And So It Begins: Panini America Preparing 2012-13 Classics Signatures Hockey Autos

September 25, 2012

The often-arduous journey to producing a predominantly hard-signed trading card release can be a grueling, obstacle-filled test of patience and production. But the payoff, both for collectors and all of us here at Panini America, is a compelling set that stands the test of time — which is a perfect summation of the upcoming 2012-13 Classics Signatures Hockey.

The newest addition to the Panini America NHL roster, Classics Signatures is a timeless tribute to the greatest and most popular retired hockey players of all time that packs an old-school design aesthetic and tons of on-card autographs.

Yesterday afternoon, after a huge shipment of freshly printed Classics Signatures cards were delivered to Panini America HQ, the company’s NHL team began the massive undertaking of preparing those cards for shipment to the vast and varied list of former NHL stars who will sign them.

What follows is a quick peek behind the scenes at the sprawling spread of Classics Signatures cards as it appeared yesterday afternoon in the hallway leading to the Acquisitions department — before all of the counting, cataloging, second-checks and packing began.

We’ve also provided a few closeups of some of the cards, just to give you an idea of what to expect from Panini America’s first all-retired NHL product. Enjoy.