This is going to be a fun one, and I hope you guys will add some of the ones that I missed. I want to take some time to walk through some of the products that I think are the worst of the new millennium, and holy shit, there have been some fucking terrible ones. Im not talking about the annual shit storms like Prizm and Triple Threads, but more in the vein of individual examples of craptastic diarrhea. Some are so bad you just dont even know what to do. One coming out this week is on the list, and its not even in stores yet. Without further adieu…

2014 Panini Hot Rookies

This could easily be the worst of the worst. To say it was bad is an understatement like saying Barry Bonds only took a few steroids. This was the king of bad. Horrible looking design, horrible airbrushed head shots, sticker autos everywhere and a box format that made people beyond confused. In 2014, Score was a retail only product, so to make it high end, Panini foil stamped a logo over the score brand name on the cards. They printed the cards on rainbow foil, and these things could not look more disgusting. Inside the box, you had a pack of hits, a pack of base cards, and another pack of other cards. It was wrong in every possible way. I could also use 2014 Prestige here too, because they used the same pictures.

2014 Hot Rookies Jadeveon Clowney Purple Auto /50

2014 Hot Rookies Victor Cruz Auto Relic – I guess they forgot to stamp the Hot Rookies logo over the Score one?

2014 Hot Rookies Johnny Manziel Black Auto RC

2008 Topps Lettermen

All I need to say is Sticker autos on manufactured letters and everyone will know exactly what I am talking about. What might be worse is that the box was insanely expensive, and was in the bargain bin before the year was out. Every last possible thing about this product was bad, and that’s going lightly, especially when you see the way the stickers were applied. The funniest part was when they made Superfractors a part of the set for no reason what so ever. I cant make this shit up.

2008 Topps Lettermen Barry Sanders Letter Auto X Fractor

2008 Topps Lettermen Joe Flacco Manufactured Nameplate Auto Booklet

2012 Panini Prominence

For having such a tremendous rookie class, Panini sure put out some terrible products in 2012. Prominence was the worst, combining all the gimmicky and bad elements of sets they had axed and rebranding them under this new product name. Panini is known for trotting out their dog boxes year after year, but the fact that Prominence was one and done should say something about how much of a train wreck it was. Signed rubber helmets, manupatch autos, manuletter autos, and those signed football fields. To be honest, every product that wasnt 2012 Contenders was relatively bad in that year, something that is a shame considering the importance of the class. It could be argued that the success of 2012 Contenders was only because it was a redo of the 1998 set. They really had no success at all from newly created designs that year.

2012 Prominence Andrew Luck Manupatch Auto

2012 Prominence Alshon Jeffrey Manuletter Auto

2012 Prominence Nick Foles Football Field Auto

2015 Panini Spectra

Yes, this is not even in stores yet, but I can already say its on this list. How could anyone resist seizure inducing stock patterns, poor design, and neon colored sticker autographs? Its the holy trinity of suck. Im not sure what is more scary: people at Panini giving this product a green light or that they actually decided to bring it back after 2014’s dumpster fire. Dont open this stuff alone, just in case you have a reaction to your eyes being blinded by the look. Also worth noting the price per box. Good god, what a bloodbath.

Its all here in this preview for your enjoyment if you so desire.

2012 Bowman Draft Picks

This did have on card autos, and it did have a great rookie class to support it. However, the monochrome look to the airbrushing made it so you could not distinguish one player from another. They might as well have used stock photos and we wouldnt have been able to tell the difference. It was expensive, it was ugly, and boy was it bad.

2012 Bowman Draft Picks Andrew Luck On Card Auto

2012 Bowman Draft Picks Ryan Tannehill Helmet Auto Red Ink /15

2012 Bowman Draft Picks TY Hilton Base Auto

2006 Leaf Certified Materials

Someone at DLP (now Panini) thought it was a good idea to design a card with a background resembling a uterus and ovaries. Im not sure I need to say anything else, but it gets better. Clear stickers hadnt been used in DLP products at that point, so the old opaque gray ones were used. Just a ton of fun.

2006 Leaf Certified Vernon Davis Auto Triple Relic

2006 Leaf Certified Larry Johnson Auto Gold

2009 SP Signature Edition

The cards didnt look terrible. The price of the box wasnt outrageous. On the other hand, the checklist was easily one of the worst that had ever been assembled. UD was on the verge of losing their NFL license, and needed to dump a warehouse full of unused sticker autographs. This meant creating 8 way autograph cards with all 8 players being 3rd string scrubs or even out of the league all together. Thats how bad it was.

Just take a look at this search to see the combos on some of these cards.

Quantity does not always equal quality. There are some gems though, you just have to search through thousands of duds to get them.

