Last year Panini was the first to fill the gap for Hockey
collectors between trading cards for set builders and ultra premium sets for
super-collectors with Contenders Hockey, which struck a balance of premium hits
in a collectable set without the ultra premium price per box.
This year with 2011 - 12 Panini Contenders Hockey arrives
with some changes, most of which work to make it an even better product. It still might be the best version of the
Contenders line for any sport.
Contenders Hockey falls into our premium cards
category. Each hobby box contains
18 – 5 card packs with three autographs per box on average.
Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled from our box.
Base Set
Jonathan Quick, front and back
Dustin Brown, Martin Brodeur, Anze Kopitar
Alex Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist, Nicklas Lidstrom
Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Jeff Skinner
Jonathan Toews, Tim Thomas, Steven Stamkos
Inserts
Calder Contenders - Mark Katic, Ryan Thang
Roberto Luongo Cup Contenders, Patrick Roy Contenders Legacies
The Hits
Slava Voynov Calder Contenders Auto #/800, Carl Gunnarsson NHL Ink Auto
Jaromir Jagr Cup Contenders Patch Auto #/50
Overall Look
Panini didn’t have to change anything. Collectors would have been happy. They decided to overhaul the fronts of the base set, making
these cards look better than ever.
The emphasis is now on the player.
The backs of the cards have everything you would want and the inserts
have moved away from edge to edge foiling, now with well-chosen foil accents
that make these cards very attractive.
Design for the auto cards has improved to allow for a more free flowing
signature. Normally I am not a fan
of paint pen autos, but the one I pulled is in perfect condition and looks
fantastic.
Quality and Variety of Players
The checklist is great for an autograph only product. The quality of the players is
outstanding.
Do the Hits satisfy?
With so many desirable hits loaded in Contenders, it is hard
to imagine anyone walking away without satisfaction. Hockey fans should pulled something good out of every box.
Will you keep coming back for more?
I could easily see case orders with Contenders. It is the perfect storm of Rookies,
Stars and Legends cards that will keep these boxes consumed at a high rate.
Rating
5 out of 5
2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey is a powerful product that
should be a part of any serious Hockey fan’s collection.
Review box provided by Panini
Review box provided by Panini
Nice Jagr! I love the gray on black auto. And it's not easy to get a Jagr hard-signed auto
ReplyDeletepretty good hits, especially with the sweet Jagr. But if you need any of these cards of your hands I would gladly make a trade a deal for the Roy card.
ReplyDeleteHey any chance the Jagr is available??
ReplyDelete