Superlative "reasons" were not so super

Man, what a let down. For months we were teased about ITG's Superlative product. By teased I mean we were told very little, aside from the guarantee than it would be the greatest hockey set ever produced. It was trumped in interviews as the ultimate (pun somewhat intended) "just you wait and see" set. This sure got people talking. Gee, what have we not seen yet? What makes this better than Utimate? For the record, I guessed that we would see some more of Vezina's pads. Based on at least one card I was right from the start:

(It's easy to miss that this is also a Ken Dryden card, but we all know he has issues.) I wish I would have kept the teaser image from ITG's website. It looked as if they scanned the cover of the Dupont Registry--fine living at it's finest. It showed something like a speedboat, a fancy swimming pool, maybe it had a Rolex, or a beautiful lady in a mink stoll. I can't remember. That's where the raised eyebrows began. What could be put in some cardboard that we had never seen before? Well, it turns out it's really nothing new, but perhaps the draw is due to a particular combination of things, a magical formula that collectors will be (or at least should be in ITG's eyes) clamoring for. Then ITG's ingenious marketing ploys reached new heights. They sent out emails to their subscribers saying there would be seven reasons why this would be the best set ever made. The reasons came in dribs and drabs, then a deluge of them. It seems that they finally realized the collectors thought the secrecy was silly really late in the game, then the final few reasons gushed out like a geyser. Obviously anyone can get them from the website, but I'm listing them below. Reason #1: Hard-Signed Autographs Uhh, OK. After months of waiting, this was #1. Sure collectors have decided that sticker autos are the work of the devil, but this? This is what collectors have always wanted, so it's one of those understood wishes. That's like saying we would like cards to be rectangular in shape. Besides, ITG has resorted to sticker autos for every product they released over the past several years, as far as I can remember. This being reason #1 just reminds me that they've been using stickers, even in their high-end Ultimate Memorabilia. Ouch. Reason #2: No Redemptions Err, ITG never has redemptions, so they're not exactly sticking their neck out on this one. OK, OK, for the sake of thoroughness they used to do the Draft Redemptions, and their Made to Order program is also based on a redemption card, but it's not UD's we-didn't-have-the-card-ready-so-we're-giving-you-this-one-in-the-meantime type of redemption. Reason #3: All Memorabilia is Game-Worn See Reason #2--ITG has always used game-worn, so what's the point? Oh yeah, it's another thumbing of their collective noses at UD. They might as well have said "No photoshoot jerseys" but perhaps they were afraid collectors would be able to see through that one... Reason #4: Loaded with 1/1's Swing and a miss--with the glut of 1/1s already on the market this isn't really a bragging point anymore. UD already beat you to the 1/1 punch. They're called Press Plates, and The Cup is overflowing with them. Will these be unique 1/1s or just parallels? If they are unique, that is your selling point; if they are going to be parallels, then you should have chucked it and gone with just 6 reasons. Reason #5: Over 100 Cut Signatures OK, a little better. But until I see a checklist I'll mark this one as a "tentative kudo". There is also no mention if these will be 1/1s or if it is 100 unique signatures, so it could be 5 cut autos of 20 players. Reason #6: Authentic Game-Used Jersey Letters Seen 'em already in SP Game Used, and liked 'em better. Hopefully they "custom" cut each card so that the letter or surrounding fabric fills the whole window. Now that's something to advertise. Still, though, they just look too plain.

Reason #7: Seven Cards per Pack-- All Inserts, No Base Cards This is something that should appear on a sell sheet in the fine print, not as something plastered on the website and email campaigns. At least they ditched the "artist's rendition" of the players for this one. In this day and age where autos and memorabilia rule, the lack of a base set is somewhat innovative, I suppose, but it's not going to draw people to a product. Overall, the designs for Superlative are ok, but nothing that screams "Buy Me", especially at the price. The hidden gem in all of this? They mention that all cards with print runs of 9 or less are individually numbered. It sure beats the generic "1 of 10" mess. The release date is set for April 30th. While I have been rough on the product, I am waiting to see what sort of stuff comes out of it. I hope I am able to come back at some point after it's release and have nothing but good things to say about it.