Category Archives: Basketball Reviews

Review: 2011-12 Upper Deck SP Authentic Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | January 16, 2012 - 4:52 pm | ,
9 Comments

We are still looking at the college stuff here, but this time in a different light under a brand that just about everybody recognizes, 2011-12 Upper Deck SP Authentic basketball. What I have always loved about the SP Authentic brand in all sports is the quality of the base and hits that goes into each box. This year is no different.

You will get about 3 hits per box this year in SP Authentic, but the interesting thing is that you can find a Jordan or Lebron auto in one half case, or a Jordan/Lebron/Bird/other legendary high value autograph in the other half case. Some may say it dilutes the autograph market a bit, which it does, but it makes opening a box a little more exciting. Let’s see what we pulled:

Design:

It seems like every year SP Authentic has some great designs. This year again is no different. There are some very clean looking cards with a white background, as usual. The photos they use are great action shots in the player’s college uniform and I like the light background design that really makes the bold colors in the player photos stand out. The lettering is easier to read, unlike last year. If I had any complaint what so ever, it’s gotta be that large white box below the player’s typed name. What is it and why is it there? I mean, it looks okay, but it just sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s the first thing I noticed when I opened the first pack of cards. But other than that, very good design work.

Checklist:

The checklist has it’s negatives and positives but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. First, why is the plain base set just 50 cards? I pulled two complete plain base sets (minus Rookie F/X) in one box with a few cards left over. That is asinine and strangely impressive. I also find that there just isn’t a lot of current NBA talent on the checklist. A ton of rookies, just not many current players. I’d love to see more current players in their college uniform. There are some great legends as well so can’t complain with that. Next, the hit checklist, especially for autographs, is wonderful. There are tons of awesome legendary player autographs to be had. Again, lacking in current talent as well. I feel like they should rename this product Rookies & Legends.

Value:

First, the doubles and triples hurts. I know it saves the company money, but it doesn’t help the consumer (unless it’s put toward more autos). Second, the Jordan Brand Classic jerseys are just that. Plain old jerseys. I know what they tried to do, but this is a $120 product. Plain jerseys aren’t fun. Next, Jordan floor cards are played out. Great with an autograph, played out when plain. But everything else is pretty nice. I like that I got a full regular base set and like that the Rookie F/X cards are a little hard to get. I also really like the auto checklist and the Alonzo Mourning auto I pulled makes me giddy as I’ve always been a fan of ‘Zo. The manu-patch autos I could still care less about, but some of the names are solid. Overall, not bad at all.

Overall:

Overall, UD Rookies & Legends is a solid product and is what I will now call this product this year. The design is beautifully done with another great, clean look for this brand. It always brings that sort of nice clean design so I shouldn’t be surprised. The checklist is a bit small for the base set, but the autographs checklist is pretty stacked. While the doubles and triples hurts the consumer value a little bit, as well as the plain jersey cards, the autographs can easily make up for it. I like what Upper Deck tried to do with this product and I would judge it as a moderate success. But I can’t wait to see SP Authentic football.

As always, I’d like to thank Upper Deck providing the box to review. Please visit their official website, official blog, Facebook and Twitter pages for more information about them.

And remember, after tomorrow’s last review I will be giving away a ton of Upper Deck cards to some people so stay tuned for that.

Video coming up soon.

Related Posts

Review: 2010-11 Panini Elite Black Box Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | September 21, 2011 - 1:37 am | ,
6 Comments

Another new and original by Panini has hit the basketball court in this final product for 2010-11 in the basketball arena. This one looks beautiful and is kind of a mix between Panini’s Donruss Elite brand and well known Black Box. This product has 8 cards per single pack box with 3 autographs and 3 game used memorabilia cards. Every card is numbered and you will see what we pulled below.

“Base”:

Game Used/Memorabilia:

 

Design:

I really love the design of this product. You won’t often find a full bleed black out background in trading cards anymore as everyone is obsessed with condition nowadays. Speaking of condition, yes, some of these cards do have a few condition issues that you can see because of the black background. Even the Artis Gilmore base card has some weird scratching on the front that really takes away from the card and I’m deciding whether to send it in to be fixed because it is numbered 4 of 5. Just be careful, because although the design is beautiful, it may cause some issues. I will get into the manufactured patch logoman cards in the value area.

