I have covered my thoughts on Panini Black quite a bit over the last few weeks, and now that it is live, I dont feel a need to change all that much. I think there was significant potential in the set, but a lot of choices were made to go a different direction.
2013 Panini Black Richard Sherman Auto
2013 Panini Black Geno Smith Auto Patch Onyx
2013 Panini Black LaDanian Tomlinson Auto SP
2013 Panini Black Colin Kaepernick Auto Jersey ShadowBox
Here is the main thing. I think these cards are improved over 2012 by a lot. However, I still cannot understand some of the pictures that were chosen for these cards, almost like Panini took studio pictures of rookies in full gear
. When action or game photos are not used, it almost 100% disqualifies my interest in the card. Football provides the best of the best for dynamic photography, and to avoid it is a poor choice.
Overall, I really think it will be a big waste to chase boxes at 180 bucks, as there really isnt anything special to 95% of this product. Everything has been done before, and in most cases, done better than it is done in Black. Although the design isnt bad, its relatively forgettable. I dont see any real MUST HAVE moment that is provided by this set. That is not a good thing this late in the season.
Dude, I know it’s panini, but I thought you’d be happy with this much on card veteran auto content…
High sticker price, high sticker usage; each Panini product blends into the next. Am I blinded by bias when I consider buying Upper Deck, Leaf, Topps and Press Pass before I’d touch Panini?
I don’t know how the hobby will fare in the coming years, but the rate at which Panini puts out products with sub-par value makes me think they are in money-grab mode before the bottom falls out.