One of the hobby world’s sought after product for football, this set is cool and the design this year is a hit for me. I like the large team logos on the bottom right of the base cards and I do enjoy the ability to scope out and find the variation autos just by looking at the front of the card. Kudos to the design staff at Panini for taking a stab at making it easier. In the video above, you will see me finally notice the difference, now I just need to confirm it, lol.
If you are an NFL fan and in the hobby, I would urge you to take your shot at a box and GOOD LUCK, sometimes, you may get a “who?” result, to find out later, the player is ridiculously good, of course it could be the other way around, but let’s stay optimistic!
Thanks for watching and let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
Got my hands on some Asia exclusive product. It was a fun rip. I liked the parallels and the quick rip. No base to worry about really after the fact. I hope they release this in the U.S. next season. I bet it will be a big hit with everyone depending on the buy-in.
By the way, the Tiger stripe? New favorite parallel.
Thanks for watching and let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
Let me introduce you to Giuseppe. He is the 17th Guitar crafted by Rodney Green by Green Geetars (@GreenGeetars).
Panini National Treasures a premier product name from Panini for years. It brings excitement when we as collectors get to cut through the tape seal on the front of the box, and as we open the box, we hear the all to familiar pop of the seal on the back side of the box, and then… well and then, we get hit with the smell of the box. Man, what an awesome experience it is.
After opening boxes of this product, I always had crazy ideas for a second life, but the boxes would be stacked and use to store some pc cards, or given to my son and other kids in the neighborhood as a container for their cards.
A few months ago, a friend of mine asked me to like a page her husband started on Facebook, Rodney’s Cigar Box Geetars. I stopped by the page and knew right there, these boxes I had stacked up and collecting dust, were meant for a second life. Bringing more great experiences past what their life was for the sports card hobby.
I got a hold of Rodney and we talked about his process in a quick excited and passionate pace. I could see that he was just as excited about creating something with these boxes. We threw around ideas for a few days, I sent him photos of National Treasures Baseball Cards with bat barrels and knobs. I then got the idea to get a Louisville slugger to him to use in the design of the guitars.
I really left Rodney to go through the creative process alone for the most part. As another creative, I could see his passion and excitement and rather than taint it, I was doing my best to just add some by making decisions on items he wanted my input on. I knew 100%, he was going to create something beautiful.
I met with Rodney to discuss some final decisions and when I saw Giuseppe… I was blown away. I had let him know that the company, Panini America, was part of Panini, an Italian company. Why is that significant? His wife is Italian. I thought it would be a little cool tidbit for him. Little did I know he would do more homework on the company and with that info added the Panini laser etched logo on the fret board and the name… Well the name is of Panini Group‘s original founder, Giuseppe Panini.
I hope that Panini America will enjoy seeing something they work hard on, enjoying a second life as playable art.
I really hope they do because I sent Giuseppe to them! 😀
If you are reading this and wondering why I did this…
When I got back into the hobby around 2011 – 2012, I was looking for something myself and my son Jaxson could do together. He has since moved on to video games, but when he was into sportscards, we met Tracy and then Scott at the National Sports Collectors Convention. We met them once. Since then Tracy and Scott never fail to ask about myself and Jaxson. How cool is that right? So, it isn’t for any cards, or anything material. For me, it’s about the people.
Enjoy!
PS, I have a twin to Giuseppe, the 16th guitar by Green Geetars. Also known as Giuseppe… 🙂 I will be posting videos of me playing soon here and on YouTube.
For now… Here is Rodney Green from Green Geetars doing a sound check:
If you are a baseball collector, you know that there is a specific product everyone is buying and is THE brand of card to get when prospecting.
Well, this is what Panini Contenders is to the NFL sports card market.
I have a good time opening this product every year as there are some player autos you will hit that you never expected, some of players you never heard of. Plus of that, if that player does have a great career, there is a possibility you could be sitting on a future boom. If not, maybe it will be of a player from your Alma Mater, on your favorite team, from your hometown, or maybe is a player you can trade with friends and enjoy the hobby.
I like all of the inserts like the Legendary set that highlights players from the HOF or possible first ballot HOF’ers. Or Round Numbers, which highlight a pair of players, rookies and or vets, they leave ya wondering what’s up with that, and flipping the card over for more details, or hitting Google to find out information I was not aware of.
If you watched the video above and kept count, we only hit 4 autos in all, the box says there are at least 5 autos per box on average. Even with that, we did well in my opinion. Check the video out, speed through it if you have to, just have fun watching and comment on this post and let me know what you think!
Jaxson and I want to send a shoutout and thank you to @GeDannyS for this hobby box. Jaxson and I shared the opening, I know I should have let Jaxson do it all, but I had to get in on the fun. #BadDad
We both liked all of the insert sets and that you receive them in each pack. Jaxson is a fan of the Old School Colors and after thinking about it, I am too. The card stock is rather thin but the designs highlighted by some foil, cracked ice, or other parallel is really nice.
We hope you enjoy the video review and thanks for stopping by.
The iconic Contenders brand hits the hardwood for its second season giving the Contenders ticket treatment to the 2016-17 NBA rookies and NBA veterans! College Tickets once again is highlighted by the top draft picks from this year’s NBA Draft Class.
Find all of your favorite current NBA stars in their college uniforms in Season Tickets! Season Cracked Ice Ticket are sequentially #’d/23 with Printing Plate versions numbered to 1!
Alumni Ink: This 20-card insert delivers autographs from college and NBA all-time greats, including Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal!
Look for signed and unsigned versions of insert cards, including School Colors, Old School Colors and Collegiate Connections!
International Tickets returns and features the top foreign-born players from the 2016 NBA Draft. Autographed parallel versions are sequentially numbered from 99 to 1!
All I can say is OPTI-CHROME! Talk about Razzle and Dazzle. This set is high-end and that keeps me from opening any of it but man. To see this stuff in person. I know why people love it. The patterns were cool and reminded me of those 90’s inserts. Pair that up with some thick card stock and we have a winner here.
The only downside to the set in my opinion? The cost per box and the rookie class, well, they could be changed up to give a better value, perceived or not.
My favorite cards of the case were the Nebula refractor, base card or not that design is awesome. I would love to have a whole wall using that as wallpaper. The other cards I like were the Diallo patch auto, the McCaw patch auto, the veteran Walter Berry Patch auto, and finally the Bradley Beal Spectacular Swatches.
Thanks to Scott at The Card Shop Omaha for letting me bust a case for this review. Please give him a follow on Twitter @cardshopomaha and check out his ebay listings scc_omaha.
Thanks for stopping by, register on the site and drop a comment or two, would love to hear from ya!
Every autographed card in the program features a swatch of memorabilia and parallels, which are sequentially numbered all the way down to a one of one Nebula parallel.
Global Icons Memorabilia Autographs showcases 15 of the most popular NBA players from around the world!
Collect Rookie Jersey Autograph cards of the 2016-17 NBA Rookie Class!
Spectra is back and features the familiar Opti-Chrome print technology and the color parallels that collectors have come to expect!
THE DETAILS and THE ODDS
SPECTACULAR SWATCHES AUTOGRAPHS NEON GREEN
GLOBAL ICONS MEMORABILIA AUTOGRAPHS GREEN
Spectra offers a wide variety of speci cally themed autographed sets with multiple parallel versions, jumbo-prime swatches, and a spectacular mix of current, retired and rookie NBA players!
LOCKED IN AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA NEBULA 1/1
ROOKIE JERSEY AUTOGRAPHS
ROOKIE JERSEY AUTOGRAPHS GOLD
Collect this latest rookie class the way you want! Every autograph is signed on card, and every player boasts a base version sequentially #’d/300 and parallel versions numbered all the way down to one-of-one!
ROOKIE JERSEY AUTOGRAPHS NEBULA 1/1
ALSO LOOK FOR THESE RANDOMLY INSERTED CARDS:
Base set Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered from 60 to 1. Rookie Jersey Autographs Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 99 to 1. Spectacular Swatch Autographs Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 149 to 1. Rising Stars Memorabilia Autographs Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 199 to 1. Locked In Autographed Memorabilia Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 199 to 1. In the Zone Autographed Memorabilia Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 149 to 1. Spectacular Swatches Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 149 to 1. Catalysts Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 149 to 1. Triple Threat Materials Neon Blue/Pink/Neon Green/Gold/Green/Nebula numbered 149 to 1. On average. Non-base cards are included approximately 7 in every pack.
Product: 2017 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Football
PRICE: $112.00/box
The chase is on. I love the Contenders brand and what it means for football collectors. I am not quite sold on college unis but I know that this is our first chance to get autos of players in the upcoming NFL Draft and like it or not, I say if you have a player you want to target, this is THE initial offering set you want to get into aside from the HUGE Fan Favorite Panini Contenders Football (Football’s equivalent to Bowman).
Everyone will be on the hunt for the numbered autos of players like Deshaun Watson, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Myles Garrett, and more. Aside from base autos, there are the ever popular, bowl, championship, and cracked ice ticket parallels. Super fun!
I like the design as it stays true to the look of a ticket for actual games. I would love to see box toppers included in the set someday that is a keepsake plastic ticket that you can hang on a lanyard, ones like you get if you sit in the club level at some venues.
A fun quick break this year with the JUMBO style packs, I appreciate it and I think most will. I know that breakers will enjoy the format. Essentially one auto per pack so for brick and mortars, they can pack it out as a hit a pack and make it more affordable for their local customers.
A longtime standout in the Panini family, Contenders Draft Picks College Football returns in 2017 with plenty of autographs!
The popular College Tickets subset features autographs from the 2017 NFL Draft and includes sequentially numbered Bowl Tickets, Playoff Tickets, Championship Tickets, Cracked Ice Tickets and Printing Plate parallels.
Find rare autographs from college football legends in both Alumni Ink and Old School Colors Signatures.
Chase autograph inserts, such as Collegiate Connections Signatures, School Colors Signatures, Passing Grade Signatures and Rush Week Signatures, featuring autographs from this year’s deep running back class.
Each hobby box will deliver 6 autographs!
THE DETAILS
OLD SCHOOL COLORS SIGNATURES
20-card insert Old School Colors Signatures is loaded with signatures from Heisman Trophy winners sporting their college gear!
SEASON TICKET
Today’s NFL stars highlighted in their college uniforms! Look for Printing Plate versions, sequentially numbered to 1!
ALUMNI INK
Alumni Ink is reserved for only legends of college football from yesterday and today!
Look for all of this year’s hottest rookies! Find 6 Autographs, 3 Rush Week, 3 Collegiate Connections, 3 Passing Grades, 9 Game Day Tickets, 6 School Colors in each box! Look for the following Hobby only exclusives: Bowl Ticket seq. #’d/99, Cracked Ice Ticket seq. #/23, Playoff Ticket #’d/15, Championship Ticket seq. #’d/1, College Ticket and Season Ticket Printing Plates #’d/1!
THE ODDS
Bowl Ticket/Championship Ticket/Cracked Ice Ticket (numbered from 99 to 1) – Season Ticket Printing Plate Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black (numbered to 1) – College Bowl Ticket/Playoff Ticket/Championship Ticket/Cracked Ice Ticket (numbered from 99 to 1) – College Ticket Printnig Plate Cyan/Magenta?Yellow/Black (numbered to 1) – College Ticket Variation – College Bowl Ticket Variation/Playoff Ticket/Championship Ticket/Cracked Ice Ticket (numbered from 99 to 1) – Alumni Ink – Collegiate Connections Signatures – School Colors Signatures – Passing Grades Signatures – Rush Week – Collegiate Connections – Passing Grades – Game Day Tickets – School Colors – Old School Colors – On average, non-base cards are included approximately 1 in every pack.
Just like the introduction of the Aficionado brand to soccer, this is the introduction of the brand to the basketball offerings from Panini America. The are a lot of products at this price range and here comes another offering.
As I mentioned in the 2017 Panini Aficionado review, I like the base set design, it brings back memories of Double Dribble… Outside of that this set looks to be a good entry to mid-level product for the sport.
With some cool parallels and different inserts the set is definitely hitting on all cylinders with some 90’s nostalgia in regards to look and feel. Check out the list of rookies, current, and retired stars. This one has piqued my interest and I will be following sales on ebay. I may just be picking up a few cards of my favorite old school players.
Definitely a fun break, I am always down with fun inserts and this one scratches that itch.
Aficionado features a new textured print technology!
Designed, built, and tailored to be a true collector’s product Aficionado showcases the most uniquely designed insert cards of the year!
Look for one autograph and one memorabilia card in every box!
Collect a 150-card base set, featuring the subsets Global Icons and Inducted!
THE DETAILS
Collect three of the sharpest looking autograph insert cards of the 2016-17 release year! Endorsements features top names in the game, both active and retired, International Ink features players proud of their heritage set against their home country’s flag, and First Impressions features members of the 2016-17 rookie class.
THE ODDS
Base Set Artist’s Proof/Tip Off – Base Set Artist’s Proof Red/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Global Reach Artist’s Proof – Global Reach Artist’s Proof Red/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) Inducted Artist’s Proof – Inducted Artists Proof Red/Gold (numbered 99 to 1) Slick Picks/Artist’s Proof – Slick Picks Artist’s Proof Red/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Magic Numbers/Artist’s Proof – Magic Numbers Artist’s Proof Red/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Power Surge/Artist’s Proof – Power Surge Artist’s Proof Red/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Opening Night Preview Edition – Signatures (numbered to 125) – Authentics/Prime (numbered from 175 to 15) – Dual Authentic /Prime (numbered from 299 to 1) – Endorsements/Artist’s Proof Bronze/Gold (numbered from 199 to 1) – International ink/Artist’s Proof Bronze/Gold (numbered from 249 to 1) – First Impressions/Artist’s Proof Bronze/Gold (numbered from 249 to 1) – Craftwork – Innovators – Meteor – On average, non-base cards are included approximately 2 in every pack.
This is the debut of the Aficionado brand to the soccer offerings from Panini America. With a checklist of current and retired stars from the pitch, the product has some great designs on the base and insert cards.
According the the checklist, the base set is made up of 150 cards, so if you are looking to build the base set, it looks to be achievable with roughly 63 base cards per box at a cost of $110/box.
The cards are foil and remind me of the Elite brand of products from Panini America. They have some shine to them and how can you not enjoy that. I enjoyed the card design, especially the close up and game play photos. To some degree the design reminds me of shots from Double Dribble.
The inserts, Power Surge, with the lightning background are reminiscent of 90’s inserts that are still a fan favorite in the hobby.
I look forward to seeing this product again in 2018.
Aficionado, one of Panini’s newest brands, comes to the soccer hobby with the release of 2016-17 Aficionado Soccer. The collection includes soccer’s best and brightest stars shown in action with their club team and/or their national team.
Look for the best players in the game today in a variety of special inserts such as Magic Numbers, Power Surge, Craftwork, and Meteor! Also find notable soccer stars of the past in Heroes.
Find autographs of your favorite current and retired footballers in Endorsements, International Ink, and First Impressions! Featured players include Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Dele Alli, Renato Sanches, Pele, and Diego Maradona, among others!
Aficionado also offers memorabilia cards in Authentics and Dual Authentics. Collect memorabilia cards of soccer stars such as Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata!
Chase unique hard-to-pull cards in Aficionado! The Forza! insert showcases goal celebration photography and falls one-per-case, on average! Also be on the hunt for the ultra-rare First Kick parallel of the base set!
THE DETAILS
BASE SET
The Aficionado base set features a unique design that includes both a close-up photo and an action shot of each player.
GLOBAL REACH
Global Reach cards highlight players who dominate the international game such as Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer, James Rodriguez, and Alexis Sanchez! Look for Global Reach Artist’s Proof parallels numbered from 99 to 1!
BASE SET FIRST KICK
Collect First Kick and Artist’s Proof parallels tothe Base Set. The Artist’s Proof Red, Bronze, and Gold parallels are sequentially numbered to 99, 49, and 1, respectively! First Kick parallels are a
tough card to pull, averaging one-per-case!
Aficionado boasts a diverse autograph checklist. Find autograph cards of past soccer stars such as Pele and Diego Maradona, current greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kevin De Bruyne, and budding stars such as Renato Sanches and Dele Alli! All autograph cards are numbered from 149 to 1!
AUTHENTICS PRIME
Look for sequentially numbered memorabilia cards of the world’s best players in Authentics and Dual Authentics, as well as a Prime parallel edition of both. Featured players include Diego Costa, Lionel Messi, Arda Turan, Jamie Vardy, Clint Dempsey, and many more!
POWER SURGE ARTIST’S PROOF
Power Surge highlights footballers who play with intensity and power such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, and Sergio Aguero, among others. Watch for Artist’s Proof parallel editions, some numbered to 99 (Red), 49 (Bronze), and 1 (Gold)!
FORZA!
Collect 10 of the most lethal offensive players in the game today in the very special Forza! insert. This rare card falls one-per-case, on average!
THE ODDS
Base Set Artist’s Proof (1:2 Packs) – Base Set Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Base Set First Kick – Global Reach Artists Proof (1:100 packs) – Heroes Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered 99 to 1) – Magic Numbers (1:8 packs), Magic Numbers Artist’s Proof (1:83 packs) – Magic Numbers Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Power Surge (1:5 packs), Power Surge Artist’s Proof (1:55 packs) – Power Surge Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 99 to 1) – Authentics/Prime (numbered from 199 to 25) – Dual Authentics/Prime (numbered from 99 to 25) – Endrosements/Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 149 to 1) – International Ink/Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 149 to 1) – First Impressions/Artist’s Proof Red/Bronze/Gold (numbered from 149 to 1) – Craftwork (1:5 packs) – Meteor (1:30 packs) Forza! (1:120 packs) – On average, non-base cards are included approximately 1 in every pack.
