2013-14 Panini Prime Hockey Cards

Product Review

2013-14 Panini Prime Hockey Product Review

Reviewed by Ryan Cracknell

Good: Gives more than advertised, lots of unique memorabilia, most of the cards look great no matter what the value might be.

Bad: Boxes are pricey for a lot of collectors, some questionable players given cost.

The Bottom Line: With Panini wrapping up their NHL card license, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that their final few releases are delivering more than advertised. So not only is 2013-14 Panini Prime Hockey filled with some of the year's most attractive cards, but you're likely to get significantly more than you bargained for -- in a good way.

Card Design: 4.8/5.0

Simply put, Prime has some of the best designed memorabilia cards of the year. And this isn't just hockey. It's all sports. With patches galore, there are lots of oppotunities for unique cards.

Prime does a nice job of offering some strong design continuity throughout the various inserts. In particular, the smokey look and scratched ice are on virtually every card in some fashion. Not that it matters at this point, but it's this kind of thing that can really make a brand stronger as a whole.

Special mention is deserved for Prime Colors and its focus on massive patches that come from some of the most recognizable part of jerseys.

Checklist: 4.0/5.0

Not every card in Prime has a star player. But the checklist does a good job of balancing multiple generations of stars, rookies and some fan favorites.

Although the double-rookie class doesn't look to have produced as much interest as was initially hyped, it does bode well over the long-term. There are lots of great rookies to be found besides those names MacKinnon.

Value: 3.5/5.0

2013-14 Panini Prime Hockey is one of the sport's most expensive products of the season. And while a lot of the cards may not be performing to huge numbers on the secondary market, there are enough unique aspects where those not looking to flip should be able to enjoy what they pulled, even if it is a lesser player.

One thing that I did find bothersome is the amount of event-used memorabilia rather than swatches from actual games. It's part of a larger hobby trend that reaches across every sport and manufacturer. To me, a swatch can look great and I can still enjoy it but there's a lot less meaning and connection. This is even more true when the jerseys are from non-NHL jerseys like some of the Panini-branded rookie gear in the product.

The Fun Factor: 4.7/5.0

For a high-end product, Prime is a lot of fun. It starts by over-delivering. This lessens the worst possible scenarios. Not every card is going to fetch a huge amount. But there's enough interesting designs and big patches to keep things interesting even if you're not pulling the MacKinnons, Crosbys or Lemieuxs.

This is easily one of Panini's strongest hockey brands and it's one I'm lamenting its end.

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2013-14 PANINI PRIME RYAN MILLER PRIME COLORS NUMBERS PATCH 19/25 BUFFALO SABRE

$49.00

2013-14 Panini Prime Prime Colors Logo 6/23 Josh Bailey #PC-JBA NHL Islanders

$60.12

David Krejci 2013-14 Panini Prime Colors Logo Patch /53 (STUNNING PATCH!)

$169.99

2013-14 Panini Prime Colors Logo #PCJBA Josh Bailey 3/23

$59.17

2013-14 Panini Prime Prime Colors Logo 15/23 Josh Bailey #PC-JBA NHL Islanders

$60.12

2013-14 Panini Prime Prime Colors Numbers /32 Tyler Kennedy #PC-TKE

$99.00

2013-14 Panini Prime Hockey Colors Logo #CLG-RM Ryan Malone Jersey 35/39

$37.50

2013-14 Panini Prime Colors Numbers #PCTR Tuukka Rask 26/38

$81.36

2013-14 MIKAEL BACKLUND Panini Prime Colors Logo Jumbo Rookie /71 AMAZING FLAMES

$49.95

2013-14 Panini Prime Rookie Colors Patch #RPCEL Elias Lindholm 11/28

$59.17

2013-14 Panini Prime Colors Logo /44 Connor Murphy #RPC-CM Rookie RC Coyote

$79.91

2013-14 Panini Prestige Ty Lawson True Colors 25/25 prime patch card Nuggets

$14.99

2013-14 PRIME COLORS PATCH SEMYON VARLAMOV CAPITALS EAGLE 9/24

$166.42

2013-14 PRIME COLORS NUMBERS PATCH ERIK KARLSSON 29/29

$147.93

2013-14 PRIME COLORS PATCH CRAIG ANDERSON SENATORS REEBOK 26/35

$110.95

2013-14 PANINI PRIME RYAN MURPHY RPC-MU #ed 26/45 COLORS ROOKIE JUMBO PATCH

$147.92

2013-14 PANINI PRIME NICKLAS JENSEN ROOKIE COLORS CRAZY PATCH RPC-NJ #ed 12/28

$73.96

2013-14 PANINI PRIME NICKLAS JENSEN ROOKIE COLORS PATCH RPC-NJ FIRST #ed 1/28

$73.96

2013-14 PANINI PRIME NICKLAS JENSEN ROOKIE COLORS LOGO PATCH RPC-NJ #ed 40/50

$44.37