Lots of stuff going down in LA, much of which should make collectors very happy. Not only do the cards from both companies look great, but a big product announcement as well. Here is what I was able to pick up from Twitter and the companies.

Topps

For the first time in over a decade, there will not be same day signatures from Topps, and that is a good thing. For as long as I have been a football collector, Topps has created cards from pictures taken at the premiere, and had them signed on Saturday on the field. From what I can see from solicitation and tweets, those are going to be replaced with a new retouched photo program that includes the same on card autographs we had prior. As we see from both companies, late arrivals and rotation schedules among the many events during the weekend prevent a rookie from necessarily taking the photos, in turn leading to an inconsistent set. This is a good call.

Here is what the cards used to all look like – same day photos:

2011 Topps Colin Kaepernick Rookie Premiere Auto

2009 Topps Matthew Stafford Rookie Premiere Auto

The photos have deteriorated to very inconsistent as of late due to scheduling:

2013 Topps Eddie Lacy Rookie Premiere Auto

2012 Topps Andrew Luck Rookie Premiere Auto

Similarly, Topps is bringing back hard signed mini cards again, which collectors usually go nuts trying build sets of. They should be heading into the flagship base set, as they have since 2012, although rarity is still yet to be determined. The good thing is that last year, many of the minis were done in high enough quantities that they werent hard to obtain. Its a hard line to toe between over availability and under production, however, I am always in favor of more on card autos in every product.

Here is what they looked like previously:

2012 Topps Russell Wilson Tallboy Mini Retro Auto

2013 Topps Mike Glennon Mini Retro Auto

You can see in this link a quick glimpse of a few of the cards:

Topps on Twitter – Vine from Rookie Premiere

As for Inception, it looks like another great year, despite similarities between all the different inception sets over the year. I have said before – if it aint broke, dont fix it, and some of the additions to the lineup have kept it fresh. Last year, Topps introduced inscription cards, which were some of my favorite rookie cards of the year. Im glad to see they are coming back from a few of the vine videos Topps posted on Twitter.

Panini

The biggest announcement from Panini didnt actually come from anything having to do with cards being signed, which is pretty shocking all things considered. During a presentation during the week, one of the attendees snapped a pic of Immaculate Football, a popular and great looking basketball product, which will be making its way to football this year. Although the set was announced before, we had not yet seen any card pictures. Not only does the set look very clean and well designed, but it looks to be featuring a lot of on card autographs from both rookies and veterans alike.

Here is Immaculate Basketball for reference – my favorite BKB product of 2013:

2013 Immaculate Basketball Kevin Durant Auto Jumbo Patch

2013 Immaculate Basketball Kyrie Irving Auto Patch

The preview cards are just mockups, obviously Rodgers wont be signing all cards:

My biggest fear is how the points system will affect the release of the non-RC autos, as its clear Panini had difficulties obtaining on card content last year without issuing redemptions. Until we get to see a few more details of how reward points will work, and also see them in practice, its hard for many collectors to grasp how a product like immaculate can be a good break for them. I have been assured that big name players and star rookies will not be left by the curb in favor of points, but from the fact that my favorite player was redemption, the scenario makes me worried until I see how it works in real life packs.

NOTE: From what it looks like Johnny Manziel has not yet arrived to the premiere, but should be signing some of his first cards today. Considering he is the most popular player in the class, you can bet a lot of people are waiting with baited breath to see how his cards turn out.

More to come as the week progresses up to the big day tomorrow.