SCF Official Review: 2011 Press Pass Showcase

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank our sponsors at Press Pass for providing us with this box.



3 packs per box
5 cards per pack
Current Retail Price (online): $159.99 - $179.99

Product Description

BEHOLD THE ULTIMATE NASCAR TRADING CARD SET.
Since its debut in 2009, Showcase has established itself as one of the most sought after collectibles in the industry.
Delivering exceptional value and remarkable cards, each pack of Showcase is loaded with value and excitement.
This masterpiece has been finely tuned and polished for the 2011 season with an enhanced memorabilia and autograph lineup and a new double rainbow spectrum foil card stock, and is ready to roll out on the showroom floor.

EVERY PACK INCLUDES AN AUTOGRAPH, MEMORABILIA, OR AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA CARD FROM ONE OF THE TOP RACE CAR DRIVERS IN THE WORLD

ONE HIT PER PACK INCLUDING...
Masterpieces Ink - Autographed Multi-Swatch Memorabilia Cards
Showroom - Oversized Sheet Metal Cards
Premier Prospects Ink - Short-Printed Autographed Rookie Cards
Prized Pieces Ink - Autographed Memorabilia Cards

ALSO NEW IN 2011:
"CHAMPIONS" Plastic insert featuring the sport's title winners (also look for autographed parallel)
"MASTERPIECES" Two, three and four-swatch memorabilia cards
60-CARD BASE SET With four levels featuring background color changes.

WHAT WE PULLED

Base /499 (7): Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, Bud Moore, Mark Martin MP, Tony Stewart MP, Roush Fenway Racing CC
Gold /125 (2): Dale Earnhardt, Ned Jarrett
Champions /499 (1): Bobby Labonte
Showroom /499 (2): Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin



Classic Collections Jamie McMurray/Juan Pablo Montoya Dual Sheet Metal /99



Elite Exhibit Ink Denny Hamlin Autograph /50



Prized Pieces Jimmie Johnson Firesuit /99



FINAL THOUGHTS

Base - 4.25/5
Design - 4.5/5
Fun - 5/5
Value - 3.5/5
Rebuy - 3/5

Total - 20.25/25 (81%)

Two years ago, Press Pass appease the racing collecting masses and produced a high-end product known as Showcase. While still in its infancy, it remains a popular product. With a streamlined checklist, the base set only contains 60 cards. The regular version is numbered to 499 with parallels going as low as numbered to 1. The cards are on a foil board, which creates a rainbow prism effect when viewing them.

There are only two insert sets, Champions and Showroom. One insert will be found in every pack. Champions is devoted to those who had the opportunity to hoist the trophy at the end of the season. Showroom showcases the cars driven by some of today's best and most popular drivers. The regular version is numbered to 499, with parallels running just like the base cards.

Each pack yields one relic or autograph. The relics come in many shapes and varieties, such as an oversized firesuit swatch to a small piece of sheet metal. Autograph cards are done on acrylic cards to accentuate the signature. In addtion, there are relic/autos in which the autograph is signed directly on the card. A high-end product with no sticker autos...hmmm...

While Press Pass has produced other sets to fall in the high-end territory, Showcase was first and continues to make strides. The shortened base set, focusing on top-tier drivers and teams is a welcomed break from products with lot of fluff and fodder. I do question why the insert sets are numbered the same as the base set at 499. More than likely, it s to balance out what is packaged into packs, but inserts should always have less of a print run than base card. That's what helps to make them special.

Showcase succeeds in making every pack exciting. You know where the "hit" is located, so there is a sense to slow down right before revealing it. The packaging is trimmed down and not overly verbose. It's enough to securely surround the three packs and still look like it's a higher priced product. The big stickler is the price point. While the cards look wonderful and you are guaranteed a "hit" in every pack, it's still a lot to put down on a product. Especially when you turn and look at the secondary market and you see that between 95-98% of boxes registers in the loss column in regards to return of investment. Now I agree that this should be a hobby and the focus stay on collectors, not resellers, but you still have to keep the secondary market into consideration as it helps drive the products.

Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors at Press Pass for giving us the opportunity to open and review this release. For more information on all their products, visit them today at www.presspassinc.com.