Houndstooth Hat Trick: Turning a Classic Bear Bryant Collectible Into 100 of Them

One of the most unique trading cards produced and randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Panini Century Collection early last month was the striking Souvenir Stamps gem that included pieces of memorabilia worn by college coaching legends Knute Rockne and Paul "Bear" Bryant as well as U.S. postage stamps honoring both men.

One of the most unique trading cards randomly inserted into packs of 2011 Panini Century Collection early last month was the striking Souvenir Stamps gem that included pieces of memorabilia worn by college coaching legends Knute Rockne and Paul “Bear” Bryant as well as U.S. postage stamps honoring both men.

The swatch of Rockne memorabilia embedded into each of the 100 cards hails from a fur coat he once owned. Bear Bryant’s inclusion, however, called for something much more distinctive: One of his hallmark houndstooth hats.

We flipped our lids at the opportunity to painstakingly follow Bryant’s hallowed headwear through the production process, as one precious collectible became 100. For every sports fan and collector who ever wanted to know how a memorabilia trading card is made, clear your schedules for the next four minutes and watch this time-lapsed video that’s as truly unique as the trading card it chronicles.

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16 Replies to “Houndstooth Hat Trick: Turning a Classic Bear Bryant Collectible Into 100 of Them”

  1. That is such a fun movie! Call it the “Experience Panini” project. I love getting to see how all these cards get made, keep it up! Also, I was wondering, is there some way we can make sure our patches are real at home, or can you only do that at the company through the authentication process. I keep noticing the adhesive you use is marked with the player name, but of course there is no way I could see it shy of ripping the patch off my card and looking. I would rather not do that though… 🙂 Thanks!

    1. Short of ripping that sweet little piece of fabric off, there’s nothing you can do at home. I must confess, though: I recently found a rather inexpensive white-piece jersey card in my collection from a few years ago and ripped the the swatch just to see if Panini’s unique code was on the back. It was. Pretty cool, I thought.

      1. Thats pretty cool. Thats kinda also what I wanted to know, if there was some factory markings on the swatch. Now I don’t have to rip up an old card. You just saved someone’s life. Thanks Tracy! 🙂

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