Tonight, the Lions are going to face off against the hottest team in the league, on the road. With both starting QBs eclipsing 5000 passing yards on the season, its easy to say that there is some major firepower that is going to be on display. Brees, the current record holder doesnt have much to gain from a win, other than being one step closer to a Super Bowl ring for his other hand. Stafford, on the other hand, has everything to gain, not just in terms of winning the Lions first playoff game in years, but also for his value in the hobby.

Since 2009, he has always been in the shadow of Mark Sanchez when it comes to overall worth, especially after injury plagued seasons took away his 2009 and 2010 production levels. Now that he has finally shown up to the party, bringing his team to the playoffs, and putting them in a good spot to win, collectors are finally latching on. Stafford is turning out to be a great QB, and a win tonight will put a nice cherry on top of this comeback story.

In fact, some of the prices on his cards have jumped to gargantuan levels ever since the Lions punched their ticket to the post season:

2009 Matthew Stafford Exquisite Gold Auto 4 Color Patch

2009 Matthew Stafford National Treasures 3 Color Patch Auto

2009 Matthew Stafford SP Authentic 3 Color Patch Auto

Stafford, with Calvin Johnson and a good running game behind him, could challenge Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for years to come. He will need to match this year’s production with many to follow in order to keep up his value, but number one picks never seem to have a shortage of collectors. Most of the collectors will forget about his mammoth season this year if he falls on his face, but I dont think that looks like it is possible with him. They do play in a very tough division, but that also means lots of national attention when he is successful. I have to say, watching Stafford play this year makes me more weary of the Vikings’ long term prospects in the NFL. However, after seeing people’s money go down the drain during his injury years, only to come back strong this year, has been a great reason to continue hope for rookie based products.

Ill be honest that I am a little nostalgic, only because I pulled a Stafford SPA patch auto back in 2009, and I sold it for pennies on the dollar of what its at now. I never believed he would come back as strong as he has. You have to appreciate the Lions fans out there that stuck around, as they have definitely deserved a good season like this one. After going 0-16, there is nothing lower than can happen for an NFL team, but to come back and make the playoffs a few years later is gold. Gold for Detroit fans and collectors who have waited for this day to come.

Did Panini fire all of their card designers and use people who have no idea what they are doing?

Card design at Panini this year has gone from poor to, “AVERT YOUR EYES!!!” Since that we have seen design failure after design failure for collector favorite football products, there should be no question that the standard once present in 2009 and prior is unimportant. Panini is obviously more concerned with cutting corners in methods than they are making good looking cards that will inspire a bump in collectors who buy instead of a bump in those who leave.

There is growing dissention in the ranks of people who are starting to see the error of Panini’s ways, and of course, Panini could not give less of a shit. Its truly unfortunate, especially with only two viable options for buying licensed cards. Without a second company who actually cares about quality AND cost, it really limits which products we are able to chase.

I used to believe that it was a matter of preference on some of this stuff, but I am beginning to wonder how anyone can like cards like those jersey cards, or the jumbo patch cards. Also, I don’t get why the Initial Steps set came back, if not only because of how stupid the set name is. Lastly, prior to this year, I believed that an on card autograph can overcome a lot of short comings in design. I was wrong.

In terms of box content, I am continually shocked by two things. The inclusion of players on the checklist like Eddie Royal, and the need for formatting like Panini uses in every single product. No 100 dollar per pack product should advertise jersey cards as part of the content. Its worthless and insulting when that is counted as part of your hits. If companies wonder why people have stopped buying boxes, that’s why. Its also why Gold Standard was one of the worst wax breaking products ever produced. Limited suffers from that syndrome too. In order to return even a smidgeon of value on your break, you have to hit Cam Newton or some crazy rare autograph. That isn’t right. Its why Chrome now costs 100 bucks a box instead of 60. It would be one thing if you broke the box, got no return on your investment, but the cards looked cool or had on card autos for EVERYTHING like SPA. Because this is just more of the same, Id rather set my hundred dollars on fire and drink the ashes before buying a pack of this junk.

Here are the photos from the Panini preview, I am so depressed by what they did to a brand I used to love every year. It’s a complete disgrace.

