album: The history of sports (Gazzetta dello Sport)
stickers: 144 (1-144)
starter pack: album + 6 stickers (with Sport Week, 19/11/22)
24 outings on Saturday attached to Sport Week
Celebratory album of sport but also and, in some way, above all of the historic Italian pink sports newspaper. Through the front pages that have followed over the decades, from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. The stickers are found, six per issue, in the center of the Saturday magazine of the Gazzetta dello Sport. Avoiding unnecessary waste of plastic, the sheet of stickers is one with the staples of the magazine.
Interesting collection for those who want to remember the great moments of sport, which the Gazzetta retraces with a chronological but also in some ways mythological setting of the album.
The collection of stickers goes backwards, starting from the present day, the first stickers recall three important moments of 2022: the Milan championship, the exploits of Jacobs and the Azzurri at the Tokyo Olympics and the incredible European victory at Wembley. unfortunately interspersed with two even more historic failures to qualify for the World Cup of the national football team.
We take the opportunity to recall some events that find ample space in the pages, which the Gazzetta emphasizes with large nine-column titles. Impossible to mention them all:
2021/2016 Matteo Berettini, the first Italian to play in the Wimbledon final Sofia Goggia, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Niccolò Campriani Olympic gold medalists
2015/2010 Mourinho’s Inter conquer the historic Triplete Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone, respectively queens of the US Open and Roland Garros
2006/2002 The sky is blue above Berlin, Italy world champion for the fourth time Filippo Magnini, Stefano Baldini, the Setterosa of the Olympic gold medals of water polo
2001/2000 “The Eternal City” dominates in football, Rome and the year before Lazio are champions of Italy After 21 years, Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari wins the world title
1999/1996 Juri Chechi is the “Lord of the Rings” at the Olympics Marco Pantani wins both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France
1996/1992 May 3, 1994, the death of Ayrton Senna Volleyball, water polo, athletics, years of triumphs for Italy
1991/1988 Sampdoria’s first historic championship and Milan champions of Europe August 17, 1988, the death of Enzo Ferrari
1987/1984 Maradona’s Napoli and Verona win the first Scudetto in their history Francesco Moser shatters the hour record
1983/1980 Italy at the mundial in Spain is world champion For the first time, Italian basketball is on the roof of Europe
1979/1975 Italy wins the Davis Cup Saronni and Gimondi win the Giro d’Italia
1975/1970 15th world title for the legend Giacomo Agostini 19 June 1970, Italy-West Germany 4-3
1969/1963 Italy, Inter and Milan conquer the European football In the only play-off in Serie A, Bologna won their seventh Scudetto
We don’t know if wanted or not, but the years from 1959 to 1962 are not mentioned in the album
1958/1942 The Italian expedition reaches the summit of K2 In London 1948 Consolini is gold medal in disc
1938/1909 Italy of football is two world champions in 1934 and 1938 Primo Carnera (who is mentioned on the album as Pietro..) is world champion Ondina Valla gold medal at the Berlin Olympics
The pink pages, instead, are tinged with blue to celebrate other sporting champions, always specifying the year but divided in a different way:
THE JOURNAL AND HISTORY The first issue of the newspaper (April 3, 1896), the first edition of the Giro d’Italia, the moon landing, the massacre at the Munich Olympics, the attack on the Twin Towers, farewell to Pope Wojtyla
MYTHS OF ITALY Tazio Nuvolari, Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Nino Benvenuti, Pietro Mennea, Alberto Tomba, Valentina Vezzali, Federica Pellegrini, Valentino Rossi and other myths of Italian sport
WORLD SUPERHEROES Maradona, Merckx, Kobe Bryant, Muhamad Ali, Jesse Owens, Pele, Nadia Comaneci and other legends of world sport
IDOLS OF OUR FOOTBALL Grande Torino, Facchetti, Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Meazza and other legends of Italian football
If you are a reader of the Gazzetta and of Sport Week, a pleasant and nice addition. If you are not, the low cost of the magazine (2.00 euros) allows everyone to easily complete the collection.
(EN)
NBA 2022/23 sticker collection (Panini)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 274
album: NBA sticker collection 2022/23 (Panini)
stickers: 511 (1-511)
album 2,00€
box: 36 packets (5 stickers per packet) 0,80€ each
Good news! At least from our point of view, which is clearly not the one most shared by collectors. Finally, the NBA sticker album separates from the cards and continues (temporarily?) The journey alone, creating the conditions for basketball to have a collection even with relatively low costs. Commercial choice? Need as the cards will go out with another publisher? Whatever the reason, fine.
Other good news comes from the quality of the album, although we found no creases or other problems in glossy paper, the three staples are a good omen for the final seal. At Edicola Birra, where we are based, only the sales version album has arrived, no starter packs. Too early to understand if Panini has followed the advice and improved the card in exchange for a financial contribution (and therefore no starter pack with free album), or if it is just a coincidence. We will find out with the next expected albums.
