duvernay 24/50
Jonathan Taylor Pink Crystals 7/7
Van Jefferson Super Prismatic 1/1 Front
Van Jefferson Super Prismatic 1/1 Back

Grade: A-

Leaf really provided a fun break with Metal Rookie. I liked the idea of a Baseball and Football product all in one. I was a little disappointed to only get football cards, but I was happy with what I pulled.

The Jonathan Taylor is just gorgeous in person. The Pink Crystal card really just pops when you look at it in high light. The card is very similar to the the traditional cracked ice cards from Panini and is definitely a set that would be fun to collect.

Seeing the distinctive Gold of the Super Prismatic was an unexpected surprise. When I started to reveal the card and saw Jefferson, I thought I got really lucky and pulled the Justin Jefferson 1/1. But the orange and blue of the Gators uniform took away that dream. I actually think Van Jefferson has a chance to be a solid player in the league so it was still a good pull. Plus Mrs. Sport Cards Daily is a University of Florida alum so she thought it was a great pull.

Since these were a direct from Leaf product and it sold out very quickly, the only option to find a box now is on the secondary market. The cheapest boxes are in the $165 range. I’d love to have another box to open, but I’d recommend waiting until there’s an eBay coupon or another 5x or 10x eBay Bucks promotion to maximize the value. Or, if you’re not necessarily after the thrill of opening a box, you can pick up single cards for as low as $5 each.

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