Released in January, and back in the mix after a year off, Titanium Hockey isn’t your normal product. Panini opted to release hobby boxes in Canadian card stores and via its own online outlet for $109 per box. Not many have made their way to eBay yet either.
Titanium boxes include just four packs of five cards but each box promises an autograph or memorabilia card in every pack. Our box had four memorabilia cards and one autograph, Akim Aliu whose scribble, unfortunately, isn’t very legible.
Base sets are silver and glossy which means you’ll see your fingerprints on them right away, something I can do without but it goes with the brand name, I suppose. The big hook with Titanium is that despite a ‘dual rookie card class’ because of last season’s work stoppage, some rookie cards are scarce here. Whatever a player’s jersey number is, that’s how many were printed for the special case hits: a novel concept that will create some hard to find cards that will have some secondary market value going forward, but frustrating for those who have been anxious to grab as many rookie cards as possible this season.
Here’s what we pulled:
Base Cards: 14 including Sidney Crosby
Game Worn Gear: Henrik Sedin (unnumbered)
Game Worn Gear: Karl Alzner/Marc Staal (# to 300)
Game Worn Gear: Matthew Lombardi (# to 50)
Red Refractor: P.K. Subban (# to 43)
Team Building memorabilia card: San Jose Sharks (# to 25)
Titanium Reserve Auto: Akim Aliu
Titanium isn’t especially exciting but it does bear watching. Looking online, I’d say we got a little less than the value of what a box is going for but it was fairly close. It’s a product that could do better later on but it’d be nice if you could be guaranteed at least two autographs. It would also be nice if they could figure out a way to keep with the Titanium theme but ditch the all-out blast of silver.
So far, over 500 lots featuring Titanium have been posted on eBay. Click here to see them.
