Over the course of the last year, I have often said that Panini almost has a dual personality. We have some great design work like we saw with Prestige and Parts of Elite, and then we have some beyond hideous design work like we saw with Prominence and Momentum. Prime Signatures came out this week, a set that I had high hopes for after lost of previews, and for the most part, it looks pretty good. I definitely believe that this was part of the first personality we saw from the good sets, and even though the checklist is more of a deep sticker dump and closet clean out, its exactly the type of product that will appeal to many collectors.

Here are some of the big pulls up so far:

2012 Prime Signatures Ryan Tannehill Jumbo Prime Auto – One of my favorite cards of the year from Panini so far.

2012 Prime Signatures Brett Favre Auto 4/5

2012 Prime Signatures Robert Griffin III Auto

2012 Prime Signatures Robert Griffin III / Andrew Luck Pen Pals Auto

2012 Prime Signatures Andrew Luck Patch Auto

2012 Prime Signatures Doug Martin Patch Auto – Another great card.

My favorite cards are the on card signed rookie auto materials, as the simple white layout is right up my alley. There isnt much more than the player photo, the swatch, and the signature, which is exactly the way SP authentic made its bread and butter. Im not saying these are up there with SPA, but I am saying that using white is a great idea.

I also really like the base cards and base autos, as they do quite a good job of focusing on the card subject in a simple manner. Simplicity is always the name of the game for me, something that Panini has rarely ever taken up as their banner. Having the rookies hard sign these cards is a great addition to the product above what the other on card autos are bringing, and for 60 bucks, its worth a shot at a few tries to get one.

Yesterday, I had the chance to open a few boxes, and pulled one of the printing plate autographs that are all over this product. I cant stand plates, but I was happy to walk away with a desirable Fred Jackson card. My other box had a redemption for Ronnie Hillman, which wont bring much. That is the main problem, as with only one hit in the pack, there is not much a box can do if you hit a scrub rookie.

Prime Signatures may not be the best of the best, but it is something that I would say is a good looking product. Its a great idea for shop owners, as they can easily add on a box for less than 100 to any existing order, and the collector can walk away with another signature. Most importantly, the correct use of design and layout helped this product significantly, which I hope translates to the rest of Panini’s calendar – even though I understand its not likely.