[home plate 1989]

I am actually pretty upset right now with Panini Product Management. I busted an 8-Box Case of Panini Titanium earlier this month on Hobby Release and was pretty happy with the results (you can see below)
http://forloveofhomeplate.com/panini-tit...than-gold/

But what is upsetting to me is the announcement today by Panini of a Titanium Retail release at $20 a Blaster Box where you get guaranteed 2 RCs per box along with the potential for a 3rd RC in every box.

Now I know it is a Retail Exclusive version of the RC, but it still features a cool Event/Game worn swatch and looks pretty clean in the Titanium style.
http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com/2014/...ue-subset/

For those who don't know the Sales Sheet on Titanium Basketball hyped how HARD the RCs are to get and that ONE could be found in every 8 box case!!!

So the message is screw the Hobby stores and make a more desirable product to be found in retail?

Thoughts from fellow collectors?

[taffster74]

I think they're just making a product more accessable to the general collectors. As you said, the rookies are retail exclusive, so they'll definitely be much cheaper than the hobby version. It's like what Upper Deck Did with 07-08 Ultra SE - all the cards were the same in regards to design, but the hobby versions were more desirable and thus fetch bigger dollars. Yes, it may have been better if Panini had done Titanium retail as they did 2009-10 Absolute retail and Donruss Elite retail and have no rookies, but we all know how cheap those two retail versions are to pick up. Personally, i'd be happy just to be able to get a rookie. Maybe its the hobby version that is a big screw you to the hobby.

[home plate 1989]

I think they're just making a product more accessable to the general collectors. As you said, the rookies are retail exclusive, so they'll definitely be much cheaper than the hobby version. It's like what Upper Deck Did with 07-08 Ultra SE - all the cards were the same in regards to design, but the hobby versions were more desirable and thus fetch bigger dollars. Yes, it may have been better if Panini had done Titanium retail as they did 2009-10 Absolute retail and Donruss Elite retail and have no rookies, but we all know how cheap those two retail versions are to pick up. Personally, i'd be happy just to be able to get a rookie. Maybe its the hobby version that is a big screw you to the hobby.

What it is funny is I think the Retail RCs with a piece of Game Used/Event Used Jersey look a LOT better than the refractor like RC cards found in Hobby. Those RC cards in Hobby may be serial numbered (and hard to hit) but they don't look as cool in my opinion!

$20 for 2 RCs = Retail
$1500 for 2 RCs = Hobby

[arabiansnowgriz]

I personally like that fact that they have the product available in retail for that price. We need new young collectors out there, not everyone can afford a hobby box. I wouldn't be able to afford hardly anything if I started collecting now as a kid, heck, hardly can now.

[TBarn291]

I don't think the retail is a bad idea, but they definitely shouldn't have made the RCs in retail anywhere near as nice as the hobby. One of the biggest draws for Titanium was the limited RCs, that and the price wasn't bad. I would be kind of pissed that waited this long to announce it if I was spending money on cases or even boxes when the product first dropped.

[home plate 1989]

I don't think the retail is a bad idea, but they definitely shouldn't have made the RCs in retail anywhere near as nice as the hobby. One of the biggest draws for Titanium was the limited RCs, that and the price wasn't bad. I would be kind of pissed that waited this long to announce it if I was spending money on cases or even boxes when the product first dropped.

I agree - I LOVE trying to draw in NEW collectors - but it seems at times they alienate their current core hobby base. Manufactures make Ultra-High End products because that is what the core collectors want....see Group Breaks and Big Hit Posts. But when you take a product that is close to $100 in Hobby stores and then you undercut it with a $20 product that produces equally cool hits....it starts to create channel conflict.

If you want NEW YOUNG collectors make affordable Retail Only products. When I was a kid (dating myself here) in the early 80's I could buy a pack with change! (25 cent era for me) The base sets were LARGE - so hitting that favorite player or rookie felt like an accomplishment. Plus I believe parents were more inclined to drop 50 cents or $1 for a pack that was at the check-out counter.

Perhaps lower end product....with redemption cards only for any hits to deter pack searchers would be a way to bring back the kids.

[carrollm09]

As much as I'd like to deter pack searchers, I don't know many kids who would get as excited over a redemption as card in hand. I mean... It'd be like getting one of grandma's savings bond, because 4 months is like forever. But my only experience with redemptions as a kid was getting a 1993-94 UD Behind the Glass set redemption for Christmas, because those packs were on sale, the redemption having expired a year (359 days) earlier.

[djohn]

I actually hate when they make retail versions that are different than hobby versions. I would rather see astronomical odds for retail and get the same product, then have a completely different version of the product between hobby and retail. Every time they do this the retail version ends up being much less desirable, and only causes confusion as some sellers won't distinguish between hobby and retail and in a few years new collectors will come in and not know there were differences and end up getting hosed by buying the retail versions thinking they were hobby versions.

[home plate 1989]

I actually hate when they make retail versions that are different than hobby versions. I would rather see astronomical odds for retail and get the same product, then have a completely different version of the product between hobby and retail. Every time they do this the retail version ends up being much less desirable, and only causes confusion as some sellers won't distinguish between hobby and retail and in a few years new collectors will come in and not know there were differences and end up getting hosed by buying the retail versions thinking they were hobby versions.

What I found disturbing about this scenario is I feel the card design and "value" put into each RC card on retail was better than the Hobby! Hobby RCs are foil stamped to a low number with some refractor like technology. While the Retail RC has 5 different photo versions for each player (20 card set) and a swatch of event worn/game worn jersey inserted.

Will be interesting to see the value they command but candidly they are very clean looking cards.

[rjcj2017]

I think the comparison here is apples and oranges.

No one is going to confuse the hobby "1:8 cases foil version" with some token jersey card that will sell for $5 if you're lucky.

I actually applaud Panini for doing this.

For example, last year's Threads blasters were TERRIBLE.

I mean, you were lucky to get two regular inserts and one "red" retail base parallel.

Even this year, most Prestige blasters had a jersey or an auto, but the collation seemed really bad.

I mean, my five autos have been a Bruce Bowen/50, two Marquis Daniels and two John Lucas IIIs.

My jerseys have been DeShawn Stevenson (really?), Gerald Wallace and two Tristan Thompsons.

So no rookie autos or jerseys.

I live too far from my LCS to make it there more than once every few months, so I depend on retail for most of my collection.

I'll definitely pick up a couple of these and see how it goes.