Panini Blog The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2011 Playoff Contenders Football

[Panini Blog]

Spoiler alert for all of us card collectors: Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. But it’s the following day, February 15, when we’ll likely fall in love all over again. That’s when 2011 Playoff Contenders Football hits hobby shops nationwide.
There’s certainly much about the product to be enamored with, not the least of which are landmark Rookie Ticket autographed Rookie Cards (including 36 top newcomers who signed on-card), vibrantly hued Legendary Contenders that almost literally jump off the foil and the return of buzz-generating Golden Tickets (52 new ones for 2011 that have taken a decidedly dark turn).
But perhaps the most compelling development in the product this year is one that might get missed on first glance (I certainly overlooked it the first time around and received a solid scolding from Panini America NFL Brand Manager Carlos Torrez). Each card in the Playoff Ticket parallel set (as you’ll see in some of the images that follow) includes that particular card’s left-side serial number in the “Seat” section of each card front, and then is repeated on the back.
It’s a small touch, but it certainly resonated with me. So be sweet to your better half on Valentine’s Day next week. If you play your cards right (pun intended), you just might get lucky — and receive a box or two of 2011 Playoff Contenders Football.
Enjoy the exclusive first look now, and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional developments.

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