Ok, i had a little time this evening with the baby and lovely wife off in the other room having some reading time.  So I thought I would open one of the Panini boxes I received last night…and I decide to open…the single pack Prime Signatures Box.

I have purchased two of these boxes this year in the faint hopes of pulling an RGIII to no avail, BUT I am not a quitter and purchased one more box from the Panini online store.  The box was purchased last weekend when they had the 25% sale, so i managed to get a really good deal on the box…and i couldn’t pass up a good deal and an opportunity to pull a guaranteed autograph.

The box is simply one pack with 4 cards in each pack…so it’s always a gamble as to what you will be pulling from the box.  My other breaks have been fairly uneventful and something i was definitely bracing for with this box.  Although there were thoughts of better pulls since it was from the company that manufactures the cards.

So much for the long winded intro, here are the cards I pulled!

LeSean McCoy 452/499

‘Mean’ Joe Greene 497/499

Steven Jackson Prime Proof 17/99

Pittsburgh Steelers Rookies Chris Rainey, David DeCastro, Marquis Maze

Card Design – 4 of 5

The main reason i keep going back to these cards is their design.  It’s simple, clean and always clear who the card is for and what it’s about…which I love.  The super thick card stock and clingy sound when the cards stack on top of each other is a fantastic feature for me.  Each card appears to have 3 intermediate layers with a face and backing for the card making 5 layers overall.  The text is also very clear and easy to read, due in part to the white background…although i would like to see cards of this design with a cleaner font, maybe something without serifs?  That’s my only real complaint though…very nice Panini

Photography – 4 of 5

Each photograph on the cards are very sharp, with the exception of the Mean Joe Greene card, but that’s due in part to older technology and repurposing an older photo.  That’s not a big issue.  I’m sure there are Steeler and Mean Joe collectors out there that are excited he is in this set.  One thing i like about the photographs is the vignetting around the player to focus on one player, one player in action.  The cropping on the Mean Joe Green card appears a little off though..bye bye arms!

Hits – 3 of 5

With 4 cards and 1 hit…it’s literally hit or miss.  Pulling a three autograph card is pretty cool, in fact I have never pulled such an auto card before, so this is a first for me…so embarrassing…As a Redskins fan, I tend to only pay attention to Redskin players and have no idea who these guys are.  I have heard about Chris Rainey and apparently so have the Pittsburgh Police Department.  I am also aware of David DeCastro…but a Guard isn’t always an exciting hit…not something you want to pull.  The other guy Marquis Maze is someone I know nothing about.  Maybe a Steelers fan out there has a clue for me?

Review

Overall, i am pretty happy with the box.  Although i didn’t pull any Redskins, i can’t complain about my 3 auto hit and the other 3 cards are/were solid football players.  This is definitely a product i would buy next season…and if I can find another good deal on a box, i just may have to see what’s inside.

Hope you guys enjoyed my first box review.  I have a few more to go right now and have some cards on their way very soon…could get really busy in the next few weeks with all the new baseball releases and the tail end of the football releases coming out.  If there are any Pittsburgh Steeler fans out there, send me an email and let me know if you have any interest in the autographed card or the Mean Joe Green…I’m looking at you Steven Jackson and LeSean McCoy fans too! -HTTR!