Category Archives: Basketball Reviews

Review: 2012-13 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | August 25, 2012 - 6:34 pm | ,
3 Comments

Well yesterday we reviewed a product that was low end on the football side in 2012 Score football, and today we visit a low end product on the hardcourt with 2012-13 Panini NBA Hoops basketball. Hoops basketball has a long tradition in basketball trading cards and was recently brought back last season in the hopes to bring the name recognition back up to the forefront of basketball collectors. Well, it made it back for a second season and with a price tag of $2 per pack, it’s a low end product that everyone should be able to enjoy. Want to see what the cards look like and what we pulled? Well only after you read the review…

Design:

NBA Hoops features a classic looking design that features the classic NBA Hoops brand logo front and center. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of such product pimping, but it fits in pretty well in the design of these cards. The action photography is great in this product for the base cards, with several nice insert sets as well filling out the product. Even the Kobe Anthology packs had some sweet looking Kobe cards inside. All around, this is a well designed product and at $2 per pack, it’s a win-win situation. Often times, low end products look low end. This has a real classic look that makes putting a set together worth the time and effort.

Checklist:

First, what makes this better than last year is the fact that you WILL find 2012-13 rookies in this product. Also, the product goes back old school with the inclusion of NBA coach cards in the product. Those are two automatic wins right there. Including all the other stars, bench players, and some legends in the product and you have an all around juggernaut of a checklist. Oh, two autographs as well in a box and a mini set devoted to Kobe Bryant? This deserves more than the 5 stars it churned out. You get a set worthy of putting together, a subset of a living legend, and some hits on top of it. Duh, winning.

Value:

And the product keeps on winning when it comes to value. 2 autographs per box. $2 per pack. Some hard to find SPs. The first autographed trading cards of Kyrie Irving. Autographs from some of the top picks of this year’s DEEP NBA draft. Ladies and gentlemen, Panini showcases once again that it knows how to make a low end product and deliver it to the masses. I’d argue that the NBA Hoops line is the best low end product on the market currently, and I’m a pretty big fan of Score and it’s $1 a pack price point. If you collect for fun, collect to put sets together, find cards of your favorite team, or try and grab some autographs for your collection, how could you go wrong with this product in terms of value? Good luck finding better.

Overall:

Panini knew it would be easy to plug up the holes that this product had last year. They did it, plus a bit, and put out one of their best all around basketball releases in awhile. The design is classic, which is perfect for a classic brand like NBA Hoops. The checklist is finally filled out and features just about everyone in the league plus some legends. Plus, you can have the opportunity to put together a set of just Kobe Bryant. At $2 a pack, you’re living a dream getting 2 autographs in a box. And I would have felt the same way if I pulled two scrub autographs as well. I did in last year’s product and gave it just about the same grades.

As always, a big thank you to Panini for providing this box for review. You can find them online at their official site, blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

Oh I didn’t show you that I pulled probably one of the best boxes in the whole print run, huh? Well let’s see some cards, eh?

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Review: 2011-12 Panini Gold Standard Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | August 11, 2012 - 12:12 am | ,
1 Comment

Last year’s 2010-11 Gold Standard set a mark for future products and the success of the product brought it back for a second season. The price point stays the same at about $200 a box and there are a few tweaks to a very good product last season that collectors will notice. With more of a game used element with the autographs, less inserts, more base, and the same number of hits, the basics are generally the same with this product. Want to see what’s in your typical box break? Well here we go…

Design:

The design of this product is about as clean of a design as you can get with the foilboard. I really enjoyed the design as there wasn’t too much going on in the background. The base cards look great, and my favorite design has to be the Signs of Gold autographs. It’s almost the perfect design for the autograph placement and picture. The one thing I didn’t like which I will complain about for just about every product is the sideways autographs. This product features some of them and I just need everything to be uniform design-wise. I think if they put the Career Points over on the right instead of the autograph like the game used cut outs, it would have been much better. Otherwise, I really enjoy most every design that I pulled. Good work on changing it just enough to keep the collector interested this year.

Checklist:

I don’t think the checklist is as good as last year’s product. The one improvement I see is the cutting down of the inserts and including more base cards. That makes set collecting possible and really improves the feel of the break. But I think it has just enough of the legends and current stars to keep it interesting. With a few different retired stars and a few different current players in the product it changes things up, but there are more players out there who would make a better appearance in this product to improve the checklist which would also improve the…

Value:

Value wise, it’s a little tough this year. Last year’s checklist was a little bit better and the additions to this year’s product weren’t quite as good. For instance, we pulled Earl Monroe. Once a great player, not many autographs, sells alright. The rookie autograph redemptions, good work getting those out, but waiting until October for the draft is too long. Finally, Kevin Martin as an autograph hit in a $200 product isn’t good. Include the fact you’ll get two plain game used jersey cards in the $200 product and you’re hurting. This is a product that screams one patch per box as your game used hit. Make that Dirk a patch and have a cut out “5 piece” game used card, and it’s a bit easier. It definitely has room for improvement in this department next year, but it’s just more of the little things. I’ve been tired of plain game used jerseys in expensive products for awhile without patches, and I’m going to continue that until I see results in products.