2011 Panini Contenders

I dont really know why Contenders is such an enormously popular set. Some of the designs have been so bad that they should be joining 2011 on this list. Either way, I was literally floored by how bad the ticket design was for a class that looked pretty solid. Its worth mentioning that Panini tried to add value by photoshopping the tiniest little things to make the cards variations. Things like helmet brand logos, and shit like that. Easily the worst Contenders set there is, which is saying a lot considering 2009 exists.

2011 Contenders DeMarco Murray Auto Ticket BGS 9.5

2011 Contenders Cam Newton Auto Ticket

2011 Contenders JJ Watt Auto Ticket

2007 Ultimate Collection

My complaint with this set is not that the rookie cards looked bad. They didnt. It was every other card in the set. Instead of designing a full set around some nicer looking rookie cards, UD just used one design and changed the text on the card. It wasnt even a good design at that! Let us not forget the Triple Threads-like auto relics either. Consider that this was over 300 a box, and that is just inexcusable.

2007 Ultimate Collection Marshawn Lynch Auto

2007 Ultimate Collection Ladadian Tomlinson Auto

2013 Totally Certified (Well, Every Totally Certfied Set)

I dont understand why Totally Certified exists. Furthermore, I dont know why anyone would CHOOSE to name a set Totally Certified when a product with the name Certified is already in existence. What does being Totally Certfied mean over regular Certified? Awful, awful, awful looking cards that have no business being designed. Micro etched foil is bad to begin with, and TC just made the case more apparent. Stickers everywhere, oddly composed cards that looked like someone made them in MS Paint, plus more. Having one of the shittiest rookie classes of the modern era made this product worse, as if that was possible.

2013 Totally Certified Le’Veon Bell Auto Relic

2013 Totally Certified Eddie Lacy Auto Patch

2008 Topps Finest

In today’s market, Topps Finest might be one of the top products that Topps makes. This was not the case in 2008. The set was a horrible example of how to parallel your refractors, including the usage of Manufactured NFL logo shield patches that, to this day, people argue are real. This is despite the fact that they are not to scale and not well made. The box format was similarly bad, well before 2010’s switch to the current format. Lets just say it, 2008 was not a good year for Topps.

2008 Topps Finest Joe Flacco XFractor Auto BGS 9.5

2008 Topps Finest Darren McFadden NFL Logo Auto /15

Its kind of sad that there are so many I could add to this list, but dont really feel like reliving that horror. Its a gallery of barf to walk through, and that’s just not an experience I want to continue regurgitating.

I think its a good idea for Panini to try to use products like Immaculate to continue using their MLBPA license. It has potential to work well, especially if the cards look as good as they have in other sports. However, if the product quality slips, even in the slightest, we will continue to see the enormous drop off that happened with last year’s product. Bottom line, Immaculate has huge potential to be a winner, but Panini’s consistent decisions to use low cost methods on a high end product is a terrible idea. Lack of on card content, horrible sticker replacements, and points in the product as hit replacements are horrendous ways to devalue the brand in a another sport where you are gum on Topps’ shoe.

For instance, these cards looks great, but think of how much better they would be if done with quality in mind:

2015 Immaculate Kris Bryant Auto Patch Jersey Button /6

2015 Immaculate Jose Abreu / Miguel Cabrera Dual Tag Auto 1/1

2015 Immaculate Jameis Winston Auto RC /10 – Funny that the only good looking football card of the year from Panini is in a Baseball product!

2015 Immaculate Carlos Correa RC Auto Patch Logo

2015 Immaculate Cal Ripken Jr Quad Patch Auto 1/1

These, on the other hand, are straight visual diarrhea, and are laughable attempts at making high end cards:

2015 Immaculate Anthony Rizzo Black Paper Scrap Auto 1/1

2015 Immaculate Kris Bryant Black Paper Scrap Auto

The best cards in the product, in my opinion, are the shadowbox silhouette patch autos and the base shadowbox autos. They look cool and sleek, and can easily stand up against most of what Topps puts out. However, when you decide its a good idea to do 8 boxes per case, the checklist gets relatively watered down. They definitely have that situation here, which is only devalued further with the lack of MLB logos in play. Either way, they are the best cards in the set.

Additionally, many of the auto patch cards, and other autograph cards look really good. The non-baseball autographs look tremendous, and should be some of the biggest draws of the product. The problem is that in every other sport they are all on card, and here – a product that really has no excuse for NOT being on card, 90% of the autos are stickers or sticker replacements. Panini could literally produce these cards at any time with no logos, and have no issues completing the signings as the year progresses. Instead, they are taking the stupid way out and using stickers in all the baseball products. Even cards that were hard signed en masse last year, are stickers this year. Not a good precedent to break at all. These could have been humongous.

