I completely get people not liking non-licensed Panini products. Back in my earlier days of collecting airbrushed hats and uniforms on oddball sets were troubling to me. If I had to pick between licensed and unlicensed cards, the choice would be simple. However I have taken a liking to many of the products Panini has produced over the past few years. The 2012-13 Cooperstown sets were amazing - full of Hall of Famers, some great autos and really nicely designed insert sets. Prizm is a pretty solid product, I really like the colored parallels. The nostalgia of the Donruss product has reeled me in and I have completed the sets the last 2 years.
There is a set that I have found some new appreciation in, Prime Cuts. I have never purchased a pack of these but I have watched a few breaks on Youtube. I recently did an eBay search for 2012 Prime Cuts and scrolled through the cards. I put in some low bids for some cards and ended up losing out on many of them but I was able to bring this group home.
This card works perfectly well without a logo based on the photo selection. It is a Rated Rookie Auto of Giants backup catcher Hector Sanchez. He is a switch hitter who seemed to show some promise a couple years back but with the rise of Andrew Susac, Hector has dropped to 3rd on the depth chart. I predict he won't be in SF in 2016, he would make a good #2 catcher for another team instead of sitting at 3rd on the Giants depth chart. This card is serial numbered 117/149 and I think Sanchez has a pretty nice signature.
Next up is a card I believe is considered a base card out of 2011 Prime Cuts. This didn't come from my eBay search, I got it from a seller on Sportlots but the 2011 version is similar in nature to 2012 and equally nice. The missing hat and jersey logos are a little more apparent here but the overall design of the card is really nice. This card is serial numbered 59/99 and I was really happy to pick it up.
Another Buster card, this one showcasing 6 jersey pieces spelling out his first name. I believe this is considered a nickname version and I have seen another one that spells out Posey. In an ideal world, his hat/head wouldn't get cut off but it isn't too terrible. The overall design is again great, Panini must put a lot of attention into the card design. This card is 14/25.
The final card in this post helps illustrate one of the reasons I am such a big fan of this set. This is a bat relic from Giants HOF first baseman, George Kelly. He starred for the Giants in the 1920s and these sets are the only way to pick up a relic from his playing career at a reasonable price. This card is 85/99 and I was able to pick it up for about $15 delivered. There are a bunch of old timer relics in this product and many are very reasonable on the secondary market.
Could it be better, sure but with these good looking cards it is good enough for my collection.
Unlicensed stuff is fantastic, people tend to shy away from it so good deals can almost always be had. Great pickups!
ReplyDeleteI really like some of Panini's designs... especially ones like Cooperstown... but lack of logos prevent me from really chasing them... unless it's super dirt cheap. That Buster jersey card is AWESOME. Makes me want to track down a copy and find the one with Posey spelled out too.
ReplyDeleteI'm a frequent purchaser of Panini products. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteIf done right these non-licensed cards can look pretty good. I've got a few random Panini baseball cards in my various collections. I agree, the Donruss cards pulled me in.
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