2012 Panini Absolute Football Box Break Recap And Review

Absolute tends to be a good break for me.  This particular box I broke had cards that fluctuated in secondary market value throughout the season, both up and down, which is why I tend to stay away from value when it comes to reviews, unless it is clear that the values are to the extreme, high or low.  For the second year in a row, Absolute is aided by a rookie class that has excelled. Many found starting roles and a high percentage were put in leadership roles.  There is a really nice base set and some fantastic hits to pull.  All of this plus an extra card per pack this year makes 2012 Panini Absolute Football another solid choice for Football card collectors.

Panini Absolute Football falls towards the high end of our premium cards category.  Each box contains four pillow packs with 5 cards per pack. Each master box contains two autograph and two memorabilia cards.

Here are the cards we pulled.

Base Cards

 Brandon Marshall, Front and Back

 Ahmad Bradshaw, Ben Roethlisberger, BenJarvis Green-Ellis

 DeMarco Murray, Jamaal Charles, Kevin Kolb

 Kenny Britt, Mark Sanchez, Roy Helu Jr.

 Mike Thomas, Tim Tebow, Vernon Davis

Base Rookies

 Jayson Hosley #/399, Kendall Reyes #/399

Rishard Matthews Spectrum Parallel #/25

The Hits

 Luke Kuechky Spectrum Auto #/299, Dan Herron Spectrum Auto #/299

Doug Martin Rookie Premiere Materials RPM Memorabilia #/50

Dwayne Allen Star Gazing Autograph Memorabilia #/49

Overall Look

I really like these base cards. The photography, strong lines, and foil treatments look great.  Those good looks continue to the backs of the cards.  There are no inserts this year, which streamlines things.  The RPM Rookie Autographs are, once again, the standouts and work very well shifting back to vertical orientation. I also appreciate the exact date identification on the Star Gazing memorabilia swatch.

Quality and Variety of Players

This checklist is tight and at only 20 cards to a full box, it needs to be.  While Absolute can be rookie centric, there is still a wide variety of veterans included.

Do the Hits satisfy?

Pulling a Luke Kuechly might have been an overlooked hit earlier in the season.  Now, with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, it is a great pull.  There is plenty of goodness that can be had with Absolute.

Will you keep coming back for more?

These cards are on the high end of the Premium category, but it can currently be found at reduced prices, which brings it more firmly into the Premium category. For some, a second box is an easy purchase and for those with deeper pockets, getting a case of these will seem reasonable.

Rating 

4 1/2 out of 5

2012 Panini Absolute Football is a fun break that can provide some premium cards for rookie prospectors.