2014 Donruss - First Peek

I recently bought a lot of assorted 2013-2014 Phillies cards on eBay. In the mix were 4 Phillies from the new 2014 Donruss set put out by Panini. I haven't seen this in the big box stores. I have a hobby box coming from eBay so this will be just a peek.

Panini has chosen to go retro on this set. The design is based on 1987 Donruss with a white border instead of black. In that original set, the baseball banner were the same on each card, here, the color band is based on a team color. Of course no team logos or names are allowed. Panini continues to go the way of Photoshopping out logos instead of relying on strategic poses. They also chosen to go with the earlier 1980s version of the Donruss logo which I always liked.

The card back is 1980s Donruss all the way.  Note that they've got Utley's last name as Headley. Close, but not the same guy. The card fronts and backs have a nice gloss to them (unlike those 1980s cards). In keeping with the retro theme, there is no foil stamping on the cards.

Here's the others I have.

Lee is coming off a 14-8 season in 2013 and will be key to whatever chances the Phillies have this year.

Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jays and retired after spending most of last year on the disabled list.

Based on a couple of good years with the Mets and especially last year's Pirates, Byrd signed a $24MM, 3-year contract with the Phillies, his original team.