Too bad only for the quality of the stickers, perhaps with the baskets photographed in the bust as in the soccer cards (see last world championships or champions league) it would not be bad, but with the formula of the sticker in action the photos are very small and not only suffer from it a lot the quality but also the spectacular scenography that often have the game action in the NBA championship.
Going into the details of the 2023 album, the formula is similar to the previous ones but not the same. The first pages are the usual “best of” of the 2022 season, with particular reference to the top teams made up of the best players by position and the “rookies”, the potential champions of tomorrow.
With so many teams, the album naturally grants a large part of the space available to all the clubs. For each team we find two pages, large photos to highlight the actions of the 2 main players (not always ..), 13 stickers of which 9 with the team’s rose, three silver of the top players, the logo. Nothing sensational, knowing the incredible potential of Panini we can expect much more.
Last pages with the giant puzzle logo of the NBA and above all 20 “legends” stickers, a term often abused in the world of sport. Are we very curious to find out who we will find, Doctor J? Jabbar? Kobe Bryant? Michael Jordan? Larry Bird? And maybe even the oldest NBA. For example, applause would be the figurine of an absolute legend like Bill Russell, who died this summer at 88 years old.
(EN)
F1 2022 (Topps)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 267
album: F1 2022 (Topps)
stickers: 154 (1-154)
all pack inclusive: album + complete set 14,99€
This album is a potential huge wake-up call. If you are a lover of classic stickers, of course. The commercial agreements, between publishers and who owns the rights, are both on the stickers and on the cards. For this reason, several publishers make mixed albums, so as to maintain exclusivity on both and not run the risk that cards or stickers can be assigned to others.
So Topps, after having created the collection of Turbo Attax cards, rather rich and varied (for lovers of the genre), with the aim of not losing the rights to the stickers, creates a mini album that in substance, but not in form, it is similar to the previous two but there is a clear feeling that it is a convenient solution.
Of course, the offer is absolutely captivating, with less than 15 euros you have the complete collection, but in miniature versions, albums and even more stickers. The fascination of F1 loses a lot from this choice. Honestly and considering that Topps is closing several important contracts (see the European football championships) we would not want this to be the commercial policy of the next few years, to push collectors towards the cards of which, honestly, they are steps forward compared to the main competitor.
We will see. The album reflects the approach of the two previous editions, naturally limiting the number of stickers by force of circumstances. In the first part, after celebrating the highlights of the 2021 world champion Verstappen with 8 stickers, the drivers are presented, 4 stickers each: the special together with the car and their number in the race, the bust photo with the helmet next to it, close-up inside the cockpit and figurine of the racing car.
The mix is not bad at all, too bad the mini format is very little to enjoy the whole, although and paradoxically the stickers are still of good quality. It must be said that the graphics and texts are still legible and pleasant despite the format.
Following the very captivating pages with the stickers of the team managers and the team of mechanics “in action” in the pits during tire changes. The statistics work and the ranking of the fastest pitstops are valid, team by team. The next 10 stickers with the highlights of the 2021 championship are the continuation of the opening of the album, even if they do not repeat the Verstappen domination but are dedicated to the successes and results obtained by the other drivers.
The album closes with the double stickers of the F2 drivers and a platinum page where the best drivers of last season are celebrated. Not a fundamental page but it has the advantage of having the special stickers of Verstappen, Hamilton and Bottas in the classic format (or rather more) that we would have had in a classic album, lean but pleasant consideration.
The graphic and varied quality of the stickers makes the bite of the missed opportunity even more bitter. Note, however, the repetition of the lack of circuit stickers, a fundamental paragraph considered by Panini for the Moto GP album.
Another worrying fact, the album is distributed on newsstands, which is excellent, but long after it was sold on Amazon and perhaps other internet channels. For us, who are always on the side of the newsstands, it is a further alarm bell. There is, however, and indeed we find, albeit a good choice, that the product was on sale at the Topps stand during the Monza GP and we imagine in other races in Europe.
The solution of the mini album, although at a competitive price, we hope is only a parenthesis and not a predominant editorial line of Topps for the future.
(EN)
Moto GP (Panini)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 262
album: Moto GP (Panini)
stickers: 240 (1-240)
starter pack: album + 5 packets 4,90€
box: 36 packets (5 stickers per packet) 1,00€ cad.
Panini takes to the track! More stickers publishers are welcome, they make the market more sparkling and interesting, with more proposals and with, not always but often, a preparation work to make the products more interesting and break through an important but very varied and fragmented market.
We like to think that without the Topps F1 albums, perhaps in Panini they would never have thought of an album on motorcycling (finally!) and without having the presumption that in Modena they read our reviews taking ideas, we like to think that the improvements in contents, on this album compared to that of F1, may also be the result of our comments and many other collectors on the internet.
Panini therefore takes its cue from the product of the American factory and makes it more complete, more varied and even more celebratory. The world of engines also lives a lot of memories, stories, myths, an album without this aspect is an incomplete album and so, despite the excellent Topps production (also in relation to quality / price), in the F1 albums it was always missing and strongly more than something.
