Panini has finally come around to providing previews for new sets, including two that I have a very troubled relationship with. In looking at 2014 Limited and 2014 Totally Certified, I think it has become PAINFULLY obvious that Panini is struggling to brand their sets with interesting material.

So much of the same stuff over and over again makes the cards boring, and in the case of TC, completely disgusting looking. Its sad because there are a lot of products that collectors used to love, but have left for dead because of poor design quality and content.

2014 Limited Football

When I first started collecting football back in 2003, Limited was an interesting set. I think that the 2007 and 2008 sets were relatively nice, but were overshadowed by the other on card sets that Upper Deck was releasing.

Here are some of the examples from previous years, its been a long run:

2011 Limited Tom Brady Limitless Auto /5

2011 Limited Aaron Rodgers Monikers Auto Patch /20

2012 Limited Andrew Luck On Card Phenoms Auto Patch

2010 Limited Calvin Johnson / Matthew Stafford Dual Auto

Since that time, Limited has gone from good to awful, and this year looks like its at least on an upgraded path. However, there are still some HORRENDOUS looking cards in the bunch. Par for the course, as Limited is responsible for some of the worst sets in recent memory. Panini’s top brands of the year have become Certified, Contenders and Treasures, and in the past Limited was in that group. Now its clearly an afterthought.

Although I think the bow tie shaped box is better than the awful giant rectangular square from 2013, its still not all that good looking. Its better, no doubt, but there has to be something that can be done instead of just adding a long giant swatch. These cards may come out of the gate with some value, but in the end, they will tank faster than Certified did. Panini has lost the ability to sustain value in their middle end cards, and Limited is a casualty.

Here are the previews, man that Watkins is a disaster:

2014 Totally Certified

If you think Bowman Sterling is a worthless piggyback set from Topps, you havent seen Totally Certified. Because Panini had such a hard on for the awful looking micro etched look, they needlessly brought this set back from the dead. Someone needs to pull the plug on the life support, because it should have stayed buried.

Take a look at the joke this product has been since 2011:

2011 Totally Certified AJ Green Auto Rookie Relic

2012 Totally Certified Nick Foles Auto Rookie Relic

2013 Totally Certified Cordarrelle Patterson Auto Rookie Relic

Aside from the laughable name, this product offers nothing to the general calendar that needs to be there. It has been garbage for a very long time, including some of the most poorly conceived and designed sets that I continue to make fun of to this day.

For 2014, Not only is the giant white space on the card, and the compartmentalized design a vomit inducing combination, but its clear that making this product again is like producing another year of Prominence. Card shops are still sitting on Totally certified boxes from 2012 that they cant move, not to mention 2013, so WHY ARE THEY INSISTING ON TORMENTING US AGAIN WITH THIS GARBAGE?

The funniest part of this is that it was originally on card, which gave it a slight reason with collectors to actually exist. Now that it is back to all stickers, you are asking for people to send it to closeout immediately. Dont even try the MAPP shit with this, just put it out at 50% off and hope people are dumb enough to buy a box. Cant wait to get my Connor Shaw sticker auto patch.

Even the base design looks beyond stupid, and the last thing this hobby needs is another November based sticker auto set. To think that they are going to have to build like four dozen new products to support the overpayment on their NFL exclusive, I get more and more frightened by the day.

Here is the preview:

They have consistently shown that they do not know how to build good looking cards, and yet here we are. I cant fucking wait for 2016. Happy day! Totally Certified trash all day every day. Good for us. GOOD FOR US.