I love the draft more than I love many other events in the NFL. Its a ton of fun to read all the speculation and predict where the players are going to land. Its also an important day for the card companies, because it can make or break a player’s popularity depending on what team they end up with. Geno Smith goes to Buffalo? Black hole. Geno Smith goes to Minnesota or New York? Jackpot.

There has been a ton of prospecting going down over the last few days and I have a bit of my own to go over.

Tavon Austin

You could call him Diet Harvin, but I think he might be a similar player with a similarly dangerous skill set for opposing defenses. He is a bit faster and a bit smaller, and also runs nice routes. His name and the buzz surrounding his cards has tripled since the combine, even to the point where he went from a potential first rounder to a potential top 10 pick. His cards have steadily climbed as his stock has gotten more coveted, and they are reaching their boiling point now.

2013 Upper Deck Tavon Austin Auto RC SSP

2013 Upper Deck Tavon Austin Auto Letter

2013 Leaf Metal Tavon Austin Blue Refractor Auto

Ryan Nassib

Coming into the draft, Geno Smith was queen of the pigs in terms of this lackluster QB class. Nassib flew under the radar until a few teams allegedly fell in love with his intelligence and skills. Nassib could be the first QB off the board which is crazy, considering he was a projected 3rd rounder before the combine. Syracuse has produced Donovan McNabb, but they arent necessarily the powerhouse in football as they are in basketball. His cards have spiked, and I expect that to continue as he is selected.

2013 Upper Deck Ryan Nassib Auto RC

2013 Leaf Metal Ryan Nassib Auto BGS 10

Marcus Lattimore

I cant even watch the video of his injury, because it was that gruesome. However, he is still trying to make a run at an NFL career, and for the most part succeeding. A lot of teams think his intangibles make him worth the risk, and collectors have been catching on. This guy was widely speculated to be the top RB off the board before his knee got blown up, and the drive may make it possible down the road for him to be a contributor.

2013 Upper Deck Marcus Lattimore Auto SSP

2013 Leaf Valiant Marcus Lattimore Gold Auto /10

Manti Te’o

There was no bigger story in college football this year than the girlfriend situation and Te’o's involvement. I am not high on Te’o, as it looks like he is lacking skills to be a top NFL linebacker. However, he is still projected to be a first rounder, which means the collectors who like him are still paying first round money for him. The fame will add to the allure of picking up his cards, as being infamous is better than being unknown in many situations. The Vikings have taken an interest in him as well, which means that the pack of Vikings collectors roaming eBay will buy in anticipation. That drives up price too.

2013 Leaf Valiant Manti Te’o Auto

2013 Upper Deck Manti Te’o Auto

Monte Ball

Of all the running backs in the draft, I liked Ball the best. That’s not saying a lot, because every NFL team is moving to a 2 back system, and there isnt someone with Trent Richardson’s talent this year. If I am going to buy, I think Ball is the guy, as his cards are cheap enough that there can be some money made if he breaks out like Doug Martin.

2013 Upper Deck Montee Ball Auto

Ill likely be live tweeting the draft via @SCUncensored, so please come chat with me tomorrow night when this goes down for real. Im excited with my team having two picks to play with, and I think this is going to be a pretty wild ride.

If there is one thing I value in cards these days, its design and layout on a card. One of the most important thing to me is the picture of the player on the card, as I feel it represents the essence of why we love football. Not only do I have VERY specific standards of what I will put up with, but I am vehemently against creating a card that doesnt prominently feature the subject on the card.

Recently, in Panini releases, and in a small portion of Topps releases, there have been cards where the player picture is actually non-existent or so tiny its unrecognizable.

2012 National Treasures Charles Woodson Jumbo Pro Bowl Patch – Not game worn in the game no one cares about.

2012 National Treasures Demarcus Ware Jumbo Pro Bowl Star Patch

2012 Topps Five Star Jerry Rice Letter Patch 1/1

2012 Panini Prime Hockey Joe Sakic Jersey Tie

2012 Panini Prime Hockey Sidney Crosby Jumbo Patch

2012 Topps Five Star Ichiro Letter Patch

2012 National Treasures Andrew Luck Signed Football Shield 1/1

That is completely unacceptable in my mind, almost to the point of bastardizing the soul of what cards are supposed to be. I have gotten a lot of explanations as to why it happens, but many of them function around the fact that collectors dont care about design, only about the patches. Although this is likely true, it SHOULD NOT be this way. We should not reward poor concept work that disengages us from the main point of collecting – the players.

