Welcome to Wax Watch — The Hobby Wire’s quick-hit look at upcoming releases before they hit shelves. We break down what the product is, who you’re chasing, and whether it’s worth ripping, stashing, or skipping.
Some formats are already out, but today we’re diving into 2025 Donruss Optic Football.
The Lowdown
Release Dates:
Blaster Box — Out Now!
Hobby Blaster Box — Out Now!
Hobby Box — 01.26.26
H2 Hobby Box — 02.05.26
Retail Mega Box — 02.27.26
Retail Hobby Mega Box — TBD
The Donruss brand has been a hobby mainstay since the early 1980s. Known especially for their “Rated Rookie” cards, Donruss has gone through some changes over the years. In 2009, the company was acquired by Panini and transformed into the set we know today.
Panini releases two Donruss products each season, with Optic serving as the chrome follow-up. Think of Donruss Optic as Panini’s answer to Topps Chrome. It takes a paper flagship design and gives it a premium feel with an Optichrome cardstock.
This year marks the final licensed version of Donruss Optic Football, with Topps set to take over the NFL license in April. For the brand’s last hoorah, Donruss Optic features a 300-card base set. Cards 1-200 are a mix of veterans and legends of the game. The last 100 are all “Rated Rookies”.
Chase Cards to Know: Just like regular Donruss, Optic is all about the Downtown insert. This cartoonish insert features the athlete backed by designs that are little nods to the city they play in and the hobby goes nuts for them. Pull the right rookie and you’re talking four figures in a hurry!
Talent Watch
These rookies are driving nearly all of the hobby interest in this checklist.
Travis Hunter, WR/CB - Jacksonville Jaguars
The two-way star hasn’t quite lived up to the offseason hype midway through the year, but his collectibility hasn’t gone anywhere. Hunter remains one of the most chased non-QBs in the class, and his Downtowns and top parallels will carry a premium regardless of weekly box scores.
Jaxson Dart, QB - New York Giants
Dart’s a clear standout in what’s shaping up to be a somewhat flat rookie QB class. His strong play and leadership have collectors refocusing their attention his way, even over higher draft picks like Cam Ward.
Cam Skattebo, RB - New York Giants
Skattebo’s season-ending ankle injury cut short what was shaping up to be a breakout rookie campaign. Still, the hobby bought in early, and that momentum hasn’t fully faded. If he enters next season healthy, his cards could age better than most running backs from this class.
Tyler Shough, QB - New Orleans Saints
Shough was one of the pleasant surprises of the second half of the season, going 4–1 over his final five starts and showing real command of the offense. While he only started nine games, his 17-game pace projects to 3,684 passing yards and 15 touchdowns — a solid foundation for a young QB with room to grow and a hobby following that’s quietly building.
Shedeur Sanders, QB - Cleveland Browns
Sanders finally took over as QB1 in Week 12 and flashed signs of being a very serviceable NFL quarterback. There’s still plenty to prove heading into next season, but a coaching change could be the key to unlocking more consistency.
Ashton Jeanty, RB - Las Vegas Raiders
We’ve only seen flashes of what Jeanty can do, but the talent is obvious. Unfortunately, the Raiders’ instability didn’t do him any favors. If this team ever gets its act together, Jeanty’s cards could see a meaningful bump.
💰 Box Breakdown
Not all boxes are created equal — especially at these price points. Here, we break down the formats available for this release, the MSRP or pre-sale price for each, how many cards come in a box, and the resulting $/card.
Hobby Box: $924.95 / 80 cards per box → $11.57 per card
1x Auto, 4x Inserts, 3x Holo Parallels, 9x Numbered Parallels, 20x Base Rated Rookies
H2 Hobby Box: $324.95 / 32 cards per box → $10.16 per card
5x Red or Blue Mojo Parallels, 1x Holo Parallel, 1x Rated Rookie Holo parallel, 5x Inserts, 12x Base Rated Rookies
Hobby Blaster Box: $99.95 / 24 cards per box → $4.17 per card
3x Blue Scope Rated Rookies, 2x Holo Parallels, 1x Insert, 6x Base Rated Rookies
Hobby Mega Box: $149.99 / 42 cards per box → $3.58 per card
1x Auto or Memorabilia Card, 1x Orange Scope or Holo, 3x Rated Rookie Red Hyper Parallels
Retail Blaster Box: $37.99 / 24 cards per box → $1.59 per card
3x Blaster Exclusive Rated Rookie Parallels
Retail Mega Box: $62.99 / 42 cards per box → $1.50 per card
1x Auto or Memorabilia Card, 3x Rated Rookie Blue Hyper Parallels
🎯 Verdict
Is this Rippable, Stashable, Singles Only, or Junk Wax?
At The Hobby Wire, we keep it simple:
Rippable → A product you should bust down the door of your local shop or retail store to rip right away. The checklist, price, and excitement all line up.
Singles Only → Product pricing is way off base, but the checklist is decent enough to pick up a few singles in the secondary market.
Stashable → Not the flashiest release, but worth grabbing a box or two to tuck away. Time will tell if the rookie class or prospects pan out.
Junk Wax → Hard pass. Leave it on the shelf. Either overpriced, overproduced, or saddled with a weak class.
Donruss and Donruss Optic are consistently some of our favorite rips of the year. The designs are fun and the brand has a proven track record in the hobby. We’re not expecting anything different this time around.
That said, the rollout has been messier than most recent Panini releases. Blasters are already on shelves, while Mega Boxes won’t arrive until late February or even early March (the Hobby Mega Box release is still TBD). If you’re looking for a specific format, you may have to wait a while.
From a dollar-per-card standpoint, Retail Mega Boxes clearly take the cake. Any of the retail Optic formats are coming in well under the $2.00/card threshold for chrome cards, which is starting to become more of a rarity.
On a dollar-per-hit basis, Retail Blasters are the better pick at $12.67 per parallel, though you do miss out on the guaranteed auto or memorabilia that would come in a Mega Box. Unlike recent seasons, Panini actually has autographs from some of the top rookies in this class. So Mega Boxes are looking like they could be worth the wait.
Prizm may still be the hobby’s gold standard, but Donruss Optic doesn’t need to compete head-to-head to win. Rated Rookies, Downtowns, and approachable retail pricing give this release real legs. We’ve grabbed a couple of blasters in the wild already. Once Megas land, we’ll be right back in line.
👉 Verdict: Rippable
🏆 Most Valuable Format: Retail Mega Boxes
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete's Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.