First applause, the 20 single stickers of all the circuits of the world championship, with a brief introduction that sometimes seems to repeat itself but presents in a captivating way the historical and new tracks where the centaurs whiz by. If in the Calciatori albums we always want the stickers of the stadiums, in those of the engines not to include them the lack would be felt. With their characteristics, including curves, straights and ups and downs, they are the absolute protagonists with the riders and motorcycles.
All teams have broadly the same number of stickers and feature the pair of pilots with giant photos as an introduction. Each team therefore has a special silver sticker with the driver’s number, which is very much from the 1980s and the stickers that many of us kept attached to their scooters, simple (perhaps) but with a real passion. The classic sticker with bust photo of the rider with the detail of the victories between the three different categories, stickers of the helmet, the motorcycle and the rider with the motorcycle on the track. The overall sticker is also beautiful, with the bike on the track seen from the front and the face of its rider in the background.
The graphics of the pages are essential but unlike other albums we do not feel the need for extra colors and images, we are of those who “the stickers always stick” but really on this occasion only upon completion the album explodes with all the its charm. You could take a further step, perhaps with some shaped, possible ideas for the future, but perhaps the overall view of the pages would have been affected.
Final part of the album with the stickers of Moto 2 and 3. The riders are presented in stripes as we have seen in recent football albums. An appropriate choice to be able to insert them all without making the album too heavy. Second applause for the Legends stickers, it is impossible to put all the great champions of the recent or remote past, but being able to attack the stickers of Giacomo Agostini or Vale Rossi is always a pleasure. The world championship is also a legend, just to evoke it, just to be part of the album.
Personally we would have avoided the 25 stickers that trace the first part of the history of the current world championship. From Panini’s point of view it was certainly a need to make the album more full-bodied, from our point of view on the contrary it would have brought the whole to be just over 200 stickers, a number suitable for current collections. Also counting the cost and the choice that we do not share of the box of just 36 packets (luckily at least it is not 24), a box created to contain 50.
We remain of the idea that although we cannot hope that the collection can be completed with a box, the box should contain a number of stickers in line with the total of those on the album. Of course we speak as passionate collectors, not as a company that thinks about profits, but we must also create the conditions so that our beloved world can have a rosy future.
No (useless) cards, but in this case perhaps because an Adrenalyn series will also be released. The quality of the album paper is more than acceptable, perhaps Panini has emptied the warehouse with the previous paper. We hope, as we hope this album will have a following also in the next few years, the passion for the world championship deserved an album of stickers!
multipack Max Verstappen: 25 cards + 1 card limited 4,99€
multipack Lewis Hamilton: 25 cards + 1 card limited 4,99€
value box: 25 cards + 1 card limited 4,99€
mini tin box 36 cards + 2 card limited 7,99€
F1 Turbo Attax are back! You can decide to collect in two different ways, complete the basic set, fortunately not too large, or embark on the adventure of really finding them all, a costly operation but not too complicated if we limit ourselves to the classic 21 limited. Just purchase all the different Turbo Attax releases, hoping to be lucky enough to find the missing ones. The autographed cards, the twenty SS, are not written in how many copies have been made but certainly few. Give up your holidays this year and maybe you can buy them all from the lucky ones who will find them in the bags.
In our card reviews, we don’t give too much consideration to the gaming part, knowing that most of us actually only care about finding all the missing cards. In this case, however, it does not seem a secondary aspect to us, the dashboard / poster where the cards are stored has the shape of a circuit but we older ones certainly also remind us of the mythical and immortal Game of the Goose. At the same time the rules are simple, the different cards can allow you to play again up to almost infinity.
The section of the cards related not only to the drivers, but also to the Team Principals as well as beautiful photos of the cars has also been expanded. All this, added as said to the different strategy cards, makes the collection very interesting. Perhaps for those interested in just collecting, they would have preferred more photos, but we find this solution more effective.
The graphics are very captivating, the 20 of the riders with the particular helmet also are a beautiful sight. For each team we have the card logo, the car, the team manager and three per driver. With the first 99 cards you will have this complete mini set, from 100 to 121 the drivers of the F2 and from the 122 to the 131 also those of the F3.
From 132 to 179 the “extras” that go into more details and curiosities, always very appreciable the 10 cards where the teammates are put together. Two important details, at least for us, the first is the photos of the drivers, posing as a card, which stand out well on our little paper friends, the second is the presence of the team logo on the back which does not make them all the same. It will be a detail but we believe it is an excellent choice and we appreciate it.
As with the sticker version (out in August), the album is affected by two aspects to which space is not dedicated, the circuits and the great champions of the past. If for the Turbo Attax it may be understandable to limit the number of cards, for the classic stickers it could be a not insignificant added value.
box: 36 packets (5 stickers + 1 card per packet) 1,00€ each
Return to Lilliput. Honestly for NBA basketball fans who watch games on TV and enjoy the spectacle of US sports, this album is a very small thing. The size of the champions in tiny stickers which, among other things, do not expect the players to bust but in action are even more affected by the measure … miserable. Someone points out that everything serves to equate the European edition to the American one, we hope that in the US there are perhaps better quality Panini products worthy of paying homage to the NBA.
