What is an insert card?

An insert is a card that sits outside a set's numbered base checklist — its own themed subset, printed on its own design and usually seeded at a much lower rate than base cards. Inserts have their own card numbering (often a letter prefix like 'WW-4' or 'AB-B'), their own parallels, and in the case of the marquee art chases, dramatically shorter print runs than anything in the base set. They are not parallels: a parallel is the same base design in a different finish, while an insert is a different card entirely.

Which Justin Herbert inserts do collectors chase most?

The art-chase tier draws the most attention — Color Blast (a full-bleed painted design found in Panini's chrome flagship lines), Downtown! (the oversized city-scene art insert in Donruss and Donruss Optic), and Kaboom! (Panini's comic-book-styled marquee chase). Below that sit the themed insert sets that recur each season, including Airborne in Rookies & Stars, and Stained Glass and Will to Win in Mosaic. Use the buttons above to see which Herbert copies are actually listed right now.

Are Herbert insert cards worth more than his rookie cards?

It depends entirely on the specific card, and we don't publish price estimates — the honest gauge is live sold comps, which the eBay buttons above open directly. What is durable is the logic: a case-hit art insert can be far scarcer than a mass-printed base rookie, while a common themed insert from a retail product is usually the cheapest Herbert card in the box. Scarcity and demand set the price, not the word 'insert.'

Do Justin Herbert inserts have parallels?

Many do. Insert sets in the chrome brands typically carry their own colored or serial-numbered parallel run on top of the base insert — the same rainbow logic as the base set, applied to the insert design. Some also appear as signed versions. Because the numbering is printed on the card, the reliable way to find a specific serial is to browse live listings rather than work from a memorized checklist.

Are inserts a good place to start a Herbert collection?

For most collectors, yes — non-premium inserts are among the most affordable ways to own a distinctive, good-looking Herbert card, and the recurring themed sets mean there is always a fresh one each season. If you want the pieces that hold collector attention longest, focus on the short-printed art chases or serial-numbered insert parallels rather than the common retail inserts.

Justin Herbert Insert Cards — Color Blast, Downtown, Airborne & the Art-Chase Tier

Most Herbert collecting guides — including ours — organize around base rookies and the parallel rainbow. But there’s a third category that sits outside both, and it produces some of the most recognizable and hardest-to-pull cards in his entire catalog: inserts.

An insert isn’t a different finish on a base card. It’s a different card, on its own design, in its own themed subset, seeded at its own (usually much lower) rate. Panini’s marquee art inserts are case hits; their common themed inserts are the cheapest good-looking cards in the box. This page maps that spread, with live eBay listings for each chase so you’re looking at actual copies rather than a memorized list.

For the base-rookie landscape, start with the Herbert rookie cards list and the rookie card checklist. For the parallel side, see the Prizm parallels guide.

Insert vs. parallel — the distinction that trips people up

The two get used interchangeably, and they shouldn’t be:

A parallel is the same base design reprinted in a different finish — a Silver Prizm, an Optic Gold, a camo refractor. The photo, the card number, and the layout match the base card.
An insert is a different card on a different design, with its own subset name and its own card numbering (frequently a letter-prefixed number like AB-B or WW-4).

Both can be short-printed, both can be serial-numbered, and inserts often have parallels of their own. But when a listing says “Color Blast” or “Downtown,” you’re looking at an insert — a standalone chase, not a colored version of the base rookie. Our numbered & patch rookies page covers the serial-numbered side of the market in depth.

Tier 1 — the art chases

These are the inserts that drive the category. They’re built as artwork first, printed at case-hit rates, and they’re the Herbert cards non-collectors recognize on sight.

Color Blast — a full-bleed painted design, the player rendered in a splash of color across the whole card face. It appears in Panini’s chrome flagship lines, and Herbert’s 2020 rookie-year Prizm copy is the version collectors chase hardest. Use the Color Blast button above.

Downtown! — the oversized city-scene art insert, placing the player against a stylized skyline of his team’s city. In football it runs in Donruss and Donruss Optic, and it recurs season after season, so there are multiple Herbert Downtown cards across the years — not just a rookie-year one. Use the Downtown! button.

Kaboom! — Panini’s comic-book-styled marquee chase, one of the most sought-after insert designs in the entire hobby across sports. Herbert copies are scarce and rarely sit listed for long; the Kaboom! button surfaces whatever is live.

Because these are the scarcest cards on this page, they’re also the ones most worth buying graded — see the collecting guide on condition and the grading-ROI calculator before you submit anything.

Tier 2 — the recurring themed inserts

Below the art chases sit the themed insert sets that return each season. These are far more attainable, and they’re where most Herbert insert collections actually live.

Airborne — a downfield-passing themed insert that runs in Rookies & Stars, with its own parallel treatments (including cracked-ice finishes). Herbert is a natural fit for the theme and appears across multiple years.

Stained Glass — the mosaic-glass design in Panini Mosaic, one of the most visually distinctive recurring football inserts, and a natural companion to Mosaic’s window-pane base texture. See the 2020 Mosaic set review for the base-set side of that product.

Will to Win and the rest of the Mosaic insert slate — the volume tier of attractive, affordable Herbert cards. The Mosaic Inserts button opens the category.

Prizm’s insert slate — the flagship’s own themed subsets, which change design each season while the brand stays constant. Pair with the 2020 Prizm set review for the base and parallel structure.

Tier 3 — rookie-year inserts

Rookie-year inserts occupy a middle ground worth calling out. They carry the 2020 date that anchors Herbert’s market, but they’re not base rookie cards — so they often price well below the flagship base rookie while still belonging to the rookie class. For a collector who wants a 2020-dated Herbert card with real visual character, this is frequently the best value in the category.

The 2020 Rookie-Year Inserts button above filters the market to that season. For where inserts sit in the wider season-by-season picture, see the year-by-year timeline.

Numbered and graded inserts

Two ways to climb within the insert category:

Serial-numbered insert parallels — many insert sets carry their own numbered rainbow on top of the base insert, which is where genuine scarcity enters. The Numbered Insert Parallels button surfaces the hand-numbered copies currently listed.
Graded inserts — for any art chase or numbered insert you intend to keep, a PSA/BGS/SGC slab both protects the card and settles the condition question. The Graded Inserts (PSA 10) button opens the graded market; check centering carefully first with the card centering tool.

How to buy Herbert inserts

Confirm the subset name in the listing title. “Color Blast,” “Downtown,” “Airborne,” “Stained Glass” — the insert name is what determines scarcity, not the brand alone.
Check the card number. Inserts use their own numbering, usually letter-prefixed. If the number matches the base checklist, you’re looking at a parallel, not an insert.
Look for the serial. If it’s numbered, the print run is stamped on the card face and should be visible in the photos.
Price against live comps, never a memorized value. The buttons on this page open the current market for each chase.
Watch for autographed versions. Several insert sets have signed variants; if you’re buying one, read our guide on spotting fake Herbert autographs first, and browse the autographs page for the wider signed market.

Track what you own with the collection value tracker, see the full Herbert landscape on the player hub, and check the release calendar for the products that will carry the next round of Herbert inserts.