2022 Panini Contenders Optic Football will have a sense of familiarity for many collectors. It does have its roots in the main 2022 Contenders set. However, like past years for the brand, it’s done in chrome and comes with a more premium configuration. Single-pack boxes are highlighted by a pair of autographs.
2022 Panini Contenders Optic Football Checklist Overview
The base set carries the same design and Season Ticket theme as regular Contenders. There are a couple of differences. Rookie Tickets also have unsigned base versions. Of course, there’s the chromium stock as well that gives everything a metallic look.
Parallels include:
- Silver
- Red – /175
- Blue – /99
- Orange – /50
- Green Pulsar – /30
- Cracked Ice – /22
- Red, White and Blue – /13
- Gold – /10
- Neon Marble – /4
- Nebula – /2
- Gold Vinyl – 1/1
- Printing Plates – 1/1
While there are standard base cards for first-year players, Rookie Ticket Autographs are also on the checklist. These anchor much of Contenders Optic’s signature content.
Parallel versions for these are similar to the base set:
- Silver
- Red – /175 or less
- Blue – /99 or less
- Orange – /50 or less
- Green Pulsar – /30 or less
- Cracked Ice – /22 or less
- Red, White and Blue – /13 or less
- Gold – /10 or less
- Neon Marble – /4 or less
- Nebula – /2 or less
- Gold Vinyl – 1/1
Additional Autographs and Inserts
Among the other autographs on the checklist are various Throwback Rookie Autographs that take members of the 2022 draft class and put them on cards using the 2002 and 2012 Contenders designs. Base versions have no more than 25 copies with additional Gold Vinyl one-of-ones.
Some past Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs are also recreated here, now using chromium stock.
Induction Ticket Autographs make their debut, spotlighting Hall of Famers.
In addition to the two autographs, hobby boxes also have one standard insert.
Xs and Os come with a die-cut design as well as Blue (/99), Pink (/75), Orange (/50), Green Pulsar (/30), Red, White and Blue (/13), Gold (/10) and Gold Vinyl (1/1) parallels.
Other inserts include All-Time Contenders, MVP Contenders and Winning Tickets.
2022 Panini Contenders Optic Football has a pair of tough case hits in Legitness and Now Contending.
2022 Panini Contenders Optic Football cards at a glance:
Cards per pack: Hobby – 6
Packs per box: Hobby – 1
Boxes per case: Hobby – 20
Set size: TBA
Release date (subject to change): May 3, 2023
What to expect in a hobby box:
- Autographs – 2
- Inserts – 1
- Parallels – 1
- Base Cards – 2
Recent Panini Contenders Optic Football releases:
The full 2022 Panini Contenders Optic Football checklist and team set lists will be up as soon as they’re available, likely shortly before the set’s release.