We went to read the review of the last edition (actually released in February due to the delays in the championship linked to the health emergency), we like to try to be original but in reality the album is a very large copy of the previous one, about which we had already had a lot to say.
First pages, stickers from 1 to 104, dedicated to the previous season with Christmas Day, All Star Game, Playoffs and Drafts. “Nothing new on the western front”, in short, just a few changes in the graphics.
Second part of the album (stickers from 105 to 500) with the presentation of all the clubs in the NBA. For each team 13 stickers, logos, three specials of the top scorers and 9 players. For fans of basketball made in Italy, Danilo Gallinari, the only one of ours to have remained in the NBA, is sticker number 116.
In reality this is the least annoying part of the album, appreciable that each formation has the same number of stickers, certain that a minimum of hassle to make some different stickers .. perhaps Panini cannot do it but for example give some pearls on the history of ‘NBA would be interesting. Or stickers of the jersey (already seen in the past) and maybe sports palaces or other fundamental aspects of American basketball.
The cards are standard, here too there is no commitment to make them more attractive. At least, as happened last year, on the back we find some statistics but the same photo of the front! Has it ever happened to you that your parents at the meeting with teachers were told “it has potential but it does just the bare minimum to get enough”? This is not even the case because, dear Panini, the politician 6/10 does not even get there. Also because the quality of the paper manages to be even worse than last year where it was already a horror. Either our copy has taken on moisture or the crack and the folds when turning the pages scream scandal.
Is it possible that in Italy (Europe?) the beloved NBA cannot have an album worthy of its specific weight in the panorama of world sport? Is it possible that we cannot think of daring and creating something different instead of this mess? For example, a FIFA365 basketball version, perhaps combining overseas basketball with the European one of the top clubs, even if only for Italy with the most popular clubs (Milano, the two Bolognese, etc.). Okay, maybe this idea is impractical if not for a Star Trek episode, but at least from a graphic point of view is it really that impossible?
What can we humble collectors do? Very little except not supporting certain products. For this reason, unlike what was previously announced, you will not find stickers/cards from this collection for swaps at our stand at the Bologna Disco and Comics Fair (27-28 November 2021) and in our space during FIGUCON (15 January 2022). We will not buy packets, we prefer to dedicate ourselves to other more valid collections, talking about Panini Fifa365, Harry Potter and Lyon.
(EN)
F1 SEASON 2021 (Topps)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 206
album: F1 2021 SEASON (Topps) stickers: 232 (1-232) starter pack: album + 1 packet 1,99€ starter pack 2: album + 3 packets + poster + 2 stickers limited edition 5,99€ box: 36 packets (10 stickers per packet) 1,00€ each value box: 5 packets + 2 stickers limited edition 4,99€ tin box: 9 packets + 4 fstickers limited edition 9,99€
Essential but still rich, above all economical. Topps is back with the second edition of the F1 stickers. Pretty similar album to the previous one. Essential, with 232 stickers it presents us all the pilots and cars of the season in the best possible way, therefore also rich; cheap, at the price of 1 euro, it offers 10 stickers per packet, of different types and sizes, exactly double what the competitors did with the last European. One cannot fail to emphasize.
Like last year, all F1 drivers have their own page with 10 stickers, instead of the helmet (now only printed) a special sticker with the driver standing and next to it a close-up of the eyes inside the helmet. In exchange we have earned! Three other stickers are dedicated to the pilot, the rest to the car, for both photos “posing” and in action. The presence of the mechanics during pit stops is also very dynamic, as is the confirmed choice of presenting the cars with rectangular stickers (except for the double sticker).
The drivers’ pages are also full of notions, both curiosities and technical details and references to the Turbo Attack card version where each pilot has parameters and characteristics: experience, overtaking and more. Palmares and nice info also on the personal life of the pilots, at the bottom the wikipedia where the most significant moments of their career are described, year after year.
The team logos find space at the beginning of the album on a dedicated page. In the center, instead, the page of the quizzes, 8 large-format stickers to discover your knowledge of F1. In reality, you just need to find the corresponding sticker or look for information on the various pages. If in addition to attaching the stickers, you take the time to read, this page has no secrets for you!
The album closes with the usual page on F2 drivers, presented in pairs. What is missing? Many would also like some F1 history, more achievable and a detail that is immediately noticeable is the lack of circuits, stories and legends in the world of motors. It could be that also for this year they are not contemplated as there may be variations due to the general situation linked to Covid. Let’s hope for 2022.
We remain convinced that sticker albums have to be like this. Beautiful quality collections, also full of images but also of a valid apparatus in terms of texts. Also in this mad rush to create more massive and difficult to complete albums, Topps goes against the grain and presents a great, contained and absolutely cheap collection. For the variant, extra, rare there are the cards.
