So far this year we have gotten a variety filled mix of the highest end of the spectrum for 2010 wax. Exquisite Football is the last of the bunch, and though Upper Deck has lost their NFL license and moved towards a complete NCAA themed product, they still hoped to compete with the big boys. Now that the other two companies have long since concluded their card year, collectors may have moved on to this year’s new crop of rookies, but after seeing some of the design work and content of the first try at college Exquisite, I am starting to question the motivation of some of the other entrants into super high end wax.

First, Upper Deck has continued the legacy of all on card autographs for both rookies and veterans in this product. As far as I can tell, the stickers are no where to be found anywhere in 2010 Exquisite. They do have redemptions, but this is a necessary evil for an all hard signed product. You have to wonder, based on the ability of a small staffed company like UD to get on card autos done, why Panini has continually shown their lack of motivation to compete with National Treasures. Upper Deck and Topps both stepped up their game, knowing what was at stake, while Panini continued to sit on their ass and use the sticker labels instead.

When you actually see the cards, the design work is still at a level we recognize for Upper Deck. The rookie patch autos look wonderfully designed, especially on the photography and photo placement for the patch autos. If these cards were NFL licensed, not only would they give Five Star a run for its money, but it would leave 95% of National Treasures in the dust. Even the more minor cards in the set look relatively amazing considering the circumstances, and though we know Upper Deck is just squeaking by financially, it doesn’t necessarily seem to show in the card composition. Where Panini cut corners and included thousands upon thousands of awful looking cheap jersey cards to fill out their inferior product, Upper Deck has stuck to their guns and dedicated themselves to creating a product worthy of having the Exquisite name emblazoned on it.

Here is what I mean:

Tim Tebow Auto Patch RC /75

Jimmy Clausen Auto Patch RC /75

Sam Bradford Auto Patch RC /75

The icing on the cake actually takes the form of a few cards that are just starting to trickle onto eBay. Suprisingly, Upper Deck has actually gotten some of the 2011 Rookie Class onto cards in the set. So far, Blaine Gabbert, Von Miller, AJ Green and company, have all popped up, something that looks to be a huge addition to a set like this. I have always said that UD should ditch the calendar and get all of the year’s products out before the season starts, and hopefully they will have a better track record this year in getting most of their stuff out on time.

Its not all peaches and cream though, as Exquisite definitely has some issues. We all know that many people are not impressed with the swatch size in the rookie patch cards, something that is a direct result of the swatch yield number from a college jersey versus a pro one, but that isnt my biggest concern. The first big problem is the signed swatches, where it looks like Upper Deck had many of the rookie swatches signed in dark ink on dark jersey. It barely shows up, and has been a source of some odd looking cards. Another issue is the limited nature of the product itself, something that could easily drive price into the stratusphere. There are enough ridiculously awesome college cards that college collectors will crave, and with very little product to go around, many people are going to be left on the outside looking in.

Bottom line with Exquisite is that it is a complete victory for Upper Deck’s prospects of carving a niche in their previous reign over football cards. They will never be able to reach the levels they were at with an NFL license in their pocket, but when much of the product makes National Treasures look like absolute donkey crap, a win is a win.