Panini America Peeks Arriving Autographs from 2012-13 Classics Signatures Hockey

Amid the compelling cavalcade of on-card autographs hitting Panini America headquarters this week are must-see signatures from upcoming releases such as 2012 Signature Series Baseball, 2012 Prime Cuts Baseball and 2012 Prime Signatures Football.

But out of everything I’ve seen recently, the streaming stacks of signed legends quickly filling out the 2012-13 Classics Signatures Hockey checklist that are what gripped me most this morning — and what I chose to feature in the gallery below.

From its first card to its last, the retired-player-focused Classics Signatures set is the right product at the right time and provides a serendipitous sojourn back in time to hockey’s halcyon days. The old-school designs . . . the  throwback color schemes . . . the crisp, bold on-card autographs . . . the insert lineup topped by Notable Nicknames, The Expansion, The Originals and Inaugural Inks . . . it all makes for one classic release.

You can see exactly what I mean in the following images . . .