2018 Panini Contenders NFL will return January 11 with the usual elements that collectors have come to expect and a few newly designed cards Panini hopes will be just the “ticket.”
Contenders boxes will carry 18 six-card packs. Each box should have five autographs, one of which will be on-card, 18 inserts and one parallel. Expect the cost of a box to be around $200 upon release.
The Rookie Ticket Autographs are annually among the most popular with collectors. This year’s array of ‘Ticket’ cards will have a couple of fresh designs: Rookie Ticket Stubs, created with a die cut edge at the top meant to replicate a ticket stub; and Rookie Ticket Clear, which are printed on acetate stock and carry on-card autographs.
20th Anniversary Rookie Tickets pay homage to the design of Contenders Rookie Tickets of past years including on-card signatures.
Other autographs to look for include the new Contenders to Canton cards, which are numbered to 20 and feature Hall of Famers who appeared on Contenders cards during their career.
MVP Contenders Autograph cards feature some of the top current players and are numbered to 49 or less with Gold (#’d/10) and Platinum (1/1) parallels.
Rookie of the Year Contenders autographs are numbered to 99 or less with Gold (# to 10) and 1/1 Platinum parallels.
Round Numbers Dual Autographs cards pair two players from the 2018 NFL Draft that were selected in the same round.
Golden Tickets are back featuring 14k gold cards of the top veterans and rookies. Also look for the Silver Tickets, which are limited to only two copies.
Other unsigned inserts planned for 2018 Panini Contenders NFL include Rookie of the Year Contenders, MVP Contenders, Legendary Contenders, Team Quads, and Round Numbers.
You can buy 2018 Contenders NFL boxes and cases on eBay here.