What is even more crazy is that the relics that are so prominently featured in many of these cards are not game worn. The swatches that collectors clamor for are worn for a matter of seconds at the Rookie Premiere or Pro Bowl each year, and are never used on the actual field. That jersey in your card is not the jersey in the photos they took when the rookies go to LA in May. Its just slipped on and off on the sidelines while the other players take their pictures with the companies. I want to reinforce that I am not a whistle blower, as this is a commonly known fact, but it does little to deter people from assigning astronomical value to patch cards over the course of the season. I mean, there are 5 NFL Shields per rookie in national treasures alone, and some rookies even have screen printed replica patches! Doesnt stop people from buying, but it should.

Let me add a caveat here.

I 100% support the Rookie Premiere, as it gives us great photography (most of the time) to use prior to the season getting started.

We need the rookie premiere.

If we also want relics to accompany the autographs, we need event worn stuff too – as rookie game used jerseys are either unavailable from not seeing playing time, or in too short supply. All im saying is that we need to be conscious of more rewarding the way a card looks, rather than the size of the relics included in the card.

Aesthetically, its cool to have memorabilia embedded in the card in a supporting role. Supporting being the key phrase in the sentence – as a lot of times we fall prey to a dominant focus of the swatch on cards. I want the design of a card to be rewarded, the theme of a set to be rewarded, and the concept of the layout to be rewarded. NOT a card that is basically a cardboard border slapped on a jumbo swatch. That should be against the rules.

Lets face it, collectors are a weird bunch. The things that pique the interest of the hobby as a whole are fleeting at best. Its a dragon that the companies chase at every turn, to the point where they likely pull their hair out. So the question is – WHY DO WE BUY THIS CRAP?

I dont know, and I dont think I care to know. I just want people to understand that these cards are not something worth their buying consideration. I want them to buy cards that are beautifully composed and take the visual appeal of the card seriously. Not some haphazardly thrown together example of why certain events arent really as they seem. If you are going to do a super swatch – at least do it well. A common reaction is “why are you complaining – you can get the good stuff cheap!” but that isnt a good thing. It reinforces with the companies that they shouldnt focus on the right things, instead giving into the screaming child who just wants their pacifier – regardless of the fact that this pacifier is a bad idea in the first place.

Sometimes you have to wean. You have to wean the desires over to a more reasonable expectation, as these awful and hideous cards are bad for everyone. Its to the point where eBay auctions list their card with a super close up of the patch on the card, not the card itself. Speak with your wallets and ignore the shoddy work, to embrace the true reasons we collect. Cards that look awesome and illicit that “Wow” response when shown to people. This is not what will do that.

First off, thank you to everyone who entered! It was really cool to see the ways that everyone contributed to the hobby! Thanks to the voices that everyone contributes on a regular basis, this industry’s reaction to collector feedback has drastically changed.

Secondly, another big thank you to both Upper Deck and Topps, who donated such awesome prizes for me to giveaway to everyone here. Over the last few years, they have been at the forefront of listening to the feedback we provide and implementing our ideas and suggestions into their products.

Without further ado – here are the winners!

First prize of the 2007 rookie premiere NFL helmet (courtesy of Topps) goes to Paul, who wrote this comment:

“Thanks for this contest – I have been a reader for many years, and say that this is a daily stop for me each morning. I have posted a few comments here over the years, and I have also been to the National card show in Baltimore to talk with the different guys from Panini and Topps and Upper Deck.Thanks again!”

Second prize of the 2003 rookie premiere football (courtesy of Topps) goes to daddyoho, who posted this entry:

“A collector for over 35 years, my biggest contribution to the hobby voice is getting my kids informed and interested about cards.”

Third prize of the Andy Dalton Industry Summit auto (Courtesy of Topps) goes to Scott G, who posted this comment:

“I have been in the hobby for 5 years. After I learned about “Pack Searchers” at local Target and Walmart stores, I now seek them out on every visit and confront them on their doings when I see it happening. ALSO when I see younger children with their parents looking at the cards in Target/Walmart I inform them of the “Hobby” side of the products and direct them to my LHS.”

The last Topps prize, and a big one – a 2012 Rookie Premiere Autographed Football goes to Chad Kinzle:

“Congrats on the Anniversary, I’ve been a big fan since I came across your site 3 years ago. To be honest I get most of my news and card previews from your facebook/twitter feeds.

I’ve been collecting since 86′ when I was 7 years old. I’ve recently had the privilege of passing on my hobby love to my 2 nephews (7 & 9 years old). While I collect Rodgers and higher-end stuff it has been amazingly fun to see the looks on their faces when they get ANY cards… a simple base card with ‘gold’ trim and they think it’s priceless.

I’ve been active in several forums and truthfully I enjoy the chat sections just as much (if not more) than the buying/selling threads. As a graphic designer, I’m a tad harsh on the critiques of products but I also try to create custom variations of said products on my own so that I’m not only complaining & pointing out flaws, but trying to provide potential solutions. I’ve tried applying at Panini, but at the time they were not accepting out of state entries.

