PANINI ILLUSIONS FOOTBALL

BIG DESIGNS, LOTS OF VARIETY

Foil and acetate collide once again in 2021 Panini Illusions Football, a set that goes big for a lot of its designs. There’s also a fair bit of variety. Each hobby box includes five total hits, three of which are autographs. Instead of traditional stock or foil like much of the checklist, inserts opt for the plastic look and feel of acetate. There’s ten of these in each hobby box as well, averaging out to one per pack.

The base set uses foil stock with a pair of photos figuring prominently. The checklist totals 100 cards, mixing stars, rookies and legends.

Parallels, which average out to every other hobby pack, once again adopt the Trophy Collection name. Colors include:

• Bronze – /499

• Pink – /399

• Yellow Diamond – /249

• Light Blue – /149

• Red – /99

• Blue – /75

• Black Ice – /50

• Platinum – /35

• Gold – /25

• Green – /10

• Purple – 1/1

A handful of additional hobbyexclusive Trophy Collection parallels switch out the background photo for one of a second player from the past.

This applies to:

• Wild Card – /25

• Divison – /10

• Conference – /5

• Super Bowl – 1/1

AUTOGRAPHS, MEMORABILIA CARDS AND OTHER INSERTS

First Impressions returns for another year, combining rookie autographs and memorabilia. Base versions max out at 299 copies with additional Red (/99 or less), Blue (/75 or less), Black (/50 or less), Gold (/25 or less), Green (/10 or less) and Purple (1/1) parallels also available.

Rookie Reflections Dual Patch Autographs (/299 or less) double up the players, signatures and swatches. Parallels land in Red (/99 or less), Blue (/75 or less), Black (/50 or less), Gold (/25 or less) Green (/10 or less) and one-of-one Purple.

Limelight Signatures (/199 or less) features some high-profile playmakers. Red (/99 or less), Blue (/75 or less), Black (/50 or less), Gold (/25 or less) Green (/10 or less) and Purple (1/1) versions can also be found.

As far as memorabilia cards go, Rookie Idols cards come with a pair of swatches. Deja Vu does as well, only with two players. Both of these have six tiers of parallels, all numbered to 99 and under.

Among the acetate inserts is King of Cards (/399) that, according to Panini, is only top players. These have Light Blue (/299), Red (/149), Black (/50), Gold (/25), Green (/10) and Purple (1/1) parallels.

Other acetate inserts include Clear Shots, Illusionists, Mystique and Shining Stars.

HoloHeroes is another new insert set for 2021 Illusions Football. These rank as one of the toughest pulls, landing as a case hit.