[JMarchand1981]

I have been a pretty big supporter of Panini this year. It is just getting ridiculous now. I am so done with the 12-13 draft class that I am just into Panini to complete the Anthology set. I have about totally lost interest at this point. It is an example of just too many releases that essentially have the same idea.

So many of these releases are basically parallel releases. Absolute, Limited and Timeless are the same product with different designs. Hoops and Panini base, same thing. Prestige, Threads, Contenders. All the way down the line. The only "new" idea was Prizm...and that was an old idea that went away(Topps Chrome) and then came back and is now a new idea from Panini. I actually LIKE some of these products. Marquee was unique but it seems like they just...threw some new ideas into one set. I wouldn't be surprised is one or two of the ideas from this stuff becomes its own product next year.

I actually have pretty damn good luck busting wax so believe me, it isn't sour grapes on my part. Redemptions bug me too. I think that is its own issue though.

Am I the only one bothered by this? Again, I have good luck with wax so I am the last person pulling a "woah as me" here. It is the watering down of the 2012-13 Rookie draft class. Also, I can see why some guys only bust the older products. If you get a non-auto rookie from, say, 2000-01, it actually means something and is cool to have. It isn't one of 100 other rookies. Kobe Bryant had something like 20 rookies to collect. Royce "afraid to fly" White has probably 70. WTH?

Sorry for my rant here. It is Sunday morning and I woke up angry! What do you all think? Agree? Disagree?

[kenarm79]

I feel your pain, lol. Actually all card manufactures have went through this problem. UD had SP, SPx, SP Game Used, etc. Topps had Topps, Chrome, Big Game, etc.

As far as rookies, it's hard to determine who is going to be a superstar down the road. Kobe had hype but no one figured he would've became one of the greats. Remeber he was fresh out of HS and the 13th pick.

I agree that a lot of their products seem like over kill. Most of their concepts aren't really new, just recycled concepts from other companies. I realized that most collectors seem to prefer this because they support it so much.

Panini does come up with some good products. I think that the Taco Bell release (even though Topps and UD did it first, lol) was great for the hobby. I liked the Select pre-release before the actual product came out. I also thought that the original Adrenalyn product was good for all collectors because it was affordable, good design, and the set was an obtainable goal.

I wouldn't crucify them because its all that's really available and no other company wanted to give them serious competition IMO.

[SHowley2003]

I totally agree with the gist of your rant. For example there are so many Kyrie autos that it seems we have all hit at least one, so how valuable is that? I too really enjoyed the Prizm release, and I think the Prestigous pick and Threads autos are some of the better autos I have seen come out of a mid-level product. I do feel that Panini released way too many offerings this year, especially with the crap focus on the double rookie class.

While its not a Panini specific problem (I.e. Fleer/ Flair/ Ultra/ Skybox/ Hoops/ E-x, etc. or Topps, Stadium Club, Finest, Bowmans Best, etc). However, shame on Panini for not recognizing the challenges with flooding the market. The hobby is less popular now than it was in the mid-late 90's and it didn't survive the market being flooded. Now we have a single company with exclusive rights now delivering more product than we've ever seen.

Being a player/ team collector I do like it. Say I want a Jared Sullinger auto. I wait for Select to come out and I grab a Threads and Prizm for pennies on the dollar. However, as a result these cards will never carry any real value as a result.

[forthebirds]

While I definitely agree with the "Come on with all the recycled ideas guys!" rant 100%, one could make the same argument about some of the serialized issues out there. There are a ton of numbered cards that are just SLIGHTLY different from the base card, but boy oh boy you throw that /10 on the back and it's worth a mint lol. The Bird Platinum in my sig is a great example of what I am talking about. Topps puts a slightly different border on the card and slaps a 1/1 stamp on it. Little lazy aren't we? Same with their Gold /500 and Black /99 that season. Same card, same photo, same everything except a different colored border. To me this is almost the same as Panini recycling the same card over and over with a different series name on it.

