2016 Panini Immaculate Collegiate Product Narrows Focus To Football

Panini America’s 2016 Immaculate Collegiate Football product brings the company’s college licensing program to its high-end brand that’s virtually all hits. Every six-card box will contain five autograph or memorabilia cards, and one base or parallel card.

Due out September 14, just after the NFL’s regular season openers, this year’s product is more focused than 2015 Immaculate, which encompassed several sports. The 2016 version is exclusively football, with one notable exception.

Even though Immaculate is limited to college football, the on-card autographs and memorabilia from rookies and former greats (hello Southern Miss QB Brett Favre) will be among the bigger hits.

The Rookie Autographs and Rookie Patch Autograph sets will feature on-card signatures. Immaculate Ink pays tribute to Hall of Famers — both college and in the pros — and also with on-card signatures. Immaculate Numbers, meanwhile, puts the spotlight on players taken in the 2016 NFL draft, with the card design keying on that player’s number. There also are 1/1 versions.

While Immaculate stays primarily with football, other sports get a cameo in Sports Variation Autograph Memorabilia cards. These cards show players who excelled in baseball, basketball and football. A memorabilia version is numbered to 99 or less.

Pieces of football equipment will be plentiful in inserts such as Chin Straps, Cleats, Gloves, Jersey Numbers, Laundry Tags and Team Logos. Rookie Caps will highlight jumbo pieces of the hats worn by participating players at the 2016 NFLPA Rookie Premiere. The Collegiate Helmet Team Logos insert will feature prime pieces of helmet decals.

Premium Patches Autographs adds a relic to a card already hard-signed by the player. And Immaculate Quads features four players from the same school, with a main version and a 1/1 Brand Logo parallel.

The 2016 NFL draft class may not have some of the marquee names as its 2015 counterpart, but Immaculate offers more than just untested players. Looking for autographs of Hall of Famers–even in their college gear–almost has to be a part of any product at a price point that runs into the hundreds.

Whether collectors include 2016 Panini Immaculate Collegiate Football gets any traction, though, will likely depend heavily on how those newcomers fare when the action starts.

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About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].