In the past, Bowman Sterling has been quite the thorn in my side, as the cards have looked nice, but really dont offer much to necessitate the ridiculous price tag that is attached to the front of the box. For the first time, with 2014, I really dont like the design, which makes the price significantly less appealing than it already was.

Here are some of the big hits so far:

2014 Bowman Sterling Blake Bortles Superfractor Auto 1/1

2014 Bowman Sterling Drew Brees Auto Red /50

2014 Bowman Sterling Teddy Bridgewater / Johnny Manziel Dual Patch Auto

2014 Bowman Sterling Odell Beckham Jr Patch Auto

2014 Bowman Sterling Paul Richardson Superfractor Patch Auto 1/1

I get what they are trying to do, almost creating a Sword looking presentation in the metallic type background of the card. I think that this might have worked for a product like Valor on regular stock, but with this stock, it takes away from the look of the card, making it more dark than anything.

Chrome and Topps usually are a match made in collector heaven, as the simplicity of the approach to many of the designs lend themselves very well to the stock. Panini has failed so massively with this approach that it makes their Prizm cards look about as hideous as they come. Unfortunately,

Bowman Sterling doesnt really match up with any Chrome style product that Topps does, and it suffers due to the failure. I just dont think that simplicity carried over in the same way. As a result, the majority of this set is horrible looking. Add in that these cards are sticker autographs throughout the entire run and it becomes one of the worst buys for the money it costs.

I have said this week that any product with Superfractors will sell, but I just dont see it here. Bowman Sterling has been around for a long time, but someone needs to do a mercy killing here. This is a disaster, even more so with the fact that it was released on the same day as Topps Platinum. Why they would pit these two against each other is beyond me.

I find this kind of funny. When Topps Platinum was released back in 2009, I hated it. I hated it so much that I pretty much took a week to blast it to shreds on this site. Since that time, it has actually become a pretty solid product that gives some really nice content.

Here are some of the bigger hits posted so far:

2014 Topps Platinum Johnny Manziel Auto Jumbo Patch Refractor

2014 Topps Platinum Odell Beckham Gold Refractor Auto /15

2014 Topps Platinum Mike Evans Red Refractor Auto /5

2014 Topps Platinum Sammy Watkins Pulsar Refractor Auto /50

The thing is, Platinum usually doesnt come this late in the year, which has hurt the equity it might have had in the market. Its usually the product released right after Finest, and that gives a lot of weight to the on card autographs that make this product so awesome.

This year’s product is still the same format as it always has been, with an improved design and an improved class over 2013. Yet, because we have already had Chrome and Finest, all of a sudden Platinum becomes less of a big deal. Platinum used to come out before there were on card autos with photo shoot pictures, now Chrome's release takes that away.

I really like the base design this year, as the way the layout is done gives things a very good look overall. The swooping lines and fluid design of the borders are really nice, and this is amplified when adding in the on card autographs on the RCs.

The base patch auto design is also solid, as the Chrome stock and team color embellishments really do well for this type of a card. I really hate that they used a big white box approach for the colored refractors, as it really takes away from a really nice looking card. Man I fucking hate the big white box. Ugh.

Bottom line, any product that has Superfractors will sell, and though the SP list is in full effect, no one will have a problem dropping 90 bucks for a chance at a really nice card. I just wish it was easier to pull the big names, which we all know cant happen due to the cost of production. Just takes away from an overall better experience with this stuff, and that is a bad thing. However, when you do pull a big hit, lets just hope the SP factor will help the value. With Chrome, so far, it hasnt, so I am not going to hold my breath.

Love him or hate him, Johnny Manziel is this year’s top rookie. His cards continually sell above many of the other rookies, and that wont change for now. He has even crossed over to Baseball, where Topps released an autographed card commemorating his draft status by the Padres in the 2014 Amateur Draft. His fame and his celebrity status have dictated some big numbers this year, and though I am not a fan at all, I can appreciate his importance.

His cards have come up considerably since he was named starter:

2014 Bowman Sterling Johnny Manziel Auto Blue Wave Refractor

2014 Topps Chrome Johnny Manziel Auto Inscription RC

2014 SPX Johnny Manziel Auto Patch Blue with Inscription

2014 Finest Johnny Manziel Auto Refractor RC

The unfortunate part is that because the Browns have played as well as they have to this point, Manziel has spent the season on the bench. This has led to speculation, deep probes into off the field situations that have come up, and a dip in his hobby value. As of yesterday, he became the starting QB for the Browns, and allowed many collectors to jump back on the bandwagon. The question is whether or not this is good news or bad news.

