The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2012 Prizm Football (The Must-See Part 1)

It’s fitting, really, that Panini America’s 2012 Prizm Football releases next Wednesday, on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII. After all, the biggest game of the 2012 NFL season needs a trading-card equivalent, one that delivers all the hype, the pomp and circumstance, the chills, thrills and captivating performances as the big game itself. Clearly, 2012 Prizm Football is that product.

Graced with an incredible amount of hype and packed with a seemingly endless array of “Oohs” and “Aaahs,” the technologically superior 2012 Prizm Football marks the grand evolution of the chromium-inspired football card. Upon release, it will become the brand that other such products on the market aspire to. One look at the gallery that follows and you’ll realize that’s not just hyperbole. It’s fact.

The etching is deeper, the colors more vibrant. The stunning Prizm parallels (everything from the base beauties to the brilliant Golds, Greens and Red Die-Cuts) are, in a word, spectacular. And just like its basketball counterpart that set the tone for the bold introduction of this brand, the cards don’t warp or bend.

Until now, all we’ve had to show you of 2012 Prizm Football are glimpses of uncut sheets. But you’re likely to find, as I did, that even those fantastic first looks can’t completely prepare you for the actual finished product. Last Friday at the Panini America printing facility, Joseph Mackey and Carlos Torrez conducted the Quality Control process for 2012 Prizm Football.

I was lucky enough to be there, grabbing this first wave of preview images to share with you. I couldn’t help but think I was documenting bona fide football-card history. We’ll have plenty more in the coming days, including additional images (including many of the set’s autographs), production-line video, a teaser gallery of the first few boxes and the must-see episode of Panini Unwrapped.

Until then, though, soak in these splendid first sights — and please let us know what you think.