Checklist:

The checklist is very cool. A very nice mix of veterans, rookies, hall of famers, and stars of the past. The only huge problem I have with the checklist is the way the product is collated. I’ve seen a few box breaks and there seems to be a weird mix to the collation with people getting multiple cards of the same player or teams, and that is something that should be fixed. For example, there are enough autographs and memorabilia cards in this product that I should not receive a Dan Majerle memorabilia card and an autograph card int he same pack. It just shouldn’t be happening.

Value:

I wasn’t sure whether this should be 3 or 4 stars. This product is $250 a pop. You get 8 cards. There are some collation issues, a little bit of damage issues, and then there is the manufactured patch logoman cards. I’m not sure this brings the value that some collectors want, but then again, I’ve seen some amazing cards come out of this product as well. It seems like it can’t make up it’s mind whether it wants to be a lower high end product or something like National Treasures. The manufactured logoman patches are scary. Logoman cards are supposed to be the cream of the crop when it comes to memorabilia. A fake logoman on a card like that is really a shame. That is probably the most disappointing part of an otherwise pretty good product.

Overall:

As I said, this product feels like it can’t decide whether it is supposed to be a lower high end, or National Treasures. I didn’t hit a rookie autograph, but the veteran, hall of fame, and former star autographs are pretty nice. The design is gorgeous, but with that comes some damage issues that may come along because of it. For that high priced of a product, I think there should be a guaranteed game used patch card as I feel like maybe there was a little too much plain jersey action. But overall, I really enjoyed the break and think it would be fun to open and fun to collect. This is definitely one of the hardest products to rate. I think I may have had too high hopes, but it didn’t disappoint too much.

Once again, a big thank you goes out to Panini America for sponsoring this review. Check out their official blog for tons of great product information.

Since I am running a huge promotional contest right now for the next month and a half, I will hold a contest for some of these at a later date.

 

Review: 2010-11 Panini Season Update Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | August 1, 2011 - 2:45 pm | ,
1 Comment

Panini Season Update is back this year with all the updates from the past NBA season. This is one of those end of the season products that features a ton of players with a huge base set, all the highlights of the season, and of course a few game used memorabilia cards and autographs. Last year, this was a favorite product amongst collectors because of the amount of hits you would receive for such a low box price and this year appears to be the same.

2010-11 Panini Season Update basketball features a 200 card base set with a subset for All-Stars and Rookie Challenge participants. You can find a ton of different autographs and game used memorabilia cards from just about every subset in this box. It guarantees at least one autograph and a few game used memorabilia cards.

Base:

Inserts:

Autographs/Game Used:

Design:

The design is extremely basic, but this is a lower end product. There is nothing eye popping or jaw dropping about it. The player is featured in an action shot with the top right corner and side blocked off for some team colors and a team logo. I think anytime you can incorporate team colors into the color scheme of the design, that is a great thing. It gives a nice variation and change of colors throughout the cards and it’s welcomed by me in any set I open to break up the monotony. The only thing I really don’t like about this design is the way the player name and brand logo is kind of stamped on there with a black ink. At times it is not very clear and sometimes looks damaged because of the rollers after printing. Basic design, but works well.

Checklist:

Basically, the checklist breaks down to this. Was the player a starter? Was the player a rookie? If you could answer either of these questions with a yes, then that player is featured somewhere in this set. The perfect set for team collectors, set builders, or hard to find player collectors, this is that. I pulled probably at least 5 of every team in the base set and then even more in the subsets including a few rookie autographs and some game used memorabilia of veterans. Overall, a wide and expansive checklist covering 90% of the players in the league. This was close to being 5 stars, but there is absolutely zero hall of famer presence. I’d like maybe a couple of hall of famer cards inserted at the end of the set. No more than 10 would be great for this set.

Value:

You can’t beat the value for the price you are getting. At least one autograph and 3 game used relics with 240 cards per hobby box this is great for just about every type of collector out there. Some boxes will contain more as well in terms of hits, just like last year, and that is always welcomed when a lot of products sometimes come shorted. It will be hard to pull something worth big money, but the number of pulls and nice autographs that can come out of here makes it worth buying a box. I finished 249/250 of the base set with probably 15 doubles. Jose Calderon is hiding from me somewhere, but honestly, just put that last card in the box Panini. Even if they are missing 1 card from the set, no one will buy another box for just that one card. Oh, I love the added touch of a low numbered parallel per box, no die-cut like Panini flagship though?