All in all this hobby is no doubt one of my 3 loves in life, just slightly behind my wife and daughter.”

The next prize, courtesy of Upper Deck, a Doug Martin card from the 2013 industry summit goes to EC Greenwood:

“While I often disagree with your opinions on the hobby, I do enjoy reading this blog and have kept it bookmarked for what seems like forever (truly a high honor). I agree with your statement that dissenting opinions, even when critical, are necessary to help keep everything in perspective. The hobby is to each person what they perceive it to be, and thus there is no “best” or “right” way to do anything!

My contributions have been with my hard earned cash, showing off my collection whenever possible, and donating things I do not want back to the local shop.

Keep up the good work!”

The last prize, courtesy of Upper Deck is a box of 2012 SP Authentic Football, which goes to Brandon Beck:

“I was pulled back into the hobby last year, after about a 15 year absence. I stopped collecting years ago after a home burglary, where my entire collection was stolen. Box breaks is what got me back in. Even tho I still have yet to.pull a big hit, its a fun and affordable way to.collect, and it really brings more people together as a collecting community.”

Thank you to all who participated. Winners can email sportscardsuncensored@gmail.com with their name and address (from the email address provided with the comment), and winner emails will be delivered today to those same email addresses.

Well, ladies and gents, 2012 is officially over as of last Friday. Its crazy I have to wait until April to say that, but I completely understand why the companies would want a circular calendar that doesn’t leave gaps between the card seasons. Now that everything is over, and we have complete picture of the best year of football cards in a while, I want to take some time to review my favorites.

Both companies deserve credit for coming through with a great year, and I hope that carries over into 2013. Its abundantly clear that with the best rookie class in forever, this was the year to capitalize, and I think that for the most part we ended up with some incredible cards.

Best New Set – 2012 Strata Signatures

Although this wasn’t a completely original idea, the execution was exceptional. The way these cards were structured added depth and action to a still frame, which coupled with an on card auto made this the best of the year. It got to the point where these cards were so popular that it priced people out of purchasing them, but the set really said that Topps is up for improving on any idea they can. Adding in the jumbo swatch or patch as the background, and using the rivet on the low numbered examples really made this complete. It was truly awesome.

2012 Topps Strata Trent Richardson Patch Auto Shadowbox /15

2012 Topps Strata Russell Wilson Auto Shadowbox /40

Biggest Improvement – 2012 Prestige

2011 Prestige was one of the ugliest sets in recent memory. Moving onto 2012, Prestige’s set was pretty much my favorite Panini product of the year, which is saying something. The design hearkened a Contenders style presentation, and for the most part, every card in the set looked nice. Switching this to a post-premiere release was one of the best moves of the year, and it was highlighted by a great class. I credit Panini for incredibly fast turnaround on the relics and autos, which were really well done in a short period of time.

2012 Prestige Robert Griffin III Auto RC

Best Unlicensed Card – 2011 Exquisite XRCs

I hate that UD is without an NFL license, but these cards were gorgeous. The base set was quite impressive, and adding in cards from the 2012 class added some GREAT value to a product that didn’t really need it. Upper Deck was hurting from not being able to add Andrew Luck to their products, however using incredible design seemed to really make up for it. I would give this award to the SP Authentic patch autos, which were EXCELLENT this year, but these cards are just too pretty to go without an award.

2011 Exquisite Doug Martin XRC

2011 Exquisite Brandon Weeden XRC

Best On Card RC – 2012 Chrome

Ever since Topps was able to make Chrome on card, it has become a juggernaut that is not able to be stopped. This year’s design was tremendous, and did wonders when the cards were signed. Every player collector needs to have a Chrome autograph in their collection, because Topps never fails to make them memorable with a timeless design. I think its obvious that these cards are coveted like nothing else, and its for good reason. They are the best looking card you can buy, and the box has an MSRP below 80 bucks. Honorable mention to the 1984 Chrome Autos.

2012 Topps Chrome David Wilson Auto RC Refractor /75

2012 Topps Chrome Brock Osweiler RC Auto

Best Sticker Auto Set – 2012 National Treasures Century Jersey Autos

For the first time ever, Panini adjusted the base design when switching from the normal layout to an auto relic layout. In previous years, they had tried to stuff everything into the vertical design, which usually resulted in a hideous and busy looking execution. This year, the clean cards looked almost minimalist, but they were done extremely well for a product without on card autos. It also left the base cards looking oddly unfinished. The results of 2012 speak for themselves.

