2010 Playoff Contenders Football NFL Trading Cards. An All About Cards Review

Marlon Brando’s character in “On The Waterfront” laments missed opportunities looking back on his boxing career.   “I could’ve been a contender” is the famous line from this movie as Brando talks about things that could have been.  With this year’s explosive NFL rookie class, it’s doubtful that anyone will ever have to utter those words.  A large percentage of these players are true contenders for greatness.  That is a huge part of what makes 2010 Playoff Contenders Football such a great release.

Contenders Football fits nicely into our premium cards category.  Each hobby box contains 24 – 5 card packs with a promise of four autographs per box.  There are also plenty of inserts with die cut parallels.  For 52 lucky collectors, there are Golden Ticket redemptions for immediately available cards made out of 11 grams of 14K gold.  Wonka could only manage 5 Golden Tickets so eat your chocolate heart out, Willy.  Lets take a look at the cards we pulled from the box.

 The base cards front and back

From the inserts

 Rookie Playoff Ticket

Draft Class

Rookie of the Year Contenders

Rookie Roll Call

Legendary Contenders

Super Bowl Tickets

Our hits were

Ed Dickson and Everson Griffen Autos

John Skelton and Mardy Gilyard Autos

Demaryius Thomas Auto Variation Card

Overall Look

This is a familiar solid design.  The players really stand out on the base cards and the rookie cards have plenty of shiny.   Sometimes the autographs can get a little hidden on the rookie tickets but the cards works well for both sticker and on-card autos.  The Rookie of the Year Contenders are sharp cards as are the Super Bowl Tickets.  The Legendary Contenders also make for some nice cards.  Do we need to say the Golden Ticket cards are amazing?

Quality and Variety of Players

The roll call for the Season Tickets cards are made up of the best the league has to offer, but you won’t be buying this product for that.   This is THE release for rookies.   It’s like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to pulling this year’s rookie class. Bradford, Tebow, Matthews, Bryant, Spiller, Best, Thomas, Berry, Hernandez, Ivory. and more.

Do the Hits satisfy?  Are the cards too base heavy?

This set is a mix of on-card and sticker autographs.  With a promise of 4 autos, we pulled 5 total with 3 stickers and 2 on-cards, all rookies.   You can pull a Super Bowl or Legendary auto and be very happy too.  But most will be seeking the Rookie autos and be pleased.  If you like base sets, these cards work well too.

Will you keep coming back for more?

Most rookie speculator will not stop at one box.  This stuff moves by the case.  With over 100 Rookie Tickets, even more variations, 25 ROY contenders and 30 Rookie ink cards, it will be hard for most not to come back for more.  That’s not even taking into account those searching for a golden ticket.

Rating

 

4 1/2 out of 5

2010 Playoff Contenders is a no brainer for rookie speculators, but you just might have to fight it out with Veruca Salt to get your hands on a box.

It's Official. Owning a Blake Griffin Rookie card is a Slam Dunk.

We've been following Blake Griffin's rookie cards from the All About Cards 2010 Sports Card Award winning set for Best Ultra Premium Cards, 2009/10 Panini National Treasures Basketball.  From our previous post you know his cards from this set number to 99 have been going for several thousand dollars. Now there is a card up for auction that will blow these out of the water.

The card pictured above is still from the National Treasures set, but its the 1/1 logoman version.  There is just a little over 3 days and 2 hours left on this eBay auction, and with 21 bids in, this card is already at $18,500.   No telling how high this thing will go.   

We will keep you up to date on this auction and announce the final bid price when it closes.

Kobe Bryant moves to number six on the NBA all-time scoring list.

Last night, Kobe Bryant scored 26 points to pass Moses Malone, becoming the sixth-best scorer in NBA history.

Kobe passed Malone’s 27,409 points when he made three free throws with 2:05 remaining in the first half.

Bryant has moved past an impressive list of Hall of Fame scorers this season. He passed Elvin Hayes last week and has also topped the scoring totals of Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, Dominique Wilkins and John Havlicek this season.

The Lake Elsinore Storm, a minor league baseball team, is already "winning" before playing their first game of the season.

Living in Southern California, I am a short drive away from the Dodgers, Angels and Padres, so there is an accessible baseball game being played almost every day of the season.  Still, I find myself going to minor league games with about as much regularity as the majors.

Because of all the competition in the area for fans, there is a promotion for almost every minor league game.   Most of them involve some form of free/cheap food night, but sometimes they get wacky.   The Lake Elsinore Storm just might be in line for the wackiest of the upcoming season, or a new low.

On May 5, 2011, Cinco de Mayo, the team will be hosting the Bakersfield Blaze with a promotion they are calling "Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo."  They are referring to this night as a different kind of rehab, one that will feature one-dollar beers and Coke products, an in-game taco-eating contest, a Rehab-style party on the exclusive Tiki Terrace featuring tigerblood cocktails and a two-for-one Ho Hos special.

In addition, they’ve invited Charlie Sheen, his entourage and "goddesses" to attend as guests of the team.  They are also offering all current cast and crew members of Two and a Half Men, who are currently unemployed thanks to Sheen, tickets to the game that night for two and a half cents a ticket. 

So, what do you think?  Is this funny or has the team hit a new low?

Panini 2010/11 Playoff Contenders Patches Basketball, Another All About Cards SPEED-break™.

Some thing old, something new...   here is our box break of Panini 2010/11 Playoff Contenders Patches Basketball for you.

Michael Jackson set to return to trading cards with Panini's 2011 release

In 2009, Michael Jackson was set to make a comeback with a tour that featured 50 dates in London's The O2 arena.   He generated $85 million in ticket sales just before his untimely death.

On June 8, 2011, Jackson is set to make a different kind of comeback... to trading cards. 

The last time Michael Jackson was featured on trading cards was back in 1984.  Now, more than a year after the first details were announced, Panini will be releasing a set to celebrate the long and successful career of the King of Pop, a man who spent 45 of his 50 years as a professional musician, who had 47 singles that appeared in the Billboard Hot 100, 13 singles that hit No. 1 on the charts and sold more than 750 million records worldwide.

For more details, visit Panini’s blog, The Knight’s Lance, using this link. 

Shamone.

2011 Press Pass Element NASCAR box break, another All About Cards SPEED-break™

Big news this week out of Las Vegas with Danica Patrick placing higher than any other woman in NASCAR history and Carl Edwards coming away with a big win on Sunday over a disappointed Tony Stewart.

We've got two weeks before the drivers hit Bristol, so in the mean time, let this SPEED-break™ of a hobby of 2011 Press Pass Element hold you over.