For fans of limited edition stickers, Topps also makes a poster that is in the second type of starter pack. Where to attach the 6 limited edition stickers that can be found, in addition to this starter pack, in the tin box and in the value box. It is understandable that Topps should think about increasing sales, but it would have been more correct that by purchasing the three different products the six stickers were already found, instead it is not certain. In fact, we have found 4 different ones and two doubles. Also marked error that the four limited stickers in the box have a single tissue and are not in groups of two thus making it difficult for any exchanges, as well as having to fold them in the tin case they easily risk being damaged.
Note on the quality of the paper, very good when compared to other products. The stickers are of good quality, some of the specials above average. Of course you could have other types of specials, in satin, fabric, etc. But the fact remains that the result is 10 stickers for 1 euro, also varied in format, not trivial. Collection to taste, absolutely.
(EN)
F1 TURBO ATTAX 2021 (Topps Italy)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 199
album: F1 TURBO ATTAX 2021 (Topps)
cards: 259 (1-254 + 5 limited edition)
starter pack: binder + LE Alonso + 20 cards 8,99€
packets: 2,00€ with 10 cards (box of 24 packets)
multipack: LE Hamilton + 25 cards 4,99€
value box: LE Sainz + 25 cards 4,99€
mini tin: LE Norris + 30 cards 7,99€
mega tin: LE Vettel + 55 cards 12, 99€
card XXL: 5, available only on website Topps
Those who follow us have now understood that we are rather vintage, more linked to stickers than cards, this also involves a certain difficulty in reviewing the collections. Honestly, we are sure that we are lacking in notions and details that probably do not happen to us with the classic stickers. However, when a product is of quality we notice it all right and this Turbo Attax collection seems very beautiful to us!
First of all, the distribution in Italy was excellent news, last year only stickers arrived. Probably the great success convinced Topps to also present the cards. Speaking of stickers, the release for September has already been announced, perhaps a little later in time, but it is important that they come out. Among other things, if last year’s good intentions and excellent prices are confirmed (remember? € 1 for 10 stickers), we could have a possible candidate for final victory as the best sports album of 2021.
This collection of cards is very varied, the quality of the paper and images is superior to the competition, even the setting leaves its mark. First page to scream, 9 cards to form a single image with all the drivers. Promised that when we find them all we will add the photo in this review, it’s worth it!
From card 10 to 99, the basic set of Formula 1, divided by team, each has its own page, excellent idea that there are no distinctions, all the drivers have the same dedicated space, alone or in pairs with the teammate. Of course we start with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, world champion. In particular, the three-card puzzle cars are beautiful, to give even more emphasis to the joy of watching these dominatrixes of engines.
From cards 100 to 132 there is ample space for Formula 2, immediately after the champions of the major series, as if it were an album of footballers. Moreover, it is often among these new generation that we will find the great drivers of tomorrow, with the increasingly overflowing fashion of rookies, one day among these 32 cards we could find a card coveted by many fans.
Could they miss the Grand Prix? Of course not, from card 133 to card 159 here are the engines in action, retracing the most intense moments of the last racing season. Topps’ choice to grant space, here too, to many drivers, not only the winners but also those who, in the rear, made their mark, bringing great personal or team satisfaction.
From card 160 to 180 many specials and details that retrace not only the last year but also the previous ones, in particular the Flashbacks (from 170 to 180) with photos from the first seasons of the drivers, starting from 2001 of Alonso and Raikkonen, 20 years on the F1 tracks!
Special mention for cards 181 to 193. The first three celebrate the first season of future possible great champions, including Mick, son of the unforgettable Michael Schumacher. The next ones introduce us to the team managers, a fundamental role for the success of a race and the entire season.
Cards 194 to 203 are very useful for the game connected to Turbo Attax, strategy cards necessary to achieve victory. The following cards, from 204 to 239, are celebrating the drivers, the first of course is from Hamilton for the 2020 world championship. The latest cards, from 243 to 254, focus the spotlight on the characteristics of the various drivers, their strengths, from experience, speed, overtaking.
Very good collection, if you wanted you could add the circuits or some vintage memories of F1 with the great drivers of the past. Even the stickers seem to have no material of this last type, perhaps a marketing choice, perhaps a limitation linked to the agreements on image rights. Let’s hope we can have something more in 2022!
(EN)
SUPER CHAMPS TOKYO 2020 (Esselunga Italy)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 197
album: SUPER CHAMPS (Esselunga)
stickers: 180 (1-180)
album: 0,99€
packets: one with € 15.00 spent at Esselunga Supermarket, contains 6 stickers
But how beautiful were the Campioni dello Sport albums? Finally not just football, but all disciplines, all the Olympic sport in one album. Those years are very distant, it is impossible for reasons of image rights to think of having one with athletes from all over the world, at least we can again have one dedicated to the Azzurri.
Again because also in 2016 we had an album, made by Panini at the time. Some comparisons need to be made. The Panini had stickers with really quality photos of the sportsmen, large and in excellent resolution, on the other hand it presented the rather useless set of cards and even the stickers that referred to the various disciplines were not very attractive. But the photos were really beautiful, especially thanks to Panini for having proposed such a particular album.
