Returning for a second season, 2018 Panini XR football will arrive a week or so into the NFL regular season, packing a pair of autographs into each two-pack box.
Panini is promising that one of those signed cards will be a Rookie Jersey Autograph while the other will be either a rookie, veteran or retired player. Each 14-card box will also include one Jumbo or Triple Swatch jersey card, one insert, four parallels, four base cards and two rookie cards. Each 15-box case will include a 1/1 autograph card, with a focus on rookies.
Panini is touting XR as being “loaded with 1/1s”.
Base Set and Inserts
XR will have a 100-card base set focused on stars. Base cards parallel to Red (#’d /299), Blue (#’d /199), Orange (#’d /75), Gold (#’d /10), Green (#’d /5), and Black (#’d 1/1).
Insert sets include Mirrored, which shows a top 2018 rookie and an NFL veteran they say they try to emulate. Mirrored inserts are limited to 49 copies and parallel to Red (#’d /25), Blue (#’d /15), Orange (#’d /10), Gold (#’d /5), Green (#’d /3), and Black (#’d 1/1).
Autographs
Promotional literature seems to lean toward sticker autographs being the norm in XR.
Subsets come in several forms including standard Rookie Autographs, which Panini says “features a deeper checklist to cover more of the best rookies the NFL has to offer.” Rookie Autographs are numbered no higher than 199 and include Gold (max #’d to 49) and Black (#’d 1/1) parallels.
Rookie Swatch autographs are signed with a piece of memorabilia. There are Triple Swatch versions along with low-numbered Laundry Tag, Team Logo, Super Prime, and Nameplate parallels.
Dual Swatch Autographs pair a veteran with a 2018 rookie and carry jersey pieces and autographs of each. There are Triple Swatch Autographs, which include teammates and other combinations.
Rookie Jumbo Swatch Autographs include both oversized patches and things like Super Prime 1/1 versions, which feature an NFL Logo instead of the standard jersey piece.
Another hit to look for will be Luminious Endorsements, which are hard-signed acetate pieces with action progression photography, highlighting the top rookies of 2018.
2018 Panini XR football is due out September 19, likely opening at around $100 per box.