Overall:

Overall, this is a fun break with a ton of packs and cards. The design is what you’d expect from a lower end product, nothing flashy but just solid all around. The checklist is large at 200 base cards plus a ton of subsets to collect so it is great for set collectors as it isn’t too hard to complete. The value is good as the product is priced pretty low and you get more than a few hits, even if they may not be worth a large amount. This product is great for first time collectors, set builders, and those looking for a fun break of licensed NBA trading cards.

Again, I’d like to thank Panini America for their sponsoring of this box of cards for me to review.

I will combining a bunch of inserts and game used from both Panini Gold Standard and this set in one contest that will be posted in a day or so. Since I’m keeping the big hit from Gold Standard for my personal collection for now, I’m combining these two so the winner will get a bigger package. But that will be later.

And finally, the video is here. Had to cut out the ending statements, so it ends kind of abruptly. Stupid 15 minute limit.

Review: 2010-11 Panini Totally Certified Basketball

  By Sports Card Blog | July 14, 2011 - 4:21 pm | ,
20 Comments

Now, I don’t know what makes this “totally” certified compared to just regular certified, but this year’s product looks pretty good compared to years past. 2010-11 Panini Totally Certified basketball is back yet again with great improvements from last year as well as some new additions, mainly the reveal of Panini HRX video trading card technology. While these are extremely hard to pull, they are some of the best looking and include the first autographed video trading cards to hit the market.

While our box did not contain such awesomeness, we were able to see what really make 2010-11 Panini Totally Certified basketball stand out this year and that is the color, some on card autographs, and some nice looking game used pieces. Want to see what we got? The video provides some information, but when I started I thought the camera was runing, but it wasn’t. So I was halfway through when I noticed it, but reviewed the cards pulled. But look no further than below:

Base:

Parallels:

Game Used:

Autographs:

Design:

Actually, I really enjoy the design. I’m usually not huge on foil board type designs unless it is done really well, but I believe this is actually done really well. The starburst effect in the background looks great on the base cards, I just don’t understand the need for the abstract lines in the back. I see that the effect changes when the line is there, but couldn’t you do it without the abstract lines? The lower ones look out of place, but I wouldn’t mind just the triangle design. I’m not sure what they did with the finish on these cards but it feels pretty cool. It feels kind of grainy in the foil area but the player actually is raised up on the card and gives it a cool depth feeling.

Checklist:

While I can’t find a list of the veterans who actually signed in this product, the overall checklist is actually very solid. There are 35 different rookie autographs to pull including the top picks in the draft which is not an over kill like other sports. The base set is kind of big for being limited, but the 150 cards presents a challenge to set builders and player collectors if you want all the parallels. The Certified Potential autographs list is great and the names on the game used jerseys is very good. Don’t forget about the HRX video trading cards! Making them hard to pull was a great strategy and keeping them limited in the future is something I would recommend.

Value:

Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether to give this a 3 or a 4. As I say, I always round this to the nearest whole number, so we’ll just say it’s around 3.6. The hit per pack thing is great and it has it’s place in the hobby. But a box of this product is nearly $100 right now. I ended up with nearly 1/10th of the base set, 6 or 7 parallels, and 6 “hits”. I would like to see just a little more content in these packs. The hits can stay as they were solid, the insert per pack is good enough for me, but maybe add in another base card or two. It would take at least 10 boxes to build a full base set and that is being generous. The names on the hits are solid which is nice compared to other Panini products with sometimes too many retired players. Just add another base card or two and I’d be very happy.

Overall:

Overall 2010-11 Panini Totally Certified basketball gets 4s across the board from me. The design is very nice with a few odd things here and there but it really is something to see for yourself in your hands. The foil board looks great and the jerseys are done well. Just the autograph space on the rookie autographs looks a bit small but the nice big jersey piece is there too. Gotta take the bad with the good there. The checklist is solid overall and not killing you with retired players. The HRX makes it’s long awaited debut and even though I did not pull one, they look great. Finally, value wise I would like to see maybe another card or two added to the pack. Maybe it’s just me on that one and maybe I’m over reacting a bit. But it’s still not bad.

