Panini has put a load of confusion in this matter recently. When it came to ITG and Upper Deck's terminology, anything but an actual logo, number, nameplate, sleeve/shoulder patch or NHL crest was considered a jersey swatch. Panini was going along with it until this year when they introduced "Prime" swatches consisting of collars, seams and multicolored pieces. I personally think that it was their way to be allowed to up their production count without taking a hit (dropping another set, charges, etc.), for they called it another parallel.
What gets me is that Panini just slaughtered their reputation and amazing sets with this practice. The Prime are occasionally numbered to the same serial that the Patches are numbered, which may cause confusion... but there is the shady factor too. Haha! It will never stop as long as someone gets money from it. The seller gets money, eBay gets money and PayPal get money. That's all that this is about for some people. All we can do is things like Bruce did and warn people about what they are buying. This thread is a good one for that, and I hope that some of the newer collectors can see this and know that they have to be wary when purchasing on eBay.
Randi
What gets me is that Panini just slaughtered their reputation and amazing sets with this practice. The Prime are occasionally numbered to the same serial that the Patches are numbered, which may cause confusion... but there is the shady factor too. Haha! It will never stop as long as someone gets money from it. The seller gets money, eBay gets money and PayPal get money. That's all that this is about for some people. All we can do is things like Bruce did and warn people about what they are buying. This thread is a good one for that, and I hope that some of the newer collectors can see this and know that they have to be wary when purchasing on eBay.
Randi