Panini America Previews the 2012 AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl “Player-Only” Set
This afternoon inside the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, 100 of college football’s top draft-eligible juniors and seniors will take the field for the premiere AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. But it’s likely that the real highlight for most players — including University of Miami quarterback Jacory Harris and LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee — will arrive before the game even kicks off.
That’s when Panini America officials will present the players with 200 copies each of some of their first football cards, the unique results of a special “personal edition” set produced this week starting with photos that were taken on Monday and Tuesday.
The players can use the cards as they see fit, but it’s inevitable that many of them will end up on the secondary market. Below, you’ll find a gallery of every card in the set. Panini America will follow up with cards for the handful of late-arriving players who missed their photo sessions.
In addition to creating this special set, Panini America also acquired autographs from each player on special embroidered patches and stickers that will be used in future products.
Enjoy this sneak-peek gallery. When many of the players from today’s game begin making their marks in the NFL, you can bet these earliest cards will be coveted by collectors.