Nothing is better than greeting a brand-new primary football product for 2023, well into 2024. It gets the heart pumping with excitement. But of course, Contenders Football is one of the biggest releases in the calendar, featuring the much-beloved debut tickets.
It is also an excellent release for those looking to get some rookie autos without springing for a massively high-end release like National Treasures. And with CJ Stroud rookies appearing in this release, it will be a big deal despite the belated nature of the release.
So, does it live up to expectations? Or is this another disappointing Panini iteration of a beloved classic? Find out in our 2023 Panini Contenders Football review.
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The Panini Playoff Contenders release, the predecessor to the 2023 Panini Contenders Football, is a true veteran. It made its debut in 1993, a time when Donruss was a significant player in the US sports card market.
This release, their most enduring contribution to football cards, is not just a product; it’s a part of the game’s history. It’s a connection to the past, a testament to the evolution of the sport. It also played a significant role in establishing Panini’s credibility in the local sports market, following its dominance in the global soccer sticker scene.
It’s a piece of football history that any true enthusiast would be proud to own, a tangible link to the evolution of the sport we all love.
The release hit its stride when Panini introduced the rookie ticket auto cards. In 1998, the first auto versions of these cards were unveiled. The most notable ones featured Hines Ward and Randy Moss.
But by 2001, this had become one of the most popular football products. Panini responded by expanding the checklist and pouring more energy into it, marking a significant chapter in the product’s history.
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In 2009, Panini acquired Donruss and continued the success of Contenders as one of their most popular releases. But they didn’t just maintain the status quo; they evolved it.
They expanded the Rookie Ticket Auto checklist into a more comprehensive and modern format, featuring 171 cards, often with multiple versions for each player. This expansion was a game-changer, a sign of Panini’s commitment to innovation and quality.
Then, in 2011, Panini made a significant upgrade by switching to hard-card autos, cementing the legendary status of these cards in the hobby. This evolution is a testament to Panini’s unwavering commitment to innovation and quality, and it’s bound to leave any sports card enthusiast in awe.
Over the last few years, this product’s overall reputation has suffered somewhat, leading to lower wax value. However, the Rookie Ticket Autos continue to be beloved classics.
The slated release date for 2023 Panini Contenders Football is July 3, 2024. The fact that this is a 2023 release coming out in 2024 and pretty deep into the year as well is all you need to know.
Panini has done well catching up on many of its products from the supply line crisis days. But this isn’t an example of that. Indeed, last year was a bit better, with the 2022 Panini Contenders Football coming out in late March.
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Contenders is more of a hobby release than a retail one. However, blasters and other retail formats are usually available at Walmart and Target. Here are the specifications for the different formats.
The primary and most apparent pro for this release is the Contenders autos, especially the Rookie Ticket Autos, which have become a cornerstone of the hobby.
Unlike many other football products, Panini Contenders Football has a reputation as a strong product for breaks. If you have ever seen a case break for the product, there are usually more hits than you would expect. Considering this is not a high-end release (though it isn’t cheap either), that is a surprising bonus.
We are also pleasantly surprised at the price. Perhaps it is due to the release being very late, but the starting price is lower than in 2021, when many people bought boxes for over $600.
Unfortunately, the lower price reflects the low resale value, but we will get to that.
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Designs are subjective. Now that we have that caveat let’s get real. The 2023 Panini Contender ticket design is not attractive. It looks too much like a regular card with a few numbers plastered at the bottom.
I think the genre’s appeal is that it looks like tickets. The best ones pull that off while maintaining their attractiveness. Keeping that balance is the key. The latest design doesn’t. Maybe you will disagree.
Contenders has become a pretty expensive release over the years. It now approaches $600 and has passed that mark in the past. Despite that fact, it has never used outstanding stock, and the designs never seem particularly well thought out.
The general impression of this release is that besides the tickets, which Panini knows will sell enough boxes to make a profit, they don’t put too much thought into Contenders Football.
Another problem people have noticed is the growth of the parallels in this product. No one buys contenders to complete a rainbow, which lowers the value of the tickets by making them far more common.
There was some concern that Bijan Anderson would not be on the checklist for this product, but he is there, and Panini even provided an early mockup of his card. But Panini dropped the ball anyway, listing the former Longhorns running back as a quarterback.
Either way, this rookie class is a pretty good one. The presence of CJ Stroud makes this a strong rookie class, regardless of how the other players do. He has proved a massively popular investment.
But Bryce Young may pan out, and Anthony Richardson looks very promising. Therefore, this is a well above-average class.
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The ticket lists are pretty watered down. You have 100 for the veterans and 166 for the rookies. So, what is your likelihood of getting a Stroud or Richardson? Not great.
The parallels list is, as we said, quite large, and many feel it waters down the tickets. Some used to be concise print, but that is no longer true.
These are all serious problems if you are ripping or breaking. It is a no-brainer to go for singles, even if they cost a lot.
Here is the somewhat overblown list of parallels for this product.
Season Ticket Parallels
The entire release is about the autos. As always, there is an excellent selection of these in the release. Sadly, not every auto here is on-card.
But the rookie tickets are, and let’s be honest, that is what matters. Love ticket variations, like Cracked Ice and die-cut Ticket Stub, and parallels exist.
There are other options for the auto cards. Contenders have the Legendary Contenders Autographs line for veterans, particularly retired ones.
The Contenders release is unknown for its inserts, as it relies too heavily on autographs. However, the Supernatural insert has been popular for a while with its psychedelic look.
They usually aren’t worth a ton, but a Mahomes rookie one sold for $557.
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There are many products that are primarily for singles and not for wax holding. Contenders have a reputation for being one of them. But there is no substitute for crunching the numbers.
The current box is selling for $549.95. How likely are you to make back that money by stashing them? Let’s look at how previous years performed.
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| 2019 Panini Contenders Football Hobby Box | $249 |
| 2020 Panini Contenders Football Hobby Box | $899 |
| 2021 Panini Contenders Football Hobby Box | $305 |
| 2022 Panini Contenders Football Hobby Box | $424.95 |
The boxes for this product aren’t weak exactly. They do ok. But it seems unlikely that you will recoup the $550 price tag. It’s a good thing they returned from even higher prices than the product had in the past because those were undoubtedly unjustified.
The investment in singles seems like the only option, especially when you consider how the checklist for this product has exploded recently.
That makes it harder to get the single you want by ripping or breaking. But how well do the singles hold up? Here are some outstanding recent sales:
Of course, the biggest sales from this release are the Tom Brady rookie tickets. Those are some of the most valuable football cards ever made, and that speaks to the value of this release in the long run. But it is not representative.
While the Optic Contenders tickets do quite well, the old-school paper Contenders don’t. They perform surprisingly badly.
So, it’s unclear what upside you have from buying these boxes or singles. The Contenders tickets seem to have very little value compared to their reputation. Optic is the way to go for tickets.
It looks like Contenders is one of several Panini products (Topps ones, too) undercut by the existence of a chrome alternative. Therefore, the high prices for these boxes are not justified.
The main attraction in this release, the Rookie Ticket Autos, is also not particularly valuable. To make things worse, the release doesn’t really do much else. The design isn’t great; there are no great memorabilia or inserts here.
That means that from a financial standpoint, 2023 Panini Contenders Football seems like a ripoff. Yes, I know that just about every release is like that. However, the Contenders brand appears to stand out in this regard.
It is coasting by on the reputation of the Auto Rookie Tickets, though they don’t have the value they once did.
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