REVIEW: 2014 Donruss Baseball Series 2Pre

I missed out on Series 1 of Donruss, but made sure I didn't miss out on Series 2. The product has a huge nostalgic feel and is probably the most fun I have opened this year. Read on to see why....

Before I start my review, here are many places you can find Panini America: Their official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. If you don't follow them you should! They interact with you on Twitter, have contests on their blog and Facebook and the site is also fun to visit!

Now onto the review:

BOX BREAK DOWN:  

20 Packs Per Box, 5 Cards Per Pack

Four Autograph or Memorabilia Cards

- See more at: http://www.dacardworld.com/sports-cards/2014-panini-elite-football-hobby-box#sthash.rIpKSdxT.dpuf

• 24 Packs Per Box, 8 Cards Per Pack
• Two Autographs and One Memorabilia Card Per Box
• Around $65 per box 

Another thing to note about each box is that every hobby box will yield more than 50 parallels or inserts on average.

20 Packs Per Box, 5 Cards Per Pack

Four Autograph or Memorabilia Cards

- See more at: http://www.dacardworld.com/sports-cards/2014-panini-elite-football-hobby-box#sthash.rIpKSdxT.dpufPRICE: You can find most boxes around $60 

 

BASE CARDS: Throwback flavor is what I feel with these base cards. Yes, they don't have MLB logos and yes it may drift your mind a little that way, but, they still feel like they came from a time machine to today's era. And if you are nostalgic like me, you are loving it.

Even though I am not a huge fan of borders, in a throwback product like this, they are ok. However, the RC logo on these could have been a bit bigger in my opinion. Maybe balance it out with the size of the Donruss logo.

Press Proof parallels. One is a gold.

Stat Line Parallels

Who doesn't remember these? Donruss The Rookies returns...even with parallels!

Sickest of the bunch....

INSERTS: There are a lot. Simple as that. But, the one thing I will say, is that they not only have the nostalgic appeal, they are also really fun to pull! I was simply blown away by how much fun these inserts were. Some are numbered, some are not. Some look just outstanding. Some look like the original. Some shine and glisten. Some are die-cut. There is a ton of variety with something for everyone.

With 50 plus of these in every box, yes it may seem overwhelming to some, but wait til you bust a box, I promise you will be more excited than overwhelmed.It's not like other baseball products that load up their boxes with what I call "filler inserts". These are truly worth finding.

My favorite inserts other than the Elite Turn Of The Century and Status parallels, are The Elite Series and Elite Dominators. Both cards have the cool refractor cracked iced appeal. They are something I can't take my eyes off from.

  

AUTOGRAPHED CARDS:I beat the odds pulling an extra auto in the box but I have seen many breaks where there are extra hits. All three autographs were stickers with two being rookies including a Kolten Wong Red Status auto numbered to 25 and the other being a front runner for AL Cy Young. I think the sticker autos blend in well on the Elite cards however especially with all of the shine. These look even more impressive in person.

Other fun autographed finds in Donruss Series 2 is Passing The Torch, featuring a double-sided autographed card with a star player from today signature on one side and a star player from the pasts signature on the other. The other great autograph chase is Recollection Collection featuring buyback autographs from today and yesterday's players.

MEMORABILIA CARDS: Making its return for the first time since 2005, Jersey Kings and Bat Kings include a swatch of jersey or bat. There is also a Prime parallel version of these numbered to 25 printed on Canvas stock.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:LOVE IT! This was by far the most fun I have had this year in a break. All of the inserts were fun chases and I was excited to open the next pack to see what I could find. There is a lot of nostalgia going on in here as well.

The biggest thing for most collectors will be the great value you get in every box. You pay $65 for a ton of cards, at least 3 hits, possible rookie cards of Abreu and Tanaka, inserts that can be low and high numbered and just a good time busting. In this box alone I got three autos, a memorabilia card, two numbered Abreus including a low numbered one and lots more. If you are looking for something fun to open with a chance at something big, Donruss Series 2 is the way to go!