Today is a big day as we finally get to see how National Treasures ends up. We have gotten quite a few looks at the box content thanks to cases broken at the industry summit, but now we also get to see if super high end can exist in 2013.

Here are some of the big hits so far:

2013 National Treasures EJ Manuel Rookie Auto Patch /99

2013 National Treasures Bill Parcells Class of 2013 Auto – Love these cards

2013 National Treasures Geno Smith Rookie Auto Patch Gold /49

2013 National Treasures Tavon Austin Jumbo Patch Auto Booklet

2013 National Treasures Colin Kaepernick HOF Logo Patch /4

2013 National Treasures Giovani Bernard Rookie Auto Patch Gold /99

We are also getting first looks at cards that Panini has built around their exclusive with the pro football hall of fame, all of which look gorgeous. Although there are a lot of sticker autographs, the design looks great. I have to give them credit for finally figuring out how important this content can be.

That being said, I still feel as though we are being cheated out of autographs we deserve to have on card, and its clear the checklist may be to blame. So many people, so many autographs, I would much rather have a focused list with all on card autos, or even redemptions to ensure we get them. In a product that costs as much as this does, collectors deserve that type of commitment. Although Panini has stepped up the on card autos for non-rookies, its still disappointing that they cant figure out that hard signed is the most important thing for a set like Treasures.

Also, I have to say im disturbed that my favorite player seems to have given his cards to a friend to "sign", as in my opinion, the autos dont look to match previous examples. Its too bad, because I like a lot of these cards for 2013. Im still waiting on confirmation that I will never get, but I am going to have just stay away.

It looks like Panini is bringing back the event used swatches from the Pro-Bowl, which I CANNOT FUCKING STAND. This is a game that no one cares about, and the jerseys arent even game used. Its a double slap in the face, which I find to be completely counterproductive for a set of this caliber. These cards are a freaking joke, as they were in Topps’ Museum Collection, and I wish all companies would just give up on this game’s need to be a part of our football lexicon.

This is easily the best looking year of National Treasures we have seen yet, and its completely a shame that it is being wasted on a class as shitty as this one is. Even the base cards look their best, and Im not kidding when I say that its worth checking them out. Lets just hope this product isnt redemption laden with cards that should be live, and with the new rewards system looming, it can be quite the representation of how much a product like this might be affected. Just saying.