Good News

The good news is that we get to see what he has, all in the chase for a playoff spot in the AFC. If Manziel comes in, leads the Browns to the promised land, and plays well along the way? Huge money, a la Tim Tebow back in 2010. With the biggest releases of the year still to come, as this time of year is a very big deal for the hobby. Like I said above, love him or hate him, 2014 almost hinges on his success. Although the WR class has done very well without his services, they dont sell like QBs sell.

If Manziel can light it up (figuratively, haha), 2014 will become a pretty damn good year for cards as we close things out. It might negate the rough start many products have had as a result.

Bad News

The bad news is the same as the good news in some respects, as we will get to see exactly what he has (again, a la Tim Tebow). Manziel had a lot of questions about his ability to compete at the NFL level, leading to Blake Bortles being drafted ahead of him. He is undersized, erratic, and has already displayed some issues with composure on the sidelines. One could easily argue he hasnt fared well under the scrutiny that comes with his position, and collectors have caught on.

If Manziel stinks, which is a big possibility, the 2014 high end products that he will be featured in will take a hit. Being that they are already feeling the effects of Manziel’s time on the bench, that is not a good situation.

Dont get me wrong, three games is not a big sample size, and no FINAL decisions should be made based on this timeframe. On the other hand, we know how collectors are.

Legacy is a strong word in the hobby, and Contenders is definitely one of the products that has managed to secure a pretty strong one. However, Im not sure its been the most deserving of said legacy, with many years of the product’s concept and design being very below what we have seen from other sets released. This includes the ones released by Panini themselves. Its puzzling for me in that respect, how so much of Contenders is about what is in the set, not what is ON THE CARDS.

Here are some of the worst of the worst Contenders designs, and this is only a handful:

2003 Contenders Tony Romo Auto Ticket BGS 9.5 – Giant foil stickers with huge text “Rookie” 5 times on the card, Yay!

2008 Contenders Joe Flacco Auto Ticket BGS 9.5 – Only Panini knows why the word “Rookie” needed to be displayed in huge text over the player.

2009 Contenders Matthew Stafford Auto Ticket – Text keeps getting bigger for some reason. At least on card, but who cares at this point?

2011 Contenders DeMarco Murray Rookie Ticket Auto – This is honestly the worst Contenders design of the run. Horrible presentation.

There are some good ones, but not enough to redeem our infatuation:

2010 Contenders Dez Bryant Auto Ticket BGS 9.5 – Even though it was almost ruined by the stupid foilboard, the design itself is awesome.

1998 Contenders Randy Moss Rookie Ticket Auto – this one is the best of all time, hands down.

2013 Contenders Eddie Lacy Rookie Ticket Auto – Terrible class, but much better design

One of the main reasons that I have loved Chrome as much as I have is because it rarely disappoints in the way of how the cards look. With the exception of a few years, the product has exceeded the legacy even that set has cultivated within the hobby. Even in a year like 2014, when the product is so overproduced that no one can pull anything out of any box, it is still delivers highly coveted cards.

With Contenders, it seems to accomplish some of what Chrome does DESPITE design work that I find to be even the slightest bit visually appealing. Funnier still, the year of the product that everyone points to as the best in recent memory is actually a retro design from 1998. The cards that Panini was responsible for turned out to be just as horrendous as many of the other years they put together.

You would expect that a product, responsible for some of the worst looking cards of the modern era, would never be able to stand the test of time. Instead it remains one of Panini’s best selling sets. That is what I dont get. If a product never seems to measure up in the design department, and the cards arent up to par in many ways, why is it so popular on a continual basis?

One cannot deny that the Peyton Manning Rookie Ticket and the Tom Brady Rookie Ticket represent two of the more iconic modern football cards in existence. Brady even more represents Contenders’ approach as a late round pick getting love on an expansive checklist. That being said, I have yet to see any card outside of those two that really looks all that great, as long as you include Luck as an extension of the 1998 layout from the iconic Manning.

This year’s set, as previewed again today, is very much in the same vein as many of the other Contenders sets of years past. Horribly ugly rainbow and regular foil stock, terrible design work with huge text and separated areas for the signature, and a clear representation that Contenders does not represent the best of the best Panini products.

