Panini just posted a slide show that boasts some pretty terrible cards for the upcoming set. Among the ugly and uninspired cards in the preview was one very interesting little tidbit that seems to have escaped my radar.
It was inevitable that Brett Favre would eventually have jersey cards from his first (and possibly only) year with the Vikings, and it looks like Panini has beat everyone to the punch. Of course, with Upper Deck and Topps out of the game until recently, there really wasnt much competition other than the extreme price of securing the actual swatches. One Favre gamer went on NFL auctions for over 12K, and the Vikings GU Jersey distributor had them selling at 20K a piece on his site. With Favre changing jerseys each half, there are at least 32 out there, but with Panini’s NFL license, I bet they get a deal whenever they need it.
Im hoping that this isnt the first of many jersey cards like this, as these particular cards arent going to leave any sort of lasting legacy. Until we can get an on card signed jersey card of similar ilk, I would believe there are going to be a lot of unhappy Vikings fans. With Platinum supposedly featuring on card signatures for Topps this year, hopefully that will be the first opportunity. Otherwise it will continue to be Panini claiming the first rights to Favre’s first autographed Vikings card with the cop-out stickers in Certified last year.