When Exquisite was first released in 2003-2004 for Basketball, it was the dawn of a new era in the hobby. Many would argue that the creation of the first Super High End product spelled the end of sustainability for both shops and the industry, but I see it as the reason people like me still are a part of the hobby. Topps Five Star has always been one of my favorite products, and like Immaculate, it is built on the foundation constructed by Exquisite's domination in the hobby.

Here are some of the cards in which Immaculate is copied from:

2007 Exquisite Marshawn Lynch Rookie Patch Auto

2008 Exquisite Kevin Durant Noble Nameplates Auto Patch

2009 Exquisite Kevin Love Limited Logos Auto Jumbo Patch

2009 Exquisite Matthew Stafford / Mark Sanchez Dual NFL Logo Auto 1/1

2009 Exquisite Harvin / Crabtree / Nicks / Thomas Quad Logo Auto 1/1

Today, Panini previewed another batch of their Exquisite based product in 2014 Immaculate football, a sister product to the previous releases in Basketball and Baseball. I have seen a lot of comments on twitter praising Panini’s design team for the look of the set, but also criticism for its striking resemblance to Exquisite’s previous releases. Its hard to deny that when you can see the resemblance so easily.

That being said, Exquisite produced some of the best looking sets in the history of this era of cards, and the value of those cards remains relatively untouched, even after years of unlicensed releases. Patterning a product after this formula is NOT a bad idea at all, even though it might be questionable in the "taking credit" department.

I love the way the set looks, something I mentioned a few times when it was released in Basketball in 2013 and 2014. The swooping lines and high end gold presentation makes a mark, and really pops in a lot of different ways. Using acetate as a vehicle also looks really cool in a lot of the patch autographs, which are structured almost exactly like Exquisite’s cards of the past, down to the shape of the swatch.

The design of the relic cards for each of the Immaculate releases remain a completely WEAK point for Panini in almost every way, especially when you see how terrible the design is for the oversized jumbo patch. For whatever reason, Panini seems to think its better to build a card that is more about swatch size than actual look, something which I cannot stand. Even worse, when this same approach was used for one of your most inferior brands, not a good idea to bring it to a set like this.

The worst of the relic cards are easily the horrendous hat patch cards, which feature a stupid looking goofy ass picture, and a relic from a hat that the rookies wore for a few seconds at the photo shoot. Its a lame idea, and an even worse execution. I continue to be baffled with Panini's ungodly obsession with posed pictures on trading cards.

On the other hand, the autograph cards look so good, that it almost doesnt matter how bad the relics are designed. The Immaculate Moments and the Champions autos are going to be very popular cards, as are the jumbo patch autographs, which look exactly like the ever-popular limited logo cards from Exquisite.

This is going to be a barn burner folks, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store.

I have said many times before that I am an autograph collector rather than a card collector. Cards happen to be the best and easiest way to get autographs from my collection, so here we are. That being said, there are a few players whose autographs are among the best in each of the major sports. Think about popularity, value, and performance, and that is what I am calling the modern autograph elite. Some of these you might not agree with, and others might not be easy to get. Here are my choices that every collection should have.

Michael Jordan – Basketball

There may be one or two more autographs in history that are more recognizable than Jordan’s, and it isnt by much. Jordan, under the right circumstances, is the most valuable living signer that there is, and that is saying a lot. The issue is that he hasnt had a licensed Bulls autograph for the last half decade, and that might not ever change if things continue the way they are. If you have a card collection, you likely have a Jordan card somewhere. Good luck finding a licensed autograph from the NBA for cheap though.

2008 Exquisite Michael Jordan Auto Endorsements 23/23

2000 UD Master Collection Michael Jordan Auto PSA 10

2005 Exquisite Michael Jordan Auto Patch

LeBron James – Basketball

Funny how the two most elite autographs in the sport are exclusive to a company that no longer has a license. Panini would KILL to have LBJ and Jordan under their banner, and that’s because their autographs are some of the most valuable autographs in the entire hobby. James is on pace to break every record that there is, and collectors love what he is all about. Even with PR disasters like his move from Cleveland to Miami, the hobby remained on board. You need one of his cards.

2006 Exquisite LeBron James Noble Nameplates Auto Patch

2007 Exquisite LeBron James Limited Logos Auto Jumbo Patch

2004 Upper Deck SPA Lebron James / Michael Jordan Dual Auto

Derek Jeter – Baseball

I am not a Yankees fan, and I am of that group of people who really dont like Derek Jeter. I respect the hell out of him as a player, im just not a fan. That being said, when it comes to modern autographs, Jeter is an iconic figure. The fact that he has been absent from autograph sets over the last few years have made him more attractive as a signature to obtain, and that will only increase when he is voted into the HOF 5 years from now.

2009 Ultimate Collection Derek Jeter Bat Barrel Auto

1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter RC Auto JSA Certified

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Derek Jeter Auto Patch

Ken Griffey Jr – Baseball

I put Griffey on the same level as Jeter in a lot of ways, especially in popularity during the turn of the century. Griffey had video games, ad deals, and all sorts of popularity fueling his hype train, but injuries prevented him from being one of the best ever. He still hit over 500 home runs, and will be a HOFer soon. The issue is that he has signed quite a bit over the last few years, and that has impacted his value. Regardless, no one is sad when they pull one of his cards.

