Here is the question that I dont really understand for Black Gold. Panini obviously put a lot of money into the production of this product over the last two years. Acetate everywhere, multi layer cards, lenticular approach, lots of funky crap in the box. Yet, with all of that, why did no one think to go in and actually spend time on making the design better than it is? Baffles me.

Here are some of the minimal listings for 2015:

2015 Black Gold Marcus Mariota Sizeable Signatures Auto /99

2015 Black Gold Maxx Williams Sizeable Signatures Auto NFL Logo 1/1

2015 Black Gold Jerry Rice Jumbo Relic Auto /49

2015 Black Gold Jameis Winston Sizeable Signatures Auto Patch RC /49

2015 Black Gold Odell Beckham Jumbo Relic Auto

Not only did Panini use horrible photos, cut signatures of rookie players on black cardboard, and those lame ass metal hood ornaments, but they basically took all the technology that went into the product and shit on it with a stupid layout for most of the cards. I mean, sticker autos on clear acetate just look dumb, and that’s not even accounting for all the other stuff mentioned above.

I really do like some of the cards, despite the garbage that surrounds it in the box. 2015 does look better than 2014 in many ways. However, outside the on card autographs and the base cards, the rest of the product looks like the mangled face of someone who just opened a case of this.

Watching breaks of this is like watching a guy get punched repeatedly in the balls. The boxes of Black Gold are so brutal that its literally hard to watch. Topps recently released Strata, which I would argue is an inspiration for Black Gold, and for 60 bucks a pop, you get a shot at cards that are very similar to those offered in Panini’s version. Additionally, Strata has no sticker autographs, and the plexiglass hits are much better than the ancillary box content in Black Gold. Why waste your time on a box costing triple the price?

I dont think I am among the minority, as I have yet to see many boxes broken on any of the message boards. Group breakers are even having trouble selling spots, as I see many unfilled breaks just about everywhere.

Glad this is the company that the NFL chose to be their exclusive partner. Just fucking wonderful.