The week many collectors have waited all year for has arrived. It’s Contenders Football release week, something of a national collecting holiday for a lot of folks. Beginning Wednesday in hobby shops across North America, hobbyists will celebrate the arrival of Panini America’s 2014 Contenders Football with virtually unparalleled box-busting, wrapper-ripping excitement.
This year’s edition of the venerable hobby heavyweight delivers five autographs per box — many on Contenders’ fabled Rookie Tickets that first ushered in the Autographed Rookie Card Era way back in 1998 — and a bevy of calling-card staples that have helped the brand ascend to the top of the football-card mountain and stay there.
Over the recent holiday break, the Panini America Football Product Development Team put the finishing touches on packing out and Quality Controlling the juggernaut just before the product began shipping to hobby shops. The Quality Control Gallery that follows features just some of the cards that surfaced during the process.
Enjoy this extended preview of the product and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for continued coverage of 2014 Contenders Football.
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