There’s something special about collecting cards of Hall of Famers. As a kid, I’d open packs of Topps back in the 1960s and ’70s and be thrilled when I’d pull the card of a superstar, like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron or Roberto Clemente. Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver and Bob Gibson, too. You just knew these guys would be enshrined someday in Cooperstown, and they did not disappoint.

Now, that thrill can be rekindled thanks to a new licensing agreement.

On Wednesday, Panini America announced a multiyear licensing deal with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That Hall of Fame presence will make its debut March 15 with the release of Panini’s Prime Cuts set.

It also marks the third Hall of Fame to sign a deal with Panini, as the company also has deals with the basketball and pro football halls.

This latest deal allows Panini trading card rights to images of all Hall of Fame inductees — plus Hall of Fame marks, artifacts and induction ceremony images — in six of its baseball sets this year. Since this agreement is not with Major League Baseball, I am guessing that Panini will be forced to airbrush team logos out of player action scenes, like the Jackie Robinson example presented in today’s blog. The “B” for Brooklyn is conspicuously missing from Jackie’s cap.

This is the second licensing agreement Panini has secured in order to manufacture baseball cards. In September, the company reached a deal with the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Predictably, a Panini news release quoting company CEO Mark Warsop noted that cards made utilizing this new license would be “Hall of Fame worthy.”

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum represents the greatest players and personalities the sport has ever known and this partnership will help us bring that level of unparalleled excellence to our products,” Warsop said in the release.

You can’t fault the folks at Panini for being pleased. Topps won a hard-fought battle to become the “official” card of Major League Baseball, but this agreement allows Panini to make some inroads along the fringes. It also presents a choice, and as collectors, we are constantly looking for the better, more attractive choice.

Competition is always good. It makes both products better. And certainly, the collector will benefit.

A few quick words about the Prime Cuts set. Each five-card pack will contain at least two autographs, two memorabilia cards and an additional autograph or memorabilia card.

I am hoping Panini will dig deep into the baseball vault for their relic selections during the lifetime of this deal. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be awfully thrilled to get a Lou Gehrig or Ty Cobb relic, but it would be kind of neat to get the same kind of card for the lesser-known Hall of Famer (is there really such a thing as a letter member of the hall? Probably not; perhaps I should use the phrase “non-marquee” member).

You know, players like Addie Joss or Ed Walsh, Hack Wilson, Edd Roush or Joe Gordon. The possibilities seem endless.

We’ll see how creative Panini can be with this treasure trove of baseball greatness.