Over the last few years, I have hated pretty much every single thing Panini has tried to pull off. I say pull off because it seems like very little appreciation for the small things that make cards great have been lost in the preparation and release of their products. Poor designs here, odd choice for card composition there, disregard for quality all around.
In fact, most of the issues that plagued Panini all year started with 2011 Prestige and its horrid design and look, prepping for some of the worst looking cards I have seen in a long time. The worst part was that it cost the same as the mid year products did, even though most draft products are traditionally lower end stuff.
Check out some of these ridiculous looking cards:
Pat Devlin NFL Draft Auto – My favorite example. not only is this card hideous, but this player wasnt drafted. Talk about insult to injury!
AJ Green Passport Auto – Another one of the most awful cards of the year.
This year’s prestige design looks amazing. Thats right, I said amazing. I LOVE THIS BASE DESIGN. It looks very classy, well composed, and gives focus to the proper parts of the card it should.
Despite my thoughts that this is one of the best Prestige designs ever, its just the base card. In fact, from every other indication that Panini has given on this stuff, Im sure it will be just as bad as it has always been. I have zero confidence in anything turning out positively, as it has yet to end that way for Panini in years.
I know that this preview will get people excited, and up some of the pre-orders, but I refuse to jump until I see the rest. Considering they are still rolling 2011 products off the assembly line, this is too little too late.
Hell hath frozen over!! XD
I agree, these look pretty good for Prestige…
I’m with you Gellman, some of the FB cards they produce just make you shake your head. A lot.
But this IS a sharp design. Hopefully a sign of things to come…
I’m enjoying the fact that they photoshopped Peyton’s face and number onto Tebow’s body. We all know he’d never run like that.
But seriously, wow. Nice looking cards.
So a post intending to praise something they did right ends up with about 70% of the article bashing them for other things they’ve done in the past (with the requisite eBay affiliate links of course) and another 20% predicting that everything else will end up bad? Way to shed that “obscenely biased” label everyone gives you, Gellman. Eh, at least it’s good for entertainment. But most of us just feel sorry for you. Your blood pressure must be through the roof if this stuff gets to you, haha.
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You should really speak for yourself. Gellman calls it like he sees it and he usually is right on the mark. Ever since Panini bought Donruss, Football card designs and quality went south. Panini has way…way too much on their plate, and only now are they redeeming auto redemptions from 08-09… flippin 3 years ago. They should focus more on quality than quantity. They haven’t even let go of 2011 for cripes sake. If this is the actual base card for 2012, then maybe the company is listening to all sports card collectors. I’m for classy looking cards. I really could care what the serial number is from the 10th parallel card. Contenders Football has turned into a three ring circus with all the short prints. Is that what collectors really want? Not me.
Really could care LESS about serial numbers… guess my blood pressure is through the roof as well.