The worst cards in the set are easily the nauseatingly terrible black construction paper autos, which are quickly becoming Panini’s new signed manupatch autos. These cards are some of the shittiest cards Panini makes, using the black construction paper as either a sticker replacement (disgustingly bad), or on card (which defies all fucking logic as to why you would use a black area on a white card). The contrast between the white background and the black signature area is bad enough, but to think that someone at Panini believes these to be worthy of being in so many of their products is fucking horrifying. Some of these cards are so bad, I dont even have words. There are people who will come on here and say, “WELL I HAD A GOOD BOX OR TWO! This whole product is awesome!” Yeah, go watch some youtube videos and see if that holds true.

Without a doubt, the main draw of the product are the jumbo 1/1 relics, which feature enormous swatches of some pretty unique items. The issue is that the player picture is relegated to a tiny part of the card, and the rest of the design is basically a foil embellished border. This is where I dont get the hobby. These days, people seem to care more about the content of a relic than the way a card is designed, and it could not make me more frustrated. These would be incredible cards as booklets or as silhouette style cards with a larger player picture, but Panini chooses to save that cost instead making the top cards into true PC centerpieces. Booklets cost more money than a stupid border, so they feel that they can avoid investment instead of making a lasting impact. This product seems to be plagued by this approach in so many ways.

Think about it this way. Look at the way Immaculate is produced in Basketball and Football. Now look at what Panini is trying to sneak through the infield for a dribbling single. Its no wonder the secondary market value took such an enormous hit last year. Similarly, there is no Harper, no Trout, no Puig, and none of the really big name guys that draw huge value. The only two big autograph subjects in the product are Correa and Bryant, both of which will likely be unavailable come next year thanks to exclusive deals. Bryant may not be sewn up yet, but if I had to guess, its coming soon. We also see that guys like Kershaw and company, who were in the product last year, are not making a return appearance. The diluted checklist is responsible for some really bad box breaks, and thats even if you hit one of the bigger things on the checklist.

Then we come to the points. There are points as replacements for hits in this product, which should be borderline illegal. Because Panini doesnt share the hits that the points are replacing, we cannot verify that they actually replaced any missing signers. It could just as well be a way to stretch the run from 6 boxes per case to 8 boxes per case, without producing any cards to fill those slots taken up by points. Sneaky sneaky sneaky.

Overall, Immaculate is a product that singles can produce some really nice cards. That being said, there are so many gaping holes in play that it makes you wonder how anyone at Panini can feel proud of the set as a whole. Thus, this is the problem with Panini all through their entire brand portfolio. The flash is there in a few areas, but when you put the spotlight on things, it showcases the true shit that lies beneath.

First let me state how happy it makes me that Topps previews their products so far in advance. It gives a lot to be excited about, especially with higher end products like this. Supreme is usually one of the final products of the year, and also a product that has gotten considerably more popular each year. Sad thing is that in 2015, it might be one of the last products Topps will make under the current license with the NFLPA. Regardless of the pending loss of license, they seem to be going out with a bang, something collectors should be pretty excited about.

Here are some of the bigger hits from years past:

2014 Topps Supreme Barry Sanders / Emmitt Smith Dual Patch Auto Logo Booklet 1/1

2014 Topps Supreme Tom Brady / Peyton Manning Dual Patch Auto Booklet

2012 Topps Supreme Andrew Luck Jumbo Patch Auto RC

2013 Topps Supreme Joe Montana Quad Patch Auto

Ever since the product's theme changed back in 2011, I have been a huge fan of what it brings in terms of cool looking high end hits. If you hit something nice in Supreme, you are going to hit it BIG. It will be one of the best cards in your collection. Although its extremely disappointing how much of the product is sticker autographs, the cards are well done to the point that it really doesnt matter all that much.

The top draw for Supreme are the jumbo oversized rookie booklet cards, that feature a few different programs that are all awesome. There are nicknames, drawn plays, and other stuff, and the oversized presentation makes it that much more impressive. The other booklets are also a huge draw, including the jumbo logo 1/1s, of which many contain some absolutely fucking ridiculous patches. I own two of them, one of Teddy Bridgewater and one of Adrian Peterson, and they are some of my favorite cards in my collection.

Check these out:

2013 Topps Supreme Drew Brees Jumbo Logo Auto Booklet 1/1

2013 Topps Supreme Marshall Faulk Jumbo Logo Auto Booklet 1/1

Last year, they added on card rookie content for the base cards, which was a huge improvement over the typical stickers of 2009-2013. They are back this year, and they look really, really good. From what usually happens, these cards should have some new rookie signers who made an impact over the year, with a drop of some guys who havent panned out. They are nicely done to boot.

