If one were to crack bad jokes about 2012-13 Panini Prime Hockey, you could say that set has more patches than a pirate convention.
Statler and Waldorf are not amused.
Perhaps, more appropriate is a classic Cyndi Lauper song taken out of context.
Simply put, 2012-13 Panini Prime Hockey Prime Colors patch cards are some of the most impressive in the hobby. Taking up nearly the entire front of the card, they're so big that it's easy to recognize the part of the jersey they were cut from.
The cards come in three different varieties depending on where the patch is from: Logos, Numbers and Patch. All three sections of the checklist have more than 100 players. Combine them and you're looking at about 450 different cards. It mixes current and retired players.
Individual cards are going to be tough to find as all are numbered under 30. Logos are the most plentiful of the three, but they also offer some of the most compelling pieces.
What's cool about a set like this is that for a lot of collectors, the cards themselves are so interesting and unique that the actual player is less important. Sure, getting Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin or Mario Lemieux is going to be especially exciting (and pricey), but it's doubtful many collectors would complain about many of the lesser names as well.
Prime Colors were also in 2011-12 Panini Prime Hockey, but there's one big difference this year. Last year's set was simply the patch and a border. No players images were included. The photo may not be big, but the Panini design team was able to incorporate a player shot into the border without sacrificing anything.
If these cards intrigue you, there's a huge gallery of 59 Prime Colors cards that have surfaced during the first couple of days of the set's release. If you want to add some to your collection or do some virtual window shopping on eBay, click here.
2012-13 Panini Prime Hockey Prime Colors Gallery
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