The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2013 Contenders Football (126 Sweet Pics)
One week from today, Panini America officials will kick off the new year with the release of 2013 Contenders Football, annually one of the most significant and substantial products on the sports card calendar. The newest iteration of the appropriately named Contenders brand (for it’s always in contention for Product of the Year honors) arrives in hobby shops on January 3 packing five autographs per box and a bevy of fresh designs tinged with old-school nostalgia.
Returning for 2014 are the always-intriguing photo variations, a recurring development that should be well received by set-builders and SP seekers alike. In the Quality Control Gallery that follows, we’ve featured several variation images, including pics of the tell-tale backs. For collectors curious as to which version of a player’s card is the SP variation, look closely at the helmet logo on the back of each card: The variations are the ones with no stars around the helmet.
In the coming days we’ll have continued coverage of 2013 Contenders Football right here on The Knight’s Lance. But until then, the following 126 images from the recently completed Quality Control process should set the stage for next Friday’s monumental release.
Enjoy.