Panini Obsidian Football 2022 Review: Is It Worth The Investment? [Checklist Updated]

With a release date of March 24th, 2023, Obsidian Football is back for another year and ready to black out our take on football cards. 

The seven card boxes carry risk at $500 per box, but in this article, we’ll break down the product, what you can pull from it, and most importantly, decide the best way to approach Obsidian as investors. 

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2022 Panini Obsidian Football product Introduction

Panini Obsidian Football, named after the volcanic glass, is known for its sleek, black design and unique cardstock.

Obsidian Football was first released in 2018 and has since become a popular choice among collectors. While it’s not one of the most popular brands, per se, it can be one of the most valuable. The cards look great and the right low-numbered pull can easily be a 4-figure card. 

Each box typically contains 4 autographs or memorabilia card, and 1 base cards and 2 electric etch parallels. Some boxes may also include additional inserts or autographs.

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What’s new in Panini 2022 Obsidian Football?

Going into its fifth release, Obsidian has done a good job innovating the design and offering to demand popularity. It’s a tough sell at $500/box, which is what the 2022 cards are releasing for, but the brand has done its best to make that kind of price at least feel reasonable.

This year continues the same trend of innovation. 

The Electric Etch Parallels are some of the nicest-looking football cards to hit that market every year, and they return as the parallels to chase in Obsidian. 

There’s also an Obsidian version of the Color Blast SSP called “Color Blast Black,” which darkens the color blast card but still demands a big resell price. Also returning are Tunnel Vision, Super Nova, and Vitreous inserts.

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So what’s new in 2022? This year introduces the Electric Etch Neon Mojo Parallel, which will be /5, and new sets include Magmatic Signatures, Orbital, and Galaxy Ink 

As far as the autographs go, here’s the lineup and who you can expect to pull:

• Rookie Jersey Autos: No need to explain this one. The name’s as on-the-nose as possible.
• Rookie Jersey Ink: Another version of an RPA. These appear to be vertical while the Rookie Jersey Autos are horizontal cards. 
• Aurora Autogs, Lighting Strix, Matrix Material Autos: Different sets that highlight past and present stars. Veterans and retired players. 
• Galaxy Inx and Magmatic Signatures: Galaxy Ink appears to be more retired players, based on the checklist, while Magmatic Signatures is more active vets, except for Zach Wilson, who might be retired soon.

The 2022 Obsidian Football formats

Obsidian will be released in two formats. Here’s a breakdown of everything we can expect.

2022 Obsidian Football Hobby Box

• 4 autographs or memorabilia
• 2 parallels or inserts
• 1 base card

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2022 Obsidian Football FOTL bobby box

• 1 Rookie Jersey Auto Purple Flood (#/35) or White Mojo (#/10)
• 3 Additional Autographs or Relics
• 1 Purple Flood Parallel (#/16)
• 1 Additional Parallel or Insert
• 1 Base

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2022 Obsidian Football checklist

One thing that’s notable about Obsidian cards is that they’re progressively getting less… Obsidian. The dark-background cards have more color introduced every year, from parallels to the Electrc Etch cards. 

Here’s a look at this year’s hobby colors:

• Electric Etch Contra
• Electric Etch Purple – #/100
• Electric Etch Orange – #/75
• Electric Etch Green – #/50
• Electric Etch Red Flood – #/29
• Electric Etch Yellow – #/25
• Electric Etch Purple Flood – #/16
• Electric Etch Gold Flood – #/10
• Electric Etch Red – #/10
• Electric Neon Mojo – #/5
• Electric Etch Blue Finite – 1/1

Panini 2022 Obsidian Football value

If you’re hoping to invest in Obsidian 2022, the first question to answer is if you should buy singles or wax.

Wax value

Let’s look at the two most popular formats of Obsidian.

Hobby Boxes

This year’s Obsidian boxes are selling for $500 pre-order. Let’s look at the last few years of Obsidian and recent sales (as of 3/23/23):

Shop for your own Obsidian football hobby boxes right here.

The assessment here is going to be a lot like the other value analyst I’ve offered for 2022 brands: the pitfall of the value in this class with be the rookies. 

As you can see above, the rookies included make a huge difference. 2019 is the weakest rookie class on this list, while 2020 (with Burrow, Herbert, Jefferson and more) is by far the best. The difference is reflected in the price.

That said, age and print runs should both be considered. The older the product is, the more valuable it should become since it’s harder to find sealed. And recent releases (2020 and later, I’d say), have a higher print run when Panini really kicked it into overdrive. This lowers value. We can’t see for certain, but I’d bet 2018 Obsidian has half the print run of 2022 (or even less). 

There’s no secret that the 2022 class isn’t exciting. The best player is Sauce Garner, and defensive cards never hold value long-term. With this in mind, consider 2019 a better recent comp than any of the other draft classes listed above. And, if that’s the case, don’t buy into Obsidian 2022 at the release price. It will drop, and if it hits around $300 or $350, that’s the time to get some exposure to it. 

Obsidian Football 2022 singles value

Thanks to the low print run, Obsidian Singles is an attractive investment. It’s a brand that is pretty mainstream as far as 7-card boxes go, so having the right RPA from Obsidian could translate to big bucks down the road. 

But caution: don’t buy the first Obsidian cards that appear on eBay for this year. The price will inevitably drop as the supply meets the demand.

Bottomline of the 2022 Obsidian Football review

While the Obsidian 2022 release might be coming significantly later than we’d hope and most collectors are already eyeing 2023, it still provides some beautiful cards that can demand a pretty penny if you have the right pulls. 

2022 Obsidian Football is not a must-buy by any means. I’ll almost certainly stay away. It’s not a great rip, either—probably better to hold sealed or buy singles. 

What do you plan on doing with 2022 Obsidian? Let us know on Twitter @card_lines, and be sure to sign up for our free newsletter, delivering hobby news into your inbox twice a week.

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Full 2022 Obsidian Football checklist