With 2015 just getting on the tracks for the upcoming start of the season, its bittersweet to see that we are already talking about what is going to happen around January/February for the release of Supreme. I want this year to be as slow as possible, especially with the wholesale changes coming in 2016. Panini has never been able to consistently deliver in the way Topps has and will, and its sad that we wont have the same level of competition next year. We need more, and this set showcases some of the main reasons why.

I cant believe we have reached this point. This is really the last time we will have a Topps Football set in this format for the foreseeable future. Although its still possible that a set can be built with non-current players in the future, this is really the end of the set that has existed in some format for the last 60 years. Starting in 2016, Panini will own an NFLPA exclusive, which prevents a big base set of current players. Although giving Panini the rights to the NFLPA makes about as much sense to collectors as Tim Tebow on an NFL roster, it is what it is.

This situation leaves us to enjoy the final year in bittersweet happiness:

2015 Topps Jameis Winston Mini Auto /25

2015 Topps Ameer Abdullah RC Auto SP

2015 Topps Lawrence Taylor 60th Anniversary Auto

2015 Topps Phillip Dorsett Rookie Premiere Auto

2015 Topps Dorial Green-Beckham 1987 Retro Auto

2015 Topps Bryce Petty Rookie Auto SP

This year’s set is definitely a different approach than we have seen in previous years. It has a much more industrial/mechanical feel with the borders, devoid of any real foil embellishments. The base set is definitely something to be excited about, as the photos of the players continue to be some of the best in the game. Cards with full game shots and no real backdrop rarely exist anymore, and I love that Topps continues to make that a part of their flagship sets.

As for the autograph content, I have mixed feelings. Ill start with the stuff that looks REALLY good. Over the last decade plus, Topps has used the Rookie Premiere as an opportunity to get cards hard signed for their base product. As if they didnt already blow Panini out of the fucking water with Inception, they have added even more content to this set with signed retro cards that look awesome. They also have their basic contingent of hard signed other cards that look similar to Inception. The only draw back seems to be a relative SP list that is in play for the first time ever – something that could be a big issue for wax breakers.

In terms of the sticker content, this is where I have my issue. I hate that the base autos and other cards have frames around the stickers, one of my biggest pet peeves. I dont think the autographs need the box at all, and it actually takes away from a design I really like. The retro sticker autos are amazing with a great checklist in contrast, and should end up being VERY sought after.

Topps has a winner on their hands in terms of the look and feel of this set, and I believe that any discrepancies created in SSP rookie autograph content will be offset. It blows that the product has no concrete future, as the heritage of this product is a treasure of the hobby. It remains enormously popular, and the fact that Panini is now the only company that can produce cards is beyond enraging. Bottom line, this set needs to be made each year. End of story. I could give a fuck about league licensing. Obviously, my feelings mean as much as Tajh Boyd’s NFL career, so take it as you will.

Let me start by saying that 2014 Spectra was easily one of the ugliest sets I have ever seen. The cards were fucking disgusting, and made for some vomit inducing moments for the product. My opinion must have been the common feeling, as Panini literally couldnt give the shit away. Distributors had so much trouble moving their stock that they made people order cases of Spectra FB if anyone wanted to order Immaculate basketball. Want the good stuff? Buy this trash first. Leave it to Panini to bring it back again.

Here is how bad Spectra was in 2014:

2014 Spectra Russell Wilson Leading Men Auto Relic

2014 Spectra Sammy Watkins Rookie Auto Relic Blue

2014 Spectra Teddy Bridgewater Auto Relic

2014 Spectra Bruce Smith Auto

Here is how they made Spectra “fresh” for 2015: They took out all the rookie on card autos and replaced them with stickers. Not just any stickers though! Stickers signed in neon colors that correspond to the “seizure friendly” stock patterns. When you see these cards, its tough to believe that there was a person who thought this looked good. Not only did that person believe it looked good, but that it was worth trying in a set with terrible performance. Then its also tough to believe that there was another person who felt the same way, maybe more. Yes, there were multiple sign offs that green lighted this shit show. Sorry, NEON green lighted this shit show!

Either way, the main designs with the GIANT boxes behind the stickers was bad to begin with. Then to add in everything on top of that makes this a legendary fuck up. Panini even had the balls to rip off Topps’ Superfractors, and then cheapen them by putting them in a set with no backbone. After reading the message board threads, its clear that using the pattern has blinded people from how shitty the cards look, but I have lost faith in the collector base long before this happened. I mean, people bought Clear Vision with a straight face, right?

I have honestly given up on Panini’s potential to ever turn their ship around. They do nothing but churn out visual diarrhea like its not a big deal, and that scares the diarrhea out of me. Football cards are doomed if they think this is a good way to go. I hope everyone loves Spectra 2015, because you will need to buy it to get next year’s top basketball product. Have fun with that.