2010 Panini Century Collection

**Taliasen** · 01-09-2011, 10:44 PM

2010 Panini Century Collection

Per Box Items:
MSRP $150 per box/pack
5 cards per box per box/pack (+1 encased card)
5 autographed or memorabilia cards per box/pack
(yes, every card is a "hit")

The standard sized cards are all horizontal (at least in my box) format. There are several different subsets and cards designs. Some of the subsets include common auto/GU, Postcard themed, Souvenir Stamps auto/GU of sports figures, music figures and Hollywood Materials, Souvenir Stamp Cuts and Souvenir Cuts just to mane a few. Every card is serial numbered, and there are different parallel tiers of serial numbering within each subset. The photographs are usually either black and white or monochrome. The card design for the the front and backs are specific to each themed subset. One of the cards will be encased with a Panini sticker seal.

What I Pulled:
1 "common" auto #/74
1 "common" GU #/100
1 "Ballpark" GU #/50
1 "Souvenir Stamps Astronauts" material #/250
1 Hollywood Materials Souvenir Stapms #/25
1 "Postcards" Auto/GU Encased #/50

The Hits: (these are all and the only 5 cards from the box/pack)
Jack Morris Auto #/74
Dave Parker GU #/100
Ballpark Duke Snider GU #/50
Dick Gordon Astronaut Souvenir Stamp material #/250
George Burns Hollywood Materials Souvenir Stamps (jumbo) #/25
Nolan Ryan Postcards Auto/GU encased #/50

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Wow, what a pack/box. For a high-end (MSRP $150) product, Panini Century Collection will hold it's own and probably return on it's investment. So what that Panini does not have a MLB license to make cards of current players, look at some of the HOF (and HOF worthy) names you can pull an auto or GU used of from the "common" cards: Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson, Andre Dawson, Dennis Eckersley, Tony Gwynn, Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, Al Kaline and Stan Musial. Those are the names in just the "common" cards. Century Collection also boasts cut autos of Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Satchel Paige, and Walter Johnson just to name a few. Usually I am not a big fan of non-baseball cards in a baseball product, but when those cards are autographed or have a memorabilia swatch on them I do not mind as much. Besides the Hollywood and Astronaut cards there are also stars from the NBA, NHL and racing worlds represented in Century Collections. I guess technically there is the common base set of GU and auto one could collect, but with 2 common cards out of a $150 box, it is not really practical. I will say that on a couple of cards either the Auto or GU is oddly placed. Instead of being centered either top/bottom or left/right, the Auto/GU is placed in a spot where the card could also accommodate the other.

The Bottom Line:
I give 2010 Panini Century Collection a buy rating. A MSRP of $150 per box/pack could be considered a moderate price when compared to other super premium products. I feel though that in the "hit or miss" world of super premium products, you will hit a lot more than you will miss.

The Final Score:
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: 1/5
Big-hit Hunter:5/5
Prospector Hunter:N/A
Overall Design: 4/5
Fun: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Re-buy: 5/5
Overall Quality: 5/5

Overall: 30/35 (86% = B)

Tal