Review: Totally Certified Football 2012

First off, I would like to say thanks to the WONDERFUL people at Panini America for providing us with this box to review. Here are many places you can find Panini America: official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. If you don't follow them at all..you should! They talk to you on Twitter, have contests on their blog and Facebook and the site is also fun to visit!

Box Break Down:

• 6 Packs Per Box, 5 Cards Per Pack
• (4) Autographs/Memorabilia Cards Per Box!
• (1) On-Card Rookie Autograph Per Box
• $115 a Box 

 

BASE CARDS:The base design, just like last years, brings me back to 1997 when this product first debuted. Its micro etched technology is awesome. The players have a 3D appeal and seem to jump out at you.Though not many cards in a box, this is a very set worthy looking base cards.

INSERTS: The inserts, though they are parallels and look great only getting one was a little odd. The blue ones, are numbered 199. I think it would be fun to put together a rainbow of the many parallels from this product.

AUTOGRAPHS: 4 autographs in this box was a nice haul. Having your big pull as a redemption of a okay player not so much. Harrison Smith was a nice pull and the autographs against the micro etched technology really stand out with the blue ink used for the autographs. Not to mention, the use of sticker autos here for you sticker auto haters you really can't see them. They blend in with the silver etched cardboard.

  

JERSEY/PATCH CARDS: Just like with the autographs, the jersey cards stand out. Even with white plain one color swatches the micro etched red (the other parallels too) just stand out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: If this product was all about the design, I would have 5's straight across the board. No matter the color, the micro etched just look nice with the base cards, autos, jerseys and the combos. But I have to be honest with you guys about this particular break. I would say this was a poor break of the product. I have seen some great ones and some tremendous cards pulled, but this wasn't it. Only 1 insert, a redemption as the big auto hit, and just no parallels to anything it was just not a good break this time. However, I am not steering you away from this product. There is way too much to find in this product to be turned away. I actually recommend it. Panini did a great job with design and the autographs such as this big hit that came from Cardsmith breaks:

Numbered 5/5 is just an example of the big hits waiting to happen. Just because we had an off box, doesn't mean you will.

RATINGS:  Bloggers Note: Our ratings are based specifically on the blaster, box or packs we opened and do not express what the overall product could bring. Ratings based on a 1-5. 1 Being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
                Packaging: 5
                Base Design: 5
                Insert Design: 5
                Memorablila/Autographs: 5
                Blaster, Hobby Box, or Pack Value: 3

Box Breakers: 1 Rack Pack of Topps Football 2012 With some LUCK

My Mother in Law is pretty awesome! Hate to brag..but I have too. Everytime she goes and takes a trip to Walmart or other shops she stops by the card section to make sure her favorite Son in Law gets a little something. Its different every time in what she gets and how much...this time it was a rack pack of Topps Football 2012. I don't argue with her on what she chooses...I just open whatever she brings.

Here was my results..pretty awesome!

Base Card

Other Rookies and stack of base cards with some star players

David Wilson..pretty stoked on that and Weedon and Sanu who killed my Giants

Here is my first Luck from Topps..gotta take any of him you can!

4 inserts total.

And a auto card numbered to 100. Now he is not a star per say but odds of hitting it is 1:720 so not going to argue.

I would rate this break an easy...

5/5

REVIEW: 2012 Panini Gridiron Football

First off, I would like to say thanks to the WONDERFUL people at Panini America for providing us with this box to review. Here are many places you can find Panini America: official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

We are going to start a new review process starting with this product. Just the wanting to showcase the cards more in-depth is the aim here. Let us know your thoughts on our new set up for reviews.

Box Design

Box Break Down:

• 18 Packs Per Box, 8 Cards Per Pack
• (4) Autograph or Memorabilia Cards Per Box!
• Boxes Run around $110

Find one of these per pack with codes you enter for a shot to win a trip to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame!!

Base Card Front

Base Card Back

More very photographic base cards

Base Rookie Card

Back of a Base Rookie Card

BASE CARDS: The base cards in Gridiron are spectacular. The photos are stunning and make you feel like you are apart of the action. Some even make you remember that play or special moment. With little border (border consists of a players name in silver and with a team colored background) these base cards really are all about telling a story. The rookie cards are found one per pack. The one thing I have against the base cards is the black on the back. It leads to easy noticed dings. And in our box anyways, we couldn't get a base set put together.

This is how the base set breaks down:

200 Commons
100 Rookies
And if you want to put together a master set you will also need the 35 Gridiron Gems Autographs.

Rookie X parallel

Back of the parallel numbered to 100

X parallel numbered to 250

Gold X parallel numbered to 100

4 other insert sets. The bottom Air Command is the Gold Parallel numbered to 100.

INSERTS: The designs for the inserts are not bad and most seem to have numbered parallels of. The one complaint would be the X parallels. You get three per box on average, {(3) Silver X's, (2) Crash Course, (2) Arms Race, (2) Aerial Assault, and (2) Monday Night Heroes per Box} but you can't honestly tell the difference between them and a base card without feeling the card. Yes..there is a indented X in the card. I could only tell when going through the cards to sort them something felt different about one of them and at first I thought it was a printer error. But I turned the card over to find out it was numbered and after further investigation finding it was a silver X parallel. Just look at the Ray Lewis and Troy P and tell me if you can tell?

 

AUTOGRAPHS:With at least 2 per box on average, you get a nice variety. I seem to be stalked by Bengals DT Devon Still as that is my third auto of his this year. The autograph design is the rookie one but with a red color X in the back behind the player. However..I really loved the Gridiron Gems rookie autos. Though my player may never step foot on the playing field, any card that has an oversized jersey swatch that is signed and that you can pull in and out (indent to pull it out at the top of card) is alright with me.

 

JERSEY/PATCH CARDS: This box landed this sick, sick patch.These prime pieces are numbered to 49.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This product provides 1. great base cards to collect, 2. at least two autographs but you would have to assume most have 3 which gives you less of the game jersey and player worn jersey experience and 3. a deep checklist of auto's. Other than the X parallel there wasn't too many negatives about this product. The box seemed well worth the price. And you never know what kind of Gridiron Gem you could find.

RATINGS:  Bloggers Note: Our ratings are based specifically on the blaster, box or packs we opened and do not express what the overall product could bring. Ratings based on a 1-5. 1 Being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
                Packaging: 5
                Base Design: 5
                Insert Design: 3
                Memorablila/Autographs: 4
                Blaster, Hobby Box, or Pack Value: 4