This time it is the turn of the Esselunga supermarket chain, official partner of Team Italia, therefore with a project that goes far beyond just the album. In fact, you can also buy other official products such as notebooks etc. The line is similar to that of 4 years ago, rightly we try to give space to all disciplines. This of course involves limiting the athletes to stickers, the alternative would have been to make an encyclopedic album.
However, the album maintains an encyclopedic form, not through the stickers, but thanks to the information we find for each sport, from historical notions, to curiosities, to the great victories of the Azzurri over the years. Alongside the stickers and photographs, there are also many details on the athletes.
The preparation work is well made, the stickers are interesting, they are small and therefore suffer from some limitations (especially in relation to the giants of Brazil 2016) but they are appreciated, more successful than 2016 the shining specials of the various caricature disciplines as well as those, always in caricature, of some athletes.
We also applaud the format of the album, not stapled but paperback, a real book in stickers of the Tokyo 2020 Azzurri Olympics. Even the formula of the bags attached to the shopping is challenging but less difficult than other occasions. Meanwhile Esselunga is rooted in the territory, it is enough for 2 months to shop in these well-stocked supermarkets. In addition, for each packet we have 6 stickers, other editions presented only 3 or 4, it changes a lot! Not only that, being a very widespread reality, it is easier to find relatives, friends, work colleagues who can give their unused packets as a gift. Attention, the purchase of the album is open to everyone but the packets are distributed only to holders of the Esselunga Fidelity Card, however free.
Important detail that we regret to note, as in 2016 the athletes of the Paralympics are completely missing. It is a lack that we personally feel very strongly, it is true that they are two separate Olympics (also for logistical and organizational reasons) but we believe it would have been right to give space to all the Azzurri who will compete in Tokyo.
The doubt remains about the chosen title of the collection, it does not like a lot, they must have had their valid reasons. Incredible that, at the moment, the two best sports albums of 2021 are not produced by newsstands but by alternative markets. However, the year is still long, who knows what the future holds.
(EN)
NBA 2020/21 (Panini)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 174 stickers: 500 (1-500) + 100 cards (C1-C100) starter pack: album + 5 packets € 4.90 packets: 1 card + 5 stickers € 1.00 (box of 36 packets)
NBA basketball is much loved and followed also in Italy, perhaps even more so than the Italian championship, we believe that Panini should take this into account and therefore produce an album that matches it, the same album is sold all over Europe. Unfortunately this is not the case, meanwhile the dripping of the quality of the paper continues, it is now a year that we carry out our “complaint”, every now and then Panini encourages us with products worthy of the name of the Modenese house, then the blows arrive, immediately after.
It is unthinkable that in 2021 we cannot have an album that is beautiful to leaf through and not full of creases. At the same time this year not even the stickers are saved, the thickness recalls certain amateur productions that some friends make in South America and now they are also small. Fortunately, at least the cards are more interesting than usual, with the very valid back showing information about the players, the number of the card itself, a detail of the photo and even the flag of the country of origin. Very nice, nothing spectacular, but improved compared to the past.
The album in general is very classic. The first part is, as always, dedicated to the past season with the highlights, the great events with naturally large space at the ALL STAR GAME, the two teams Lebron and Giannis and the final part on the playoffs, snapshots of the matches up to the final between Lakers and Heat. 2020 ends with 20 drafts, potential rookies of future great champions from colleges or the international scene.
The Atlanta Hawks open the second part of the album dedicated to clubs, for each team we find 13 stickers, four of which are special. In the packets that we have opened, all the players are shown in action, not a bad choice, given how dynamic American sport is. Too bad, really too bad, that miniature stickers take away a lot of the emphasis and excitement in attacking them. The Utah Jazz close the album, with no further additions apart from the NBA logo with 6 stickers, the initial part being richer, it is quite obvious that in the end nothing will be found, especially taking into account that in the meantime we have reached 500 stickers.
Innovation at all costs is not part of our way of seeing things, indeed the classic albums that follow tradition are always welcome in these parts, too bad that the scrap paper of the album and the stickers probably printed in Lilliput are a punch in the stomach to fully enjoy this album.
It is not our role, it is not our purpose and it is not even in our characteristics to make controversy and report many problems. We are in love with Panini and like all lovers it hurts us when it makes mistakes. In stickers we trust? We still do, elsewhere perhaps they no longer truly believe in it.
(EN)
F1 2020 (Topps)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 153 stickers: 232 (1-232) starter pack: album + 1 packet (with 5 stickers) € 1.99 packets: € 1.00 (10 stickers) blister: € 7.99 (8 packets) tin box: € 9.99 (9 packets + 1 Jumbo sticker)
Competition is welcome! The idea that there is only one editor to publish all the main collections is never a good solution, the quality and the offer certainly pay for it. Then of course some interesting material has to be made. In the period in which Panini leaves behind several missteps, here is Topps who comes out with a valid album, at a very low price and on an important brand like Formula 1.
