Category Archives: Baseball Breaks

Review: 2012 Panini Prizm Baseball

  By Sports Card Blog | May 20, 2013 - 6:56 pm | ,
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Panini Prizm has been a hit across the board from it’s origins in basketball, through football, and now making its debut in baseball. The product is most similar to the “Chrome” style cards put out by Topps but it has its own Panini twist to them. With the product being a big hit every time it has been released, it will surely be a Panini staple for years to come. Want to see what is in your typical box this year? Check out this review.

Design: 4 and half stars blue

 The design on this product is a design style that will last a long time for this product. The look of the etchings throughout the cards is something you normally only see in another specific product that is a bit similar. The same with the coating, although I much prefer this coating than that of the competitors. It doesn’t smell, it doesn’t warp the cards to bending (at least not yet) and it has a much smoother, almost glass like feel to them. The design is practically flawless. My only issue is that it is possibly TOO shiny or reflective. It’s really a spectacular level of reflectiveness on the product. But the “Prizms” as they call it, “Prizmatics” for myself, are beautiful all the way from the regulars to the golds. Bravo. I also love the insertion of Elite Extra Edition and that design looks great as well.

Checklist: 4 and half stars blue

 Sets like this, with a large base set, a product with many base cards per box, all have the same things in common. They always feature rookies, stars, and Hall of Famers. When it comes to Panini, they usually find room for everyone a collector would want in a set. This is no different. It is full of your top rookies from 2012 along with your top players in the game today and Hall of Famers. I also love the addition of the Team USA license which doesn’t need to be airbrushed. The autograph checklist is actually pretty decent too. Overall, fantastic.

Value: 4 stars blue

 Right now, you can buy a box of this product for $82 at DA Card World. That is actually a pretty good deal for what you get in the product. A couple autographs, some “prizms” and the possibility for a gold/black prizm. There is one thing I keep recommending for this product, and that is to add one or two more levels of “prizms” numbered a little higher. Maybe something numbered to 50 and something numbered to 100. That’s it. I find Topps has too many levels, and I think collectors would like a couple other levels (hobby) that are a bit easier to attain, but not overwhelming for player collectors. And keep a retail version like is out now.

Overall: 4 and half stars blue

Overall, this is a well deserved score for this product. Collectors don’t really care too much about the lack of logos when a product is built this well. I think the design is great, but a few minor tweaks could make it superb and perfect. The checklist is fantastic as well with current players, future players, and former players. The value is pretty decent right now as well, but I think with a couple suggestions could put it over the top as one of the better “base” based products out there.

Thanks to Panini America for providing this product for review. You can find them online on their official site, blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

You can also find the full checklist of this product on Cardboard Connection.

Subscribe to us on YouTube to see the break.

Want to see the cards? Here you go:

Review: 2012 Panini Golden Age Baseball

  By Sports Card Blog | January 11, 2013 - 11:13 am | ,
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Panini’s answer to Allen & Ginter and Champions is here with Golden Age. Like those other products, this isn’t necessarily a baseball product per se, as it does have several non-baseball cards in it, but the majority of cards do have baseball subjects. Each box contains one autograph and one memorabilia card, with autographs and memorabilia spanning the entire spectrum of the product. From baseball players to celebrities and historical events, this product has a lot of features that pay homage to the Golden Age of baseball and history. Let’s see what we got:

 Design:

4 and half stars blue

Panini has showcased that they are very creative when it comes to creating designs that look like they came from the early part of the 20th century. Cooperstown was a great example and now Golden Age continues that trend. The cards look like they came from an age long ago, perhaps a Golden Age. The card design does utilize light colors which adds to the look of an old time set. Paying homage to earlier sets as well, you can find stand ups in the product at a couple per box. Really, the only thing that I didn’t care too much about were the box toppers. Now I love box toppers and pennants are a cool idea, but they just look and feel cheap. I know they were based off a product from 1916, but they don’t feel like it. Eh, could of been better.

Checklist:

4 stars blueBeing a Ginter/Champions like product, you can find a ton of different celebrities of the past and players from multiple sports in this product. There is more baseball than the rest which is good. But the real issue I have is the lack of actual sports memorabilia and autographs. I know you can find celebrity items in other products, but Panini also has their Americana line for those types of cards. I would have like to have had at least one baseball related hit in my review box, which I didn’t get. It’s a bit too much like Americana with baseball cards added. Oh, and don’t forget all the beautiful ON CARD autographs found in this product. Makes them look that much better.

