The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

DATE

Dec. 22, 2024

Laker Review

2022 Panini Prizm Football sports card release lives up to hype

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

While the football season may be over for most everyone, football in the trading card community just had their Super Bowl product release this last week: 2022 Panini Prizm Football. Card collectors look forward to many sets releasing year in and year out, but the Prizm product for NFL football adds a different kind of premium to its brand. 

This year’s release features the classic chrome card and different colored parallels that Prizm is known for. Although the 2022 NFL Draft class wasn’t the most exciting year for quarterbacks, it still features many of this year’s most impactful and big named rookies like Kenny Pickett, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Brock Purdy to name a few. 

The product was released in many different formats for collectors to purchase. Local sports card shops offer the classic but pricey hobby format which can range from $650-$800 per box and the hobby hybrid (“No Huddle”) which ranges from $300-$400 per box. The hobby format offers two autographs and 10 numbered parallels per box where the hybrid format offers one auto and 10 no huddle parallels per box. Although both formats may seem fairly pricey, this is the lowest Prizm football has been over the last couple of years.

Do not be worried though if you are unable to get your hands on these formats in store or online as many big box retailers offer retail formats of this card release among many other releases throughout the year. So far, only the blaster box format has been released for stores like Walmart, Target and Meijer, and can be purchased for $29.99-$39.99 per box and have the chance at autograph or jersey cards in them. 

Previous years of Prizm Football retail formats have included cello/value packs ($12.99-$14.99), hanger boxes ($19.99), blaster boxes ($29.99-$39.99), mega boxes ($49.99-$59.99) and Target exclusive retail boxes ($3.99/pack with 24 packs/box). Being a newer product release, collectors can expect to hopefully see more of these other formats released over the coming weeks. 

Being a product that is by far one of the most enjoyed and anticipated each year for the colored parallels and rookies that are the main attraction over the autographs, it is one of the hardest sets to pull those better cards out of thanks to a massive checklist. Featuring a 400 card complete base set with 300 base veteran cards and 100 base rookies makes it a very degen product to rip and hit big on. 

Most outsiders may see Prizm Football or even Basketball as a set to avoid, the possibilities of hitting a big card along with getting a lot of nicer quality cards makes it fun for most any collector out there. Although the odds may not be in your favor to make your money back off this set, as it is not easy to do to begin with for any set, the colored parallels of the cards available may attract you to try your chances on a box of Prizm or to pick a few specific cards up on eBay.

Opening up Prizm Football in previous years along with blaster boxes from this year’s release lives up to the hype that the most anticipated product of the year has to offer. Other sports card content creators like “Packercards87,” “Hitman Rips” and “Sky-B Cards” can show you the fun in opening this year’s set as well. With many different formats of the product available to collectors everywhere and those who may want to start collecting, 2022 Prizm Football will make you understand why the card collecting community gives it the premium the brand begs for.

Image from Kenny Pickett via Twitter