How many years have we waited to get F1 album back? A long time, too much! Finally someone has thought about it and the result is good. Too bad he goes out after the maximum time, in mid-November when the championship is practically concluded. Inside the album it is reported that the compilation of the collection ended on 1 July 2020, we wonder why not to release it in mid-September. Mysteries of publishing …
All pilots are presented with the same number of stickers, which is appreciable. 10 stickers on a double page with lots of information and captions, statistics. The idea of the shaped helmet sticker is beautiful, followed by 5 stickers for the driver and 4 for the car. Images both posed and taken inside the passenger compartment and in the pits. The car stickers are rectangular, highlighting the aerodynamics.
The texts are naturally updated until the end of the 2019 championship and this is fine, too bad some imperfections that are noticeable immediately. For example, the country of birth is not always translated into Italian, in Vettel’s page we find Allemagne instead of “Germania”, in Gasly page France instead of “Francia”, etc. They are trivial errors but for this reason easily avoidable.
To complete the album, a nice quiz page and four finals dedicated to the Formula 2 championship.
The stickers are of various sizes, square and rectangular, special silver and shaped (the aforementioned helmets). The extremely positive note is the cost, compared to the packet at 1.00 euro we find 10 stickers. Record! It is true that the stickers are very light, the comparison with Panini should not be made on the Calciatori but, for example, on Euro 2020 where with a cost of 0.80 we found only 5 stickers, the quality of the paper practically equal to this one, indeed the stickers were also smaller in size.
This is why competition is important, can you imagine a scenario where only one publisher has the whole market in hand? It’s already happening with comics, let’s hope it won’t happen with stickers.
General summary with our YES and NOT which were appreciated in the Fifa365 review
YES
. the price ratio of the packet and the number of stickers inside, an absolute record . the quality of the paper, not yet optimal, but much better than that of the last Panini albums . the rich pilot pages with many statistics, leaving total space for the image on the stickers (finally!) . the variety of stickers, especially helmets and cars . the limited number of stickers to complete the album (we leave the vicious circle that monumental albums are needed to make beautiful albums)
NOT
. the total lack of F1 history . the total lack of circuits, however understandable this year. We hope for the next! . the total lack of the F2 car stickers and the F1 and F2 team logos . the variety of pilot stickers per pilot, a pros but also a cons. It was possible to insert one stickers less than the cars to the advantage of those of F2.
The contract signed by Topps with F1 is multi-year, next year we hope all the good things done this year will be confirmed and maybe some of our suggestions will be listened to. Who knows, maybe the world championship will also be added ..
Give your engines breath!
(EN)
FORTITUDO PRIDE (Corriere di Bologna, Italy)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 99
stickers: 50 postcards size 10 x 15
album: distributed with the Corriere di Bologna on 21 December 2019
packets 0,99€ + Corriere di Bologna, 9 issues until February 2020
comment: it’s always Basket City! Corriere di Bologna (Corriere della Sera) celebrates the return of the derby of the Italian capital of basketball in Serie A1 with 2 celebratory albums, this is the one dedicated to Fortitudo. An appreciable choice compared to the one made many years ago by Repubblica, which put the two teams together with a certain regurgitation from both supporters.
The Bologna derby is also felt in the world of stickers!
The album is really well made and cared for, 50 figurine (stickers) seem few, but in reality a deeper analysis makes their beautiful .. figure (sorry for the italian word game). In fact, these are postcard size 10×15 stickers, so much so that they might not even seem adhesive, given the quality and thickness.
As it is right that ample emphasis is given not only to sporting deeds, but to the uniqueness of Fortitudo and its people, a team so viscerally loved by many fans, not only from Bologna, although only for a short period it has been a winning club .
“Poor but beautiful”, the first part of the album is very romantic in the years from 1961 to 1977, the arrival in Serie A of 1966 and Gary Baron Shull, an idol still today and a symbol of that Fortitudo pride enough to name the curve hotter than supporters. Sticker number 4, brought with him in bloody triumph after a heated derby against the rich cousins, alone is worth the purchase of the album.
Second part of the album entirely dedicated to the 80s, even the sponsors become epic enough to be remembered today: Mercury, I&B, Latte Sole, Yoga. It is the period of the “Fortitudo elevator” which often goes up and down from A1 to A2 and vice versa. These are the golden years of supporters, although not a winner, this working team gathers many fans especially among the youngest, bringing it to the center of attention of Italian basketball for the warmth and love of its people, more than for the results on the field.
The 80s end with two great satisfactions against Virtus, overtaking in an unforgettable derby in the playoffs (April 13, 1988) and a -32 “the big chill” (March 5, 1989), celebrated in shirts that have become the object of the years collectible.
The 90s, the next part of the album, are introduced with the sticker of Teo Alibegovic, savior of Fortitudo one step away from relegation, thanks to a monumental game won in Reggio Emilia, which saves the team and lays the foundations for what will be in the years to come. These are incredible years in Bologna, two very strong teams that are the same and that present great champions on the field, many of which then became even bigger in the NBA.