Value:

4 and half stars blue DA Card World is currently selling this product for $72 a box. Actually, that is not a terrible deal at all compared with the rest of the products out there. It actually runs about the same price as Americana with baseball cards. With two hits in a box, it’s not a terrible price and I think it has some value if you can get some of the bigger celebrity, historical, or baseball hits. My hits weren’t fabulous, but female celebrities tend to do better on the secondary market in trading card products so I wouldn’t be surprised if these did well. At a price of $72, you can afford to give this product a shot and try and build a pretty robust set at the same time.

Overall:

4 and half stars blue

Overall, this product is exactly what you would imagine it to be. Panini’s twist on Ginter or Champions with a little bit of Americana in it. If you aren’t into those types of baseball products put out, than this product isn’t for you. I wasn’t even able to pull a baseball player related hit from the product so if that is what you are looking for, it’s not for you either. However, it is a product that is filled with multiple sports figures and major American personalities from the early to mid 1900s. It is a great look at the past and pays homage to the celebrities and trading card industry. Worth the money for a box? If you’re into it, definitely go for it.

A big thank you goes out to Panini America for providing this product for review. You can find them online on their official site, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

You can find the full checklist including all the SP (short print) information over at Cardboard Connection.

And here’s what we pulled from the box…

Review: 2012 Panini Playoff Prime Cuts Baseball

  By Sports Card Blog | December 8, 2012 - 10:58 am | ,
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2012 Prime Cuts has arrived, shortly after 2011 Prime Cuts, and features some of the best cards you can find of the old-timers of the game. With game used jersey swatches from legends and Hall of Famers, to cut signatures, and everything in between, there is the chance to hit something big in every pack/box. Each pack/box provides 2 cards with at least one of them being an autograph. Mine had 3 cards, so I’m not sure exactly what happened there. No complaints on the bonus. So let’s see what we pulled.

Design:

I enjoyed the design of last year’s product and this year provides little change to the successful formula from last season. One of the greatest parts about the design of the product is you often can not tell that the photos are lacking MLB logos. Panini has done a great job in this department since acquiring the MLBPA license and this product is no different. Through all the various designs, they do a good job. I even really like the design of the Team USA autographs, but we’ll have to go more into that later…

Checklist:

The checklist of names in this product is actually pretty decent. You can find everyone from Lou Gehrig to Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, and today’s stars like Albert Pujols and young stars like Yu Darvish. It really is a wide variety of players in this product. One of the highlights is always the old-timers and it is a reason people love to try their hand at this product. Pulling a Cobb or a Gehrig is always a thrill for those lucky enough to pull those cards. The only real issue I have with the checklist is the Team USA cards. Why are they in this product? But that is also a big issue with the…

Value:

Man, a file I don’t use too often. But right now this product is at $150 at DA Card World. For two cards and the possibility of some really weak autographs, like the Team USA autographs, it’s overpriced. Not even really a bit overpriced, but very overpriced. My break wasn’t terrible because I hit that low numbered patch of a superstar. However, I’ve seen some absolutely brutal breaks. If there is a definition for a truly hit or miss product, I think this would fall into it. If you hit a nice signature or a nice memorabilia piece you’ll be happy, but otherwise this product is a tough sell at that price. Good luck if you try it.

Overall:

Somehow this product averaged out to 4 stars. It makes me wonder if I should hold more weight to the actual value of the product you are buying. Do I add in a rating or re-buy value?  The design of the product is pretty well done and that deserves the applause. A non-licensed product is tough to design so they did a good job with that. The checklist while solid as usual for this product, does have it’s serious issues that cause it not to live up to the $150 price tag for two cards. It’s a tough sell at that price, but there is the opportunity for some huge cards.

Thanks to Panini America for providing this box for review. You can find them online on their official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

You can find the full checklist and other information at the Cardboard Connection.

Check out this short video, but one sweet card of a superstar pulled:

 

 

Group Break: 2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Baseball Case Break

  By Sports Card Blog | December 6, 2012 - 2:10 pm |
19 Comments

Group Break as Low as $5!

I have received a case of 2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection baseball. I would LOVE to do a group break with my readers and the product. This product is loaded with hits from just about every team out there. At 3 hits per pack and 1 base, 4 packs per box, and 4 boxes per case, that equates to 48 total hits.

You can find some sweet rookies autographs like Tim Lincecum, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ryan Braun, Josh Hamilton, Adam Lind, Michael Bourn, Delmon Young, Hunter Pence, Troy Tulowitzki, Billy Butler, and more. Just check out this full checklist. There are a couple redemptions in the product, I apologize if one is pulled for you as they are expired. I will send something to replace the expired redemption or you can have the expired redemption yourself, your choice.

