Review: 2014 Panini Playbook Football

A product I have always wanted to open, Playbook returns from Panini for it's fourth time with a much different layout. In the past, Playbook came with four cards per pack/box, now, it comes with two. Both are hits, but how will this effect collectors thoughts on the product, hard to tell. However, I can give you mine and here it is.

Each box of Panini Playbook Football 2014 comes with 2 cards per pack. Both are hits with at least one autograph. Each box will cost ya roughly $90 so it's a big risk with possible big return.

Since this is a very small box, my review will be small as well as there is not too much to discuss. I can immediately jump right to the hits...so here we go!

Hit number one in my pack is of the leagues top running back this season.

I really like the design and layout. The swatch is a nice size as well.

The second and final hit in my box was a booklet. I have seen some boxes that don't come with a booklet per and instead come with another autograph version. So landing a booklet was nice. Not landing a booklet per box however seems kinda odd to me as the product is called Playbook.

My booklet was of Marquis Lee. I am a huge fan of this design and layout. The autograph is signed on-card on acetate. The patch is a nice  4 color swatch and there is a jersey swatch behind the player as well that is enclosed. Also on the player side is a face photo of them hidden behind acetate.

Panini did a great job with these rookie auto/patch booklets. This is however only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the booklets in this product. There are Down and Dirty versions featuring dirt and grass stains on the swatches, Armory that features six pieces of memorabilia and photos that covers the entire card and a new one in Game Of Inches which you just need to go to Panini's Knights Lance blog to check out those beauties! Your jaw will drop. Plus, you can find actual drawn out plays from a playbook done by a player, printing plates, Nike Swoosh and NFL Shield versions. So there is some tremendous stuff to find and all of it looks top notch.

Overall, I am a bit worried about value per box. Other than the one I opened, I have seen quite a few breaks, a case break for example, that wasn't so great. I think the drop off in card amount may hurt the values per box as well. Not having a guaranteed booklet too may hurt as I feel they are the biggest draw to Playbook. However, with this being said, that doesn't mean that there isn't some tremendous values to be had out there in a box of Playbook. You just have to have the luck.

For fun, I thought I would throw this idea out there how I would like to see Playbook be done. Have it extend to 10 packs per box, 4 cards per pack. Put in 3 hits. Have one be a auto/patch booklet, one be a memorabilia booklet card and one be a plain autograph or memorabilia card. Have this be around $100 per box. Stick with the designs like in this product as they were superb! This includes the cards in this box and the other hits as well that were previewed.

If you are a high roller when it comes to boxes, I say why not give Playbook a try as there is some BIG HITS waiting to happen. If you are like me who doesn't like much risk, Playbook isn't for you. That's the easiest way I can say this.

Game of Inches memorabilia booklets feature overized swatches and highlight players reaching out for the touchdown!
Down & Dirty: Down & Dirty Booklets feature game-worn jerseys fresh off the field with dirt and grass stains!
Armory: Look for Armory booklets with six pieces of memorabilia and photos that span the entire card!
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