I mentioned earlier that I was someone that lives for sigs. I love them, and will walk the lonely road of the chase for as long as I need to. As of late, sigs have gotten a bit more interesting, especially as Huddle has started releasing Variant sigs as of Week 10 with Andrew Luck. With the Variant sigs numbered to as low as 5 with Murray, these have become the ultimate chase item for people like me. The Luck remains one of the most valuable in the game, which begs the question, just how valuable are they? Are they worth the chase?

Collection Value – Pack Variants

Bottom line, go buy a lottery ticket if you pull one. With so few available, there are player and team collectors that will give up the moon to get them. Im talking ransoms as high as 9 high value sigs for one variant, subbing in high boosts where appropriate. Mint boosts (as well as chocolate in some cases) is a great ways to dangle a reward in front of someone that has a rarer variant, but those can be awfully hard to come by. In most cases, multiple Mint boosts, plus other low inserts will be necessary, and that only depends on the owner.

The scariest part is when someone without a huge collection manages to pull one, as there are a few scenarios that could play out. First, they are so enamored with the card (their right, of course), that it goes on lockdown forever, even if they are not team or player collector for that release. These accounts have been known to go dark, and the card becomes lost for good. This does add value to the live ones, but its not a good situation for the chaser crowd. I am always happy for the little guy in the pond who snags a big meal, as I have the optimistic approach that it keeps them in the game. Then again, they might not know what they have, trade it for nothing to a quick acting big fish, and that could be just as problematic for the economy.

Either way, I love the chase, and I take it as a challenge to try to acquire what I can. These cards are not targeting players who dont have a lot to give or spend, and that is a perk that I will always find valuable. If I am going to spend the money, I want to be able to get something that very few other people can get. I want the centerpiece.

I understand where people feel that the rarity is too much, but that is really the point. You want to keep the biggest players on their toes, while not disrupting the normal players’ quest for their cards. These chase variants have no impact on any of those sets or missions, so there is literally no harm in that. It might piss off the completists who want every card, but its likely a matter of time that they come to terms with the fact that not everything will be within their grasp, anyways.

Collection Value – Coin Chase Variants

This is where things get complicated. There have been two coin chases that huddle has done, with 4 different variant sigs being offered during the program. These are the programs where you have to buy the packs with tickets to the next level. The first was the pink Luck sig that has 12 copies, and then again with 3 different variant Russell Wilsons with similar rarities.

These cards dont have the same value as the pack pulled variants, in my opinion, but they are definitely not cheap at all. I was able to acquire the Russell Wilson pink sig for one of the low count Marathon cards I pulled, and I think I got the better end of that deal by far. I have seen multiple mints get passed along for the lower count Wilsons, and I expect that when the next coin chase comes along, there will be 3 more from different players we will get. I wouldnt be shocked if Aaron Rodgers, Brady or Manning gets the treatment.

Collection Value – Post Reward

Im adding this in, because I still think that the variant sigs are one of the only cards that maintain almost full value after rewards are paid out. With 50k sometimes on the line for hanging onto the variant, that is a huge reward for one card. Even after the reward, the cards can command full value, even without promise of coins, which is unlike any other card type in the game.

Play Value

With most variants coming in a step above their white sig counterparts, I think there is a definitely awesome play value to these cards that will attract points players to the pool of collectors. Many of the variants have at least a 5x boost, with the holiday variants clocking in at 7x. That is a pretty nice incentive.