CASE CHASERS

In an industry inundated with autographs and patches, today’s hottest case hits include neither.

- David Lee

Today’s hottest case hits are driving huge interest and secondary market activity, but not because of autographs or memorabilia swatches. Instead, they focus on creative design, unique themes and cutting-edge print treatment. Color Blast, Downtown and Kaboom appear in different brands, and even though they originated in other sports, they have become top targets for football collectors.

Color Blast debuted in baseball, making its first football appearance in 2019 Panini Prizm, but super-tough to find at one in 10 cases. A 24-card set was included in 2020 Prizm draft picks. According to Panini’s product development team, the concept was developed in-house and features an explosion of multiple colors behind the player image against a white background. The clean but vibrant look creates an immediate eye-catcher. The color blast element is a combination of PMS colors with the Opti-chrome finish, creating a reflective shine when light hits it just right.

“Every product team really liked how the cards looked, and all of us tried to incorporate it as quickly as possible,” says Rob Springs, Panini America Director of Football Product Development. “We plan to leave this version in the Prizm football line, but we are also doing a Color Blast Black in 2020 Obsidian, to follow the program theme.”