In the last 3 years, companies have made a welcome and conceded effort to get some fan favorite defensive players into products. Because of the fact that defensive guys are rarely ever worth any money due to the lack of glamor surrounding the positions, they have (rightfully) been left out of just about every autograph and game used set unless they were at the rookie premiere during their rookie year.

For defensive guys from the pre-premiere era, its a relative crap shoot if they will ever be included in a way that collectors can appreciate. We all saw how crazy things got with Charles Woodson’s autographs being included in Panini sets this year, and I dont think that is even the craziest of the crazy.

Check out Woodson’s prices:

2011 Certified Charles Woodson Auto Mirror Black

2011 Certified Charles Woodson Auto Hometown Heroes /5 – This is just pure ridiculousness.

Then check out this auction, which defies logic in every single way:

2011 Certified Derrick Thomas Mirror Emerald Patch /5

Guys like Thomas and Woodson are part of a group that included players who never got the hobby love they deserved. Guys like Reggie White, a HOF player with a huge fan base in Green Bay and Philadelphia has barely any cards. Same thing with Deion Sanders, Ray Lewis and Jared Allen before 2009. Granted, these guys are some very rare exceptions, but worth noting.

I am NOT saying that defensive players should be a force in every set, but I am saying that there are exceptions to the rule. Panini did a good job in finding a few of them, and I expect there will be others in the future. Lets just hope this is not a license to expand checklists to laughable levels like Panini is famous for, as there will never be a reason to go produce an autograph when the player has no value.

I previewed some images that Topps released a few weeks ago to show a little bit of what Five Star is looking like before it hits shelves in late February. It is shaping up to be on the same level as it was last year, and I think Topps continues to impress with their chops in designing a product that costs as much as Five Star does.

A lot of people fail to realize how difficult it has to be to design a product that has to deliver 400-500 dollars worth of value in every box. Although every box wont be a winner, there will be something incredible to look forward to when cracking the packs. The cards not only look high end, but the on card autographs make this product to be on a level that seems to be untouchable. Its easy to see that Topps is bringing it this year with a lot of awesome stuff, most of what we are starting to see below.

Here are the images:

Soon, the NFL season will be over and the draft will be upon us. Much like last year, there is a metric ton of talented skill players that will translate to huge value in the hobby. Similarly, with previous year products coming out well into the window between the postseason and the draft, we now have a unique opportunity that many companies are going to take advantage of.

Last year, Upper Deck scored major brownie points for 2010 Exquisite by including cards of future draft picks that had already declared for the NFL draft.

2010 Exquisite Cam Newton RC /99

2010 Exquisite Julio Jones RC /99

2010 Exquisite Jake Locker RC /99

These cards were the first cards available in the new year for some very collectible players, and as a result, collectors chase them with vigor. This year, both Five Star and National Treasures will be released far into the post season, with Treasures possibly hitting shelves around April. To think that Panini is going to try to pull this off is beyond risky, but the inclusion of Andrew Luck with his team affiliation in the product could drastically soften the blow. Personally, I think that there is a much more value involved the it was done by UD.

Aside from this odd move from Panini, the cards themselves play on collectors incessant need for instant gratification. That attitude dominates rookie card purchases in the hobby, and even though there is not a team affiliation that can be displayed in February, the player’s hype will drive crazy prices in a set like Five Star or NT. Andrew Luck will no doubt be the first QB to have a base Topps card break 20 bucks upon release, and if there is a Five Star equivalent of that card, it could rake on eBay like it will be Luck’s ONLY available one for the whole year.

Bottom line, I welcome these cards, as I think they add a great value to a product without driving cost in autograph or jersey content. They are worth a bunch of money, usually dont count against the box content, and actually hold value pretty decently throughout the offseason.

If Topps and Panini were smart, this is the direction they will go, and I have a feeling they have already had this type of conversation with their licensing guy. If not, shame on them, because its a golden opportunity right down the tube. I will chase the singles from the products regardless of inclusion, but this type of thing may get me to buy a box or two. Its that much bait for a guy like me, and I dont think Im alone in that feeling.