Panini Blog Pop-Up Home Run: Throwback Insert Adds Power to 2012 Golden Age Baseball

[Panini Blog]

There are days inside Panini America HQ when I tend to forget that I have a job to do and I spend way too much time wandering around the office in amazement, a still-awestruck collector basking in the brilliance of the day-to-day business that engulfs me. Yesterday was one of those days.
I was back in the Product Development area scoping out the Quality Control finds from upcoming releases such as 2012-13 Limited Basketball and 2012 Black Football when I came to a screeching halt at Mike Payne’s desk. Strategically placed and propped up like a troop of inviting little green Army men were several of the brilliantly cool Pop-Ups inserts coming to 2012 Golden Age Baseball.
I spent at least 20 mesmerizing minutes in front of Payne interacting with each and every one (from Curly Howard to Red Grange to Ava Gardner to Seattle Slew to Jack Johnson to Yogi Berra to Bobby Jones and back again), genuinely blown away by the photography, by the functionality, by the fun. And I thought to myself, “if this is what 2012 Golden Age Baseball is all about, I’m all in.”
Everyone I showed the Pop-Ups to yesterday afternoon had a similar childlike exuberance in their reaction — and in an office full of been-there, done-that industry veterans, that’s saying a lot. The throwback thrillers will fall roughly two per box when Golden Age releases on December 19, so the must-see gallery that follows will take you through about 13 boxes worth.
The Pop-Ups, in concert with an astounding on-card autograph roster, the inclusion of the Three Stooges and memorabilia from Seattle Slew and the Titanic, has Golden Age poised to be one of the most eclectic, entertaining and history-drenched trading products of the year. And at just $3 per pack, it’ll be affordable, too.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the Pop-Ups after you’ve had a chance to peruse them below. Oh, and be sure to check The Knight’s Lance tomorrow when we preview another aspect of Golden Age’s neat (yeah, I said “neat”) old-school persona: The box-topping 1916 Ferguson Bakery Pennants.
We can’t wait for you to see those, either.

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