The Quick And Easy Way To Find Out If You Have Just Pulled A 2013 Panini Contenders Football SP Rookie Ticket Autograph Card

Today is the release day for 2013 Panini Contenders Football cards.  We’ve received quite a few questions from collectors, all asking for ways to identify the coveted Short Print Versions of the Rookie Ticket Autos.  While it might have been tricky in the past, this year Panini has made it rather simple to identify these SPs.  They even released the information on their blog, The Knight’s Lance between Christmas and New Years.

The Winter Classic The NHL’s Savior Book Review

For those of us from parts of the world where temperatures dip below freezing, hockey is a game that is often played outdoors.  Most have fond memories of makeshift games on frozen bodies of water or outdoor rinks exposed to the elements. But Professional Hockey demands the predictability of controlled conditions and that is only obtainable indoors.  So when the NHL decided to move the game back outside, allowing the natural elements to come into play, it was a big deal. That simple conceptual move sparked a sense memory for a lot of former “snow day” kids, bringing back a certain childhood magic to the game that can get lost in tamed arenas. The Winter Classic became a specialty event unlike any other.

Everything you would want to know about this great event can be found in Russ Cohen and Michael del Tufo’s excellent book “The Winter Classic : The NHL’s Savior. “  All the details of the event from a behind the scenes look at how to the rinks are set up and maintained, to alumni and current player reactions to dealing with outdoor elements while playing on one of the fastest and most difficult playing surfaces of any sport, to a blow by blow account of all of the past Winter Classics and venues, 2008 to the present, can be found in this book. 

2013 Panini Totally Certified Football NFL Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

Totally Certified Football has gone through some big changes.  Gone are the HRX video cards, which were the major hits.  Gone is the whole card color for parallels, now going with a stylized edge coloring.   Gone are the die-cut Rookie overlay in the materials opening for the Freshman Fabric autographs memorabilia cards, now its just a simple opening.  What remains is foil etching and the chance of pulling some nice big name autographs mostly in the Stitches in Time.  Other hits can be found in what is new about Totally Certified, a great insert set called Thanksgiving Day. Even with the cuts and changes to the set, 2013 Totally Certified Football retains its desirability.

Totally Certified Football falls into our premium cards category. Each hobby box contains 6-5 card packs. Each pack contains 1 rookie or parallel and 1 autograph or memorabilia card.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

2013-14 Panini Totally Certified Basketball NBA Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

Totally Certified Basketball has gone through some big changes.  Gone are the HRX video cards, which were the major hits.  Gone is the whole card color for parallels, now going with a more subtitle center color burst.   Gone are the on-card Rookie autographs, now in sticker form.  What remains is foil etching, a simple set configuration and the chance of pulling some nice big name autographs.  In many ways Totally Certified feels a little stripped down this year, almost closer to what you might find in Prizm.  With the major selling points being green parallels and acetate signatures, Panini will have to brainstorm to return some of the excitement to Totally Certified Basketball if it expects to regain some of its former glory.

Totally Certified Basketball falls into our premium cards category. Each hobby box contains 6-5 card packs. Each box contains 3 autographs and 3 memorabilia cards.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

2013 Panini Absolute Football Box Break Recap And Review

Anyone who follows this blog knows that Absolute tends to be a good break for me.  Going in I knew this could be a rough break as things have returned to normal after two years of way above average rookie classes dominated the NFL.  While instant rip and flip values might not be on par with 2011 and 2012, what remains is a really nice base set, a cool new insert set and some great hits to pull making 2013 Panini Absolute Football another solid choice for Football card collectors.

Panini Absolute Football falls squarely into our premium cards category.  Each box contains four pillow packs with 4 cards per pack. Each master box contains four Autograph or Memorabilia cards with at least two autographs.

Here are the cards we pulled.

2013-14 Panini Timeless Treasures Basketball Box Break Recap And Review

The familiar tin is gone but that’s about all you will miss with 2013-14 Panini Timeless Treasures Basketball.  It still provides a great break with cards that are pushing the innovative envelope.  With added value like parallel inserts of rookie draft picks numbered to their draft position, embedded acetate autographs offered as an alternative to stickers, and 1/1 oversized "every player every game" laundry tags, Timeless Treasure should be on your purchase list.

We classify Timeless Treasures as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 5 cards with the promise of three hits and at least two autographs per box/tin.

Here is a look at the cards we pulled.

2013 Bowman Sterling Football Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

Sterling is the top of the Bowman line, providing the biggest “High Risk, High Reward” offering. For 2013 Bowman Sterling Football the single most important element that can spread that risk would be a strong rookie class.  While is was obvious this year would not come close to the past 2 years, there is still some emerging talent, but this does become a prospectors year.  The one large drawback is the lack of editing of the checklist.  For a high end, hit dependent product like this with a release date in November to include hits from a player like Ryan Swope, who unfortunately retired from the NFL back in July, just 2 months after he was drafted, is unacceptable.  While I understand production timetables make it difficult to change directions midstream, but at premium prices the task of editing these kinds of situations from the release should happen.  Otherwise this is a solid set of cards and if the pitfalls can be avoided, collectors should be happy with their hits.

Bowman Sterling Football comes in at the high end of our premium cards category because of the number of hits in each box.  Each hobby box contains 6- 5 card pack.  Each box should yield a box topper bonus Rookie Patch card, 2 Auto Relics, 4 Autographs and 6 Jumbo Relic Cards.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.