Early Preview: 2012 Panini Playbook Football

In March 2013 Panini will be releasing 2012 Playbook Football, a high-end set consisting of all autographs and memorabilia cards. Each $200 box will contain 4 cards; one Rookie Booklet RC, one autograph and two memorabilia cards. There will be 3 boxes in each 10-box case that contain three autographs and one memorabilia card though. There are 1/1 versions of the Rookie Booklet RC that contains printing plates.

The set includes:

Playbook Materials: Booklets featuring up to eight swatches of game-worn material spelling out unique words and #/99 or less; there are Prime jersey versions #/49 or less.

 

Rookie Playbook Materials: Booklets featuring up to eight swatches of event-worn material spelling out unique words for each rookie and #/199 or less. There are also on-card autograph versions with two different die-cut phrases.

 

Rookie Signatures: Autographs from top rookies and #/149 or less; there is also a Black 1/1 parallel.

 

Accolades Signatures: Autographs from some of the top NFL players of all time and #/49 or less.

 

Fabled Fabrics: Game-worn jersey relics from the NFL’s greatest and #/99 or less; there are prime versions #/49 or less.

Looking through the preview it seems well over-priced. The Rookie Booklet RC cards are pretty cool with a jumbo prime patch, jumbo relic and an on-card floating auto but that is about it. The Playbook Materials look an awful lot like Topps’ Triple Threads and the rest of the cards could have easily ended up as “hits” in a low-end product. When you pay $200 for a box you deserve more than sticker autographs (Rookie Signatures and Accolades) and event-worn relics (Rookie Playbook Materials).

 

I have a feeling that unless you pull a top rookie or superstar booklet card you are looking at a bunch of $5 cards and a feeling of regret.