Hobby Musings: A dive into Panini Legacy Football ahead of NFL season – A new NFL season means a new crop of football cards and a new wave of rookie cards. 2021 promises to be an intriguing year in the football card world as a potentially historic rookie classic will be fully unleashed onto the market. Providing an early cardboard glimpse of this year’s newcomers is 2021 Panini Legacy Football. In addition to a plethora of rookie cards, collectors can also expect to find two autographed cards per box.
Out of the two boxes Panini provided for review, the big hit pulled was a Travis Etienne jersey autograph numbered to 49. The card came with a nice autograph from Etienne and a three-color relic swatch in Clemson’s colors. In addition to autographs of Titans running back Javian Hawkins and Washington Football Team wide receiver Dyami Brown, I also pulled a Panini Wild Card Points card.
Aside from the autographs, I pulled four numbered parallel cards per box. The highlight was a Kwity Paye numbered to 25. As it is such an early release, the rookies are shown in their collegiate uniforms as instead of their professional jerseys. All in all, I pulled well over 30 rookie cards per box and came away with a card of each big newcomer this year, including Trevor Lawrence in the very last pack.
Overall, Legacy proved to be a fun break, especially as it took a little extra time to bust the packs and sort the cards out. Beside everything mentioned above, there are plenty of inserts and base cards to occupy your time. Legacy remains one of the better value products in Panini’s NFL arsenal and provides a little bit of everything in each box. With the NFL season upon us, I had the chance to catch up with Panini’s Rob Springs to discuss Legacy more, as well as what we can expect from their football products this season.
KS: Rob, what do you think was the big highlight with Legacy Football this season?
RS: I still think it’s the Dare to Tear cards, along with the minis you can get inside. In 2021, we put different minis (parallels with different numbering) as opposed to all the same Emerald ones that we did in 2020. I think that made the decision a little more challenging on whether to keep the card intact or to rip it open.
KS: The rookie class is one of the most hyped in years. What do you think is the biggest rookie trading card storyline this season?
RS: I think it still has to be all about the five key rookie QBs. With Lawrence, Jones, and Wilson starting, that puts a lot of focus there – and Fields should be starting sooner rather than later. And there is a good chance Lance sees the field based on Jimmy G’s injury history. There will be a lot of people chasing all their cards between “normal” collectors, team collectors, and investors.
KS: Trevor Lawrence is the top preseason rookie in card interest, but is there anyone you think could overtake him?
RS: Absolutely. Though he is the biggest “name” QB – he’s not in the biggest collectible market. If any of the other four QB’s taken in the first round get hot, you are talking about Chicago, New England, San Francisco and New York – all with good historical team collectors and can easily push those values.
KS: When this season is over, who do you think will be the NFL Rookie of the Year in trading cards?
RS: That’s a tough question to try and answer right now. I think it definitely could be a surprise, like Najee Harris or Kyle Pitts. Not really a total surprise since they are both first rounders, but I really think those guys are going to put up big numbers for those teams – whereas the QB’s will most likely be up-and-down, like most rookie QB’s.
KS: Who’s an under-the-radar rookie collectors should be keeping an eye on?
RS: I think some of the 2nd round WR’s will make an impact. I think Terrace Marshall Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Elijah Moore, and Tutu Atwell could really put up big seasons for those teams.
KS: Which second-year player should collectors be keeping an eye on?
RS: Unfortunately, a couple of the RB’s that I thought would have huge seasons in Akers and Dobbins got injured. So, I’m going to go with Tee Higgins. I think he is going to have a huge year for the Bengals, assuming Burrow is healthy.
KS: Which veteran player do you think is most poised to make a leap with his trading cards this season?
RS: I think people will re-discover Jameis Winston again. He will still throw some picks, but I think he is going to have a big year in New Orleans working under Sean Payton and that offense.
KS: Product wise, what does Panini have coming out soon for NFL products?
RS: We just released both Black and Donruss. We have Absolute, Spectra, and XR coming up next.
KS: Are there any new highlights we should be looking out for in this season’s NFL program?
RS: We always try to tweak the programs in some form or fashion, to keep the interest high. We do have Classics Premium Edition as a direct-only product coming out soon, along with a Classics H2 version for hobby shops. Excited to have that product back, as a little more limited program. Look for a couple more new 2021 programs in early 2022.
Hobby Musings: Diving into 2021 Panini Legacy Football ahead of NFL season – WIN!!
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