2012 National Treasures Adrian Peterson Century Auto Jersey

Biggest Chase Card of the Year – 2012 Chrome Andrew Luck Superfractors

I know, I know, I should be mentioning that the Championship ticket “sold” for 40K, right? Well, thanks to that auction, the Chrome superfractor of Andrew Luck legitimately sold for 16.5K, making it the chase of the year. The Contenders 1/1 eventually did sell for a ton, but it was less than half the price the Chrome one got. National Treasures has yet to surface, but with an inferior design for the RPAs, I don’t think it will break this mark. Topps has put an aura around the Supers that is never equaled across the board, and 2012 will stand in history as the best of the best.

2012 Topps Chrome Andrew Luck Superfractor Auto 1/1

2012 Topps Chrome Andrew Luck Superfractor 1/1

Best Rookie Year Card – 2012 Five Star Jumbo Patch Autos

Many would argue that National Treasures should have this spot because the cards are worth more, but this isn’t the price guide awards. Topps Five Star was a sight to be seen this year, highlighted by these wonderful additions to the product. Not only are they beautifully composed to highlight a jumbo swatch and a large player picture, but they ALSO have a huge place to display a large player signature. I would go so far as saying these look better than any Exquisite card did in the past, which is high praise coming from me. I think it’s a shame that collectors haven’t assigned a higher value to these cards, but I don’t really think that’s as big a deal as people think. If you really want a cool 1/1 parallel to boot, these are the cards to chase. Bottom line, these are the best cards of the rookie class, hands down.

2012 Topps Five Star Andrew Luck Auto Jumbo Patch

2012 Topps Five Star Justin Blackmon Auto Jumbo Patch

To be honest, Im sad to see 2012 gallop off into the distance, as I had a blast through the year buying all the cards I did. It might not have been a year that everyone was able to afford due to the rookie class’ performance on the field, but man was it fun along the way. Next year is going to be a true test of the lessons learned during a boom year, and it will fall on the shoulders of the companies to find ways to survive without guys like Newton and company in 2011, and Luck, Griffin and Wilson for 2012. I hope for our sake, they find a way. I have confidence that it will turn out fine.

Now that Topps Five Star has been out for a few days, we have a better picture of the way the set shakes out. As I mentioned before, this is the best Five Star has ever been, with Topps taking the criticism of last year’s products and improving dramatically on their failures from 2011. As a result we are getting more cards worthy of the Five Star brand, and though collectors shockingly havent caught on, I have a feeling that these will stand the test of time.

I have a few different cards that I am going ape over, and it has to do with the way Topps has figured out how to adjust card content to embrace collector desires, while not disturbing the overall presentation of the card.

Rookie Jumbo Patch Autos

One of the main complaints of Five Star over the last few years has been the fact that only 1 inch swatches were available on the rookie patch autos. Although the circular swatches are back, Topps took this feedback and also created jumbos to mirror the cards we are seeing in other products. These cards are stunning to say the least, only further highlighted by the BIG and bold autograph space available for the rookies. I wish the Vikings had a rookie this year worth collecting, because I would spend my rent money on these.

2012 Topps Five Star Andrew Luck Jumbo Auto Patch

2012 Topps Five Star Russell Wilson Jumbo Auto Patch

Veteran Patch Autos

For 2011 and 2010, Topps used an adjusted version of the rookie patch auto to design the veteran ones. For the first time, Topps has gone off and given the vets their own design, which is completely awesome. When you see the card in the pack, it sticks out as a high end masterpiece, providing a HUGE player picture, and a big place for the guy to sign. With all on card autos and no stickers, the cards become the best available veteran autograph cards of the year.

2012 Topps Five Star Steve Young Auto Patch 3 Color

2012 Topps Five Star Matt Ryan Auto Patch

Inscription Autos

These cards are the crown jewel of Five Star and this year is no exception. My favorite thing is that they never have the same inscription year over year for the players that have multiple cards in this set. As a result, player collectors are presented with fresh meat to chase every season, and the price these cards achieve is representative of this fact.

2012 Topps Five Star Doug Martin Auto Inscription

2012 Topps Five Star Robert Griffin III Auto Inscription

2012 Topps Five Star Andrew Luck Auto Inscription

Rainbow Parallels

Let me preface this with the fact that I hate cards printed on rainbow foil. As a stock, the cards look cheap and ugly, but as an embellishment to a regular design, it looks like you have pulled a truly special card each time. Five Star uses this to its advantage, as its obvious that the rainbow parallels are more important.

2012 Topps Five Star Maurice Jones-Drew Auto Book Logo Rainbow /5

2012 Topps Five Star Joe Montana Auto Rainbow Base

I have said in previous posts that this is the year that each company needs to break out the biggest guns they have, and so far both Topps and Panini have delivered. Although the value of a Five Star card may not eclipse NT yet, they clearly are more worthy of a higher end tag. That being said, National Treasures will remain the benchmark for licensed products, and I think both companies can walk away from 2012 feeling like they have done it right.