Overall:

Overall, this is an average to below average break for the product. The design is well done this year and is very clean and really focuses on what you need to focus on located on the card. I could do without the vertical autographs though. The checklist needs a little work but I do like the cutting out of the numerous plain old inserts from last year and think that makes for a better opening experience as well as collecting the base cards. The value needs a little work and I really want to see a patch included in every box instead of two game used pieces. 1 game used jersey, 1 game used patch. That’s all I ask for in a $200 product when it comes to memorabilia. That’s not a stretch offer.

As always, a big thank you goes out to the folks at Panini America for providing this box for review. You can find them online at their official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with them.

Review: 2011-12 Panini Past & Present Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | May 31, 2012 - 9:06 pm | ,
2 Comments

If this product doesn’t bring back some nostalgia, I don’t know what will. 2011-12 Panini Past & Present basketball is one of the limited basketball releases by Panini this year because of the lockout, but it’s definitely one of the most fun and exciting products of the season. In our preview, you were about to see a ton of the great offerings from this product and the product delivered all of that which looks fantastic.

This is also the first product of the year to contain autographed redemptions for 2011-12 rookies which because of the lockout, had a hard time being produced in such a short time frame. So if you’re looking for your first rookies of the season, this product will have them for you. (With the players for the redemptions being announced in October 2012.) Full of the NBA past and present, this product looked the part to be a real winner this season. So let’s find out how it stands up. Let’s get to the review…

Design:

The design in Past & Present brings you the best of both times. The base designs are very old-school looking showing homage to the past. With a retro kind of look, these cards look great. I also enjoy the several different variations of the retro cards, which changes things up a little bit and brings a lot of variety to the base product. Then we have some of the inserts which are definitely present. The inserts are 90s like with a brand new twist. The Raining 3s and fiery insert cards are absolutely gorgeous both on camera and even better in person. The finish on the fiery cards is amazing with the reflecting surface and the Raining 3s embossed areas are very cool to the eye. Even the basketballs in Changing Times have a great feel to them. Really well done all together.

Checklist:

While the lack of rookies isn’t entirely Panini’s fault in their base form, having autographed redemptions is a nice addition to the product to get some rookies in. Also, some may argue that the autograph checklist isn’t that great with a bunch of names you may not have heard of if you are a recent fan to the game. The Elusive Ink series is a set with a checklist of names you may have a hard time finding autographs for that were popular in their time. Personally, I would prefer the bigger names to the harder to find names, but that’s probably just me. These players will have their collectors and should have some decent secondary value. But other than that, the mix of current NBA stars and past legends is fantastic with names you’ll find enshrined in the Hall of Fame and fan favorites.

Value:

$100 for 3 autographs and 1 game used card isn’t bad at all. You also get a ton of base cards and some really cool inserts which you know people are going to try and collect. It may be a tad bit pricey because of some of the hit content, however the large number of cards you get along with the inserts kinda makes up for a bit. Also, the game used swatches were pretty large as well. While I’m happy that they put in less swatches in this product, I’m also happy that the large swatches were included. The autographs I pulled would look much better on card as well, but you do what you can with autographs nowadays. The redemptions for autographed rookies are great too.

Overall:

Overall, this is a great addition to the Panini basketball family. I really think there is a lot they can do with this product in the future and should remain around for a bit. The design is a beautiful representation of the past and present of basketball cards, as well as sports cards in general. It’s a great mix that brings back nostalgia and makes you think of some of the future technology that can be used. The checklist is solid, but nothing real noteworthy. The Elusive Ink set is interesting as it has names that may not have many autographs, but it appears as though collectors aren’t buying into it too well. Which leads to the value being pretty good, but not as good as it could be. I really think a slightly upgraded autograph checklist would boost this product up to be close to perfect. But the addition (finally) of rookie autograph should make most collectors happy.

A big thanks goes out to Panini America for providing this box to review. You can find them online on their official site, blog, Twitter, Facebook, and all around.

Not shown: Redemption for 2011-12 autographed rookie #12

Review: 2011-12 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | March 22, 2012 - 11:59 pm | ,
2 Comments

NBA Hoops is back after years in hiatus. One of basketball collectors favorite sets of all time is re-imagined and back in 2012, with all the modern additions you would find in today’s trading card products. At a very cheap price and a couple of autographs per box, the product looks like a winner for both set collectors and hit collectors.

With buybacks of rookies autographed from players like David Robinson, the hits can be very nice for a lower end product. Also, with the insertion of rare and hard to find inserts and SP’ed cards, the value seems to be higher.

So Panini sent us over a box to review. Want to see what’s inside and our thoughts? Your waiting has ended.