[kenarm79]

While I definitely agree with the "Come on with all the recycled ideas guys!" rant 100%, one could make the same argument about some of the serialized issues out there. There are a ton of numbered cards that are just SLIGHTLY different from the base card, but boy oh boy you throw that /10 on the back and it's worth a mint lol. The Bird Platinum in my sig is a great example of what I am talking about. Topps puts a slightly different border on the card and slaps a 1/1 stamp on it. Little lazy aren't we? Same with their Gold /500 and Black /99 that season. Same card, same photo, same everything except a different colored border. To me this is almost the same as Panini recycling the same card over and over with a different series name on it.

LOL. I have to acknowledge that I'm a sucker for parallel sets. It's like a drug addiction, lol. Topps made me an addict with refractors (which IMO no other company could replicate it's concept). While I agree with you, I know that I can't stop.

[forthebirds]

LOL. I have to acknowledge that I'm a sucker for parallel sets. It's like a drug addiction, lol. Topps made me an addict with refractors (which IMO no other company could replicate it's concept). While I agree with you, I know that I can't stop.

+1 my friend...+1 lol

[swjrp10]

I totally agree with the gist of your rant. For example there are so many Kyrie autos that it seems we have all hit at least one, so how valuable is that?

hey hey hey hey....hey.......hey..............hey.....some of us have NOT hit one ...or any valuable rookie auto....since 03-04....aka...me

[SHowley2003]

hey hey hey hey....hey.......hey..............hey.....some of us have NOT hit one ...or any valuable rookie auto....since 03-04....aka...me

Ha, sorry man. To add to it, I just checked Beckett. Let's keep in mind that there are STILL releases to come, and not all have been added to the price guide. SO far there are 230 different Kyrie cards this year, and 28 seperate autograph cards.

[TBarn291]

Lol I think the fact that you have hit a number of big cards out this seasons panini products adds credibility to your rant. I completely agree that they have flooded the market with less than impressive products. Basketball card collecting is not popular enough to release so many products.... it is making collecting next to impossible for player collectors, who try to round up a majority of the cards released of their player(s). It is hard enough to pick up a low #ed cards of Tristan Thompson, add to that a gold green black version all low #ed, then throw in 3 or 4 more products with similar concepts and it just gets maddening. The only products I have been impressed with so far is the Preferred, Select, and Prizm. Don't get me wrong I like some of the designs in other products, but it is just to much. And lets not forget there are still more products coming.... Gold Standard, Brilliance, Crusade, and Elite all supposedly coming out in the next couple months. What makes it worse, it seems like a week after release nicer products start going up in price. What is the deal with that? Aren't they manufactured to be sold at a predetermined price? It pisses me off when you buy a couple boxes, go to buy more a few weeks later and the price is $50 higher.

[JMarchand1981]

I have hit four Kobe's, a Kobe/Blake Dual, an Anthony Davis, A Blake Certified, a Dr J auto....I mean I have had good luck with Panini but it is this influx of like-products that are just killing the values of these cards. Like it or not, there will never be another $300 non-auto rookie like a Kobe Bryant Chrome. Hell, after a few years even Kyrie cards will be in the $150 range due to his exclusivity deal with Panini(they will just keep churning'em out). The demand does not keep up with the supply for 80% of the products. That is a 20% "hit" rate....Just think about that.
Like Steven said, if you collect a certain player you just wait until a new product to comes out and grab the singles. At that rate, why even bother buying wax? A buddy of mine and I had a conversation a few months ago. Say you and your friend went in halves on a box of Prizm for $125. If you hit a Kobe or Durant or (insert star name here) and your buddy said to you, You keep the Kobe/Durant/other Star auto and I will take everything else, wouldn't you do that every single day?
As someone who buys A LOT of wax Panini should be concerned about losing another guy who drops about a good amount of bread on wax. There is a reason that wax-selling sites always have non-current products. THey buy in bulk, don't sell it all and then discount it.