Read all the product details here at Cardboard Connection on all the types of cards you can hit. Tons of sweet autographs, patch cards, etc.

So what I’ve done here is painstakingly counted all of the cards in the set and found out the percentage you pull a card based on the team. That is then correlated into a price for each team. Price includes PayPal fees, shipping, and cards you pull. If you get 0 cards (including base), I’ll send you something for joining, probably some packs of cards or something. You are welcome to buy as many teams as you wish. Break will be done simultaneously live on YouTube and BlogTV at a date to be determined (depending on when it fills).

Cards with multiple teams will be randomized unless someone owns the majority of the teams on the card.

Angels – $22
Athletics – $33
Mariners – $22
Rangers – $34
Indians – $22
Tigers – $22 – Gladdy (Confirmed)
Twins – $54
Royals – $5 – Michael Poullas (Confirmed)
White Sox – $22
Blue Jays – $10 – Community Gum (Confirmed)
Orioles – $34 – Waxtopia (Confirmed)
Rays – $22
Red Sox – $64 – Kevin (Confirmed)
Yankees – $59
Braves – $22 -
Marlins – $33
Nationals – $10
Mets – $34
Phillies – $22
Astros – $34 – FieldLevelView (Confirmed)
Brewers – $34 – Michael Decker (Confirmed)
Cardinals – $49
Cubs – $34
Pirates – $5
Reds – $22 -
Diamondbacks – $10
Dodgers – $10 -
Giants – $15 – Adam (Confirmed)
Padres – $34
Rockies – $22

Please respond here if you are interested in purchasing a spot in this group break. First come, first serve on payment. As soon as payment is made, that team will be crossed out.

Break will be December 19th, whether filled or not! Payment is due by that date.

UPDATE: If the break is filled, $100 will be donated to Sandy Hook victims.

Break has been completed. Visit http://www.blogtv.com/users/sportscardblog for the videos!

Review: 2012 Panini Signatures Series Baseball

  By Sports Card Blog | December 6, 2012 - 7:49 am | ,
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2012 Panini Signature Series baseball is out as one of Panini’s premier products that produces penmanship from prospects and pros. All alliteration aside, it’s a product with a three autographs per pack/box along with three parallels. Without the use of the MLB logos, this product is still a great looking set with an old-school Donruss Studio look to it. Let’s see what you can find in a product like this…

Design:

As stated in the introduction, the design is sort of a license-less homage to the former Donruss Studio products. A studio setting face shot, dark background, with a slight appearance of the hat that is cropped out just enough so you know it’s a baseball player. Great use of cropping in the product to give it a great feel. Now most know about my feeling toward manufactured patch autographs, and this product is full of them. If they came up with a different design for that portion of the product, I easily would have given this at least another half star. But we also have the inclusion of faux baseball leather autographs on the Sweet Spot, which I have always loved. I’m glad to see those brought back again in baseball products.

Checklist:

The checklist is heavy on the rookies and short on the veterans. There really isn’t much else to say about that. If you pull one of the stars or legends of the game you’ve got some luck on your side. While the selection of rookies is large, it is still larger than the selection of veterans/legends in terms of variety and numbering. For instance, most of all rookies are numbered to 299…veterans and legends? 25 or less.

Value:

I was actually shocked when while doing my research I saw the original and current price for this product. Right now you can find the product for $97 at DA Card World. I thought that was still too high, but it originally came out at $120. For a product that leans heavy on the rookies, despite the three autographs per box, it feels very overpriced. Even at $97 it feels overpriced. I’ve seen this and other breaks of the product and I can’t justify $120, let alone $100 for this product. I’m not sure why it was priced so highly, but it could definitely use a price drop if Panini wanted to sell more product earlier in the cycle. My one issue with the MAPP is that I shouldn’t have to wait until after it expires to get a price that is accurate.

Overall:

It’s weird going from a huge success in Panini Cooperstown to a semi-fail in this product. The product design is nice, despite not being a huge fan of manufactured patch autographs. The Sweet Spot autographs was a nice addition to the product as it has always had a solid backing in a lot of previous sports card products. The checklist is sort of disappointing, but there are still some really nice autographs to be found in the product. At the price of $120, it’s definitely a no-go. Even at the newly lowered price, it is still a tough break.

Thanks to Panini for providing this product for review. You can visit them on their official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

You can find the full checklist and other information at the Cardboard Connection website.

Video is below, it’s short and sweet.