There’s another department store exclusive product heading to the football card section. 2016 Panini Rookies & Stars is expected to release sometime this fall, but just like last year, you’ll only find boxes and packs at Target stores.
Rookies & Stars will have a bigger base set this year, going from 200 cards to 300, split evenly between veterans and rookies. There will be three tiers: One Star (most common), Two Star and Three Star (rarest) tiers.
According to Panini, Rookies and Stars will be sold in five different packaging configurations:
- Longevity(10 cards per pack, six packs per box) will have two autographs, two memorabilia cards, six One Star Rookies, three Two Star Rookies, one Three Star Rookie, 24 inserts
(including one Crusade or Great American Heroes) and three parallels. Longevity-exclusive parallels include Longevity (numbered to 75), True Blue (numbered to 49), Gold (numbered to 10), Platinum (1/1) and Printing Plate (1/1)
- Blaster Boxes(10 cards per pack, seven packs per
box) will deliver one autograph or memorabilia card, 14 inserts (including one Crusade or Great American Heroeis), four One Star Rookies, two Two Star Rookies and one parallel. Blasters will have exclusive Red parallel cards.
- 40-card Fat Packsfeaturing Green parallels, 60-card Hanger Boxes with exclusive Purple parallels and 10-card Packs featuring Green parallels.
Some of the more familiar inserts seen in past Rookies & Stars issues are back including Century Stars, Great American Heroes, Dress For Success, Cross Training, Crusade and Action Packed (no embossing this time).
The checklist (below) is a big one and autograph collectors will find some interesting pairings.
Among them: Bo Jackson/Brian Bosworth, Jerry Rice/Steve Young, Shannon Sharpe/Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner/Marshall Faulk, Peyton Manning/Archie Manning, Eli Manning/Archie Manning, Ray Lewis/ Brian Urlacher, Marshawn Lynch/Richard Sherman and others.