I think that over the course of 2013, Panini has struggled mightily with showcasing different content for their product calendar. Each product they release seems to be muddled with the other products already on the calendar, offering little reason to buy into a box that really offers nothing special over the others they have already put out.

2013 Totally Certified seems to be the most useless of the bunch, rehashing a product that didn’t do well the previous two years it was on the market. Check out these examples from 2011:

2011 Totally Certified Cam Newton Auto Jersey /175

2011 Totally Certified Colin Kaepernick Auto Jersey /399

Here is the next year from 2012:

2011 Totally Certified Russell Wilson Auto Jersey /25

2011 Totally Certified Andrew Luck Auto Jersey /199

In basketball, the rare parallels seemed to drive a huge market for the cards in a hobby with only one option, but with Football being dominated by Panini competitors, Totally Certified is literally nothing to be running to your LCS for. I am someone that already hates foil stock, but to see the etched foil used during the production here, makes me hate this more than I already do. Combine this with more sticker autos and worthless jersey cards that we saw used during the previous years, and I cant see why this continues to be released.

Even at 108 bucks per box, this price cant support any return on what the product offers. Panini seems to forget how worthless single jersey and patch cards are, even more so with one of the weakest rookie classes of recent memory. Last year’s box price couldn’t support the class it had, which is only further reason to axe this atrocity from existence. If Luck, RGIII and Wilson cant bring this product up, WHY DO IT AGAIN?

Of course, it would be one thing if the design for this set was something worth repeating, but Totally Certified remains one of the ugliest products on the calendar. I fail to see why anyone likes the etched foil as mentioned above, but I see that the nostalgia from the Pinnacle days will add some people to the list. I was not a person who ever identified with that late 1990s crowd, and the way the cards are laid out continue to make me hate this design. The tiny player trapped at the top, with separated areas for the swatch and signature looks more like a cheap version of triple threads than anything. The only change over previous years is that the die cut no longer spells out “ROOKIE” in huge letters. Not that the previous design was anything worth buying in the first place.

When the product was first prepped with on card rookie autos, it automatically elevated it above the quality we have seen over the last two years with stickers. However, even in 2011, the product seemed to perform well below the expectations considering the success it had in basketball, with many collectors opting to go with other high end sets in its place. For both 2012 and 2011, cards of the players rarely sell at the levels they sell for in other sets that have similar price points and content.

For me, Totally Certified is a joke of a set, whose lame approach is only outdone by the stupid name attached to the box. Panini seems to think its worth trotting out these cards every year, but the only thing it shows is a lack of determination to develop better product to market if it were to go away. I have never supported a smaller product calendar, but if this is what we are forced to endure, they have my vote.

Here are some of the previews, I seriously want to hear what specifically people like about these, because I cant find anything worth buying a pack for: