Once again, Panini has dipped into its previous assets to
put a modern spin on an old favorite.
2012 Panini Momentum Football is an all Base/Hit release that is ideal
for hit collectors, prospectors and premium set builders. From looking at case breaks in addition
to the box I broke, it appears Momentum is autograph heavy, a trend that seems
happening at Panini, which further indicates they are listening to
collectors.
This is another Rookie centric product but there are some
fantastic veteran hits to be had and they seem even more plentiful than in some
other products. The ratio of cream
of the crop rookies versus secondary rookies seems really even. There are quite a few of the non-
Rookie Premiere autos to be found, normally a point of contention for
collectors but it is hard to complain when you realize that pool includes
players like Alfred Morris,Vick Ballard and Andre Brown, autos that are hard to
find in other products.
Momentum does walk the edge when it comes to pricing, coming
really close to making it into our Ultra Premium category, but it properly
placed in our premium cards category for the purposes of this review. If you
can pick up a box for a little less than the MSRP, it is well within the
premium cards boundary. Each box
contains 10 - 3 card packs. Each
pack contains 2 base and 1 hit for a total of 10 hits per box
Here are some of the cards we pulled.
Base Set
Greg Jennings, front and back
Drew Brees, Ahmad Bradshaw, LeSean McCoy
Steven Jackson, Matt Schaub, Roddy White
The Hits
Doug Martin Prime Materials Head of the Class #/49
Trent Richardson Jumbo Material Momentum Preferred Picks #/99
Brandon Taylor Rookie Auto #/799, Sean Spence Rookie Auto #/799
James Hanna Rookie Auto #/799, Dre Kirkpatrick Rookie Auto Redemption #/799
Jarius Wright Rookie Signatures RPS #/599
Russell Wilson Rookie Team Threads Dual Materials Autograph #/25
Delone Carter - Mike Williams
Overall Look
These are sharp looking base cards. White backgrounds with a subtle Spot UV
“M” make the players stand out.
I’m not a big fan of different orientations for the fronts and backs of
cards, but taken separately and individually, they look really good. Once again, Panini is using different
photo images for the fronts and backs of the cards to provide a premium
feel. Unfortunately some of these
cards suffer from “thick card syndrome” with chipping, edge and corner wear
visible on the darker parts of the cards.
But overall, Momentum displays some great designs.
Quality and Variety of Players
This is an appropriately tight checklist for base cards,
which expands for hits. For the
hits, the checklist becomes a great combination of Premiere rookies, rarely
available rookies, current veteran and retired star players.
Do the Hits satisfy?
There is a lot to like here. Collectors who lean towards autographs will be thrilled. The occasional Thick Card Syndrome will detract some but not enough to spoil the enjoyment of
the hits. For those of you who
were observant enough to notice the Mike Williams autograph was placed upside
down, I have seen almost all of his auto cards from the run and can report that
the mistake is not consistent.
More of his autographs were oriented correctly than were placed upside
down.
Will you keep coming back for more?
At the release MSRP, not everyone will be able to come back for
more, but if even a small discount can be found, it is a great box of cards to
purchase in multiple quantities.
If you have deeper pockets and can spring for a case, it seems there is
a high likelihood you will be satisfied.
Rating
4 1/2 out of 5
2012 Panini Momentum Football is a smartly configured hit
seekers box that delivers the goods.
Sweet Wilson!
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