1994 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr / Mickey Mantle Dual Auto

2011 Prime Cuts Ken Griffey Jr Notable Nicknames Auto Inscription

Tom Brady – Football

He just won his fourth ring, and is arguably the best QB ever to lace up his cleats. The rarity of his signature is high, being that he is a late round draft pick that never got the fanfare that someone like Peyton Manning got as the first overall. Cheating or no cheating, Brady is a top hobby attraction whenever he is in products, and remains one of the best autographs living or dead in the game.

2014 Flawless Tom Brady Auto Jumbo Logo Patch /5

2000 Contenders Tom Brady Rookie Ticket Auto

Peyton Manning – Football

Even though Brady has the rings, Manning is more the face of the NFL. He has more ad deals, he owns more records, and is identifiable in almost every aspect of his career. His autograph is significantly more common, which hurts value, but his production is unmatched on the field. The only thing that is missing is the titles, of which he only has one. Regardless of his Super Bowl success, Manning is a must have.

1998 Topps Peyton Manning Auto RC BGS 9.5

1998 Topps Platinum Peyton Manning Auto Patch Superfractor 1/1

Tiger Woods – Golf

I know, you are probably wondering why I am putting Tiger on this list. Even with a disastrous last few years of play, Tiger’s autograph is still as valuable as one would expect. He is the most popular golfer of all time, transcending a sport that only used to appeal to adults, making it popular for all ages. This means his autograph will be among the more valuable ones to get, and it doesnt hurt that it is as nice looking as it is.

2013 Upper Deck Master Collection Tiger Woods Auto Gold 1/1

2014 Upper Deck Exquisite Golf Tiger Woods Jumbo Relic Auto

Muhammad Ali – Boxing

When reviewing athletes that were larger than life, no one fits the bill more than Ali. His Boxing matches were national events, and everyone wanted a piece of “The Greatest.” Parkinsons has taken a lot of what Ali was, but he has signed autographs as recently as the last few years. Finding one in an affordable situation is almost impossible.

2000 Upper Deck Master Collection Muhammad Ali Auto Relic

2010 Sport Kings Muhammad Ali Silver Auto

Wayne Gretzky – Hockey

The Great One remains one of the only hockey players that everyone is familiar with. The league has fallen out of favor with the US audiences in a lot of ways, but collectors still love hockey. There isnt even a discussion that he is the best of all time.

2009 The Cup Wayne Gretzky Auto Dual Patch /9

2011 Ulitmate Legends 1997 Retro Wayne Gretzky Auto

Sidney Crosby – Hockey

I know relatively nothing about hockey, but I know Sidney Crosby. I know his autograph is still insanely valuable even though he has been up and down over his career. If I was opening a hockey product, his cards would be the ones I would look for, and I would be ecstatic if I pulled one.

2005 Upper Deck SP Future Watch Sidney Crosby Auto

2014 The Cup Sidney Crosby Limited Logos Auto Jumbo Patch

There are more autographs that Im sure deserve to be on this list, but this is a checklist I will stick with. These guys will turn heads, even from people that are not collectors, and that says something.

If you remember back a few months ago when Topps first solicited this new product, I had a pretty negative reaction to the look and theme. I was likely not the only one that felt that way, as Topps immediately launched a campaign to drum up pre-orders for Fire at hobby shops around the country. It was clear that no one really had much confidence in the viability of this new concept, and it was actually pretty sad that the campaign was launched the way it was.

Here are some of the hits up so far:

2014 Topps Fire Odell Beckham Auto Patch RC

2014 Topps Fire Derek Carr Auto Patch RC /50

2014 Topps Fire Sammy Watkins Wood Base RC /25

2014 Topps Fire Kelvin Benjamin Green Parallel Auto

Fire is another set in the vein of Valor, with a hint of Inception mixed in, and one would expect that would actually result in a pretty nice looking product. However, because of the performance of recent duds in Bowman Chrome and Topps Chrome, collector confidence has dropped significantly. Another point worth mentioning is that previous concept set Valor also had major issues upon trlrsdr in 2012, with a strong rookie class to back it. Fire doesnt have the on card autos, and it doesnt have as nice a design, but it does have a cheap box price. That is really the only good part of this whole thing. You wont lose your ass if you come up short. Valor had a resurgence with a reduction in price and more focused content, and Fire is just a re-imagining of that with a lesser concept and a far poorer design.

Where Valor focused on battle and armory, Fire focuses on space and combustion. You can see where one motif may fit with football and the other does not. Similarly, releasing a sticker autograph product this late in the year is only going to appeal to a limited number of collectors, especially when more robust concepts in Museum Collection, Supreme and Five Star are still on the way.

Topps has already cancelled another dog set in 2014 Rookie Premiere Football, which would have performed even lower than Fire. Im beginning to get to the point where Im ready to say less is more – especially with Panini churning out as many terrible products as they have recently. Conservation may not be as much of an option as we think, especially with the cost of hitting minimum licensing guarantees along the way. Topps and Panini almost have to do what they do, or they will have the league to answer to.

The problem is that sets like Fire are just too much of a risk at this point. Topps obviously has less to lose now that 2015 will be their last year, but they still have to make SOME money. Fire was a bold concept that just wasnt executed in a way that is attractive to most people who comprise the target market. I know I am not going to buy singles or boxes.

Im going to go out on a limb here and say that a sticker dump product like Topps Magic may have been a better choice to release in this spot, even if it hasnt performed to standards in the past. Magic at least has a following, and Topps has rarely used its retro chops at all this year, minus a few inserts.

Curious to see what happens coming up, as the meat of Topps’ late calendar has been a favorite of mine for the last 4 years. I am praying that things can turn around, and I am confident that they will find a way to get out of this funk.