Panini brought the Donruss brand back in 2014 and even though the non-licensing really makes me hesitant to buy it there isn't really any other reason.
Recently as I've been organizing a lot of my collection I have come across a lot of Panini card from the Donruss brand and other sets they've put together. I've grown to like Panini more and more and even though I'm not super likely to buy any retail products that won't stop me from getting these cards for cheap money at the card show.
I've warmed up to Panini for my reasons and here they are.
First things first. When Panini brought back Donruss they revived Diamond Kings as an insert set like it was in Donruss.
As well as the Rated Rookie Cards with that iconic logo used in 80's and 90's Donruss
They perfected these card designs as the years went on. I was and still am very impressed on how well they recreated these cards so many people collected 30 years ago.
However they didn't just bring back old Donruss ideas. Panini came up with new ideas to make their Donruss set unique.
These are "The Prospects" insert cards. I pulled these out of a hobby box of 2016 Donruss (yes I got a hobby box of Donruss last year it was at a card show that was not well attended and the box was cheap.) Both of these players made their debuts and have both put up respectable numbers so far in 2017.
They also came up with inserts using non-prospect players.
Panini paid homage to older Donruss sets by recreating a set every year as an insert set. These cards of '82 Donruss look pretty similar. They also made these Power Alley inserts which I think look phenomenal.
Panini also introduced their fair share of serial numbered cards in all of their sets.
Whether it's Press Proof like the Simmons or the Stat Line cards like the Taylor Panini was able to make serial numbered cards that aren't just a different colored border. Points for creativity.
Another good thing about Panini is that they're able to make cards of players that Topps can't due to licensing restrictions by MLB.
Pete Rose for example. Topps can't make cards of Charlie Hustle, but Panini can because they don't have licensing. Maybe not having MLB licensing can be a blessing in disguise as they can also make cards of the accused member of the Black Sox Scandal, Joe Jackson.
But perhaps the best part of Panini are the relics. This is from 2016 Panini Pantheon ( numbered 121/199) and this set commemorates members of landmark clubs like 3,000 hits or 1,500 RBI (shown above.) I got this card in a 100 card box at the Red Sox game believe it or not. Each box had a relic you could see and after much deliberation I chose the one with Dave Winfield. I chose it because of how much of a stickler I am for stripes in relics and that I didn't even know it was unlicensed until I opened the box.
If Panini could do that for every card then I would definitely buy way more of it.
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