I am a fan of John Elway, and to be honest, I dont know why. I watched him play in Super Bowls and you just have to admire his ability to make amazing things happen. Elway is widely considered to be one of the greatest QBs of all time, and has a lot of collectors that value his autograph, above even guys like Favre or Manning. Elway also signs a lot, which has watered down the rarity of his signature, but he remains very desirable and collectable above the other autographs one can pull
.
With 2012 Certified, Panini has dedicated an entire tribute to Elway, that has garnered some major buzz among collectors of the widely chased set. Elway’s jumbo relics have rarely been offered, if ever, and these enormous swatches are getting some nice prices on the market.
Here are some of the recent ones:
2012 Certified John Elway 2 Color Patch Auto /7
2012 Certified John Elway Jumbo Patch 3-Color 7/7
2012 Certified John Elway Jumbo Patch 2-Color 4/7
2012 Certified John Elway Jumbo Jersey 7/99
Something that I have to comment on, the design of these cards is well above what we are normally seeing from Panini. Not only are these relics rare in themselves, but they did it in a way that does not take focus away from the subject. Elway’s picture is still the centerpiece of the card, and it works perfectly in harmony with the jersey swatch. I love that the swatch window is die cut around the picture
, as it adds dynamic movement to a normally static look.
Although I am shocked at the kind of money these cards are generating, I have to believe a set like this should be done more often for the titans of the game. How cool would it be for a guy like Walter Payton, or even guys like Montana, Marino or Rice to have sets like this. Hopefully Panini keeps the formula the same.
Either way, kudos.
First off stickers!?!? Its not a mystery where this guy is nearly every moment of every day.
With the Broncos signing Manning and Elway being involved in the league it keeps Elway legacy more alive than it may have been other wise.
Ive always thought the league and individual teams do a terrible job of using their retired greats. They should be honorary captains at every game every time. They should be involved in community and team functions all the time. They should be in the booth and on the tv shows all the time… Have reunion signings at every stadium for every game etc…
But then again most card buyers have no clue who most of these guys are or were, they just want the latest superfractor 68 color rookie premiere manu fake jersey on card auto with an inscription of Robert Griffin.
Some of the elite HOFers autos are starting to go back up on the bay, but when I can still buy Jim Brown for $50 and Montana for $60 we are own worst enemies…
Robert Griffin hopes he has a career that could match Phil Simms let alone even think of an Elway or Favre type stats. Is there any running back from the last 12 years that has or can reach Curtis Martin stats let alone Payton or Sanders ??
Totally agree with the sticker assessment.
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I really like the idea of featuring a single HOF player in a set. From the card manufacturers standpoint, it gives a chase element that will drive box sales even if the product is otherwise lacking (i.e. Certified). Plus, I like the idea that the focus is just 1 guy but done with a depth not usually seen.
A great idea would be if Topps decided that each set in 2013 was going to highlight one legendary QB per set. There would be a chase element to each individual set but also a chase element to individual cards across the entire production calendar. I use Topps as the example because they seem to be equipped to do it right–on card autos, NFL license, clean design, etc.