Design:

As I’ve said time and time again throughout various low end Panini products, they know how to design low end product. This one is no different. A great design utilizing the design of “the paint” on the basketball floor, most every picture features an action photograph of your favorite players in action. Basketball collectors have been looking for great action photos like these, and Panini doesn’t disappoint. Another great aspect of this product is the insert designs that Panini had collectors vote on which one they preferred. A great promotion for this product that I hope to see again.

Checklist:

Don’t get me wrong here, the checklist is really solid. You pretty much have your starters and main reserves for each team in the league. You have a number of legends of the game as well. But the one reason I took off practically an entire star is the lack of rookies. There are no rookies in this product. I understand the lockout and the issues there. The lack of photography and time to get those rookies made. But there are cards of players in their new uniforms and that is where I have trouble believing that rookies couldn’t get made. Maybe they didn’t want to make only a partial number of rookies from this year? I don’t know, but the lack of rookies really cripples the checklist in this product. I’d also mention the multiple cards of the same player, but that was probably because of the lack of rookies.

Value:

At $2 a pack for a hobby product you are getting some pretty good value here. With 2 autographs per box, you definitely get what you really want as a collector, and that’s ink. But this is also a great product, and better yet, affordable product for set collectors. The base set is a decent size for collectors and with the price tag where it is, it appeals to all different types of basketball card collectors. That’s a good thing. The inserted buybacks of original rookies is great, the fact that they are also autographed is awesome. Panini does a great job with low end products and this is no different.

Overall:

Overall, this is a fine product by Panini. Again, low end collectors and Panini are a great match up with their creation of lower end products. The design is solid and a great remake of a classic Hoops brand. The base set and inserts all look great, plus who’s to complain when the collectors voted on an insert design? The checklist is good, but the lack of rookies really cripples this product from being a slam dunk. The value is of course there, $2 a pack for hobby or $1 a pack for retail. A couple autographs in a hobby box too for the hit collectors. This product gets both kids and adults appeal which is great for the hobby.

As always, a big thank you goes out to Panini for providing this box to review. You can visit them at their official website, blog, or Twitter.

Now, for the cards.

Review: 2011-12 Panini Preferred Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | March 21, 2012 - 12:01 am | ,
3 Comments

2011-12 Panini Preferred basketball is the first high end offering from Panini during this shortened NBA season. It features four cards per pack/box with 3 autographs and one booklet card. At $200 it’s quite a gamble, but the product is a nice mix of a bunch of products that Panini would have put out this season if it wasn’t for the NBA lockout.

It features some of it’s higher end cards from a couple products, including the collector favorite Silhouettes from Crown Royale. We got our box in for review and can show you what kind of amazing cards you can pull from this product, as we pulled a sweet patch autograph in which you will see below the review.

If you want to see some other possibilities in this product, check out our official preview of 2011-12 Panini Preferred basketball after checking out this product review. Until then, check out what we pulled and you can possibly win in future contests here!

Design:

Trying to rate the design on this product is interesting. You have a bunch of different designs that would of all been in separate products had Panini had a full season of products. So while there is no real underlying theme to this set, the cards they chose to pack out in this product are some of their best designs in the respective products they used. For instance, the Silhouettes patch autograph we pulled is absolutely beautiful and a beautiful patch with an on-card autograph. The booklet card looks great, but wish they included autographs in booklets in the product. Otherwise, I’d be impressed whether these were in separate products but it’s cool they are combined into one.

Checklist:

The one thing I always enjoy about Panini products is the mix of current players and NBA legends. The one thing I don’t like about this product is the lack of rookies. I buy the excuse of the lockout a little bit, but I’ve seen some cards produced of players in their new uniforms without an issue so the rookies could of been made. Other than that, I received a nice second year player autograph, a current budding star, and a Hall of Famer for my autographs as well as a great mix of retired players in my booklet.

Value:

I actually got great value out of my box and I really think a lot of boxes will provide some pretty decent value. The three autographs is great with the chance for low paralleled autographs and solid booklet combinations, despite there not being autographed booklets. The checklist helps too with the great number of veteran players and retired players whom collectors do like to search for. At $200 a box, it may be well worth the gamble considering what Panini is trying to do this season with their products. It’s definitely fun to open as well.

Overall:

I shouldn’t be surprised on how good this product can be considering the types of cards they are putting into it, but it’s a nice pleasant surprise to get a $200 product and get some pretty good value in it despite getting only 4 cards in the box. The design is solid and uses some of the best designs over a number of Panini products. The checklist is very good despite the lack of rookies, and the value looks like it could actually have some good value across the entire run at average. I’d have to see more of what others pulled, to see if this box was better than average, but while I didn’t get big names except for the redemption, I think I still just about came out even.

As always, I appreciate Panini sending out this product for review. You can find them on their official blog, Twitter, or website.

Now, for the haul. Not shown: Hakeem Olajuwon Autograph Redemption #/10