When you call a set “Timeless” it better be something that can withstand the changing tastes of the people. It doesnt mean you take a dated concept from the early 2000’s and put new faces on the cards.

For years, Donruss Classics was the set that kicked off the beginning of the year with Rookies in their NFL uniforms. Because the premiere was usually around march or april, it usually took a month or two to get the cards made. Last year, Elite took over that title, with NFL uniforms less than a month after the premiere. Because of Upper Deck owning exclusive CLLC rights, it became a necessity to jump start the pro uniforms now that college ones were unable to be used. Because Classics hinged on being the first as the only redeeming factor of the product, it became obsolete rather quickly.

I used to like Classics, but only for the uniforms. I rarely bought any boxes, just picking up the first cards of my favorite Vikings in their pro jerseys. Last year, Classics was so ridiculously awful, that I dont think I even bought any singles. It was terrible. This year, Panini has decided to trash the brand and replace it with a set that faired horribly in basketball, and really I dont think my level of excitement can get any lower. Back in 2005, I was a new baseball collector, and seeing Hank Aaron grace the packaging for Timeless Treasures baseball was enough to get me going. However, once you opened the pack, saw the jersey card that awaited you as your one hit, the excitement was replaced with regret over a wasted 100 bucks.

The worst thing is, that the only thing that has changed about Timeless Treasures since 2005 is a few extra shitty hits and Football players instead of Baseball. Panini may think they can win people over with dirty jersey cards and letting you know which game its from, but in the end, its still just another jersey card. Putting a date on it is a novel idea, but its really just putting lipstick on a pig. Jersey cards arent worth anything anymore because of the sheer number of them, not because we dont know which game they came from. Is it an added little bonus? Sure, but its not going to fix the intrinsic problems with a product as horribly conceived as this one is.

As if the set could not get worse, I must say that the Darren McFadden Rookie Year Jersey card may be a shining beacon of Panini’s amateur design mechanics. I think it may be one of the ugliest cards I have seen in a long time. Not only is the color scheme offensive to the eye, the way the flag and text clash in terms of concept makes my head hurt. You have ultra modern text style with a retro look to the card, and the swatch smack dab in the middle of everything.

I do like the base cards for the current players, as that part of it doesnt look bad. However, when you see all the other problems with the product, they get overlooked. I know that when you spend what you will spend on a box, base cards make no difference. That wont stop Panini from doing two per box, plus an ugly insert that has no swatch or auto on it. If they offer signed base, I might check them out.

My biggest gripe, aside from the THOUSANDS of two dollar jersey cards that are packed into this crap, are the leather signatures. I still have ZERO idea how signed pieces of white pleather have anything to do with football. Upper Deck did signed pieces of football in 2007 sweet spot, but realized that it didnt look very good. Panini did the white leather in basketball too, but collectors groaned at the design and concept of the card. Of course, as if on cue, Panini thought that was enough to try it all over again with this product. No matter that they were a complete failure in Basketball, they wanted to run it up the flagpole all over again. Most importantly, they look awful to boot. On a horizontal card, with all that space, there is a lot of places for a larger player picture AND the signed material. Instead, we are left with a penny sized head shot and an UGLY border. Not a good showing.

The funniest part of the Panini preview was really the mistakes, as we saw a few of them. First, the Vincent Brown card is damaged, but that didnt stop them from showing it. Second, the Deion Sanders jersey card has mismatched swatches, which dont really add to the appeal. There was also a few cards with bad chipping, but that has been a common thread through all products from all companies this year.

Overall, with Topps Chrome less than a few weeks away, and Finest and Platinum still hot on shelves now, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to waste your money on this junk. Until Panini thinks of a way to change their MO of producing 15 products that might as well be 1, I cant see any semblance of excitement generating within my mind.