2011 Panini Threads Box Break and Review

2011 Panini Threads Box Break and Review
by Michael Barton (aka MonticelloCards on Sports Card Forum)
michaelbartonfreelance@yahoo.com



Welcome to my first of what I hope to be many reviews in the sports card and collectibles marketplace. This morning I was delivered a box of 2011 Panini Threads Football, and this item did not disappoint in the slightest. Panini (www.paniniamerica.net) - since purchasing Donruss - has become a leader in the sports card marketplace, and this is another product that delivers a touchdown.

Base Cards
The base set design is breathtaking! The horizontal full photo on the card front certainly makes each card feel like you have just personally taken a photograph at the game. The card backs employ the same photo with last year's stats as well as career stats and other pertinent information.

Regular Rookie Cards
There is one rookie in every pack, something that I personally feel needs to happen in every product in this day and age. There is a nice mixture of draft picks as well. One of my big problems in the past was a product like Leaf Rookies & Stars, which would deliver one rookie card per pack with all late round picks. Plus, I am a big fan of the defensive player, so to pull base rookies of 1st Round Picks like Jimmy Smith, Cameron Jordan and Aldon Smith made me very happy.

Rookie Autograph Letter Patches
The staple of Threads, I was lucky enough to pull a Stevan Ridley "L". I have loved this concept since it first debuted on the scene a number of years ago, so to pull an autographed rookie card made my day.

Memorabilia
I pulled three memorabilia cards - A Chris Johnson "Franchise Fabrics", an Antonio Gates base card 2 color patch parallel, and a dual jersey card of Christian Ponder and Kyle Rudolph dual rookie jersey card.

Parallels
Four parallels were found in my box, two of which were rookie parallels. The holographic finish is easy to denote compared to it's basic counterpart.

Inserts
Gridiron Kings returns as an insert with multi tiered levels. I pulled a Steve Smith framed parallel numbered to only 25, which was sweet. The other insert sets provide any collector with a smile, as there is a perfect mixture of yesterday's legends, today's stars and tomorrow's future stars!

Collation
Not a double to be found in the box, something that is a gigantic pet peeve of mine typically.

Overall
It comes down to this - if you want a fun box that provides great value at a mid-range price per pack, Threads is something that will make you happy from the first pack to the 24th.