In a world of oddly specific sets generally dominated by the likes of Topps and Panini, it’s nice to see Futera still at the table. Especially when they think outside the box (if you’ll pardon the pun) with a catch-all release like this.
Rather than another collection dominated by chrome finishes and increasingly elaborate parallels, Futera 1882 takes inspiration from some of the earliest trading cards ever produced. The designs reference historic manufacturers including Taddy & Co., Churchman’s and J. Baines, but put modern sporting names into that distinctly Victorian aesthetic.
There’s Lionel Messi looking like he belongs in a cigarette packet from 120 years ago. I’m listening.
But 1882 is a multi-sport collection rather than a dedicated football release, and it’s positioned firmly towards the premium end of collecting. So, is it actually any good for football fans?
What Is the Futera 1882 Collection?
Released in September 2026, 1882 is one of the more unusual products in Futera’s current range. Futera lists it as 1882 – Edition 1, suggesting the concept could continue beyond this initial release.
The collection takes its visual inspiration from early British trading cards. Instead of recreating one historic set, Futera uses several vintage styles across the release, including designs based around names such as Taddy & Co., Carreras, J. Baines and Churchman’s. And for me, it’s a pretty clever idea.
Football cards have become increasingly futuristic in recent years. 1882 essentially runs in the opposite direction and asks what cards featuring today’s sporting stars might look like if we’d been collecting them more than a century ago.
I personally got to rip a few boxes while hosting Card Con IV, which was an incredible experience, by the way!
Which Footballers Are in Futera 1882?
This is where the set becomes much more interesting for football collectors.
The wider checklist includes athletes from boxing, cricket, darts, motorsport, MMA and other sports, but there are plenty of major football names scattered throughout.
The 90-card Taddy & Co. section alone includes Eric Cantona, Cafu, Sergio Busquets, Moisés Caicedo, Luís Figo, Lamine Yamal, Marco van Basten, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidić, David Villa and Gianfranco Zola.
Other subsets bring in players including Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Kaká, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Roberto Carlos, Kenny Dalglish and Luis Suárez.
It’s an interesting mixture rather than a straightforward collection of current superstars. Personally, that’s part of the appeal.
Pulling another Messi card is hardly revolutionary. Pulling Messi on a card designed to resemble something your great-great-grandfather might have collected feels considerably more distinctive.
What Rare Cards Can You Pull?
1882 isn’t simply a vintage-looking base set.
Futera has built the usual modern collecting chase around it, with parallels running into extremely low serial numbers. The main Taddy & Co. cards, for example, include Green /25, Blue /15, Purple /9, Red /4 and Diamond 1/1 versions.
There are also memorabilia cards and on-card autographs.
Football names appearing within the memorabilia checklist include Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Alexia Putellas, Jaap Stam, Eden Hazard, Cole Palmer, Leonardo Bonucci and Lamine Yamal.
The autograph checklist is particularly interesting because it includes both Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, alongside footballers such as Louis Saha, Anders Limpar, André Onana and Lautaro Martínez. And if you love snooker – Steve Davis is in it, too!
But this is a football website isn’t it? My bad. Anyway…
What Do You Get in a Futera 1882 Box?
The format is very much premium collecting rather than traditional pack ripping.
Published checklist information states that boxes contain six packs, with up to three cards per pack. Each box contains one on-card autograph, game/training-used memorabilia card or Relievo 3D card. So a very decent amount of cards!
Whether that’s a positive depends entirely on how you collect. Somebody who enjoys slowly completing large football sets might find 1882 rather restrictive. If you prefer scarce cards, memorabilia, autographs and unusual designs, it makes considerably more sense.
Is Futera 1882 Actually a Football Card Set?
Not really.
And football collectors should understand that before buying it.
1882 is explicitly a multi-sport collection. You could open a product hoping for Ronaldinho and encounter a boxer, cricketer, darts player or MMA fighter instead. The checklist contains plenty of football, but football isn’t the only attraction.
For some collectors, that will be part of the fun. For somebody who only collects football? Less so.
So, Is Futera 1882 Worth Collecting?
For the right football collector, absolutely. Especially for the current RRP of around £120.
What I like about 1882 is that there’s actually an idea behind it. Football cards have become saturated with parallels, numbered cards and endless product variations, so a collection deliberately looking backwards feels surprisingly refreshing.
The player selection helps enormously too. Messi and Yamal provide the obvious modern chase, but Cantona, Ronaldinho, Van Basten, Kaká, Figo, Rooney, Gerrard, Keane, Rivaldo and Adriano give the collection a strong nostalgic streak.
I wouldn’t recommend buying 1882 expecting to make money, and I’d be cautious about sealed boxes if you have no interest in the other sports represented. As we talked about in our Beginner’s Guide to Hobby Boxes.
But it’s a decent price, great quality and has a lot of depth. So it’s worth looking at, for sure!
Have you ripped any of Futera 1882 yet? If so, what did you make of it?