As I mentioned in a post when the preview was first released, the design for the Rookie Ink set is FAAAAAAAAR superior to the ticket design for 2014, even to the point where Im curious if someone messed up. The Rookie Ink IS ACTUALLY demonstrative of the ticket motif used in previous sets, right down to the faux perforation at the bottom of the “ticket” area. I dont get it one single bit.

Most importantly of all of this consideration is that this will be the only game in town come 2016. Because it is abundantly clear that the NFL cares more about the money that Panini can provide, I would guess this stuff will continue to not make one bit of difference to anyone in a decision making position. I have gotten multiple reports that Panini does not foster an environment that would allow for collector feedback to be incorporated into the set design, so I DO NOT expect this style to change. Panini has their way of doing things, so get on the train or watch it leave. That means the unsustainable nature of the sports card business in football will continue to spiral out of control. Not just because of poor skills of Panini’s design team, but because they have shown time and time again that they are unable and unwilling to adapt.

Collectors will continue to buy Contenders in the shadow of Manning and Brady, but may never again get to experience a great looking card that we deserve.

As I have mentioned before, Chrome is one of my favorite sets of the year by far. I love the look of the cards, the design, and of course, the on card autographs. In the past, Chrome has consistently delivered the highest valued chase cards of the year, mainly because of how much prestige the Superfractor maintains within the hobby. That doesnt mean the product isnt without SIGNFICANT issues this year. Here are some of the worst of the worst.

Print Run

In the past, Topps has determined the print run for Chrome (and many other sets) according to the volume of pre-orders received from many different parties. This year was one of the first years where that apparently did not happen. As a result, this is easily the highest volume run of Chrome ever printed, and that’s putting it lightly. If you remember back to 2012, the run was higher too. As a result, there were similar issues, but the quality of the class helped mask them.

People on message boards have estimated that there are THOUSANDS of cases printed above the normal run, and not all of them are sold yet. That means that the box price is going to plummet as it heads to close out, making it more difficult to get out of this product what you put in.

Ripples of Said Print Run

Because the print run is so ridiculously high, that means there needs to be more cards printed to fulfill it. More base cards, more refractors, and of course more autographs. You would think that adding more cards to the run would be a win, but it just makes the serially numbered cards that much more difficult to pull.

It also means that the better autographs of the better players are close to impossible, even though the number of cards they signed is comparable to previous years, if not a little more. Guys like Bridgewater, Manziel, Watkins and company have the normal amount of autographs we usually see, but lets be honest, you will have to bust through 4 more cases to have a shot.

Because it costs a ton of money to get "Money Manizel" to sign a thousand more cards, he is not the card that Chrome is loaded with. It will be guys that Topps can get for pennies on the dollar, and that is a huge problem for people who are buying a box at a time. Hell, its just as big a problem for the mass case breakers as well.

The scary part of this whole situation is that when you do pull a top autograph, they ARENT worth that much more than they normally would be. So, in theory, its just longer odds to get the cards you want. If this was a year like 2012, I think this wouldnt be as hard a pill to swallow, but no one is playing up to that standard yet. Of course, Topps didnt know that when they signed the order, but still.

Refractor Cases

Collation on this product, especially in the type of refractors in every case, is not even close to adequate. There are entire cases of Chrome that have nothing but refractors of Veterans, based on reports from case breakers, which is horrible. The veteran refractors are not why people buy Chrome, and that means that you will be stuck with dud refractors to match your dud autographs. Ouch indeed.

Add this into the fact that color refractors are harder to pull (and have similar value to previous chrome releases), and all of a sudden there is a larger problem at bay. Chrome is a product built for both the high end chasers and the set collectors, and this year is creating a chase that no one wants to complete.

Why Do These Problems Exist?

I love Chrome’s cards this year. They are not only great looking, but are defintely worth checking out even if you are frustrated with your break. I think that we have a situation where Topps knew that they could take advantage of the hobby’s attachment to Chrome, and they did it in quite the sneaky way. Although pack odds remain listed on the side, no one really reads them. They just buy because, like me, they love Chrome. Not knowing what is going on, they may not walk away with the understanding they should be having, and that creates some intense dissatisfaction with the product. For a company to do this on a brand with a potential to remain at the top? Product suicide. Remember, there is only one more year of this left, and Topps knows that we want to get our fill before it goes away. Personally, as a business, I dont blame them. Its a good move.