Last year, Panini announced their version of Topps High Tek, a combination of acetate cards, and a bunch of sticker replacement autos that looked about as vomit inducing as ever. If that wasnt enough to kill this rip off, they made sure that the configuration did even more harm, with only one autograph per case. Although 2016’s configuration is a bit more in the collector’s favor, this product is still as much of a dog as it was last year, if not worse.

These are a visual train wreck:

2016 Clear Vision Laquon Treadwell Auto Relic /10

2016 Clear Vision Ozzie Newsome Auto

2016 Clear Vision Sammy Watkins Jumbo Patch

2016 Clear Vision Eric Dickerson Dual Tag Patch

2016 Clear Vision Jared Goff Jumbo Patch

Personally, I think acetate is awesome when done well. Hard signed, good design, with an objective to make a statement. High Tek had some great looking cards, all hard signed, with a VERY inexpensive rate to go in on it. At 65 bucks a box, you got some nice parallels, a fun pattern variation chase, and a hard signed card. The issue was that no one gave a shit. Clear vision offers literally none of that, with rip off versions of the High Tek look, signed acetate scraps instead of hard signed autographs, and two autographs per case. Although the box price is a bit cheaper compared to 2015, the autograph checklist is significantly less attractive as well. I had fun with High Tek, even after it tanked. The set was really cool in hand, and really made use of the technology very well.

You could buy a case, and walk away with two autographs that wont buy you back a box, let alone a case, and that is a huge problem. Its a reason why both High Tek and Clear Vision from last year are at 50% of their initial pricing. Acetate is dead in that respect, and with Panini also about to inexplicably release Black Gold college edition for some stupid fucking reason, it dilutes the potential even further.

Panini might have found that ripping off their competition is easy, but it isnt a way to be a leader in the industry. If they are positioned to represent the sport for the next however many years, Im growing increasingly frustrated with their ability in developing their own ideas. Panini Instant (Topps Now), Panini Origins (Inception), Panini Optic (Chrome), Panini Clear Vision (High Tek), their entire digital portfolio, and other aspects of their product line all showcase their lack of creativity, and it should worry people. It should also be insanely worrisome that they dont seem to know how to better execute any of the shit they rip off.

Clear vision is fucking terrible, and off center signed acetate scraps are going to do nothing to help anyone move the needle. No one gives a flying pile of crap about this product in the long run, and the same goes for just about every other one of their pieces of garbage we see rotting on shelves as it is. Whether its Prizm Draft Picks that no one can sell, or this trash that no one can sell, they all have one thing in common – they are hard to move. Panini better figure out something fast, or they are going to find out very quickly that having all the money in the world wont matter if no one buys your product.