The happy ordeal at Fortitudo begins, suffering for all hearts F with a series of defeats in the playoff finals, the first in 1996, but also with the great victory in the 1998 Italian Cup.
In the fourth part of the album, before the stickers celebrating the first historic championship of 2000, the number 31 is undeniable the most original of the album: it takes up a famous choreography of the Fossa Dei Leoni (the ultras group born in 1970) before a derby, the symbol of the other team from Bologna, a large V not black but pink (we will post the sticker here and on facebook as soon as it comes out, impossible to describe it better).
The end of the album is a hard and pure Fortitudo spirit, the club experiences ten years of great economic problems that make it disappear, only to be reborn from the minor divisions as a club from scratch, the privileged way by acquiring the sports law of another club is rejected by its people. Ten long years, ended on March 31, 2019 with the return to A1.
The Eagle has returned to fly, in reality it had never stopped.
Splendid album, as well as the one made on Virtus, is a pleasure for all basketball fans. Historical photos thanks to the Fortitudo archive, RCS and the Bologna Film Library.
Album that exudes pride in every page and stickers.
Final judgment: 10/10
(EN)
VIRTUS LEGEND (Corriere di Bologna, Italy)
EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 98
stickers: 50 postcards size 10 x 15
album: distributed with the Corriere di Bologna on 20 December 2019
packets 0,99€ + Corriere di Bologna, 9 issues until February 2020
comment: it’s always Basket City! The Corriere di Bologna (Corriere della Sera) celebrates the return of the derby of the Italian capital of basketball in the Serie A1 with 2 celebratory albums, this is the one dedicated to Virtus. An appreciable choice compared to the one made many years ago by Repubblica, which put the two teams together with a certain regurgitation from both supporters.
The Bologna derby is also felt in the world of stickers!
Virtus Bologna is one of the most representative Italian teams, defining it Legend is not out of place, being with Milano, Varese and Cantù also among the most titled in Europe.
The album is really well made and cared for, 50 figurine (stickers) seem few, but in reality a deeper analysis makes their beautiful .. figure (sorry for the italian word game).
In fact, these are postcard size 10×15 stickers, so much so that they might not even seem adhesive, given the quality and thickness. The photos / postcards / stickers retrace the history of the club starting from the first championship won in 1946 and continue quickly until 1973, giving much and justified space to the second half of the seventies and eighties where the club often win.
Small break between 1984 and 1988 and then ample space dedicated to the decade until 1997, the years between Sugar Leonard and Danilovic, the captions of the whole album are often a comparison with the cousins of Fortitudo, great emphasis is also given to the symbol of the Danilovic ‘s three fingers, forgetting the political significance for a Serbian, in a very complicated period for the area of the ex – Yugoslavia era.
Another block of photos / stickers from 1998 to 2002, the years of patron Cazzola and winning Virtus in Europe. Last golden period before the descent in A2, the end of Virtus and the rebirth with the sporting right of Progresso Castelmaggiore, which at that moment arrived sensationally in A2. Few stickers for the last 15 years with a grand finale the victory in Europe in 2019.
Really nice album, historical photographic archive of the club, RCS and the Cineteca di Bologna.
comment: year after year the NBA collection becomes more and more monumental and appealing. For the second year we find as many as 100 adrenalyn cards to which this year also include limited editions. Really interesting album for the many NBA fans in Italy.
First pages of connection to the previous season with highlights, the All Star Game “Lebron vs Giannis”, playoffs and finals. Following the presentation of the teams, each with 13 stickers (8 players, coach and two top players, logo and brand, four special silver and metal stickers).
The 9 basic stickers are all in action with a film-effect outline like if the album was a long sports-themed film. The top players’ specials certainly embellish the album and make it more modern, as an old guard of collectors I would have preferred two more players than the squad even though in basketball the main players are certainly less than other sports.
In the last part of the album we return to the past season with the 2019 awards and great ending with 28 stickers of the international stars that are NBA protagonists and 9 G-League stickers with maybe some possible previews of the great champions of the future.
Perhaps also because we are talking about American sports, the cards have a greater charm, they reproduce in some way the history of the album, first with the best of the players team by team (C1-C60), the international stars (C61-C80), the All-Star Game 2019 (C81-C95) and finally the rookies of the current year (C96-C100).
Above all we have the novelty of the limited editions, 5 cards present only in the starter pack with top-level names (Antetokoumpo, Harden, Curry, LeBron and our Belinelli).
It is not clear if there will be other card limited products throughout the season, but the NBA Film page has disappeared with the stickers that were distributed with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Very good album, it has only the same problem as last year: finding a card per packet, it is really complicated to complete the album. An innovative idea could be to get out of premium packets with maybe only cards in it. Valuable, however, the presence of 5 cards with the card in each bag, in other collections are only 4.
The album is of good quality, it has inside the box to be detached and mounted to hold the 100 cards; attention, the case is only found in the album inserted in the starter pack. The free edition album, distributed for example with La Gazzetta dello Sport, is not provided.
Interesting, with margins for further improvement.