Now you get to see my ugly mug do a horrible job at opening it on video. It’s such a bad video, I forgot to press play or something when I started. So it’s a review of the half the box I had opened plus me opening the second half of the box, oops, sorry.

Now as for the contest part, I have in my hands the Brandon Roy Totally Blue insert numbered to 299. The winner of this contest will be the person closest to guessing the serial number without going over, Price is Right style. Please also include at least one thought on the product in which I reviewed. The winner will receive the Danny Granger jersey and the Dejuan Blair jersey. Good luck!

A big thanks again goes out to Panini America for providing this box for me to review.

Review: 2011 Panini NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks Box Set

  By Sports Card Blog | June 30, 2011 - 1:47 pm | ,
Leave a comment

The Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions! With the Dallas Mavericks taking home their first NBA Finals trophy by defeating the hated Miami Heat, Panini America is proud to produce a 36 card box set commemorating the championship won by the Dallas Mavericks.

Every box set gets you 36 cards with 19 cards being player cards, including coach Carlisle. There is also one card for every playoff victory the Mavericks had during these 2011 NBA Playoffs. Finally, the box ends with a card dedicated to the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, Dirk Nowitzki. This product will be tough to review as it is exactly what it states it will be. No guessing, just a quality set of cards for your collection. Let’s break it down for you.

Base (players):

Base: (wins and MVP):

First, I want to apologize for the kind of blurry photos. As I state in my bright video, the fiancee went out fishing with her grandfather all day today and I’m stuck using my laptop camera and my iPhone camera. Let’s get to the ratings.

Design:

This is how a box set should be designed. No frills, just a solid design all around. I love the basic design for a number of reasons. First is located at the bottom of the card. The bottom of the card clearly has the player’s name and a beautiful type font displaying that the Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions. But I think what makes this product stand out is the awesome action photography from the playoffs. It fills up the top of the card and the photos chosen were great. I can’t believe how fast this product came out with the great photography used during the post season. It really makes you remember those fall away jumpers from Dirk and Jason Kidd driving the lane for those hard fought victories. Absolutely no complaints on the design end. This is how it should look and it was done perfectly.

Checklist:

I’m giving the checklist 4 stars. The only reason why I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I feel it is missing something. If Panini chose to produce a card for every game the Mavericks played in the playoffs, I believe it would of told a better story. The looks of disappointment and shock when Brandon Roy took the game over in Game 3 of the first round and won the game for the Blazers. The buzzer beaters that fell on the wrong side of the coin for the Mavericks. I think if every game were produced, the story would be complete. Everything else was great though with featuring all the players on the team, the wins, and Dirk’s MVP card. Still, very solid.

Value:

This is a commemorative box set of trading cards. Everything in it is the same across every box. And for $20, it definitely has value for those aficionados of the game of basketball and Dallas Mavericks fans. But let’s compare it to another $20 Panini product, All-Goalies hockey. That set has 100 cards, 5 inserts, and a game used memorabilia piece. Same price, a ton more cards. I’ve bought commemorative boxes before for my teams championships and it’s always been around the same price. It’s definitely a collector’s item for those fans. Maybe drop the price down to a cheap blaster or between those products? How’s $15 sound? $5 less sounds a little bit better to my wallet in the end for 36 cards. Otherwise, you already know what you are getting. But to Dallas Mavericks fans out there, I’m sure they would have no problem paying $20. This is just a thought from an unbiased observer not letting any fandom get in the way.

Overall:

Overall, this is an extremely nice product. It is a box set that carries just base cards really, but it is done extraordinary well. The design is perfect for this type of set and it really provides a glimpse at the players, coach, and the wins the Dallas Mavericks pulled off during their amazing playoff run. The Dirk MVP card is a nice little addition at the end too. The only very small problems I have is I think the checklist should tell the story of the postseason a little more with cards from Mavericks losses and maybe drop the price down $5. Overall, very little complaints with this product and as I stated in the value section, this is the perfect product out there for you Dallas Mavericks fans, Dirk fans, or just plain old fans of the game of basketball. Great job Panini.

I’d like to thanks Panini for providing me this box to review for their company. I have a ton of links around for you to find them. You can visit them at the official Panini America website and definitely check out their blog.

Here is a video of me opening and displaying this box set. Enjoy!